Have you ever been in a meeting where a suggestion by another received thumbs up from almost all participants, and you thought that same idea was dumb but unable to proffer yours, perhaps a better idea due to your inability to express yourself better in public? Well, I have sat through several of those meetings where I was unable to utter a word.

In December 2014, I was honoured to have been the best man at a childhood friend’s wedding. Up until the brochure for the wedding was printed, I was always in constant communication with my friend to expunge the proposal of toast bit from it. Or, the MC be allowed to do that as is common practice. And he always assured me he didn’t even want to tell the story of how he met the bride so there’ll be no need for any proposal. Imagine my angst when we got to the chapel and was handed my copy of the brochure only to find “Proposal Of Toast – Best Man”. He couldn’t control his laughter when he saw my reaction to that breach of trust. Heck, I had even completely forgotten that I would be introducing the couple after they signed their marriage certificate. So when the officiating minister handed me the microphone to go out there and make the world know what had just happened in the vestry, I think I missed a heartbeat or two. Nonetheless, I managed to pull that off.  

And when I enquired from a very good friend during the photo session about how I faired, she was surprised to know I felt mighty nervous: “What? I don’t believe this! You of all people can’t express yourself in public, like you eloquently do when you are with friends? Wow! [sic]” “I think I listen better than I speak”, I responded with a shrug and a sheepish smile. Fortunately for me, the reception started quite late and so we skipped the part where I propose the toast. Whew!  

I receive lots of e-mails from my readers whenever I post an article online. Many of them express their profound gratitude for ‘motivating’ them. Several of them also are invitations to speak at one youth event or another. And I have always turned them down, citing one stupid reason or another. However, I have always fantasized about being a very good public speaker since my childhood. In fact, I have many certificates and a gold-plated crucifix from winning oratory contests in church, and I also wowed the audience at my godfather’s wedding some 15 years ago when I introduced the chairperson for the occasion with words from two foolscap pages written by him which I had committed to memory. The MC, in his amazement asked someone to come carry me on his shoulder after I was done. And that person turned out to be a renowned clergyman in Ghana. However, when I got to JHS, I was part of Curious Minds, a group of teenagers who discussed issues affecting the youth on Uniiq FM every Wednesday. And can you believe I sat through studio sessions with about 15 other teens for about one whole year without ever speaking on air? Did I hear you say “Huh?” You see, I really had that skill during my childhood, but I lost it whilst growing up. How it happened, I can’t even hazard a guess. If I had mustered some courage to speak on air when I was opportune, who knows? I could have been a well sought after speaker at TEDx conferences at such a young age.  

Dear readers, I have decided to share one of my several weaknesses in this piece for a reason you’ll find after reading the next few sentences.

I realize that we were not created with the same gifts bestowed on us. Indeed, some were made athletic, others analytic. But here’s the thing. Some athletic creations have managed to train themselves also to be analytic, and vice versa. They build their capacities. Indeed, evidence abounds that many of those who have trained themselves in areas where they originally were not gifted, actually perform better than those who are inherently blessed with a particular gift. Perhaps, your inability doesn’t lie in public speaking, but leadership, human relations, anger management, organizational skills, sports etc…, I urge you to work on the area of your weakness – turn it into your strength! One never knows when or where it’ll come in handy.

I also realize that as I progress in life, certain situations will require my speaking in public. It’ll be foolhardy, if not suicidal to keep coming up with lame excuses like I currently do with speaking invitations I receive. My boss made a remark after reading my first article that was posted here, and he couldn’t have been more apt: “For one to climb the ladder in life, he needs to realize that it has little to do with what he knows, but almost everything to do with how well one is able to articulate what he knows verbally and on paper”.

So yes, I’ll take that course to build my capacity in public speaking. You also take every opportunity to build yours in leadership, counseling, writing etc… Maybe you need to enroll in a school to train that voice to sing like a bird, or to sharpen those acting skills, or to help you in marketing a product or service, or to help your keep your cool no matter what. We are humans with several inabilities, really.

They call me Paa Kwesi Bentum Williams, and as the image succinctly suggests; there is a God, and clearly, I’m not Him. You too are not!     

The writer works in the finance department of Multimedia Group Limited, and can be contacted at pkbwilliams@yahoo.co.uk. Click here for other articles he’s authored.