My Battle with Public Speaking

‘If you don’t prepare, you’re only preparing to fail.’ This quote speaks of truthfulness. Foremost, it is really crucial to be aware and have some prior knowledge (maybe even a personal experience) on the topic. If you don’t care then it can cast back upon your speech. In past speeches, I didn’t prepare the way I could have, so I’m sure those performances would’ve shown it. With all the speeches I have prepared for after that, my craftsmanship got better and more thorough, even allowing me to obtain a job based on my new found speaking skills.

During these moments, each time you perform it will be better than the last one, and with better outcomes and reactions. One thing I have accomplished to do was improve my speaking skills by speaking publicly outside of class.

My past interview experiences were never as good because of my anxiety and fear of speaking publicly. In the end, my good grades and first time job displayed that. If I were to inspire someone to publicly speak who has trouble with “stage fright”, I’d say to get to know your classmates before anything. Talking to a class full of people you know makes you feel more secure and comfortable, as if you are talking to a group of friends. This will make a person feel free to speak without hesitation, and much more easy to deliver the speech. Another tip would be to speak in a conversational tone, and use lots of examples and evidence to back up your claims, and this way you won’t have to read your notes. Practicing a whole lot before giving a speech, will surely improve your speech.

Try to stay clear from referring back to any outlines or index cards as something to lean on or hide your face with. It is best to use gestures from the very beginning, so you don’t lose your audience.. It takes some practice, and I believe the most important guidance I can say is to make sure you are prepared. Don’t wait till the last minute to write or practice your speech. It is very essential to know the information you are presenting. If successful at this, there won’t be a need to worry about stumbling or losing your place. Not being prepared can end up getting the best of you and will eventually make you get nervous. This can cause you to speed through your speech, project a bad performance like repeatedly switching positions behind the podium, along with poor hand gestures or body movements. You can learn a few techniques by watching others speak too. When someone is presenting their information, it is best to be observant or attentive.

You might be able to pick up a few things to incorporate into your own speech. You need to come to the realization that public speaking is not a walk in the park, but with perseverance you can and will refine your public speaking over time. One of the main goals to a good audience reaction is a good introduction. Something that can captivate the audience is helpful, so that way you get them hooked initially, and they’ll stay for the ride no matter how bad it is. Other advice for future students would be to find some type of stress relieving activity to do before any speech, just to get the jitters out. This is all to assist you in the development of public speaking skills, and for future benefits. The initial state of mind for yourself should be to set yourself as a public speaker, and all this class is for is to fine tune your skills, and prepare you for great things.

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