Speech Reflection Essay

There is no question that after giving about four speeches, I have become a much better overall public speaker. In the beginning of the semester, I would tend to get nervous during some of my speeches and consequently the delivery of my speech would be greatly affected. If I had made a mistake, my level of nervousness would drastically increase and I wouldn’t know how to correct it. Although today I have improved on these aspects. Normally in order to control my nerves I try to think as positively as possible. This is critical because when I start to think even a little bit negatively then I severely hurt my chances of giving a good speech. Instead today, my main priority is to stay very confident and tell myself that I’m going to perform fine.

Public speaking used to be a daunting task that I would try to avoid as often as possible, often I would be the last to present a project and would refrain myself from having to read outloud. When I would speak my head would fill with thoughts of how other were perceiving me and how easy it would be to mess up. With this nervous mentality my speaking was stuttered and confusing.

One of my more vivid experiences of public speaking was when I was taking a class at a community college. While taking this class I would often have to give speeches and demonstrations in front of the class. As I was waiting for my turn to give my very first speech, I was very certain that I would have no problems at all, it would a piece of cake, or so I thought. All of a sudden, I hear my name being called as it was my turn to deliver a knockout performance, but as I stood in front of that small class of people I just blanked out. An overwhelming amount of anxiety came over of me. I could feel my heart beginning to race and my hands starting to sweat. I could not for the life of me remember what I was going supposed say. In addition, the

Also, there were some difficulties that came about during my speech, one of those difficulties being inadequate direct eye contact. During the length of the speech there were not many time where I looked up and talked directly to my classmates. Something I could have done better to improve this would be to practice even more to ensure that I wouldn’t need to look at my notecards and slides as often. I also could have practiced when to look up and have a successful glance at my audience to have improved eye contact.

Paul Keating’s speech ‘funeral service of the unknown Australian soldier’ and Noel Pearson’s speech ‘an Australian history for us all’ have developed and expressed ideas using language appropriate to their audience, purpose and form. Despite the fact, it is fundamentally the speaker’s skills in the construction of the speech that determine its decisive success.

Claudia Stepanovich gave me a message through power point that I completely agree with and that is that public speaking is not a skill you are born with; it is something that you have to learn and get better at. This message spoke to me, because I am extremely nervous about public speaking and I always avoid it when I can; when I can’t avoid it I always get nervous and start to stutter and forget information.

I have given quite a few speeches in the last few years, even at such a young age. Though I was proficient when I started this class, I have improved even more in these last six weeks. My strengths definitely fall in my organization and content. However in my delivery I often lack in vocal variety and volume, mostly due to nerves, and I often rushing my conclusions. Due to the rank I have in organizations like the National Honor Society, I will often have to speak in public or address my peers so I plan on continuing to practice for my speeches out loud and hopefully I will improve.

When I gave my speech, I felt confident. I don't exactly have a fear of public speaking- anyone who knows me could tell you that. I looked out to the entire audience for the entire speech because I didn't use note cards. I also kept my energy up throughout the speech which helped keep the audience focused on the speech. I made some jokes, and the audience laughed at most of them, which was a good feeling. But because I failed to fully memorize the speech, there were times that I was left trying to figure out the exact phrasing, which took away from the performance slightly, even though I don't believe it was that big of a deal. I also made a pun by ending my speech with "My speech is all ogre now" and very few people caught it. This was probably due to my poor

I have shown huge improvements on delivering speeches. This process helped me to understand different kinds of speech and their expectations. The only way I can think of improving is that to get myself be confortable and to do more preparations. Therefore, the mistakes I made in this will help me to improve on the next

This really helped me to find my confidence and taught me how to get rid of the nerves that comes with public speaking. There is always room to improve and through the speech classes I took throughout high school I feel like I improved in my speaking skills. One of my strengths is being good at preparation. Preparation is a very important factor in making a good speech. Knowing your audience, your topic, and knowing how to organize a speech properly is something I find to be a strength. Another strength of mine that I previously stated is knowing how to get through any nerves that I have. My weaknesses of public speaking include my newly developed stutter, talking too fast, and not speaking super clearly. With speeches I am much better at putting the speech together rather than actually giving

Throughout life we express ourselves through words. The way we present ourselves through speech says a lot about our character. The way one speaks to others can jeopardize the amount of respect and trust others have for them. From the way one pronounces a word to their posture can affect the way an audience interprets what is being said. Personally, I am not confident with my speaking skills at this point. I would like my audience to fully comprehend the concepts or facts that I would present to them. In order to do so I must improve my speaking skills I believe that a problem most people, including myself, have when giving speeches is facing an audience. Just looking out to an audience of a mere ten

This public speaking course has taught me alot by helping me to become a better person and by growing me into something I never thought I could be.Speaking out loud always made me nervous, even when I was just reading a sentence from a book to some of my closest friends. Even though we are not even halfway through the school year, I have learned and improved so much. One of the first things this class had taught me was all about body language and how to present yourself to make an impression. Little things that we do can make us seem small, such as slouching, crossing our arms and legs, and looking at the ground, while others make us appear big, for instance, stretching, sitting up straight, and taking up alot space. Properly presenting yourself is important and can make a big difference in your life, whether it is for a job interview, meeting new people, or speaking in front of your peers. I have also learned to control and overcome my nervous habits, for example, playing with my hair, rocking back and forth, and moving my hands. Habits like these show the audience that you are nervous and it may turn their attention away from your speech and onto your actions. The audience-speaker relationship was also a great thing to learn. This relationship shows cause and effect, for example, when you lose the attention of your audience you may begin to second guess yourself leaving you to becoming nervous and self conscious. You then may start to panic and your speech may become a

I fear that since I am timid I will not succeed in the class. Since I am not great at public speaking, I am afraid that I will be graded negatively. I can think of many weaknesses that I acquire in public speaking, however not many strengths. My weaknesses include; nervousness, making eye contact, and projecting my voice. Before, during, and after my presentation I get nervous. My heart begins to race, my palms get sweaty, and I forget what I have to say. One thing I really struggle with is making and maintain eye contact, because I tend to look down a lot while presenting. I have a low quiet voice so often times when I present I do not project my voice very well. I need to work on this because while I am presenting the people towards the back cannot hear me very well. Even though I have all these weaknesses and things I need to work on, I still push myself to be better. I put effort and time when I have to present, because public speaking does not come naturally to me. One of the few things I do well is organize my thoughts and idea well. Overall I am very organized so I am able to organize my presentation in an outstanding

For as long as I can remember, public speaking has always been one of my greatest weaknesses. Whether it’s a simple in-class presentation or a speech in front of an auditorium filled with people, I can barely get my words out from the anxiety and

The best way to prepare for a presentation, one must consider the best method, the type of presentation and the audience for a given topic. There are four different types of presentation methods they are; Impromptu, Extemporaneous Speaking, Using a Manuscript, and Memorization. Each of the four methods is appropriate in certain situations. Impromptu is a speech that frequently involves no preparation time and forces you to think on your feet. With no opportunity to prepare, you must rely on what you know. Extemporaneous is a speech that involves preparation and practice. This form of delivery has many advantages.