COM 213 1-1 Discussion Experiences With Public Speaking
While I participated in a reentry program called Hope for Prisoners and each participant was
required to submit a paper outlining their "Vision," that is a period when I was successful in
public speaking. This is how we imagined our life would be in 5, 10, or 20 years. We were
required to appear in front of the entire class (50 individuals) and deliver our "Vision" at the
conclusion of this reintegration class. I couldn't stop thinking about speaking in front of the class
over the two weeks coming up to our presentation, building myself up and being more anxious
than necessary. By the time that day arrived and I stood before everyone to share my "Vision," I
was genuinely the happiest version with myself. I have over exercised myself about nought. I
believe that getting to know everyone in the class eased the situation more since I felt more at
ease speaking to them. If there had been a room full of strangers, I'm not sure if I would feel or
perform in exactly the same fashion.
Nevertheless, as our literature says, emphasizing on the benefits rather than the disadvantages
and converting those worries into "constructive agitation" assists us calm down and feel slightly
more secure when speaking. Giving us the impression that we are in greater control because, as I
noted in our reading, we don't appear to be as anxious or uncontrollable as we would feel.
Therefore the more assurance we hold onto, the more we can act as though we have everything
under control. As I indicated before, this was a reentry program, so the impact on me and the
audience was a personal connection and empathy because we had all experienced a similar
background and faced many of the same issues. Regrettably, I have had to fight certain demons
in the past, but I'm happy to report that they are no longer a threat to me. I think my eye contact
with the audience was something I should have done better. I am aware that maintaining eye
contact with your audience is crucial for engagement, but my anxiety prevented me from doing
so frequently. Another thing I would have modified is my distracting speech habits, since I have
a tendency to use the word "uh" a lot. This is something I need to focus on. Overall, I think I
performed better than I had anticipated, and I think that even though I was petrified of fear, I
managed to hide it quite effectively.
