Fear
How are you feeling?
Happy? Excited? Nervous?
How many of you are feeling nervous?
That’s exactly what we will talk about
Nervousness, a strong sign of fear.
Now I would like to ask you a very simple question.
What does fear mean to you?
Fear is an emotion that we feel when we face danger, uncertainty, or when we step outside our comfort zone.
Fear is something that every one of us experiences.
But not all the fears are real.
1. Rational Fear
Rational fear is something that can actually harm us.
For example:
- Fear of touching a fire
- Fear of driving too fast
- Fear of a dangerous animal like a snake
These fears protect us.
2. Irrational Fear
Irrational fear is the type of fear most of us face every day.
It is based more on imagination than real danger.
For example:
- What if everyone laughs at me?
- Fear of coming on stage
- Fear of speaking on a Table Topic
- Fear of starting something new
- Fear of what other people might think of me
- Fear of making mistakes
- Fear of failure
It can be anything.
These fears stop us from growing. It is more dangerous than the real fear.
Our mind doesn’t know the difference between real fear and imaginary fear.
That’s why when we do anything new, we come out of our comfort zone and speak in public.
Our minds treat new situations as threats. and tries to protect us.
One thing that you have postponed, or not started, because of fear?
I can relate to that.
When I first joined Toastmasters, it took me almost a month to deliver my icebreaker speech.
Not because I didn’t want to do it.
But because I kept telling myself:
“My speech isn’t ready.”
“I need more time.”
The truth was, I was waiting to be fully prepared, and once the fear would disappear. Then’ll come.
And it never did.
I gathered courage and delivered a speech even though I was afraid.
We all have fears and feel nervous
We all feel nervous.
We all feel afraid.
Especially when:
- We try something new
- We leave our comfort zone
- We face uncertainty
And that’s completely normal.
Now let’s pause for a moment
I would like to share with you the agenda of our meeting. For the benefit of our guests.
Our meeting is divided into 3 sections
1. The first section is a prepared speech. The speaker comes on the stage and delivers a prepared speech. For every speech, the time would be around 5–7 min
2. The table topic section, which is one of the most exciting parts of the meeting. In this section, the table topic master will give a random topic, and you have to speak for 1–2 minutes. The best part is guest can also participate in this section.
3. The third and crucial part of the meeting is the evaluation section, where the general evaluator and her team will provide us with constructive feedback
Now I would like to invite GE to introduce her role and her team.
But I would like to share a bit about her
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GE-Stuti
She is a software developer. In her free time, she loves dancing and playing chess.
Now, it is time to start our first section of the meeting, which is the prepared speech section.
Before inviting our first speaker, let’s invite our evaluator to share the speech objective.
SPEAKER 1- Dixita intro
She is an immediate past president of our club. Playing a crucial role here for the last 2 years. She works in an IT Company. She loves swimming and enjoy sweetnes of doing nothing
What’s one thing you were afraid to do, but after doing it, you felt proud of yourself?
Let me share a personal story.
I love travelling, and over the years I’ve travelled many times with family and friends.
But there was one thing I always wanted to do — a solo trip.
I kept postponing it because I was afraid.
I thought:
What if something goes wrong?
What if I feel lonely?
What if I face problems?
Then, two years ago, just before New Year’s Eve, I decided to stop overthinking.
I booked a ticket to Udaipur and went alone.
I had no detailed plan. I just went.
I stayed in a hostel near a beautiful lake, enjoyed the New Year celebrations, watched the fireworks, and made new friends.
It turned out to be one of the best trips of my life.
And that’s when I realized something:
The things we fear are often not as scary as we imagine.
That trip gave me more than memories — it gave me confidence.
I felt proud of myself because I had taken a step outside my comfort zone.
NOW it’s time to start the 2nd part of the meeting, which table topic section.
Let me share a bit about him
TTM- Darshan-
He is a veteran toastmaster. Revenue Guy at hotels. He is also a part-time box cricket match organiser and Event host at Misfit. Apart from work, he is an avid hiker and bathroom singer by choice
How do we acknowledge fear and turn it into strength?
Step 1: Become Aware of It
Ask yourself:
- What exactly am I afraid of?
- Why am I afraid?
When we identify the real fear, it becomes easier to manage.
Step 2: Accept That Fear Is Normal
“I am nervous, and that’s okay.”
Welcome your fear.
Fear is not weakness.
Fear is often a sign that something matters to you.
Step 3: Change Your Mindset
See fear as a sign of growth.
Think about:
- Your first speech
- Your first job
- Your first leadership role
- Your first big decision
You probably felt nervous before doing those things.
But how did you feel afterward?
Proud.
Confident.
Stronger.
Step 4: Take One Small Step Every Time
Don’t wait for confidence.
Take action first.
- One speech
- One Table Topic
- One conversation
- One small step at a time
And slowly, fear transforms into strength.
I would end with a final message:
On one side of fear are excuses and doubts. On the other side are growth, confidence, and success. The next time fear shows up, don’t step back — step forward. Because everything you want is waiting on the other side of fear.
