I've always had a fear of public speaking... Wait that's not true, I don't remember minding it back in first grade. I remember our one and only "Show and Tell" way back when. I brought in my plushie of the dog Spot. It was a gift from a friend of my mom's who had died recently. I told the class about the stuffed animal Spot, how I got him etc. I got laughed at and called a baby. Mind you, I was only 5 years old along with the rest of the class. After that I didn't like talking in front of the class and as I got older the fear got worse. It got so bad I actually failed my Speech class in college. Flat out failed because I was too nervous to even show up. So, I'd say that my fear is pretty bad, or it was. It's getting better now but yeah it was bad.
What am I afraid of? Mostly I'm afraid of a repeat of my 1st grade presentation, being laughed at. So, now, I deal in humor a lot. If I intend for laughter, well, then that makes any laughter I receive a success.
The strangest part of my fear is that I don't get stage fright, well, not easily. I can get up and sing the 1st soprano part with a chorus. I can play in a band and I'll be absolutely fine. I still freak out if I'm by myself, but that can usually be avoided.
Yet, despite all these fears, here I am writing a blog...