How I became a Public Speaker – G. B. Shaw
Exercise Questions and Answers – FY B.COM SPPU Orient Blackswan
How I became a public speaker – G B Shaw
Comprehension
I. Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
I had an air of impudence, but was really an arrant coward, nervous and self-conscious to a heart-breaking degree. Yet, I could not hold my tongue. I started up and said something in the debate, and then, feeling that I had made a fool of myself, as in fact I had, I was so ashamed that I vowed I would join the Society; go every week; speak in every debate, and become a speaker or perish in the attempt. I carried out this resolution. I suffered agonies that no one suspected.
a. What do these lines reveal about Shaw’s internal state?
ANS – The above lines reveal that Shaw was actually so nervous and self-conscious though he appeared bold, confident and arrogant on the outside.
He felt humiliated after speaking in public. He felt ashamed but he decided to join the society and speak in every debate and become a public speaker or perish in the attempt. This shows his determination, courage and inner strength.
Instead of running away from the problem, he chose to face it with courage by committing to speak regularly.
His resolution brought him great emotional sufferings. He says he suffered agonies, he went through great emotional pain and stress but he kept going. This shows that even though he was afraid he was brave enough to face his fear and strive to overcome his fear.
Initially the lines show Shaw’s cowardness and lack of confidence but at the end they also show his strong will and commitment to self-improvement.
b. What drives Show to make a drastic change after his initial public speaking attempt, even though it was a negative experience?
ANS – His first attempt was a negative and embarrassing experience. Yet Show wanted to overcome his fear of public speaking. After his first attempt, he was so embarrassed and ashamed that he made a promise to himself that he would overcome his fear by facing it or he would perish in the attempt. He was intensely self-aware and determined. His pride and desire to grow motivated him and encouraged him to speak regularly, to confront his fear, which was his internal motivation. This self-awareness, internal motivation and determination drove him to make a drastic change.
c. What ‘agonies’ do you think Shaw suffered from?
ANS – Shaw was suffering from internal emotional struggles, such as self-doubt, fear of failure, or guilt. He was dealing with intense personal conflict and mental pressure.
The agonies were primarily related to his intense fear of public speaking and the nervousness and humiliation he experienced when trying to speak in front of others.
1. Stage Fright and Nervousness: Shaw was extremely nervous during his early attempts at speaking publicly.
2. Embarrassment and Humiliation: He often felt humiliated when he couldn’t express himself properly.
3. Lack of Confidence: Shaw initially lacked the self-confidence needed to address an audience.
4. Fear of Judgement: He was afraid of how others would perceive him and of being laughed at or ignored, which added to his mental agony.
These inner battles were a result of the decisions he made, expectations from himself and the pressure to maintain a certain image in front of others.
He had to overcome these agonies in order to become a confident and effective public speaker.
II. Answer the following questions in a sentence each.
a. What vow did Shaw make after his speech?
ANS – Shaw vowed to join the society; go every week, speak in every debate and become a public speaker or perish in the attempt.
b. How did the society initially perceive Shaw?
ANS – The society initially perceived Shaw as an impudent person, meaning they thought he had an air of impudence and seemed arrogant, confident, and fearless.
Therefore, the society initially viewed him as bold and confident. However, the people in the society did not realize how Shaw was going through internal emotional struggles. Shaw was a self-conscious person who suffered agony inside but appeared confident to others. The fear and anxiety of Shaw were hidden, and no one noticed how he truly felt inside. They saw him as confident, but the truth was quite the opposite.
c. What topic did Shaw use for a successful speech that surprised the audience?
ANS – Shaw used a speech on the topic of art, which surprised the audience and made them reconsider their first impression of him as a bumptious discordant idiot.
The society decided to dedicate an evening to the topic of art. Shaw grasped this opportunity to deliver a speech on art, the topic which the society was utterly ignorant, largely unfamiliar with. Shaw delivered such a powerful and insightful speech that he wiped the floor with that meeting! After this several members were very surprised and this speech led them to change their thinking about Shaw.
d. How did Shaw eventually overcome his fear of public speaking?
