Public speaking is the last thing most people want to do. For others, they embrace the spotlight and have a true knack for getting people to believe in what they are saying.
According to a recent article in the New York Daily News, New York City’s mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, suffers from a fear many people can’t seem to drop; public speaking.
Chirlane grew up knowingly that she didn’t like being the only one being heard. While in school at young age, she was often bullied by others when she was asked to speak in class. At such an early age, Chirlane kept these events with her, causing a looming fear of public speaking over the years. While Bill de Blasio was running for mayor, she knew she would have to get over this fear if she were to become the first lady if he won. This came to a reality and now Charline has joined a public speaking workshop called “Own The Room.” She has found that the program has given her so many tricks and problem solving tips that will help her moving forward when she needs to address large audiences. She also realized that she isn’t alone and that so many other people have similar issues when speaking to an audience.
She knew she couldn’t jump right in to speaking at events by herself, so she enlisted the comforting aid of her husband. As she started to frequent more speaking engagements, she eventually started going at alone and now her confidence is soaring.
Everything truly came together when she spoke at a Manhattan fund raiser for her husband in which she introduced Hillary Clinton. “I should’ve been terrified, and I wasn’t … I said I’ve come a long way. I could not have done this a year ago,” she said.
It’s great to see Charline McCray speaking publicly with confidence and without fear.