Impromptu Presentation? No Problem

I haven’t always enjoyed talking in front of crowds. In fact, I used to have a huge fear of speaking in front of people. Public speaking was one of the most terrifying experiences I could imagine.

In high school, I was required to take a communications class as a freshman, and every time I had to give a speech, I absolutely dreaded it. But by the time I had to teach a 90 minute class period with two of my peers as a junior, I was not nearly as daunted by the idea of public speaking.

Photo I took in October at an Alternative
Careers for Education Majors event.
Public speaking is a part of nearly
everything.

While I was still nervous and I didn’t necessarily want to give the presentation, I wasn’t afraid to get up in front of my class.

When I received my grade on that presentation, I remember my teacher writing a comment about how comfortable I looked talking in front of the class. It made me realize that after I got started, and my nerves disappeared, I was, in fact, comfortable.

But that was in a room full of 25 or so people I knew relatively well.

My next big speech was in front of a crowd of 200 or so at my sister’s wedding. I was incredibly nervous, and my fears never really diminished when I started talking.

During my senior year, I had to speak at an all school assembly for Homecoming and halfway through the assembly, the principal and one of my teachers pulled me off the stage to tell me they needed me to introduce the band and say a few words about upcoming events. I was not prepared to do this, and I was given about 30 seconds to figure it out.

Talk about pressure. The crowd at the assembly was around 800 people, and I was already really nervous to start, so given the added pressure of speaking on the spot was nerve-wracking. 

After this, I had a few experiences with giving presentations in a few of my classes, but I still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of getting up in front of the class to give a speech.

However, I kept putting myself in public speaking situations to try and make myself more comfortable. I was a moderator for a debate before a local Board of Education election, and later on during my senior year, I submitted a speech to be considered for my graduation.

My speech was chosen, and I had the honor of speaking at graduation. Because of all of these experiences before I even came to college, I’ve only had more room to grow.

While I’m still not exactly thrilled when I have to give a presentation, I no longer feel a hindering sense of fear when faced with the task. Especially impromptu presentations, which seem to be a common theme this semester, as nearly all of my classes have required one at some point so far.

It also helps, since I am currently taking a public speaking class, which is really helping me improve upon my speech giving skills.