Manisha : A journey from Shy to Speech Supremacy
Manisha Soie, a Softskill Trainer, says, “I was a very shy kid. Be it the school debates or elocutions or even answering the questions in the class, I’d fret every time I was asked to speak. Once, I was so timid that I couldn’t even go and place my order at a McD counter.
And while being this shy, silent girl in front of the world, I watched Sushmita Sen bravely put her opinions in the Ms. Universe pageant. I was awestruck by the way she spoke. Her everlasting confidence totally mesmerized me. That day, I thought to myself ‘I wish I could speak the way she does.’
Cut to, a few months later when I was at my job interview for cabin crew. It was one of the most petrifying days of my life. I could feel the jitters within me while answering the questions. Coming out of that interview I thought ‘There is no way, I’m getting this job.’
But, to my shock I got selected! The most anxious day of my life turned out to become the best day of my life. Moving to Qatar, I became the first ever member of my family who went to a foreign country! Visiting the world, meeting people from various cultural backgrounds totally changed me as a person.
From a girl who’d think 100 times before uttering a word to a girl who now spoke with utmost confidence to people from various countries, I was a new person when I returned back to India. Applying for a new job and giving interviews was no longer a nightmare.
Soon, I got into the corporate world as a HR. Interviewing and interacting with young individuals on a daily basis made me realise ‘It wasn’t just me but a lot of people out there who were hesitant to speak. They had the potential but lacked the confidence’. It felt like I was watching a younger version of myself.
Having been through it, I wanted to help them. So, I got certified as a Personality Development Coach. Career and accomplishments have never felt better. Watching them overcome their stage fright is the best part of my job, it fills me with utmost joy! Certainly, I may not have reached the stature of Sushmita Sen, but I’m sure one of my students surely will and that day, the shy young girl in me will be the happiest.”