Public Speaking Exercise: Recording Yourself

In the world of sports there are two ways athletes improve; practice and watching game film. Regardless of the sport, practice is crucial to the success of athletes, and the best way for them to see what they need to improve on, is by watching themselves through game film. Not unlike sports, public speaking shares many similarities. Through the use of technology, we have the ability to record ourselves as we practice giving a speech or a presentation and then have the ability to review and make adjustments.

During the week I was able to practice my speaking skills by recording myself giving a presentation, using my computer. While I do not have any class presentations in the near future, I was able to make due with a presentation I had made last semester in my management information systems class. After going through the presentation a few times by myself, I set up my laptop and turned the camera on. On the first try it felt a little awkward giving a presentation in an empty room, however I did my best to treat the recording as a live-stream web conference that would be seen by m professor and peers. After going through the presentation for the first time, I went back and reviewed the recording. As I took notes, I realized that I tended to say the word um and like a few times and that it seemed as if I were racing my words. Being able to see my mistakes firsthand turned out to be very helpful, making me actively aware to avoid these errors. After taking an hour break to clear my head, I went for round two and did much better. I slowed down my speech and only said like once,

I would highly recommend this exercise to anyone who plans on giving any type of speech or presentation. Regardless of the specifics of the presentation, the importance is having the ability to see yourself present firsthand. I plan to use this strategy to prepare for all of my future presentations and speeches, because it is easy, free and time efficient!