Worldisastage

hose days there was a strict rule in convents that everyone inside the campus must talk in English.

One day, I and my friend were playing cricket on the grounds when one visitor approached and asked the way to the principal's room. When explained in Tamil, that visitor folded his hands, smiled at us and said: Aren't you supposed to talk only in English on the school campus?? We were looking at her face carefully and recollected from the photo in the school office and realized that she is the correspondent. She smiled at us and took her along to the principal room & when we met the principal she announced: Add both their names in English speech competition!!

We were horrified. Later, we learnt that the correspondent has joined our school as our English teacher. We were more horrified. We realized that she is in charge of training us for the competition We were more than horrified But I remember her fondly here, she taught me how to face the stage and how to face this world when you are on the stage!

As years passed by, my profession put me in numerous stages where I had to deliver many technical presentations, and slowly I got accustomed to the stage. Even then, I had terrible experiences here and there.

In one of the recent presentations when I was presenting a PPT I remember, I got so scared to face the audience that I turn my back towards the screen as I was talking The audience saw more of my back, than the screen!!LOL

And then during Covid, when we shifted to online presentations it was equally bizarre to look at the computer screen and talk, I got nervous at times Past 25 years, facing many stages, I have come to this: When one realizes, this world is a stage, and all of us perform every day - going by the famous lines of John Keats, one gets very comfortable with their presence on the stage. Whether I am sitting in my office talking to my colleague or when I am talking on a stage I take it the same way. I focus to take control of my breathing, I try to be very comfortable wherever I am and I consciously approach that situation in a balanced & casual way. I try to remember, the whole world is a stage and every moment is like a stage performance. When we can practice this, I may not say one can master the art of public speaking but truly they will enjoy every moment on the stage like how they enjoy every moment in this world. So the world is a stage and we all are........Well, I guess you know!! Thank you

TM Venkata Lakshmi Founder of Interface Architecture Coimbatore Toastmasters Club