“The Eloquence of Reframing Fear”
By Ubong Essien, CSP — Dean, School of Eloquence
Fear. That’s where Monica began.
Fear of sounding wrong.
Fear of being judged.
Fear of standing up and being seen.
But we didn’t fight fear—we reframed it.
We taught her this principle:
Fear is not the enemy. Fear is energy waiting for direction.
She began to see nerves not as a wall, but as a wave. One she could ride instead of drown in.
We walked her through it gently but firmly:
- Nervousness is natural. It’s not a flaw.
- What matters is control, not elimination.
- And control comes through knowledge, structure, and practice.
Monica learned to use her fear as fuel.
She realized that eloquence is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it.
Like a skilled pilot flying through turbulence, she didn’t run from the discomfort—she adjusted her grip and stayed the course.
That’s how eloquent speakers are made:
Not by silencing fear, but by speaking through it.
The eloquence of reframing fear is not a motivational slogan.
It’s a method. It’s how we convert trembling into triumph.
And that’s how Monica—like many before her—found her voice.