My Battle With Public Speaking

Many people don’t enjoy public speaking. Public speaking is something that many people avoid because it can be intimidating or scary. Public speaking is something I don’t enjoy. I am uncomfortable with the idea of speaking in front people. I’m not someone who enjoys being the centre of attention with all eyes on me. Public speaking has become easier for me over time, but it is still not my favorite thing to do. Public speaking is not something I enjoy because, growing up, my self-confidence was lacking. It doesn’t matter if I have to speak in front of my peers, or at a ceremony. Or just to introduce myself to others. I’ve always hated giving speeches and that hasn’t always been my forte. When I was in high school, I refused to participate in class discussions or speak up. My opinion wasn’t lacking, it was that I was afraid to share my thoughts. My delivery of what I wanted to say never turned out the way I expected. I would stumble over the words of my speech and occasionally even go off topic. I remember times when I read the entire speech in a hurry to keep my audience from getting too distracted. They should have, because I believe I would have been a better public speaker today if they had. JROTC helped me gain self-confidence and make me feel more confident speaking in front a group. My JROTC class required us to present every lesson we had learned that week. My JROTC teacher observed how nervous and gave me advice about how to overcome it. I still treasure that advice. His advice is still very valuable to me today. He advised me to take your time and speak clearly, confidently. He also suggested that I always keep eye contact and make eye contact to the crowd. He explained that eye contact with the audience would increase their interest in the topic. My confidence in public speaking improved tremendously after I joined the United States Air Force. I have also benefitted from listening to many speakers and participating in briefings. It was a great experience to ask questions and learn from them about how they are able to speak in public and use their technology. Presenting to peers or a group is no longer scary or nerve-wracking. I make sure that my speeches are worth hearing. I try to make my speech clear and understand the meaning of it. I make sure to have a rough outline of the speech I will give for each presentation. When I am in an audience, I want the speaker to speak loudly and clearly. Also, I appreciate when speakers make eye-contact with the crowd. This is in addition to not reading every word on a PowerPoint slide or from a piece a paper. I can tell when a speaker is being monotone or reading too much word by word. This makes me feel tired and less interested in them. Inspirational and motivational speeches are my favorite type of speech. These speeches are inspiring and motivating. The speaker always inspires me and gives me a good understanding of the topic. The speaker is always engaging with the audience and asking questions to get us more involved. This inspires me to give more public speeches like them. Although public speaking is not something I enjoy, I have found that I am more comfortable with it over the years. I can now speak confidently than ever before. I am grateful to all those who have inspired me to be a better public speaker, directly or indirectly. I believe practice makes perfect. I’m confident speaking in front a large audience will be easier with practice. I plan on continuing to learn from my previous speaking experiences and to develop my leadership skills. I urge those who struggle with public speaking, like me, to keep trying. You too can succeed.