Did you feel nervous before/while giving talks?

by likeabird 18 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  likeabird

  The subject of feeling nervous came up in SFPW recent thread http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/268270/2/Im-curious-when-you-were-asked-to-do-a-demo-for-a-Service-Meeting-part-how-did-the-request-make-you-feel#.Uqgz_0Nd13B

  It reminded me of a sister I knew. You always knew when you got to the meeting if she had a talk that night. She was a bag of nerves. She'd be running round the hall wringing her hands telling everyone how stressed she was.

  I remember one brother who had a bible reading and kept his hands in his pockets the whole way through. Others, you could see their hands shaking so much that you wondered how they could read from the bible they were holding.

  I never really got nervous. I didn't particularly like giving talks, but on the other hand it was a diversion from the usual monotony of sitting in an auditorium for two hours. And I always made sure I said a quick prayer before I got on stage to ask for help not to be nervous. I was afraid that if I didn't pray for help and it turned out I wasn't nervous, then I would have to say I did the talk on my own strength and where would that thinking land me!

  Anyway, I'm starting to derail the topic before I even started it!

  The question is : Did you feel nervous before/while giving talks? Do you have any funny recollections of people showing their nerves?
• 

  zeb

  The eight "P's"

  Purposeful

  Practiced

  Prior

  Preparation

  Prevents

  Piss

  Poor

  Performance.
• 

  LoisLane looking for Superman

  In one congo I know of 2 sweet sisters and one stressed brother who had to take tranquilizers before they gave a talk.

  LoisLane

  PS And that is who I know personally. I don't know if others had to take drugs to 'help' them.
• 

  The Searcher

  My better half got into a really terrible state before giving her talks, which I'd prepared for her. So I just told her to tell the Min. School Overseer that she wanted to take a break from the School for a while because of how it stressed her. He said OK, and TWO weeks later, handed me an assignment slip for her!!

  I immediately handed it back to him and told him "No, she's not ready yet - it's only been two weeks!". How ignorant and controlling these little Napoleons are! They absolutely detest it when someone distances themselves from their grip!

  I am not a naturally 'brave' person, but I have discovered over the past four or five years that all you have to do is look at an elder straight in the eye and confidently say 'NO', and they almost always back down immediately!

  That's why a) they usually come at you in twos, and b) why I'll always refuse from now on to talk to more than one at a time about important matters - unless I'm allowed to have someone with me!

  I think that they are genuinely scared of confronting an individual who is prepared to call their bluff!
• 

  Bungi Bill

  When I first enrolled on the TMS, I had a serious problem with shyness:

  -so yes, I was very nervous!

  In the end, though, not at all - a situation that has continued to this day, over 19 years since I bade that lot goodbye.

  i.e. speaking in front of hundreds of people (like I sometimes have to do) fazes me not at all.

  Reluctant as I am to give my time with the JWs any credit at all, I would have to admit that the TMS played a major part in me overcoming that awful shyness that once plagued me - in fact almost crippled me.

  Bill
• 

  joyfulfader

  I never got nervous and was informed over and over that not being nervous was a sign I was relying on myself and not Jehovah. A most undesirable trait...but that didn't stop them from asking me up to half way through the bible reading to fill in. As a woman that meant finding an equally not nervous hh. I had my go to girls. I have to say the org did help my public speaking.
• 

  Witness My Fury

  When I was an MS in my phase of making an effort, I used to get very nervous and any item really ruined that whole day or two before due to nerves.

  Then one time I had the bible highlights and dutifully prepared for it. At the start of the meeting when I handed in my slip I suddenly realised I had prepared the WRONG weeks chapters,...

  School overseer said, just do the best you can. I had 15 minutes inc song and prayer to go and prepare the correct material. I kept it simple, no one in the audience had any idea i'd only had 15 minutes to do it and many said it was an excellent item.

  I learned a valuable lesson that night, I had been over preparing and making it into more of an ordeal than it ever needed to be. From then on I set myself a rule of 1 hour maximum to prepare any item I got. I never ever got really worried or anxious about items after that.
• 

  rip van winkle

  When in the zone, no one could tell if I was or wasn't nervous. I had some nervous energy but was so prepared that I wasn't worried.

  Sisters are ususally seated and you can only see our profiles so I would have my chair angled enough to only see the householder and the school conductor. Talks for sisters are very easy.

  I always received positive feedback from the Cong. and each time I gave a talk several sisters would ask for copies.

  I didn't stay in TMS for a long time but when someone needed a last minute HH, I was often asked.
• 

  A.proclaimer

  There was one ministerial servant long ago in my old congregation who would take out his hanky and wipe his forehead while giving talks. He got very nervous. I felt bad for him seeing how he would work up a sweat and wipe often.
• 

  WTWizard

  What I felt was that I was wasting my time. I knew the mechanics on how to give a talk, and I always timed myself so I came within seconds of the time limit without exceeding it. However, spending even the 10-15 minutes preparing was a complete waste. And, had the dingbat that dragged me into the cancer had its way, I would be wasting 6 hours for a Number Two Talk with no improvement. Probably more problems in getting it perfect, but no improvement.