My first brush with TEDx talk was when by chance I saw a video of Patti Dobrowolski on Draw your future – Take control of your Life. I was surfing to find some motivational video to prepare myself for my Sunday talk on Dreams. I was completely blown away with the talk and the entire setting. It was only in 2018, I started to dream of myself standing on the “RED DOT” and give my TEDx Talk.My first 7 days: When I received the invite from TEDxAGI, it took me a while to digest the email. After an email invite and a what’s app from one of the organizing team member, there was a gap of 7 days before our next communication took place. I must admit those were very anxious 7 days as all kind of thoughts including hope they have not postponed or dropped the event.Final connect & confirmation: The day I got the confirmation and they shared the theme with me, I was excited like a child and was blushing with myself. I shared the news with my family and friends.My past baggage: I have been giving talks in public space for over 15 years. This baggage made me belief that it will be a cakewalk for me. Fortunately this feeling did not last long as I started to realize that this is no regular public speaking but TEDx. This will be on Internet and you don’t know who will be watching you in which part of the globe.The preparation: In 2018, when I dreamt of giving a TEDx talk, the first thing that I did was bought the book – TED Talks by Chris Anderson, Head of TED. After the invite, one of the first things I did was started to read the book to understand what goes into the talk. The book was extremely helpful in getting insights into making of a good talk. One of the key learning’s of the book was that the best of the speakers practice the talk 20 to 25 times before the actual delivery. I have never practiced leave alone practicing in front of others in last 15 years. Probably the fear of getting not so good feedback or comments must have been the reason to avoid the exercise in the past. Thanks to TEDx this fear has extinguished.The Nervousness: I never thought that the thought of delivering TEDx talk would almost result in nervous breakdown. When I started to write my script, my mind went completely blank and was frozen. I was not sure from where to start. I wrote the script at least 20 times before I started to get a sense of what I wanted to talk. I practiced it multiple times and recorded on my phone to know the flow and the time I took. I told myself in Hindi – Bahut Saukh tha na Tedx speaker bane ka, aab jhelo tension ko”.Practice in front of others: I gathered courage and spoke to 5 of my friends and asked them if they can spare sometime and listen to my talk. I had to tell them all that they need to be brutally honest about their feedback and not to be nice to me out of respect and love they had for me. I was ok in the talk but I took more than 18 minutes and my flow was not smooth. I also could not speak with the papers in hand. I got some amazing straight feedback and will always be thankful to them. Post the chat, I sat till wee hours of the morning and redrafted and practiced the talk. I once again delivered the talk to my friends and they felt that I have improved by leaps and bounds in less than 48 hours. The only challenge still remained to be conquered was to speak without the papers.Rehearsal on the stage: On the eve of the talk, few of us went to original venue. I delivered my talk standing on the red dot. Disaster was a milder word to describe my delivery. To top it up, I took 25 minutes and used the written script while delivering. For me this moment of truth was the game changer. I told myself that this was a rehearsal. Now I have an idea about the entry, stage, where I will stand, where I have to look etc. This entire process was like an energy drink to me and despite the bad rehearsal, I was feeling very confident.The night before the talk: I went home and redrafted my speech and changed most of the pictures that I had in my presentation. I had told myself that I would sleep by 10 pm so that I get enough rest. However I slept past 2 am but slept confidently. Before sleeping I did one last practice without the support of papers and I finished it in 19 minutes and the flow was ok.Final talk: I drove down the venue by 9.30 am though my talk was at 2.45 pm. I wanted to soak myself in the wonderful energy that the organizing team had created at the venue. While walking around the college, like a child I was hoping that some students would recognize that the speaker just walked past them. At 1.45 pm, I was suddenly told that my talk is proponed to 2 pm as the other speaker is on the way. I don’t know what struck me but I instantly said yes I am ready. I went and sat in my car for 10 minutes, went through the script, left the papers in the car and came back to auditorium. I was waiting for my name to be called. It was such an adrenaline push inside my body. When my introduction was done and the music started to play, I actually sprinted towards the stage. The sprint gave me the desired confidence and energy. Once on the red dot, I loved every second that I spent talking. I don’t remember what all I spoke but I was extremely happy with myself. I spoke with 100% confidence, clarity and conviction. I felt that I did connect with the audience.Post talk experience: I was relieved and happy. When I walked out of auditorium, suddenly a student came and asked for a selfie. He then he took out his paper and pen and asked me for my autograph. It was such an humbling experience. I don’t know when was the last time I had so many selfie and autograph requests. It was very sweet and kind of the students. The feedback from one and all was very positive and encouraging.TEDx talk was a lifetime experience and I am going to cherish my debut forever. My goal is to give many more TEDx talks in near future.If you want to give a TEDx talk or are in public speaking, I strongly recommend you to buy the book – TED Talks by Chris Anderson. It is a must for all of us.Do share your feedback/ comments freely.I can be reached out on lokesh@lokeshnathany.comHappy to help