I was appointed as a public speaking trainer for a school in Mumbai. The school management gave me a list of potential students and wanted me to train them for an upcoming school event. There was one boy who appeared shy but enjoyed my sessions by being a passive participant. His name was not on the list of participants so he just sat in the corner of the class while the others performed. Every time I spoke about public speaking, I saw a bright shine in his eyes as if he was capturing every tip I gave.
During the break, I called him but he was reluctant to talk to me. I could not ignore the smile on his face and the spirit to learn. I came to know from the other boys that his father was a tailor and his mom too could not speak well. I asked the boy to call his parents the next day after school. His father came and I offered to coach his son, free of charge.
It was my experiment, to prove that it is not the shyness but lack of encouragement, facilities and proper training that prevent many school students from doing a presentation expressively.
The next day onwards, every three days a week, an evening slot was kept for this young middle-class boy. On the first day, I appreciated his interest and gifted him with a branded pen. I asked him if he loved to speak in public. He affirmed. I told him to give me his introduction. He was unable to go beyond a few sentences. The shine on his face turned into nervousness and he seemed trembling.
I got up and gave my introduction in three different styles- One was serious, the other humorous and the third was like an office of the investigative department. He tried.
I did not reprimand him for his nervousness but spoke to him about how shy and nervous I was and how I gave talks. For the next few weeks, the result was the same and I felt my experiment was failing. But the only spark was that this boy used to travel around 2 km on the bus alone or with some other elder and was never late or absent. His interest kept me clinging to patience and waiting for a break.
In my school days, I used to visit my maternal uncle. He had sowed a sapling of a mango tree in a climate where mangoes do not grow. But he said – I am providing all the facilities to this young plant and I am ready to wait for years. But once it grows, it will be a fruit-giving tree for my generations to follow. Every summer I used to check out the length of the tree and for a moment I used to feel, it was a bonsai. It took double the years for this tree to grow and all the while my uncle protected it from goats eating up the leaves or wind uprooting the little sapling. Then for the next few years, I missed visiting my uncle. After that, when I saw the tree, it was a young handsome tree with mangoes hanging on each branch and it still happens today.
I had to save this kid from giving up and water him with encouraging words. Slowly he started opening up. Every day I used to demonstrate something or other in public speaking. Sometimes I demonstrated talk like a police officer and sometimes I spoke like a polite teacher to teach him a variety of expressions
I encouraged him to tell stories and incidents that happened in school and neighbourhood. He did not
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