Public Speaking

Nothing is more intimidating than public speaking. I like to think of it as just one hurdle you need to clear in life. No matter where you end up in life knowing how to speak professionally, whether its in a class room or an important business meeting, is going to be a helpful skill to have at your disposal.

“if you can relax and feel in control of the situation public speaking is not that bad.” This a quote from Jonathan Sutton, he is a fellow peer in the same course that I am in. The quote taken form his blog post holds some truth behind it. I believe this because in order to get over your negative outlook on public speaking you must own up to fact that it’s happening and it’s under your control. An easy way of doing this is taking a deep breath and relax.

I recently had a public speaking experience, and I feel everyone can learn from the mistakes and triumphs I made that day. It was about two weeks ago, my friend wanted me to go and support him run for seat in our building’s Hall Council. For those of you who don’t know Hall Council is club that makes programs to get campus community together. In order to get a seat for this club you need to make a speech and then other students in the room will vote for best fit for the position. Halfway through the meeting my friend nominates me to run for treasurer, I agreed, but I didn’t have a speech. I wasn’t prepared to speak in front of all of those members. When I got up to make my speech I remembered to stay calm, relax and say what you need to say. Because of my calm composure I was able to confidently answer any questions the audience had, which won me the seat. What I learned that day was relax, take control of the situation, and trust your instincts. If you do this your anxiety towards public speaking will diminish.