Public Speaking Class if it Hadn't Been

¶ … Public Speaking Class If it hadn't been for this class, I would be blushing amidst my various shades of sickly green, sweating through my shirt, and shredding my note cards into tiny pieces on the floor. As a result of taking a public speaking course, I have lost my previous feelings of self-consciousness, feel for the first time in life that my ideas have value, and am not intimidated by anyone. I can now brazenly assert that I am worth listening too.

Public speaking is an art, whether an inherent one or a learned approach." I am still baffled that I have learned the art of confidence. I had always thought that confidence was something that came from within, or was the culmination of some life-changing experience. Yet, as I have learned, being able to communicate with an audience has empowered me and my levels of confidence. Because I can communicate effectively, I take pride in my ideas.

If I didn't have anything important to say, why would it matter if I said it all. In my opinion, the process is cyclic. Because I know how to speak to an audience, I take pride in what I want to communicate with them. Likewise, because I know what I have to say is important, I have taken pride in learning the most effective way to deliver my speech.

When I look back on my past experiences, it is unfortunate that I did not develop these skills earlier on in my life. From as early as I can remember, being afraid to speak in public has hindered my success academically and professionally. In both grade school and high school, teachers would always comment about how apathetic I was towards my schoolwork and how I never took an active role in discussions.

The reason I never participated in class was not because I was disinterested in the subject or ill prepared for class, it was because I was too afraid to talk in class. Within my career field, I also have suffered do to my all consuming fear of public speaking. I was deathly afraid of job interviews and would avoid working towards a higher position because I knew that it might entail having to give speeches to other people in the company.

I am a strong believer in teaching public speaking at all levels of one's education. It is as integral to an academic curriculum as any traditional subject matter. At my niece's high school, all tenth graders are required to take a twice a week seminar on public speaking. The classes are small, and they write a variety of different types of speeches and deliver them to the class. I think this is great, but I still feel that public speaking should be taught at an even younger age.

While it may be mortifying for a first grader to have to give a speech to his or her class, even if it is just about what they did that weekend, it will help them in the future. By the time high school roles around, kids fears about public speaking have had fifteen years to escalate into unconquerable phobias. Students, even if they are so young that they are doing show and tell, should be instructed on the proper way to speak to a group.

For example, "Johnny," who has just shown his new toy truck to his second grade class should be asked to maybe give his presentation again, but this time making more eye contact or using hand gestures. Public speaking skills could also be integrated into other subject areas in school. Simple things, like having students explain a math problem on the board, or give a mini-lesson to the class in a social studies class all help with public speaking skills later on in life.

I also find it impressive that career fields, besides the typical public relations or advertising fields, are teaching public speaking skills. For example, engineering schools are teaching public speaking at both an undergraduate and graduate level. In example, one specific engineering program has a program called CASE which stands for Career Acquisition Skills Enhancement.

The objective of the program is to improve the public speaking skills of its students and its mission statement reads as follows: One important aspect of career development for an engineer that is often over-looked is the importance of communication. Public speaking is a communication skill that can prove extremely beneficial for an engineer in the workforce today. An effective presentation can set the stage for a speaker to introduce and sell products, information and new ideas.

Most people rank public speaking high on the list of things they don't like to do. However, making presentations is an unavoidable part of corporate life. Why not make the best of it? To be successful, a speaker must gain the attention, interest and confidence of the audience. The talk must be interesting, informative, and persuasive. The CASE program effectively summarizes what I have been trying to say about the importance of public speaking in both ones education and career field.

While doing research on the topic of public speaking I came across an interesting article by Dr. Morton Orman entitled "How to Conquer Public Speaking Fear." He said the following about the audiences one may be speaking to: "Most of them are scared to death of public speaking, just like you. They know the risk of embarrassment, humiliation, and failure you take every time you present yourself in public. They feel for you.

They will admire your courage." As a result of this, it is easy not to be intimidated by an audience. I am giving them the gifts of speech and information and if they choose not to accept it- that's okay too. Because I am not intimidated by speaking to an entire audience, the idea of speaking to a solitary person no longer intimidates me.

When I first started taking this public speaking class, I would get offended if I saw someone in the audience falling asleep, not paying attention, or talking to the person next to them. The more.