By Ndatala Angula
A common saying holds that most people fear public speaking more than death. It sounds like an exaggeration, but anyone who has stood in front of a crowded room, felt their heart pound and blanked on their own name will tell you the panic is real.
This October, Tarentaal Toastmasters Club turns 30. For three decades in Windhoek, our club, part of Toastmasters International, a worldwide organisation devoted to communication and leadership, has been a safe place to practise the art of public speaking. In that time, we have watched shy students become confident leaders, and quiet introverts keep entire audiences engaged.
Why does public speaking matter so much today?
More and more of our communication happens through text messages, emails, social media comments and online chatrooms. In that world, clear spoken communication is rare, and it stands out.
For young Namibians entering the workforce, it is often what sets one candidate apart from another, whether in a job interview or a first presentation to a new team.
You can have the best idea in the room, but if you cannot pitch it clearly or show a decision-maker why it matters, it stays on your notepad.
Nor is eloquence reserved for the corporate ladder. An uncle or aunt giving a toast at a family wedding, a community member raising a concern at a local committee meeting, a retiree sharing decades of wisdom: each benefits from being able to say what they mean with clarity and confidence.
How a meeting works
The biggest secret of public speaking is that nobody is born a polished speaker. It is a skill that can be trained, not a gift handed out at birth. At Tarentaal Toastmasters, we break speechmaking into practical, everyday building blocks.
We learn to structure a story so it holds attention, to let our body language look natural instead of rigid, and to steady our breathing when nerves strike.
Every meeting also includes a segment called Table Topics, where a member or guest is handed a subject with no warning and asked to speak on it for two minutes. It is uncomfortable at first, but it teaches you to think on your feet, which is exactly what a surprise question in a job interview or a boardroom demands.
Feedback is just as important. After each prepared speech, an evaluator shares what worked and what could be better, always with encouragement.
Because everyone in the room is also learning, nobody is judged for stumbling. Members often tell us that this honest and kind feedback helped them improve faster than years of practising alone.
Our best-known tool, and a humbling one, is the Ah-Counter. In everyday conversation, our brains reach for filler words while searching for the next thought. Those “uums,” “ers,” “you knows” and “likes” clutter our message and weaken our authority.
At our meetings, someone tracks these hesitation sounds and reports on them, so the speaker can work on them in future speeches.
The remedy is simple: learn to embrace the pause. Replacing a vocalised “uum” with a moment of silence makes you sound composed and in control.
Public speaking is about connecting with the people in front of you and being honest with them. Finding your voice only requires that you stand up and speak – not perfection.
* Ndatala Angula, Tarentaal Toastmasters Club President 2026/2027
