In the twilight of a summer evening, a little girl longingly stared into the distance from her bedroom window. An imaginative girl, and a little shy, Lilly always loved the evenings. That’s because when it got dark enough, she could see the faint glow of fireflies hovering in the distance behind her house.
How she always dreamt of seeing them up close! But Lilly harbored a secret fear—a fear of the darkness. After all, if these magical fireflies choose to float above that shadowy field, what dangers hide among those gently swaying grasses? And so every summer, night after night, Lilly would sit in her bedroom window, dreaming of floating along with those peaceful fireflies until she slipped into sleep.
But not this night. Tonight would be different. Lilly was ready to face her fear, because this time, she had help. You see, that morning while her dad worked in the basement, Lilly discovered an old oil lantern. She realized that she now had the power to overpower the darkness! So Lilly carefully cleaned the glass of the lantern and filled it with oil, and this one summer evening, Lilly ventured into the backyard.
The weak oil lantern only cast a feeble glow, barely lighting her immediate surroundings. But like a speaker stepping onto the stage with a well-rehearsed introduction, Lilly’s lantern moved her forward into the unknown, providing comfort despite its limited visibility.
As she ventured deeper into the inky night, the darkness seemed to envelop her. Although she couldn’t see past the lanterns reach, she began to notice the comforting chirping of crickets in the air, while shooting stars slashed the sky with their fleeting radiance. Slowly, Lilly’s heart started to settle into the calm of the night, and her eyes began to adjust to it’s dimness. As the darkness became like the flowing backdrop of a huge stage curtain, Lilly seen the faint glimmer of a distant firefly.
A surge of excitement coursed through Lilly as she carefully approached the glowing insect. Her words flowed effortlessly, as if guided by the firefly’s gentle light. To her amazement, more and more fireflies slowly appeared, captivated by her voice. Soon, the entire field of view in front of Lilly was ablaze with their enchanting glow.
In that moment, Lilly’s fear dissolved. She felt a power of connection through her spoken words. Just as the fireflies had found their way to her light, her audience continued to be drawn in by the warmth and sincerity of her message.
Unbeknownst to Lilly, her lantern had long since burned out. Yet, she felt no fear. The light of the fireflies had not only illuminated her surroundings, but had also filled her with a sense of safety and confidence.
And thus, night after night, Lilly ventured into the darkness, bringing along her trusty lantern that burned just long enough to get her to her newfound friends. But instead of fear, Lilly found excitement in the anticipation of revisiting the illumination and inspiration in the company of those fireflies.
Are you afraid of ‘the dark’?
Like Lilly, if we harbor a major fear of public speaking, we all have a trusty lantern to get us started. We can rely on a well-prepared and practiced opening to guide us into our presentation. We may not always be able to see anything past the edges of that stage as we focus on getting through our introduction. But as we get into a rhythm, as we settle into the situation, we will often start finding those fireflies – attentive eyes peering out from beyond the glow of the stage.
And as we begin to speak directly to those people, realizing there is no immediate danger, but sincere interest, we can embrace our message and speak wholeheartedly to our crowd of attentive fireflies. And when we find a sincere love for our message, and connect with audiences that appreciate it as much as we do, our fears will turn into excitement to face the unknown again in order to revisit that magical interaction.
So, as we face our own fears, let us remember Lilly’s tale. By venturing into the darkness, embracing the unknown, and connecting with others, we can illuminate our path and find the courage to overcome any obstacle that stands in our way. Just as the lantern guided Lilly through the night, our introductions can become our guiding stars, leading us to a place of comfort beyond our initial fears and into the eyes of our fireflies.
This story is an example of how to use the CDCC storytelling method we teach at The Speaking Guild to create or adapt stories to speeches of any length. To learn more about our online classes, like for creating effective introductions, click HERE, or our one-on-one speaking coaching sessions can be booked HERE
