When I was younger, I had a loud clear voice and I spoke with confidence. I even took an acting class in Hollywood at the age of nine, where I would practice monologues, tongue twisters, and reading short scripts. I am the kind of person that has no trouble reading well from a script, but when it comes to improvisation, I have a difficult time. When I am in front of a large group with people looking at me, it is hard for me to think of meaningful things to say because I get so nervous.
As I have gotten older, I feel like my confidence in public speaking has decreased because of my constant worry of being judged. My first goal in this class is to practice not getting nervous speaking to people. I have to remember that I am speaking to people my age and they are all tasked with the same assignment I have. They are probably just as nervous too. In order to practice not getting nervous daily, I should try to talk to more people on campus. I don’t really have to worry about stranger danger here because the campus is filled with students around my age. They are all here to learn and meet new people, so I should get comfortable with talking to people I don’t know because that could help me be less nervous.
My next goal is to have my thoughts well organized in order for my speech to flow well. In this class, the structure of the speech is heavily stressed. This is because having structure allows for the purpose of the speech to be clear. In order to have my thoughts well organized, I need to put a lot of effort into the preparation of my speech and practice it out loud many times. Making a mind map is a good place to start, but from there I can make a full sentence outline. In order for me to keep my speech organized, I will have to do a full sentence outline for every speech. When I did research on how to stay organized, all of the websites I found suggested a structure just like the full sentence outline. The websites also said to start with a specific purpose and central idea statement, which is also consistent with what we learned in class. This quarter, I will really focus on having the structure of an introduction, main points with evidence, and a conclusion, while connecting everything back to my central idea.
In order to accomplish my goals I will practice talking to people I don’t know when I’m around campus like I previously mentioned. I will also focus on the structure of my speeches by using the template provided for us on Poly Learn. I think both of these strategies will help me with my speech and make me more comfortable speaking in front of people because I will be prepared.
Public speaking was different for me in elementary, middle, and high school because I knew almost everyone in my class. In this class, the only people that I am actually familiar with are the people in my study group. This new environment will help me with my public speaking skills because it will force me to get out of my comfort zone.
The feedback I have received from my study group when I performed a practice speech in front of them was that I had a strong introduction, but as my speech went on, my thoughts would become less organized and lose their focus. This is why I will work on my structure and have my main points memorized so that I can keep my speech focused. Another critique I got from my group is that I need to use more hand gestures, so I should definitely practice and watch more speeches online to see how other people use effective hand gestures. After receiving that critique, I began to notice the hand gestures of the other members in my group. Lauren, a member of my group, had really good hand gestures while doing her practice speech and I think I can learn from her. The study group really helped me notice personal characteristics that I would not have noticed on my own.
My first speech is this Thursday, October 5, and I am really excited to ease my way into this class by presenting an oral interpretation of a short story or poem. Since this is my first speech, it will be nice to have something written for me and just be able to practice speaking in front of the class without worrying about jumbling my thoughts.
Sources for First Goal:
Kim, Larry. “15 Ways to Calm Your Nerves Before a Big Presentation.” Inc.com, Inc.,
20 Oct. 2014, www.inc.com/larry-kim/15-power-up-tips-to-make-you-a-better-presenter.html.
Smith, Jacquelyn. “11 Tips For Calming Your Nerves Before A Big Presentation.”
Business Insider, Business Insider, 23 June 2014, www.businessinsider.com/tips-for-calming-nerves-before-a-speech-2014-6.
Sources for Second Goal:
Morgan, Nick. “5 Quick Ways to Organize a Speech.” Public Words, Public Words, Inc,
6 Sept. 2011, www.publicwords.com/2011/09/06/5-quick-ways-to-organize-a-speech.
Provost, Gary, and John Zimmer. “Powerful Sentence Structure for Your Speech.”
Manner of Speaking, Word Press, 26 May 2016, mannerofspeaking.org/2016/05/26/powerful-sentence-structure-for-your-speech/.
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