Become a better public speaker

I don’t have a fear of speaking in front of large crowds, but I need to learn how to handle myself very well while speaking. Controlling body language and facial expression while speaking with a good intonation and making eye contact with the right people is quite difficult. Obama is my public speaking role model; he is extremely charismatic.

I taught my first breakout sessions Friday. We had very little to cover, since their lecture had only met once. So the first day was very short, but long enough to get a good feeling about the classes/students. I’m excited about the rest of the semester… at least the teaching part.

I have TA training this week, which will be the first time I meet some of my new classmates. The second and third days of training involve giving brief presentations, first in front of peers then before faculty. Next week my classes begin, as well as the labs I’ll be instructing. So, all in all, this seems like a pivotal time to work on checking off this goal. Right now I feel a little green which, as much as I don’t dig it, I should probably enjoy.

(image from toothpaste for dinner)

I want to be able to speak well in front of a crowd!

Well, I’d been stressing about giving the toast this weekend at my friends wedding not only did I not cry but it was actually the best toast of the evening. I think I’m getting better.

So, delivering an imperfect and unmotivational speech bothers me. Therefore, I’ve decided to strive for excellence and join Toastmasters. There, I will practice the art until August when I have several speeches planned. From then on, I want to develop my own motivational speaking company.

I just joined a Toastmasters club in my town. I am already seeing improvements and I just joined! Many of the people in the club I am in are older or retired so I am learning a lot from their experience!

Fifteen minutes talking in Spanish was…different. But! My classmates said I did well and that I didn’t seem very flustered or unprepared. I don’t do a lot of presentations so when they arise I always feel a little jittery. I have a speech type class this coming May that I am hoping will help with my apprehensions.

I’ve had 2 public speaking events this month. I’ve learned that for me it’s better to just get up there and talk not have a pre-written speech. When I quoted someone in my last speech I just had that written on a card. It worked pretty well. I’m getting more comfortable all the time.

I am working on this one and need to refocus on it. I can’t simply let my passion, ah, speak for itself. Usually, I work myself up into a state right before the event and then when I am speaking I become so interested and passionate about the topic that I lose the jitters. Or, more recently, especially when serving on panels, become so engaged in the conversation that I forget to be nervous.

I had several photos taken during an event recently and they were a learning experience. For one thing, I have got to work on body language. Sure enough, I seem shy and hesitant at the beginning of the event and then the body language becomes stronger as I lose the jitters.

Dancing taught me the importance of presence but I haven’t been dancing lately. Maybe time to get back to that too. I guess what I am saying is that one has to have presence from beginning to end. The beginning part is what is difficult for me.