Paper Example on Public Speaking

Perceptions of the Meaning of Public Speaking

At the beginning of the course, I knew that public speaking means addressing a group of people in a public place and for a public reason or purpose. Also, I knew that public speaking involves having the courage and confidence to speak in front of the group with the aim of convincing, informing or putting your point across with an open mind of being direct or indirect interference. In other words, it is having an open one-sided conversation with a large group of people as the audience. After starting the semester my perception of what public speaking means changed in a slight manner because the course brought more information to consider when defining what public speaking is. From the course, public speaking is the act of communicating information to a group of people orally, i.e. presenting information before an audience. The difference between my previous and current perceptions of the meaning of public speaking is that previously I had no idea that one must have effective public speaking skills to conduct a successful public speaking section. At this time of the semester, I have more information on what skills are needed for a successful public speaking, how they can be achieved or attained, how they should be implemented in the process and what it really takes to have a successful public speaking section. Some of the most important skills needed are effective organization or planning, practice, indulging the audience and beware of your body language. My perception of the meaning of public speaking changed after I successfully gave a speech in a family function by implementing the skills mentioned above in speaking.

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Importance of Public Speaking to a Student’s Future

Good public speaking can have a great positive effect on a person's personal and professional life while bad public speaking can have negative effects on a person's personal and professional life. Professionally, bad public speaking skills can lead to a loss of job opportunities, promotions and value in the student's field while in personal life, bad public speaking can lead to detachment/disconnection and loneliness.

To a student, good public speaking skills can create an opportunity for leadership and job opportunity. For instance, a student longs to become a sales team leader, when they offer a good speech during a school ceremony attended by potential employers, they will have a better chance to be hired for a job as a sales representative or leader due to their ability to address people well. They are able to catch the attention of the potential employers in the audience. Additionally, if the student is hired, they will need those skills to lead their group of the sales team to improved performance.

In a professional scenario, a student who has been successful in their professional field or work will need effective public speaking skills after receiving an award or gift. A good public speech will catch the eye and attention of the managers and other employees hence possibility of promotion in their job.

In relation to the personal lives of the students, good public speaking skills can be crucial when the student is required to address a family gathering, friend's wedding, loved one's burial ceremony, graduation ceremony etc. In most cases, students are told to address their family and friends during their graduation ceremony. Therefore, the student will certainly require effective public speaking skills on such a personal occasion.

Public Speaking Anxiety

Before this course, my level of public speaking anxiety lead to various negative impacts on me before, during and after any speech, which included things like sweating, lost my train of thoughts and words, fast breathing, fear that caused my body and voice shake almost continuously. It was simply difficult to communicate my information effectively even when addressing my family members because I knew that all attention and eyes were fully on me. However, after the course, my anxiety effects have reduced immensely and others just do not exist. For instance, during a speech I gave in a family function last month, my voice and words were audible and clear, no shaking and my thoughts were very consistent. The only thing that has remained is that am still sweating due to the fact that I dislike attention fully on me. This is caused by some of my attributes like being self-conscious, lack of confidence, shy and reserved which play a big role in my introvert personality. The course has helped not only cope with my personality but also discover my extrovert part of me. I realized that I like to share my ideas and opinions generally on topics like family, religion, business management, politics and healthcare status. Therefore, with good public speaking skills, I am in a better position to effectively and productively interact with my family, friends and potential colleagues on a personal and professional level.

Content of Speech

The course has helped me with putting together my speech content any time I need to speak publicly. The course provides a chance and encourages me to not only increase my English vocabulary and grammar but also helps enhance my spelling and pronunciation tips and development. It gives guidance and tips for effective speech writing for any topic with the ability to capture the audience's attention and value for the information as well as the topic itself. For instance, when wrote my family function (celebration of my father's death anniversary) speech, the introduction, body and conclusion of the speech were as a result of the process derived from the course. The course helped me create attention catching and engaging speech that varied from the family ties, family failures and successes, family vacation memories and family values that were directly connected and touched on my father's life as a husband and a father.

Public Speaking Goals

My public speaking goals are, to address a virtual audience on a conference call, to pitch a project or address a group of very important national leaders or investors, give a speech during the graduation ceremony and address my spouse, family and friends during my wedding day. These goals will certainly help me put the course teachings into use even after school. Furthermore, the course will be a key aspect of remembering this course for the rest of my life because its teachings will be applicable in both my personal and professional life. After finishing this course, I wish to become an effective informative and transformative speaker. I will successfully communicate different kinds of information for different occasions (personal or professional levels). Professionally, the course will help me pitch various projects or products to my employers, customers and potential investors. On the other hand, in my personal life, public speaking will help me inform and transform my personal life by telling stories, educating, being creative and giving examples from memories made during family and friends celebrations to name a few. Therefore, the topic has been very helpful to me and will always continue to impact my life in a positive manner.