Public Speaking is a skill that every person should learn. I have learned how to speak in many situations throughout my life. I didn't realize how much experience I've had until I took this quiz. As I expected I have low anxiety.
PRCA
Group Discussion: 7
Meetings: 7
Interpersonal Concersations: 7
Public Speaking: 17
Total: 38
PRPS: 71
I am taking this quiz at my house with my extended family all around. I mentioned to my cousin the data results and she responded saying,"Of course you don't. You've been involved in musicals and plays all through high school. That is like public speaking because you have to speak and perform in front of a huge audience." I never thought about musicals being like public speaking, but she is right. In a way it is much like public speaking. I have to memorize lines, songs, and cues all while trying to convey emotion. But, that was not the start of my experience with public speaking. When I was young I attended a Catholic elementary school, and we would attend mass every Friday. At mass it was every class's responsibility to perform different parts of the mass. So starting in first grade I started reading parts of the Bible or prayer intentions in front of the entire school. It didn't seem like a big deal because everyone did it, and I liked to read. Then I also started being a lector for normal Sunday masses occasionally when the students would lead mass. Then I went on to cantor and lead the songs for the student masses. We had to announce the songs and lead the songs. In addition, our school would make us do presentations. We would have to present a topic on a historical figure, on a story from the bible, or a poem we wrote in class. I think they did a good job making us feel comfortable with speaking in front of others by giving us lots of opportunities to do so. One of my principals found it very important to teach us how to speak properly. She emphasized enunciation and projection of voice. Then she also instilled in our how to be a proper audience: proper posture, ankles crossed, and attentiveness.
Also I was involved 4-H which is service and leadership club. We learned how to run meetings, speak in meetings, give presentations to the club, and how to perform in interviews. Evey member had to take a project varying on topics to bicycle safety, animal projects, sewing, cooking, scrapbooking, laundry, archery, photography, and any topic you could possibly think of. It helped teach member a skill, and they would have to be interviewed and judged and given a rating. It was a very good experience to have. Also I've been involved in leadership seminars like the Hugh O'Brian Leadership Seminar whose motto is "Empower, Lead, Excel." It's helped with my confidence around people.
How I prepare for public speaking situations is different for each situation. In general, I research the topic and make sure I have an understanding of the material. If it is a presentation for a class, I like having a visual aid to refer back to for special information I may have forgotten. I do make sure if I use a visual aid that I do not read directly from the slide. In the slide you should put important information, but you should leave out some and explain more in depth through your speech. I have never had to do a speech all from memory, so I normally don't rehearse too much because I like it to come off natural. Often though I make notecards, but rarely use them because writing them helps me remember what needs to be said.
I hope to learn how to be a better listener. I have classes that our heavily factual (I'm a science major) and it is hard to catch everything the professors say. I also hope to work on speech writing and giving memorized speeches without visual aids. In general I don't get too nervous about speaking with people. I get nervous at first and a bit sweaty, but that is the extent. I think as a listener I give good nonverbal communication by nodding and giving eye contact, which can help my classmates feel more comfortable giving speeches. I guess if someone has anxiety I would tell them to practice speaking in front of people as much as they can. I always feel more comfortable when I feel prepared, so make sure you do lots of research and know your material. Also they should tell themselves it's no different them speaking to one person about something and that they can do this. Giving yourself a pep talk helps.
Wow - this is a very complete list of your prior public speaking experiences. I will tell you that I'm not a fan of memorized speeches. There is not really much need for ANYONE to give a memorized speech anymore, even in professional settings notes and/or visual aids are almost expected, and certinally acceptable. If those work for you, there is no need to try to develop the habit for memorizing speeches unless there is a specific need for that skill. Essentially, memorized speeches aren't used anywhere as much as they used to be, and if you are expected to deliver a speech from memory, it would be short!!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I think focusing on learning to listen better is a great goal. This course essentially has three components: How to develop a presentation (content), how to present information (Delivery), and how to analyze presentations (Critical Analysis). Many students focus on the first two of these and forget the third, but good leaders spend much more of their time listening and analyzing than they do speaking. While all three skills are equally important, less emphasis is put on the third, despite it's overall importance.
Finally, while I applaud your ideas for helping your classmates and being a better listener yourself, how can you put your plan into action in the online setting? What are things you (and your classmates) could and should do to be good listeners throughout the semester?
I think trying to keep communication very open between all of us is important since we can't often physically talk to one another. I think sometimes to be a good listener you have to know how to get the other people talking and involved. Often times in groups there are some people who tend not to share as much. I think it's good to direct questions to those people and then find positives in what they say. Like if you ask them what they think the answer is and they reply with a thought. You could respond that's really good I wouldn't have thought of it that way and put it into the answer. It's often not that these people don't have things to say, but don't always have the courage to say them. Giving encouragement and reassuring are good things to do. It is also important to meet through video chat as much as we can for group assignments so we can listen and learn from one another.
DeleteI'm sorry to took me so long to respond to this question, I thought I had subscribed to your blog correctly, but apparently I didn't. However, that problem has been solved so it shouldn't be a problem again!!!
DeleteI agree that open communication is always good, and one of the reasons I keep the groups small is to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to share. However, I think that in a situation like this one (an online class) it is important for everyone to remember to listen more than they talk, to ensure they are really HEARING what others are tying to say. One reason people take this class online is because they are scared to talk and think online classes require less communication. I don't think that's really true, online classes require different kinds of communication.
Listening is something I've often had to work on with my leadership skills. Being a leader is more about knowing what to say, but also knowing how to listen and that is something I'm always working on. For me it's hard to balance talking and leaving enough space for others, which applies not only to leadership but this class.
DeleteIt seems like there is even more communication in an online class than a traditional class because we don't have that face to face time. I feel like this class is also pushing me to stay more organized. There are lots of assignments and different pieces. Not to mention I have another class I'm taking. My professor for this other class told all of us we should not take any other classes this summer because it would be too much. Tadah! I'm taking two. So I have be extra productive. And to make things more confusing we have a group member who is currently in China so we have a 12 hour difference making group discussions difficult.