ANS – Shaw eventually overcame his fear of public speaking through determination, practice, and persistence. Over time, repeated exposure, constructive criticism, and determination helped him develop his skills. He realized that to overcome his fear, he should not avoid public speaking. Instead, he did it repeatedly until it no longer scared him. He continued to face the audiences and gradually gained confidence.
III. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each.
a. Explain how Shaw’s feelings of shame after the speech fueled his resolve to join the society.
ANS – During the debate, Shaw couldn’t stop himself and spoke, and realized that he had made a fool of himself. He was deeply ashamed of his performance.
But he refused to let the fear and shame defeat him. The embarrassment and humiliation pushed him to take action, rather than to run away from his fears. He decided to join the society, speak in every debate, attend every meeting and either become a skilled public speaker or fail in the attempt to be a speaker.
This strong will shows that the pain of failure sparked a determination in him to overcome his fear. This experience awakened a powerful desire within him for self-improvement.
He used the shame to challenge himself. The shame pushed him to face his weakness rather than to hide from it.
He was so affected by the failure that he vowed to master the skill, no matter how difficult it might be. The shame served as a reason to improve and prove himself. The feeling of shame played a vital role in fueling his resolve to join the society.
b. Describe how negative responses from the speakers of the evening might have been a benefit for Shaw.
ANS – Speeches of Shaw were disliked by the society almost as much as he did. But he noticed that his speeches were hardly ever ignored means the speeches disliked by society still got attention.
Speakers of the evening found it necessary to respond to his points. Although they responded negatively, they engaged with his ideas because they were impactful and thought-provoking, even if controversial. Even if his arguments were controversial and disagreeable, they were strong and powerful enough to be noticed, considered, and provoke a reaction.
Shaw’s ideas and thoughts were being heard and taken into consideration.
The attention Shaw received, even through negative comments, boosted his confidence. These replies acted like constructive criticism, helping him understand opposing views, think deeply upon his ideas and improve his way of thinking and delivery of speeches. They acted like a challenge to him helping him build confidence and improve his skills of speaking.
c. Describe two ways the text shows the difference between Shaw’s outward behavior and his internal experience.
ANS – The text provides two instances showing the difference between Shaw’s outward behavior and internal experience:
• First Instance: Shaw appeared bold, confident, and arrogant from the outside, giving an air of impudence. However, in reality, he was utterly cowardly, nervous, and self-conscious to a heart breaking degree.
What Shaw looked from outside was not the same inside. This discrepancy was evident when he accepted the offer to chair a meeting casually, as if it were no big deal, while internally he was very nervous and could hardly sign the minutes. Others misunderstood him as confident and bold, not realizing his anxiety.
• Second Instance: People, including members of society, perceived Shaw as uppish and self-possessed. In reality, he was deeply insecure and unsure of himself.
This difference between how others saw him and how he felt inside reveals the emotional struggle behind his public image.
He hid his true feelings behind a bold appearance, using his emotional struggle as motivation to become a good public speaker.
IV. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each.
a. Explain how Shaw uses the negative experience to develop a strategy for overcoming his fear of Public speaking.
ANS – In the essay “How I became a Public Speaker,” Shaw explains how he overcame his fear and nervousness when it came to public speaking.
He stated that initially, he went through a negative experience which brought him great shame. This was unacceptable to Shaw. He decided to conquer his fear by facing it rather than running away from the problem.
The first time when he delivered a speech, he realized that he had made a grave mistake and made a fool of himself. This incident acted as a turning point in his journey of becoming a good public speaker. He grabbed this opportunity to make a resolution. He resolved to confront his fear by speaking frequently and becoming a public speaker or fail in the attempt.
The strategy used by Shaw was constant practice and repeated exposure. He forced himself to face the fear again and again even though it brought him great nervousness and anxiety.
During the speech, his heart used to beat as painfully as a new soldier who is going on the battlefield and facing the gunfire for the first time. It used to be very frightening and dreadful experience for Shaw. But Shaw did not choose to stop and accept the defeat rather he chose to speak in the streets, in the parks, at demonstrations, anywhere and everywhere possible. He infested public meetings like an officer who deliberately goes into dangerous situations again and again to overcome his fear and become better at his job.
Shaw avoided notes as he found them distracting and difficult to read while he was nervous.
Over time, he became more and more comfortable and eventually confident. His strategy proved that by confronting fear regularly and firm determination to not to give up, a painful experience can be turned into a path for personal growth and success.
b. What does Shaw’s choice to actively seek out additional speaking opportunities reveal about his approach to overcoming his fear?
ANS – Shaw’s choice to actively seek out additional speaking opportunities reveals that Shaw, although an anxious coward person, he was strong enough to face the fear of speaking in public.
Shaw believed in facing his fear directly and frequently to conquer it. Confronting fear was the best way for him to overcome it. He deliberately put himself in challenging situations. He kept doing his efforts with strong determination even if it was very painful for him.
He regularly attended every meeting in London where people had debates after lectures. He never missed any event. He gave speeches wherever he got the chance in public places like streets, parks, at demonstrations anywhere and everywhere possible. Shaw worked very hard and pushed himself to speak in public at every opportunity no matter the place to improve his skills.
Shaw was a determined and disciplined person; he preferred to go through discomfort to improve himself. He turned fear into a challenge. Each speaking opportunity was a way forward for him.
He did not let fear control him. Shaw did not regard fear as a barrier but a challenge and he conquered it through his action, determination and courage.
He exposed himself to different audiences and different environments. This helped him build his skills gradually.
He understood that to improve himself he needed to go through consistent exposure and practice. He trained himself to handle pressure in any situation.
He was committed to improve and build his skill and confidence. He believed that he could achieve what he wished for through efforts and not avoidance.
His approach revealed that facing challenges and overcoming them strengthens mental toughness. With each experience he became more and more confident and skilled in speaking publically. Through this approach he pushed himself beyond his comfort zone.
c. Describe three specific details from the text that reveal the true extent of Shaw’s anxiety during his public speaking experience.
ANS – There are a few instances from the text that reveal the depth of Shaw’s anxiety during his public speaking experience:
1. Shaw mentions that during the person’s speech he planned to follow, his heart used to beat as painfully as a new soldier going into battle for the first time. These lines reveal that Shaw’s intense fear was such that he compared it to a new soldier going into battle for the first time (going under the fire).
2. Shaw suffered agonies that no one suspected. These lines show that although he appeared both bold and calm outside, he was experiencing extreme pain and emotional distress internally. He was struggling silently without showing any sign of it from outside.
3. He forgot the best points of the few points that were the pretext for his speaking in public because his nervousness made him forget the most effective point. The nervousness blocked his mind and confused his thinking to the point that it affected his delivery of speech.
4. When he accepted to chair the meeting offhandedly (casually), he looked calm but his hand shook so that he could hardly sign the minutes of the meeting. His internal suffering affected him physically. His shaking hands were the explicit sign of his nervousness and anxiety.
5. After his first attempt of speaking in public he fell so ashamed because he had made a fool of himself. He felt intense shame that he vowed to join the society, go every week, speak in every debate and become a public speaker or perish in the attempt. This powerful reaction of him shows that how badly that incident affected Shaw from inside that he took such a powerful resolution.
6. Shaw could not use his notes. When he looked at the paper in his hand he could not collect himself enough to understand a single word. It means that his anxiety was so overwhelming that even simple notes seemed very difficult for him to read.
These details from the text reveal the true extent of Shaw’s true extent of anxiety during his public speaking experience.
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