The Media Interview

Librarian T. Scott blogging about public speaking and shyness, as well as his media training experience:

[Years ago] I knew that I had a choice — I could let my shyness rule and prevent me from achieving so many of the things that I’d like to accomplish, or I could figure out how to get past it. I couldn’t make myself be not shy, but I could keep it from stopping me.

I was thinking about all of this on Sunday when I was doing the media training session as part of my first MLA Board of Directors meeting…

As a group [librarians], we lean toward the shy end of the spectrum, but we’re at a point in our history where it is critically important that we not let that hold us back. I know that I will never go into a classroom to do a lecture for four students, or into a ballroom to do a presentation for a thousand, without going through at least an hour or two of stomach churning misery beforehand. But that’s not the point. It’s not about me and my comfort level, it’s about getting the job done. And, as shy as I am, if I can do it, anybody can. The first step is recognizing that it is not natural — it’s just acting.