From Social Anxiety To Winning a Public Speaking Contest

Posted on July 01, 2021 by Katy Morin, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.

On April 17, 2021, I won a public speaking contest at Toastmasters. 10 years before that, my goal in life had been simply to find a job where I could work from home so I didn’t have to talk to anybody. At that time, public speaking was the last thing on my list of priorities.

I joined Toastmasters in September 2016 because my social anxiety was starting to affect my professional life. I felt that the best way to deal with my anxiety was to confront it, and that’s what Toastmasters is all about.

I used to be very shy when I was a kid. This shyness has stayed with me even as an adult. At school, I did not speak much unless addressed first. Even when I did speak up, I tended to speak as little as possible to avoid drawing attention to me.

Being Aware
It took me a while to realize that I had social anxiety. I am introverted, and I prefer to spend time by myself. However, I had this nagging thought that something was wrong with me.
I had a lot of problems connecting with people in my personal and professional life, and I was stressed out because I thought these problems were all my fault. Then I realized that it wasn’t because I am a bad person, but because the way that I interact with others is different from most people.
When I was in a situation where I had to speak, my anxiety made it hard for me to say anything. When that happened, I felt frustrated and embarrassed. I thought that there was something wrong with me, and I feared that other people might also think the same way. After a lot of soul searching, I realized that I could deal with my social anxiety by confronting it.

A Year of Learning
I joined Toastmasters because I was looking for a place where I could improve my communication skills. It took me a while to open up in the meetings because I was concerned that others might judge me. Fortunately, I managed to find supportive people in the club who did not judge me for being quiet.
One of my goals for joining the club was to get rid of my fear of asking questions or making suggestions during meetings. I also wanted to improve my ability to formulate constructive feedback.
The first few meetings were pure torture for me. I was so nervous that I couldn’t even sleep the night before. I managed to survive the first few meetings because everyone was very supportive; they didn’t force me to participate in the Table Topics Session where you have to answer a question without preparation.

After attending a couple of meetings and talking to members at the club meeting, I became more comfortable with people in general and especially within Toastmasters. Becoming more outgoing was not easy for me. It took me a lot of effort to speak up in the meetings. However, it got easier with time and practice. Toastmasters gave me the opportunity to become more comfortable with speaking in public overall and helped me improve my confidence and leadership skills.
This is a very important skill that I wouldn’t have had the chance to develop otherwise.

Contests in Toastmasters
Contests in Toastmasters are a big affair. Each year, thousands of Toastmasters members compete in speech contests covering a wide range of speaking types. Competition begins with club contests, with winners at the club level continuing on through area, division, and district levels—eventually narrowing the field to the World Championship of Public Speaking.
Speech contests are a great way to:
Learn how to express yourself with confidence in front of an audience
Learn how to improve your public speaking skills
Gather feedback on the way you present a speech and where improvements can be made
Give a speech that’s different from the speeches you normally give when there is no competition in your club
You don’t need to be an experienced public speaker or a seasoned Toastmaster to participate. If you want to improve your public speaking skills, speech contests are a great place to start.

My First Contest
My first contest was in 2018. At that time, I had done about ten speeches. The evening of the competition was a roller coaster experience for me. I had to give my speech in the first half, then I was a Contest Chair for the second half, so my attention was not solely on my speech. I had done the speech three times before the contest so I could integrate and follow the feedback given by my fellow Toastmasters for the contest.
I ended up being 4th or 5th out of 5 contestants. (They only announce first to third place). I was a bit disappointed, but I received positive feedback from guests that made me feel better.
What I learned from that first experience:
The goal doesn’t need to be winning the contest but just touching even one person is enough to be proud of ourselves.
Giving the speech three times was a great way to improve it before the contest, but since a lot of people had already heard my speech, it was not as impactful on the day of the contest. If I had to do it again I would do a new speech for the contest.
The speech needs to have a clear message that can inspire the audience. A call to action is a great way to get the attention of the audience at the end of the speech. My speech didn’t have a remarkable ending nor a clear message, so I knew that for the next time I had to include a powerful message and clear call to action.
Having a positive attitude is key when giving speeches because it will help you stay motivated throughout the competition.

Two Years Later
I participated in my second contest in September 2020. My goal was to do better than I did last time. I didn’t have big expectations — second or third place would have been enough for me.
I do not recommend this, but I procrastinated until a week before the contest to start writing my two speeches, one in French and one in English.
Here are a few things I learned to help you prepare for a contest:
Before you start writing your speech, know what the message of the speech will be. It should be no more than one sentence.
Start preparing early. Be self-critical. Be willing to listen to feedback and learn from experience.
Work on your timing and delivery style. The judging process is designed to evaluate how well you communicate your ideas to an audience during the time given for speaking.
Practice with friends, in front of the mirror, or by yourself.

Club Contest
I participated in my two clubs. The first contest was at ‘Beyond Words,’ which is an English club. Three of us were participating in the International speech contest and Evaluation Contest. I placed first in the International Speech Contest and third in the Evaluation Contest.
English is not my first language, so I was proud of winning against two native English speakers.
Even though I placed third in Evaluation, I was still proud of myself for participating. Evaluations have always been really difficult for me to do. Since I was the only participant in the French contest, I was automatically selected to go to the next level.
In my second club ‘Leaders en Action,’ for the French speech, I did not place in the first three positions. I was really disappointed because my goal was to do better than I did last time, and I failed in that regard — but I did win in English.

