--- title: "Wednesday Buzz: Don’t Be Shy About Speaking in Public" id: "38248" type: "post" slug: "wednesday-buzz-dont-be-shy-about-speaking-in-public" published_at: "2017-05-24T22:01:41+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:19:03+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/05/24/wednesday-buzz-dont-be-shy-about-speaking-in-public/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/05/24/wednesday-buzz-dont-be-shy-about-speaking-in-public.md" excerpt: "Public speaking offers up opportunities for you and your organization that you don’t want to miss. Also: Daily leadership practices to make your workplace less stressful for your team." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Communications" - "Meetings" - "public speaking" - "storytelling" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Employee (Non-Manager)" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Wednesday Buzz: Don’t Be Shy About Speaking in Public Public speaking can be scary, and it’s easy to talk yourself out of it. But your voice is unique, and you may have a lot to offer by sharing your thoughts publicly—even if you make a few mistakes along the way. When contemplating a speaking gig, keep in mind that no one is born a natural, and getting good at it simply takes practice. *Engaging Volunteers* shares a few [reasons to fight your fears (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/2017/05/17/its-not-that-scary-3-opportunities-you-miss-out-on-when-youre-not-public-speaking/) so you don’t miss out on the benefits of speaking your piece. We all know the powerful impact that storytelling can have in attracting people to a cause. Use your voice to share your passion in front of an audience. “You can be the one to inspire people to join your cause, get excited, feel revitalized, dream of the future, and make an impact,” writes James McBryan, founder of Track It Forward. Public speaking also creates free marketing opportunities, McBryan adds. Speaking at meetings or conferences gives you a chance to share the great work that your organization is doing. ### Less Stressed [https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz/status/867343138137964545 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz/status/867343138137964545) **It may sound counterintuitive**, but [bosses tend to feel less stress (opens in a new tab)](https://hbr.org/2012/10/being-the-boss-isnt-so-stressful) than their employees. There’s plenty that leaders can do to relieve the pressure on their team members. “Studies show that when leaders create a safe and supportive environment, individuals tend to feel more connected to that leader, perform at a higher level, and experience less stress than when they feel unattached to their boss,” writes Karen Firestone for the [Harvard Business Review (opens in a new tab)](https://hbr.org/2017/05/how-leaders-can-push-employees-without-stressing-them-out) . To reduce stress in your office, Firestone recommends being fair, being grateful and giving praise, and having a self-confident attitude. ### Other Links of Note **Instagram introduces new search features.** According to *TechCrunch*, the social platform now allows users to [search for stories based on hashtag and location (opens in a new tab)](https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/23/instagram-stories-search/) . **Traveling for business comes with plenty of worries.** *Entrepreneur* shares a few ways to [make your next trip a little easier (opens in a new tab)](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/292788) . **Is it time for a website redesign?** Here are the [seven things you need to do (opens in a new tab)](https://www.delcor.com/resources/blog/7-steps-to-a-brilliant-association-website-redesign) to create an excellent association site, according to the DelCor blog. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Communications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communications/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#public speaking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/public-speaking/) [#storytelling](https://associationsnow.com/tag/storytelling/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoMichelle Poler Previews Her Keynote for ASAE’s The Exchange!April 30, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/30/michelle-poler-previews-her-keynote-for-asaes-the-exchange/) - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-american-speech-language-hearing-association/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 1 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-1-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F05%2F24%2Fwednesday-buzz-dont-be-shy-about-speaking-in-public%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !