Written by Vina Dina, Content Writer Intern Project Child Indonesia
In this new kind of world, showing our existence is an important thing to do. Without doing that, we will be forgotten and left behind because the world today is very dynamic and adaptive. We can show our existence by making an appearance in public by sharing thoughts, showing talents, or taking action for changes and/or improvements. Unfortunately, not everyone has the courage to show themselves in public. But it isn’t something that we can’t change, right?
In this edition of PCI Feature, we had a collaboration with Theresia Tyas Thea Kirana, Human Capital Coordinator Intern Batch 32, to discuss that topic. Starting from being a radio announcer in her university – which is her dream job since childhood, Kak Thea expanded her experience being a Master of Ceremony (MC) in various events. Now, she is ready to share all of her opinions and also tips and tricks on how to conquer the fear and anxiety of public speaking!
It’s All About Choice
Public speaking can be a scary thing to do for many people. So, a lot of us hesitate to try it. Still, it’s an important skill for our self-development. Therefore, we need to push ourselves to get out of our comfort zone.
“There are two choices in life, get out of your comfort zone or just stay still. Each of it has consequences and the decision is yours. What consequences do you want to have? Just stay still and get nothing or learn something new that have two more possibilities, fail or succeed, which both of it are actually a lesson”, shared Kak Thea
Being a radio announcer which was her passion since childhood and being a MC was something she had never done before. But because of her curiosity and desire to try new things, she tried to get into that field.
About Fears
Fears are common to experience when we do something for the first time. It can be a trap for us to not try or vice versa, encouraging us to learn new things to cover up our fears. “It’s okay to be afraid”, said Kak Thea, “There is a ‘sweet spot’ about fear which can urge us to move forward”, she added. ‘Sweet spot’ can be like, when we are afraid of not knowing about certain topics, we’ll try to read about it. So when people ask us, we already know the answer.
In the discussion with Kak Thea, we also tried to find a solution for our instagram follower’s fears. Most of them are afraid of being wrong and different when they share their thoughts in public. In this kind of situation, Kak Thea shares her opinion that it’s okay to be different because each of us have our own thoughts about something. “If I’m always afraid, I won’t move anywhere. People’s response is beyond my control, so I try to know what things I can and can not control, then focus on it”, reminded her.
Furthermore, from her point of view, only you can overcome your fears about making mistakes because the willingness to change is from yourself. It’s okay to make mistakes, because there is no one who doesn’t make mistakes. “Humans make mistakes, the thing we should focus on is how we respond to our mistakes that we want to learn more and more”, she added.
Sometimes, our fears are only in our thoughts. It’s not the reality. Try to manage your internal work, do your best, and surrender. The results and people’s response is not in our hands
-Thereia Tyas Thea Kirana
Live is Supposed to Learning to Learn
“My lecturer said life is supposed to be ‘learning to learn’, and that’s impressed me”, tell her. According to her, when we learn something new, we will learn more and more and it will tickle our curiosity. It’s okay if you only know this much tho. Instead, you can turn it into a chance for learning. “I can’t wait until I feel enough, so I’ll share what I have right now. If someone thinks my opinion is nonsense or what I did was wrong, I will apologize and try to learn more” explained her.
It’s a destiny that humans will never feel enough. That feeling will affect our decision to move forward or not. To overcome that kind of situation, Kak Thea tried to apply the “Growth Mindset” which is a belief that our talents aren’t fixed, but constantly in development. It’s a mindset that learning doesn’t stop when we leave our school or university and accept failure or even welcome it as an opportunity to learn.
Overcome Your Fears, Show Yourself
“There are actually many benefits I can get out of making an appearance in public. From being a radio announcer, I got channels to be a MC. Both of them make me learn so many things and it makes me realize that I have the capacity to learn this much. It motivates me to learn more. Making an appearance in public also teaches me to be more confident and upgrade how to beautify my words. Recently, I learned to surrender more and not hold onto my expectations tightly. Just do what I can do.” shared Kak Thea when asked about what benefit she gets from being a radio announcer and MC.
Kak Thea concluded that making an appearance in public is important for our self-development. As a human, we are always learning. By sharing our thoughts, it’s our way to respect ourselves, we respect what we think and what we learn. Nevertheless, She understands that stepping forward to a crowded place is not an easy thing to do, and as time goes on, she learned that fear is natural to feel. So, how does she overcome her fears?
Here are her tips! First, you need to sit with yourself and accept your fears. You need to acknowledge and break down your fears, what it is and why it appears. You can use journaling methods like Kak Thea did, or else, like talking with friends. By recognizing and describing your fears, it’s easier for you to find a solution. Then, the last but not least thing you can do after trying to make an appearance in public is more surrender. Failure or can’t get as we expected is something we can’t control, and it’s fine.
The important thing is not being right. It’s the willing to learn and learn and not quickly satisfied with what we had
–Theresia Tyas Thea Kirana
So, overcome your fears, show your existence, share your thoughts, and show your talents. It’s not about being right or wrong. The important thing when you share your thoughts is that you have strong reasons why you say it and it doesn’t attack anyone. Share it with a lot of confidence then listen to other’s opinions. Take your chance right now!
