Oh No! Public Speaking!

Like a majority of other students, I am afraid of speaking in front of a large group of people.  I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t afraid, so I am going to assume I’ve been this way in my entire life.  All throughout middle school and high school I avoided every form of public speaking, but now looking back on it I wish I would have overcome my fear then. Instead, I am 20 years old, taking an introductory communication course and quickly approaching my first assigned speech.

I am very happy that I decided to take this course during winterim because I feel like most of the other students have the same fears, questions and concerns that I do.  The small class size of the discussion, and even the smaller lecture, makes me feel more comfortable than I ever would’ve done during the regular semester courses.  Also, all the lectures that Professor Woo teaches are always relevant to help me understand how to give a great speech.  Along with the examples we have been shown in class everyday of poor and good speeches, as a visual learner, I appreciate being shown exactly what is expected of me as a public speaker.

The lecture, along with the reading from the book, that was the most beneficial to me was about presenting the first speech.  We were given suggestions about starting the speech, gestures, eye contact, voice and how to deal with nerves.  The most helpful suggestion given for me was dealing with nerves because I learned that being nervous is normal for everyone and it just depends on how you use your nervousness.  The second helpful suggestion I took from lecture was that the more prepared a person is, the easier the speech is to give.  It’s hard to feel prepared during this winterim course because we are moving along so quickly, but finding the time to practice is very important.