Some years ago, I was asked to be master of
ceremonies at a dinner in which legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom
Landry was to give the keynote addrescoach tom landrys. It was a fairly small gathering
of about 300 people at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.
Landry
is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he played and coached in some
of the biggest games in the history of the NFL. Not only that, but as a
20-year-old bomber pilot during World War II, but he flew missions over
Germany. He had been shot at. Now that's pressure!
As he delivered his speech, I was privileged to sit directly next to the podium.
What I saw really surprised me.
Tom
Landry was speaking to an audience that admired and probably even
idolized. There was no reason for him to be nervous in the least. In
their eyes, he could do no wrong.
Yet, from my seat less than
three feet away, I could see Tom Landry palms sweating and his hands
trembling as he read from a stack of index cards containing his notes.
He was literally shaking.
Like millions of other people, it seems Tom Landry was not immune stage fright, or halophobia.
After
the dinner ended, I got up some courage and approached him. "Coach," I
said, "would you mind if I asked you a question about your speech?"
Tom Landry was a kind and gracious man. "That's fine," he replied.
"Do you ever get stage fright when you have to make a speech."
Landry smiled and said, "Every time."
"Well," I asked, "how do you cope?"
I'll never forget his response.
"I
remind myself," he said, "of what I used to tell my players before a
big game. Even pro football players get nervous, you know. So I would
say that you have to walk through your fear with faith. And you never
let the fear of failure become the cause of failure."
Great words
from a great coach, and a great human being. And certainly great advice
for anyone who has to deal with stage fright.
And by the way, if
someone like Tom Landry can get stage fright, or halophobia, before a
speech, anyone else who has a fear of public speaking need not feel
ashamed.
George McKenzie is a retired TV anchor and radio talk show host. He often contributes articles to Speech Tips and Tools, a resource site about public speaking, where you'll find more articles and advice to help you overcome stage fright.
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