Damn Good Speech-Giving

    Since we just received a rubric detailing the next speech we'll have to give in class, I've already been thinking about my presentation.  And by that I mean I've spent the past two RCL classes cringing every time the speech is mentioned and envisioning speaking in front of the entire class while they all either a) gaze back at me, obviously bored and disinterested b) all check their cell phones constantly, willing time to go faster or c) get offended by something I say and begin to plot and carry out an uprising throughout the duration of my speech.  

    The aforementioned worries sound like the ramblings of a severely self-concious public speaker, and such is not the case.  I am lucky to have escaped the unfortunate grip of stage fright- I feel relatively comfortable speaking in front of groups.  In high school, my extracurriculars gave me the frequent opportunity to consistently address large groups of people, and I developed a comfort level speaking publicly.

     Until I got to this class. And my speech affects my grade.  And the kids in the class don't actually know me, and can't laugh with me afterward if I mess up or say something stupid.  And I'm not in a power position, unlike my former public speaking experience when I was Editor-in-Chief of our school paper or a leading role in the play or musical.  Instead, I am at the mercy of the audience, praying my visual aid works and my voice doesn't betray the nervousness I feel.

     My outlook, obviously, is terrible.  I need to realize some key things about how to give speeches effectively and how to feel confident about my abilities before I get up there.  So, I resorted to the only reasonable source of knowledge.  Google.

  Out of all the websites I found, I found one to be especially helpful:  http://www.shakethatbrain.com/stb-damn%20good%20speech.html.  The title, Damn Good Speech, obviously caught my attention immediately and I clicked.  To summarize, the advice stressed the importance of knowing the topic you're talking about thoroughly, prepare and organize, hook your audience, practice, and the piece of advice I found the most valuable: BE VULNERABLE.

     Suddenly, this whole speech-giving thing doesn't seem so bad after all.