Public Speaking is probably the number one leading cause of stress-induced cry sessions in college. It's no walk in the park, especially when you have to talk in front of your peers about something you most likely don't care about and may not even know that much about. I've had my fair share of public speaking experience and I am here to recount the best and the worst.
I have been acting since I was six. I have been involved in over thirty productions at various locations in my hometown. I consider this to be public speaking, since I was speaking publicly. Haha. Anyway, acting helped me develop many skills that I then transfered to different English classes. Because I was so used to playing the role of a different character, I think one of my strengths as a public speaker is my ability to sound fluid and natural in front of a crowd. So many times you hear public speakers who sound robotic and inhuman. It's so much easier to listen to people when it feels like you're having a conversation with them. I believe this is one of my stronger areas.
One area I am not so strong in is my preparedness. I am a top-notch procrastinator, and that trait trasanfers to all aspects of my life. My methods for just about anything usually include making it up as I go and hoping for the best. That has come back to bite me on more than one occassion in my public speaking career. Obviously, one way I can solve this is to prepare more for all of my public speaking endeavours. Another thing I can do if I end up not prepared for a speech (because, let's face it, that's probably more likely than not) is to work on my improv skills. Although I did a couple of improv productions in my time, I never excelled at it and when I lose my spot in my notes, that is more than obvious. If I take the time to work on preparing my speeches better and going with the flow if I happen to get off track, my public speaking career will be lit as ever.
