Over the course of the semester, CAS 100A has improved all of our public speaking abilities. I believe that we made a smart decision taking CAS as our first college course because it has prepared us for the rest of our college careers and beyond. The ability to speak well is an important skill, and we now possess the knowledge to master it.
I am proud of the progress I made from my first speech to the next. I used the flaws from my first performance to craft my second. In the process, I learned a few valuable lessons that I will keep in mind next time I speak publicly:
Before speaking, figure out what memory aid works best for you.
Once I began speaking the first time, I got caught up in what I was saying and forgot to flip my first note card. I learned that note cards are not an effective tool for me. For my next speech I used an outline instead, and it worked out a lot better.
Take a moment to pause and think.
In my first speech, I said “um” a lot. It came off as if I were very nervous. For the next speech, I stopped myself before saying “um.” I realized if I take a moment to pause and gather my thoughts while I am speaking, rather than use fillers, it would not be noticeable.
Be confident in what you are saying.
As the first speaking day approached, I did not realize how much speech anxiety I would experience! After hearing feedback on my speech, I realized that my anxiety does not appear to the audience as much as I feel it while speaking. I learned that as long as I am confident in what I am saying, I would come off as a confident speaker.
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