Introduction

My name is Scott Covino, a student at the University at Buffalo, and this blog will focus on the soft skill of public speaking, a skill frequently overlooked but nonetheless incredibly important. This skill is important to me because, as someone who plans on going to law school, public speaking will play a huge part of my life. However, anyone who ever has to communicate to more than a few people at a time can benefit from improved public speaking skills. Business people will find these skills to be especially useful when presenting to a boss or board members is required. I do have some questions I would like answered pertaining to public speaking. For instance, what are some strategies to speaking fluidly and normally in front of audiences? How should I pace myself while speaking? What is the ideal time for a presentation? Answering these questions and more is the reason this blog has been created. I plan on addressing these questions and measuring my performance on presentations for my classes, keeping track of my comfort levels and focusing on applying what I have learned. To achieve my goal of being a better public speaker, I will begin preliminary research on the internet, reading articles about public speaking and try to arrive at the core aspects of what a successful public speaker must take into account. I will also talk to proven public speakers and get their input on how they deal with things like stress and pacing, further increasing my knowledge base. I truly hope to increase my knowledge of public speaking not just to increase my own speaking skills, but to give information and tips to anyone trying to improve their own skills.