RCL#5: Public Speaking Experience

Pubic speaking is commonly considered a daunting task.   For me what makes public speaking such a struggle is having to maintain solid eye contact and conveying emotion through the speech/talk. 

One of my major experiences with public speaking came at my high school graduation.  I spoke in front of a class of 400 graduating seniors and a couple thousand supporters.  For this event I had a typed manuscript of my speech that I could rely on.  Strangely, in front of a crowd of that size I felt more relaxed than I would be in front of a single classroom of people.  It may be due to how personnel it is when you are only speak to a small group.

Another public speaking experience of mine was for my high school AP US History class.  This was a completely different setting, a class of 20-30 student, and a notecard was all I had to give a 10-15 minurte talk on the controversial topic of my choice.  For this speech I was vary well prepared in that I knew a lot about my topic.  As is my downfall in public speaking I avoided direct eye contact, looking above the audience. 

While I am vary poor when it comes to eye contact, I have one strength in particular when speaking.  I will not speak to fast and I will almost never use verbal fillers.  This strength could form a strong base for speaking if I was able to incorporate solid eye contact into my speaking events.

My avoidance of eye contact is because I am so focused on remembering my information and the order in which to present it that I am scared to look anyone in the eyes.  Often times I will be in the middle of a though and I will make eye contact with someone and I will blank.  I am not sure how to fix that problem, maybe just preparing better and knowing the material.