Chapter Two

Public speaking in any language, tribe, or nation is to influence, inform, or instruct. For example, a professional in business may want to influence buyers. Alternatively, a writer may wish to inform the readers of upcoming books. An educator wants to instruct an audience by supplying information that will be useful to them. It does not matter what the specialty is; all speeches fall into three categories, inform, influence, or instruct.

When God called Moses to speak to the Pharaoh, he commissioned him to deliver a persuasive speech that would influence Pharaoh to "Let the people go."

Moses did not think he could be influential; he lacked confidence. Confidence is the driving force to get things rolling. Nevertheless, he did not believe he could.

We have all been in that place of self-doubt. Self-doubt is closely associated with Glossophobia and operates with anxiety, depression, procrastination, and lack of motivation. God knew the psychological aspect of self-doubt in the mind of Moses. My friend, the world is a stage, and we are all part of it. "Whether you believe you can or can't, you are right."

Believing in one's capabilities puts Glossophobia on notice. It means recognizing one's strengths, skills, and successes and accepting failures. It is a learning curve that will make one stronger. It symbolizes determination, a badge of honor one should wear with pride because at least one has tried. Shame, weakness, or doubts catapulted by Glossophobia are advantages we can use to shrink its powers. Let us do this!

We all know the level of success we see in our life is a direct result of our beliefs. Moses did not believe he could, but something happened when he applied confidence, the antidote for self-doubt. He no longer was drowning in the Red Sea of fear, doubts, or self-sabotage when he learned three essential Keys that changed the course of his life.

The first Key to overcoming Glossophobia is to exercise the mustard seed of faith and believe it's possible. We all have both strengths and weaknesses. However, when we do not accomplish something that others do without breaking a sweat, we develop ANTS (automatic negative thoughts) and tend to focus on the glass as half empty. Our minds at once remind us of our past attempts, the shame, weakness, and failures encountered since kindergarten.

Moses suffered from an ANT infestation of self-doubt. He did not know himself nor his character. He suddenly forgot that he was talking to God behind a burning bush. "Who am I?" he asked, "I am nobody that people would listen to me."

God recognized that Moses needed a new perspective of himself, and affirmations worked wonders for this. However, at the time, no one knew how affirmations worked. But today, from positive psychology, we know that proper self-talk can change one's life and help reprogram the subconscious. So, exactly how do affirmations work? So glad you asked.

Self-affirmation activates the brain systems associated with self-related processing, rewards, and reinforcements (Sherman D.K. Cohen G.L. (2006). The benefits cross over threatening situations to decrease stress, increase well-being, improve academic performance, and make people more open to behavior changes. In addition, knowing one's self-worth and reflecting on core values gives an individual a broader view of the self. (Steel C.M. The psychology of self-affirmation: sustaining the integrity of the self.)

The mechanisms for affirmations were studied by using neuroimaging methods. (Falk et al., 2015). This study examined the neural mechanisms of self-affirmation with a task developed for use in a functional magnetic resonance imaging environment. They found an exciting region of interest analysis that proved participants affirmed (compared with unaffirmed participants) showed increased activity in critical areas of the brain's self-processing (medial prefrontal cortex + posterior cingulate cortex) and valuation (ventral striatum + ventral medial prefrontal cortex) systems when reflecting on future-oriented core values (compared with everyday activities). Furthermore, this neural activity predicted changes in sedentary behavior consistent with triumphant affirmation in response to a separate physical activity intervention. These results highlight neural processes associated with successful self-affirmation and suggest that pathways amplify conjunction with prospection.

I am sure that as soon as Moses started his affirmations, "I was sent to deliver the people from oppression; let my people go," something happened inside his brain. The fire from the "burning bush" activated the neural pathways in his brain, firing away at all the self-doubt and raising his self-confidence in preparation for his famous speech, "Let my People Go."

God works in threes, and the second Key he used to get Moses going was to empower him with authority. Moses did not know who was sending him and what power was backing him. "I AM WHO I AM sent you," God declared himself. "I am the self-existence and eternally changeless; I am life itself. The big CEO of the Universe, stop focusing on yourself, Moses, or your resources. I created your mouth and Pharaoh's ears. The bottom line is, it is not about you, Moses; it's about me and my power."

How is this relevant to a speaker for Apple, Microsoft, Space Force, or anything else? Suppose Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or a supervisor asks you to go and represent the company at a regional convention by delivering a five-to-seven-minute speech; isn't that impressive? Trusted to be a mouthpiece for the firm and endorsed is impressive. Of all the people in the firm to be, you were the chosen one. That is the authority.
Finally, God gave Moses something he was familiar with, a reminder that not only did he have the authority to speak, but he had already overcome another significant fear, snakes. If anyone can overcome the fear of snakes, they can overcome anything.

So, let us recap what we gleaned from this lesson:
(1) Self- affirmations help neutralize the chemical effects of Glossophobia on the brain. There are numerous affirmations to help rewire the brain and nullify Glossophobia.

Self-affirmations keep the ANTS away when practiced daily for three to five minutes. Mornings are the best time before getting up. They are super easy to do, and one can write their own if they wish. There is a plethora of affirmations on YouTube you can glean from. The main thing to remember is to say, see and feel the declarations. Most people repeat the same verse five to ten times. That is, of course, a preference. Here are some suggestions.

Mind
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
I purpose to guard my mouth and my tongue so that I might keep myself from calamity.
My words have the power to produce life.

Body
I am excited about public speaking
I love my audience, and my audience loves me.
I am thankful for an opportunity to speak and connect with others.

Spirit
Today I will use fear as a steppingstone to research my topic and study.
I cast down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, including Glossophobia.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Remember, it is not about you but the authority that empowers you. Your power comes from that which you stand for: profession, nitch, organization, business, church, subject, genres, or experiences.
(3) Personal stories of lessons learned, mistakes made, or fears that have been overcome all help with easing anxiety and make one feel comfortable in public speaking.

You may say, "I am nobody, I am finished, I will never speak again." Let me remind you that you are on the stage of life, and this is your time to be all you can be.

Nevertheless, here is the way poet Douglas Malloch puts it:

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley-but be
The best little scrub by the sea of the rill.
Be a bush if you, if you can't, be a tree.

If you can't be a bush, be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make.
If you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass-
But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can't all be captains, we've got to be a crew,
There's something for all of us here.
There's big work to do and there's; lesser to do
And the task we must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway, then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun, be a star.
It isn't by size that you win, or you fail-
Be the best of whatever you are!