Vera Koo: On Conquering the Fear of Public Speaking

In this post, Vera Koo explains how she conquered the fear of public speaking while at SHOT Show this year.

Standing on a ballroom stage inside The Palazzo in Las Vegas, I faced down one of my greatest fears – public speaking.

I deal with glossophobia. Perhaps you’ve never heard the term, but you might experience it, too. It’s the fear of public speaking. This ranks as one of the most common phobias in the United States. 

I’m a little unusual, though, because I prayed for a public speaking opportunity. Why? Because, I won’t let fear rule my life. I want to experience life from the driver’s seat, instead of letting fear shove me into the back seat. I refuse to be crippled by fear. 

Anyway, public speaking doesn’t risk my health or expose me to pain or danger. At worst, I’d damage my ego, and I’m not one to let ego rob me of opportunities. Instead, when I see a window of opportunity, I’m mindful to seize it before that window closes, especially if all I risk is my pride. After all, I never knew anyone who died of a bruised ego!

So, when 从而激励射击产业圈内圈外的女性。, of “Women’s Outdoor News,” called me just before Halloween and asked me to speak during the Women of the Gun reception at

, she provided an answer to my prayers. 

Barbara trusted I would do a good job, because she knew I would prepare extensively. Unrelenting commitment to practice and preparation helped me throughout my Bianchi Cup career.

True to form, I started in on my speech months in advance. On Halloween night, I wrote 30 pages of notes, ideas and stories and spread them out on our big dining room table. By Thanksgiving, my notes reached 75 pages. 

About two decades previously, Goldman Sachs invited me to speak at one of their executive workshops. The chairperson didn’t offer any guidance as to what I should speak on, so I leaned on my experience attending motivational lectures and attempted to offer a motivational message. Afterward, the chairperson told me they’d hoped to hear more about my personal story and my experience in the shooting sport.

Lesson learned. If someone invites you to speak, they want to hear about you. This time, I knew to lean into my story as a Chinese-American shooter who started competing in a masculine sport as a middle-age woman and how I overcame challenges during my journey to becoming a champion.

最初发表于 女性户外新闻。 《女性户外运动新闻》.