This is a part of a series of posts written by entrepreneurs of the Fall 2020 Business Accelerator cohort for EforAll Cape Cod.
by Stephanie Foster of Transformative Workout
Public speaking has been my biggest fear for as long as I can remember. New people, situations and experiences have always made me a bit (ok a lot) nervous. From a racing heart to dry mouth or in severe cases my mind going totally blank, no matter how many times I got up to speak in front of people it never seemed to get easier. When I signed up for the EforAll mentorship program I had no idea it would help me start to overcome this fear.
As a fitness instructor who gets up in front of students and gives exercise direction for a living, the irony of public speaking causing me anxiety is not lost on me. Nonetheless it is real and the EforAll community has been instrumental in helping me gain control and work through this fear.
When I applied for a spot in this program, I did not know that I would be required to pitch my business idea, sometimes multiple times a week in front of a variety of people. As if that was not enough, I recently had to present my pitch in an online setting to a group consisting of my fellow entrepreneurs, all the mentors in the program and family members of the entrepreneurs. Had I known this I most likely would never have put my application in for the program and would have let this amazing opportunity pass me by. I am so grateful that I did not as I would have knowingly given up the many gifts this program has to offer. Things like the many invaluable business building skills, education and support from so many knowledgeable and experienced people.
What I did not realize about this program is that by requiring me to not only have a pitch speech but to repeatedly practice it, that I would begin to overcome my fear of public speaking. And that by becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable, I am becoming a more confident speaker.