Area Contest
The next level after the club is the Area Contest, which consists of a gathering of 4–5 clubs. I participated in two Area Contests: One for French and evaluation, and one for English.
The first Area Contest was the French one. I placed third for the evaluation contest, but I was still proud of myself for not being last. I won the French contest against one other contestant.
For the second Area Contest, I placed last in the English contest. I was a bit upset about being last, but I was also relieved that I only had to focus on my French speech for the next level.
The title of my English Speech was: How I Killed My Best Friend. You can see the video of my performance at the Area Contest on February 11.

Division Level
I was competing against five seasoned speakers at the Division level. I did not have any expectations for this level, I just wanted to perform well. Since it was my third time presenting the same speech for a contest, I was more confident this time. I was really proud of myself when they announced my name as the winner. I was now going to the final level.

District Contest
The fourth and last step in the French Contest is the District Contest. Eight Toastmasters each representing their Division compete in this level. When I started at the club level, I never thought I would go this far. Now that I was at the last level, I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to win.
I asked a fellow Toastmasters who participated in the District Contest to give me feedback to improve my speech. He gave me a lot of suggestions, but in the end, I only followed two of them because I wanted to stay true to my original speech. If I made too many changes, it would have been difficult for me to remember them and give a good performance. I changed the title — from Toastmasters a ruiné vie (Toastmasters ruined my life) to Il a ruiné ma vie (He ruined my life) — to keep the suspense at the beginning of my speech.

I was less nervous than the last three times because it was the last level, and I had nothing to lose. Even if I didn’t win, being this far was a great accomplishment.
The contest was in the afternoon, but we didn’t get the result until the evening. That was a long day. When they announced my name as the first place winner I could barely believe it. I had done it. I won a public speaking contest when five years ago I could barely talk in front of strangers. It was a great experience for me. and I am so proud of myself.

This experience has been valuable to me for many reasons:
I have improved my speaking skills in public.
I am now more comfortable speaking in front of an audience.
I learned to be more confident about myself and my abilities.
I learned to be less self-critical and more appreciative of my accomplishments.
Improving your communication with others is important in life, whether you’re in Toastmasters or not.
It is much easier to learn from your mistakes and to build your confidence than to give up completely.

Advice to Beginners — From My Experience
My advice to beginners is to practice, practice, practice. The more you do it, the better you get. Don’t touch your notes or look at your paper when you practice, as it will only make you more nervous. Focus on what you want to say. Talk to your family and friends as it might help you figure out what you want to talk about.
I love Toastmasters because it has allowed me to become a better version of myself. I have developed leadership skills, improved my public speaking, and made friends that will last a lifetime. It has also helped me to be more comfortable in front of an audience, which has helped me professionally and personally with all aspects of my life.
Toastmasters has helped me become a more confident speaker and leader overall. The program has strengthened my self-esteem and the ability to deal with people in general.
I am proud of myself for coming out of my shell. Speaking in public was one of the biggest hurdles for me when I started Toastmasters, but now I don’t mind doing speeches in front of an audience anymore. It’s a big accomplishment, but I’m still learning and exploring other opportunities.
My advice to those who would like to get involved in speech contests is:
Practice beforehand by giving speeches at another club than your own.
Watch seasoned speakers’ videos on YouTube and improve yourself with feedback from your fellow Toastmasters.
A great way to prepare is to attend workshops before your speech contest. They’ll teach you how to give a speech that will resonate with the audience and will engage them more.
Create a speech that the audience wants and needs. It’s not just about yourself. Ask yourself: What’s in it for them? Find a story that will keep your audience interested and inspired and you’ll have the best chance to win.
Don’t give up, and be confident about what you have to say.
Ten years ago, while I was looking for a job where I didn’t have to talk to anyone, I would never have thought that I would have accomplished everything I did in these few years in Toastmasters. I have developed great leadership, public speaking, and confidence skills.
I remember when I still had social anxiety. People would comment on my quietness, tell me that they used to be shy, and eventually, they overcame it. I always wanted to know how they did it. What was their secret? I never got a clear answer, but I know now that for me it was Toastmasters. It was the first step in overcoming my social anxiety.
I attribute a lot of what I have accomplished in the past four years to Toastmasters. It has helped me become a better leader, a better speaker, and a more confident person overall. My speech skills increased year after year, and I’m grateful for it. I think Toastmasters is a great place to get in touch with your inner self. You’ll gain new friends and will be exposed to different cultures and ideas that will help you grow and expand your horizons. The people you meet and the friends you make there will last a lifetime.
I am so grateful for the people who believed in me when I could not believe in myself. The kindness and support of the people I met at Toastmasters helped me realize that I could be more than the girl who did not talk enough in meetings. It helped reveal the leader in me.
If you suffer from social anxiety and think that you could not do any of what I did, please do not give up. I know that it is a lot of work, but it is worth it. You will be surprised by what you can accomplish. You just have to take the first step. Stay strong and keep looking forward to a brighter future. A future where you can network, make friends, and develop yourself personally and professionally.