As District 7 Toastmaster Area 95 Governor, I visited TV Toastmasters. For the first time, I got to speak on t.v.

As an area governor for Toastmasters, I have the responsibility of overseeing four clubs. Oversight means making sure the clubs are meeting the needs of it’s members. Some clubs are small. Some are large. Some are growing, some are fading. Regardless, each club has unique strengths and weaknesses.

In a practical sense, one of my responsibilities of oversight is to visit each club. And sometimes, like tonight, that is a real treat.

TV Toastmasters is a Toastmasters club that holds the entire meeting in the form of a television show. There’s a producer, cameraman, multiple cameras, and an emcee. When the clock starts, the show starts rolling. There’s no stopping.

I was tapped to be an evaluator. Although I’ve given dozens of speaker evaluations, I’ve never spoken on television. As I prepared my speech, I realized there were butterflies in my stomach. Big butterflies. Big butterflies that were going to be on t.v.

And it was at that very moment that I realized how to start overcoming the fear of public speaking.

Just do it.

As those butterflies flapped their wings, I walked up on stage and gave my evaluation. Instead of focusing on my nerves, I focused on what I wanted to communicate. In short, I just did it.

And that is the key to overcoming that very common fear. Just do it. And do it a lot. Join a Toastmasters club. Volunteer to speak at your local clubs or churches or office. You have something to say, and it is important!

Just do it.