Katryn C.

To whoever reads this blog, I just want to share my experience working as a team to do (in a very short time) our first project for the Introduction to Public Speaking class taught by Sherri Sinkoff. But first of all, I would like to share an interesting fact about myself: I am not a good speaker, and I do not know how to speak in public. I think that is why I have been avoiding this class for a long time (because I had planned to take this class last semester, but my chicken complex forced me to withdraw right on the first day). I mean, how can you not be terrified of a class that focuses precisely on what you fear so much? I am obviously not considering those types of extraordinary people who are not affected in the least by speaking in front of large groups of people, because that is not my case…and to make it even worse, do you remember that first team project I mentioned at the beginning? Well, said project was based on presenting a presentation on how to give a successful presentation like a pro. And this was to be expected, of course. What else would we do in a class called Introduction to Public Speaking? Play rock paper scissors, and see who wins an easy A? Unfortunately, this was not the case...

What were the presentations about? (about presenting, obviously). What did we learn from them? (We learned how to present, duh). And, most importantly, how did it feel to be part of those presentations?

Each group began by contributing some concepts, perspectives, and even tips and tricks on how to give a successful presentation. The first group gave something like the foundations of public speaking, mentioning Aristotle's Rhetoric principles stating Logos (the use of logic), Pathos (connecting with the audience through emotions), and Ethos (building trust to win over the audience). At the same time, they explained some basic concepts about public discourse, which, if you are like me, who is not very familiar with the subject or who sees presentations as a means only to inform something to an audience. Then, those concepts, rather than being definitions, were like advice. Why? Because they explained that in any public speech, the goal is not just to talk, talk, and talk but to focus on the audience, connect with them, and ensure they understand the message you want to deliver. Otherwise, why give a speech if the goal is not for the audience to walk away with something good about what you presented?

Remember, the audience is what matters most.

The next group delved a little more deeply into the topic and mentioned something very important that, today, I assume many are aware of. What the second group mentioned was nothing more than plagiarism. The speaker of that chapter explained to us the importance of recognizing and avoiding plagiarism in order to promote a real investigation where we use our own skills to search for facts, testimonies, and any type of evidence that we can duly accredit.

After this group, it was our turn to present our topic: "Getting ready to that successful presentation." And I, with my broken English and speaking like a caveman, was (un)lucky to be the first to present. Most people in my situation should have realized that, although our level of English is not the most perfect, at least we are trying. We make the effort to say something more complex and elaborate than a simple: "Hello, nice to meet you." But the reality is that (at least in my case) there will always be nerves, uncertainty, and embarrassment as to how the audience perceives the pronunciation of one who is not a native English speaker.

Changing the subject, I presented and explained the important aspects of the chapter that corresponded to me; I finished presenting, and then bye-bye, let the next speaker come on. I addressed Chapter 9 about the importance of having an element that attracts the attention of the audience in order to create a good first impression when it comes to the beginning of the public speech. In addition, it is essential to highlight the purpose of your speech as well as demonstrate your credibility so that the audience feels more attracted to pay attention to what you present.

After my (not so) good contribution to the presentation, it was up to my other teammates to explain their chapters. The first two of them explained Chapter 10: Using Language Effectively, which focused on (what its title says) the use of appropriate language through words that are meaningful, concise, redundant, and devoid of language that can be taken as offensive, and all this to improve our public speeches.

The following person explained Chapter 11: Integrating Presentation Media. This was definitely my favorite chapter, as it addressed the topic of using both visual and auditory elements to give your speech that striking touch, that certain je ne sais quoi that your speech may need. At the end of the presentation, the last two members addressed Chapter 12: Delivering Your Speech. In general, I think this chapter was the most important of our presentation because it explained some critical points that many people have failed to do when preparing a public speech, such as how we present our speeches, not overlooking the smallest details such as the time we should take to speak during the presentation, our posture and the volume of voice we use when presenting. Lastly, the other group that presented at the end addressed the topic of persuasive speech, including how to differentiate persuasion from manipulation and how to effectively and appropriately use a persuasive speech depending on the type of audience.

Despite the usual feeling of nerves that could have been normal due to the little preparation we had to make that presentation, it went relatively well. It was not perfect, but it was not the worst either. We learned from each person who participated that public speaking is not as simple as it seems. We realized that presenting is not standing in front of a massive or small number of people to give an informative talk. On the contrary, we learned that public speech is, in fact, more complex and elaborate than it appeared. In the end, I can say that this experience served as a good way to understand better how a successful presentation is supposed to be.