The Avid Program Analysis

Nervousness is something that is very common when it comes to public speaking. Many great public speakers had that very same problem. Such as Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Sanger and Winston Churchill. Some ways to manage your nervousness can be thinking positive, preparing extensively for your speech and not letting yourself get worried about looking nervous.

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.

When I was a little girl I was very shy. I would be afraid to enter conversations, meet new people, and wouldn’t feel confident around people in general, especially when it came to public speaking. In seventh grade, I did my first major speech and experienced a lot of anxiety. Before the speech, my stomach hurt so bad that I thought I was about to throw up. I was dizzy, my hands were sweaty, and my face was very pale. I got told I looked like I was sick, and I thought I was going to be. During the speech, my heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it was going to bust out of my chest. Unfortunately, I decided not to finish the speech and end it early because of how nervous I was. Now I am in a public speaking class, and have learned how to manage my speech anxiety. From experience, learning how manage anxiety is the best way to get over the fear of public speaking.

1- What appeals to me about the AVID program is that the program prepares you for high school/college. Also, how the program teaches you new strategies that you can use in school and it helps you develop a sense of hope for personal achievement gained through hard work and determination. This was my first year in AVID and I gained a lot of new ways to make learning easier in school. Such as cornell notes, PVLEGS, and how to stay organized throughout the school year. I want to continue AVID because it’s really a fun and it is a very educational program to be in. I met new friends there and it helped me not fall off the wagon in school by getting good grades.

Actually, not too long ago I was reasonably confident and had no problems with talking to people. This all changed the day we were given the assignment of a presentation. The word presentation already sends shivers down my spine thinking about it. Everyone hates them, right? Not me. Not when I was in first year anyway. Truth be told I was ecstatic to do this presentation, I loved speaking infront of others, forcing them to laugh at my "witty" jokes and boring them to death with things I considered interesting. When the word "presentation" or "solo talk" was mentioned, I used to jump for joy. Now, I shrink into my seat and stare at my desk, hoping it will go away. I would spend hours on talks, preparing them and memorising them. A few years down the line I would find myself struggling to write notes as I begin to think about standing in front of an audience, causing my heart to beat rapidly and my hands to shake. It's not fair, really. Even now I still panic when trying to think of what to say, as it has to be

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.

That has to change now, I am an engineer and I will have to give numerous speeches in my lifetime about projects I am working on. I have taken a public speaking college class in high school. That class taught me everything about how to have excellent posture, poise, and how to stay calm. I have incorporated that class into all my speeches, as well as just talking in general to people. It has helped me stand in front of employers at the career fair and classes last year. Standing in front of an employer for a big job is very intimidating and it really does test your self- confidence. If I put myself into those positions it will get me better prepared for the future and improve my self- confidence. Speech classes are by far the most important and I am glad to have taken one.

In is article, the authors researched that a fundamental speech course can decrease a student’s public speaking anxiety. Reducing student’s public speaking anxiety is appropriate in a college speech class because it will improve personal development and help with the student’s employment chances later. By implementing public speaking anxiety treatments into speech courses such as positive reinforcement and constructive criticism from other classmates can reduce anxiety. Also, by starting out with simple speeches and progressing into more difficult ones anxiety can be decreased. In using this simple treatments public speaking anxiety can be greatly reduced resulting in ease in communication in a public

Throughout my 17 years of living i have learned to speak in front of large crowds of people without worrying about messing up or embarrassing myself. As a younger child i would often avoid public speaking at all costs in order to not get those anxious feelings i often felt. As little as a few years ago i often missed extra credit opportunities in order to not

Four IB classes, one AP class, extracurricular activities; these are all part of my busy daily schedule. As you can imagine these classes can be stressful at the age of sixteen. Too much pressure from teachers, too much homework, too much classwork, too much everything. Thanks to my seventh grade English teacher, who decided to put me in Avid, I am able to handle most of the things in my busy daily schedule. At first, I was like I don’t need this but as I researched what this program was about I decided to give it a try and challenged myself into taking a course like this. I have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity and worked to overcome educational barriers by taking this program called AVID. AVID stands for Advancement

After reviewing my persuasive speech, I personally believe my public speaking has improved. When watching this speech and comparing it to past ones, I noticed a great amount of improvement with my overall confidence in the way I spoke. This then made my audience actually enjoy my speaking because they too felt the energy I was giving off. All throughout the presentation, I spoke clear and for the most part without hesitation. Also, I met the visual aid requirements for this particular speech, and I believe they were introduced appropriately. Similar with my past presentations, I was focusing more on my notecards than my audience. Although, I do notice that it is still better than my first presentation of the semester. Likewise, I stumbled

The symptoms of fear of speaking in public are curable specifically at the time you're put in a position to speak in public by taking one of a number of, safe, inexpensive and non-addictive herbal medications. As I will explain, this medication which is completely natural allows us to control the cause of our symptoms exactly at the time when they are getting out of control. Therefore, what I am going to teach you will help those of us who have to routinely give presentations for our careers, those who need to only give several speeches a lifetime for wedding toasts, funerals, and the like, as well as those in show business who must be relaxed and confident enough to focus on their

Like most people, my introduction to public speaking was nonnegotiable. Public education has ingrained public speaking into its students from day one, starting with weekly show and tell and slowly building up to presentations. Many of the speeches I have delivered have been in a classroom setting with a captive audience dreading their upcoming turn. The speeches ranged anywhere from an informative speech on the black plague, persuasive speeches on why smoking or gambling is addicting, and even a eulogy. My performances were literally and figuratively shaky as I stumbled through that middle school class, but I passed. I found myself clinging to note cards, power points, and a specific spot on the wall to stare at to get through it.

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 inability to effectively deliver oral presentations may stem from a communication-related anxiety known as oral communication apprehension. This is the biggest problem that presenter may come up against. The problem McCroskey (1977) defined as “an individual’s level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons” (p.78) which may contribute to an increase in anxiety and loss of self confidence and, consequently, negatively affect one’s action to engage in oral communication from face-to-face speaking to an audience by delivering a presentation or speech.