PUBLIC SPEAKING AND LIFE WITH MCDUFF

Do you know that Glossophobia, fear of public speaking, ranks right up there with the fear of death? It’s actually number one of the ten top human fears. Symptoms of speech anxiety occur in three categories: physical, verbal, and non-verbal. And the “fight or flight” reaction is triggered in the body. I am all too familiar with the butterflies in the stomach, trembling voice, shaky hands, mental blocks, panic and stress before I speak in public.

When I was a senior at Uniontown Joint Senior High School (now just Uniontown High School), an English class assignment was to choose a topic and give an oral presentation to the class. I was the only one in the class unable to get up in front of my classmates and speak. Needless to say, I got a failing grade.

Now as the author of Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog, I speak at hospitals, retirement and community centers, assisted living facilities, book signings, Toastmaster and book club meetings. I educate people about animal assisted therapy and animal assisted reading programs like Therapy Dogs International and Reading with Rover. Through the book, I want to motivate and encourage seniors, retirees, and baby boomers with dogs to volunteer their services.

One of the valuable life lessons that my Scottish terrier therapy dog, McDuff, taught me was that by being of service to others, you bring contentment and happiness into your own life. I try to pass that along. That shy student in Miss Ely’s senior high school English class has come a long way.