My Battle with Public Speaking

Public speaking is typically something many people do not enjoy doing. Most people try to avoid doing public speaking simply because of the fear of speaking in front of an audience is just terrifying or maybe even intimidating to some. I am one of those people who typically do not enjoy public speaking. The thought of getting in front of people and having to speak on a topic is uneasy for me. I am definitely not the type of person to enjoy being the center of attention and having all eyes on me. Over the years I have become more comfortable with public speaking, but it is still something that is not fully in my comfort zone.

Public speaking is not in my comfort zone because growing up, I never really had the self-confidence within myself to be able to speak in front of crowds whether small or large. Something so simple as speaking in front of my peers in a classroom setting, or being at a ceremony and having to stand and say a few words, or even just simply introducing myself to a group of people that are trying to get to know me as a person causes me to become very nervous. Having to do a speech has always been something I have dreaded doing and it has not always been my strong suit. In high school, whenever I would have to speak or volunteer to voice my opinion on a topic being discussed in class, I would never join in the discussion and tell my classmates to skip me. It wasn’t that I didn’t have an opinion, but it was because I was just too nervous to state my opinion. The delivery of how I would want to say something never came out how I would want it too. I would start to stumble over my words throughout my entire speech, sometimes even going off topic. There were times when I would just read everything as fast as I possibly could just so I would not have to be in front of everyone too long.

In all of my English classes all throughout high school, the teachers never made it a requirement to stand up and voice our opinions on a topic of discussion. I wish they would have because I feel as though I would have become a better public speaker than I am today. I am grateful that my high school had a JROTC class which helped me to build my self-confidence and helped me feel more comfortable and confident to speak in front of an audience. In my JROTC class, we would always have to give presentations on everything that we learned for that week in the class. My JROTC teacher noticed how nervous I would get, and he gave me some advice on how to become better. That advice is still with me and valuable to me today. The advised I mostly use today given by him is to definitely take my time with what I am speaking about and speak loud clearly with confidence. He also told me to always make eye contact with the crowd. He said that making eye contact with the crowd would make them more involved and interested in the topic being discussed.

Once I decided to join the United States Air Force my confidence with public speaking evolved tremendously. Watching countless speakers and sitting in on briefings and having to take leadership classes have helped as well. Asking questions in the class on how they become so well at public speaking and using their technics has also helped me blossom. Now when I do have to give a presentation to my peers or to a group of people, I am not as nervous or intimidated by standing in front of them. I try to make sure I give a speech that is worth listening to. I make sure to give the audience a clear understanding of what my speech is about. I always have an outline of what I am going to say for the presentation I will be giving as well.

When I am in the audience, I want to be able to hear the speaker loud and clear. Also, I enjoy when speakers make eye contact with the crowd and not read everything word for word off of a PowerPoint or from a piece of paper. When a speaker does read everything word for word and is not being engaged or has a very monotone voice, I automatically get tired and stop paying attention to them. Most of the types of speeches I enjoy listening to are inspirational or motivational speeches. Those types of speeches make me feel very inspired by the speaker and what they are talking about. I always leave inspired by the speaker and have a clear understanding of what they have spoken about. I have always experienced the speaker being very engaged with the crowd and asking questions to make us feel more involved. It always gives me the inspiration to be more like them when I give my public speeches.

In conclusion, public speaking may not be something I enjoy doing, but over the years I have become more comfortable with it. I am able to speak confidently now more than I have ever been before. I appreciate those around me that have directly and indirectly influenced me to become a better public speaker. I am a firm believer that practice makes perfect and with continued practice, I will no longer be so nervous when my time comes to speak in front of a large crowd. I plan to continue using my leadership skills and my experiences from other public speaking events to help make myself better. I encourage those that may battle with public speaking like myself to never give up, keep trying and you too will succeed.

Works Cited

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