Most people come to Toastmasters to overcome their fear of public speaking. So at Toastmasters meetings, what you'll see - among other things - are demonstrations of courage. Standing in front of a group of attentive listeners makes most people feel vulnerable. It also adds a burden of responsibility, expectation and opportunity. This can be overwhelming and downright scary.

许多人到宴会主持人之家来克服他们害怕演说的问题。那么，在宴会主持人会议里，除了别的之外，你将会看到的多是勇气的展示。站在出席宴会的一群人之前就已经使多数人感到自己非常脆弱了，还要给自己加上责任、期望和机遇的重担。这往往是无法抗拒的真正的恐惧。

In Toastmasters, members acquire the habit of courage through encouragement and support. Just as Outward Bound programs teach the habit of courage by putting people in life-threatening situations, Toastmasters is a sort of "Inward Bound" program. As with sky diving or rock climbing, speaking before an audience becomes easier the more often you do it.

在宴会主持人之家里，通过鼓励与支持，成员们养成了勇敢的习惯。正如向外拓展训练通过让人们处于致命危险的情境里来教授他们富于勇气，宴会主持人之家有些类似向内拓展的项目。如果反复练习，与跳伞或攀岩运动相比，在听众面前演说就会变得越来越容易。

"Our members often face an internal demon that paralyzes them with fear. But we discover that when the fear is faced and conquered, we are propelled into a life with larger ambitions," writes veteran Toastmaster Michael Landrum in an article titled "The Habit of Courage" in the Toastmaster magazine. He recommends the following four tips to alleviate that internal demon:

在主持人杂志上，有经验的宴会主持人迈克尔·兰德拉姆在一篇题为"习惯的勇气"的文章中这样写到：我们的成员往往需要面对内心的邪念，经常被恐惧麻痹。但 我们发现，如果我们正视恐惧并战胜它，就会促使我们生活得更具雄心壮志。他提出了以下四个建议来帮助人们减轻自身的恶习。

Become "otherconscious." Don't focus on yourself and what the audience might think. Instead, replace your self-consciousness with other-consciousness. Try to focus on your audience! Find a single person in the audience and make eye contact with him or her. Stay with that person long enough to deliver a full sentence or complete thought. If you take responsibility for the audience's understanding of your message, you will soon forget your sweaty palms and knocking knees.

1、有他人意识：不要把焦点集中到自己身上，也不要去想听众可能怎么去想。相反的，用他人意识取代自我意识。把焦点集中到听众身上！在听众里找到单独的一 个人，并与他/她做眼神交流。等待那个人完全表达自己的思想。如果你对听众理解你所讲述的信息承担起责任，你不需要多久就会忘记紧张的流汗的手掌和颤抖的 双膝。

Anxiety feels worse than it looks. If you can refrain from calling attention to your fears and anxieties, nobody will know about them. "It's a classic case of fake it 'til you make it," Landrum says. "Act confidently, and soon enough you'll feel confident."

2、焦虑比看起来的要糟糕。如果你能克制住不去注意恐惧和焦虑，那么将无人会察觉到它们。兰德拉姆说："这是成功之前先假装的经典案例。自信地行动，很快你就会信心满怀。"

Make it look easy. The audience wants to hear the speech, not worry about the speaker. Be humble: This is not about you - it's about your speech! Your ideas and thoughts, and how they benefit the listeners are the most important part. Deliver these with grace, style and enthusiasm, but avoid ego-building enhancements. A speech easily delivered is gladly received.

3、让它们看起来容易：听众想要听到你的演讲，而不是要担忧演讲者。要谦逊：并不是指你本人--而是你演讲的内容！你的概念和思想，以及它们如何有益于听众才是最为重要的部分。带着优雅、时尚与热情来散布它们，但要避免强调自我。一个易于发布的演说才乐于被人接受。

Let yourself be encouraged. Don't be self-effacing or overly modest. Embrace the supportive atmosphere of a Toastmasters club and nourish visions of success! "Learn to give yourself the benefit of the doubt that you so easily would extend to anyone else!" Landrum says. "Persistence is the most useful virtue of the human heart. You are never beaten until you admit it."

4、鼓励自己：不要过于谦让或羞怯。迎接主持人之家互助的氛围，培养自己成功的愿景吧！兰德拉姆说：学会相信自己也可以很容易地达到他人企及的高度！执着是人性中最有用的品质，如果你不承认失败，你将永远屹立不倒。

"You can gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along'... You must do the thing you cannot do."

"当你驻足停留，直面恐惧时，你能从每一次经历中获得力量、勇气和信心。你能够对自己说：'我经受住了恐惧的考验。我能够承受将会发生的一切...你必须做那些你不能做的事情。'"--埃莉诺