As a communications major, I knew that taking Public Speaking was a requirement, but was absolutely dreading the day that I would have to add it to my class schedule. Public speaking has never been my strong suit; even in high school surrounded by many people who I had known since kindergarten, I was incredibly uncomfortable speaking in front of a group.
Though I put it off as long as I felt I could, I finally made the difficult decision to sign up for Public Speaking this semester. The icing on the cake was that not only was I signing up for a class that I was not looking forward to taking, but also that it was only offered early in the morning… and I am definitely not a morning person.
Getting up at 9 am has been a struggle for me, especially because I live in a lofted bed in a 9-man forced triple, but I’m surprisingly grateful that I get a good head start on my day by waking up so early for class. I also have begun to go to sleep earlier, and feel more well rested.
The night before speeches, I still get extremely stressed out, and my voice and legs still shake when I first begin speaking in front of my class, but my abilities have definitely improved. I have found that I’m now more confident not only getting up in front of a group, but also participating in discussions in the rest of my classes.
So, even though I definitely don’t enjoy giving speeches, I think that this class has really helped me in other aspects of my academics and my overall confidence, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who has difficulty public speaking.
Photo source: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-do-public-speaking.png