Blog 1 - Chapters Presentation Reflection - by Luciana Lujan

       People biggest fear is not facing dead but seeing them in public speaking, straight to a scene of terror: being lonely on a podium with an audience of expectant faces. For almost all of us it is synonymous with a “fear moment” characterized by sweaty hands, racing heart and shaky voice.

After spending the last month being enrolled in a public speaking class, my perspective about it has changed considerably. I have realized that public speaking is more than just standing in front of people to talk, is an essential skill that help us to create confidence to share ideas effectively, influence, inform or inspire those around us.

Public speaking has a central role in our live, every day at any moment. It is not only for politicians or motivation speakers but is also a necessary skill for anyone who has an audience listening to them need to demonstrate their ability to effectively communicate. Teachers, nurses, and fitness instructors are all perfect examples of people who speak to the public about their areas of expertise. Spreading their word like a preacher would do to their congregation. 

I quickly realized that giving a speech is just one little piece to make it successful. The real work happens in the action of structuring ideas, preparing intentionally and choosing strategies. Through our class presentations I learned toappreciation for the four main points of the discipline. I would like to share a bit of my personal view of each one.

Part I:

I called the first part “the foundation” because it is focused on the evolving art and fundamental philosophy of communication. This part gave me a better understanding and grasp, making the experience more meaningful to me. I learned the speaking can happen in many forms such as in person, online or through media platforms maintaining the goal of connection.

The section that is most valuable would have to be the building of confidence, needing to be able to speak with authority. Managing nervousness as a physical reaction that we can turn into a positively because understanding that public speaking is a learned skill rather than talented. And before being able to become a competent and effective public speaker, you must work on listening skills. 

Part II:

It is the developing and research where the real work happens. Before, I was thinking, that you just need to organize, write, and then just read it to give a speech, but I was very much mistaken in my assumptions. In this part we explore the careful steps of developing a purpose to describe and explain evidence and research to support our ideas. Having the audience staying engaged and interested to understand the moral of the presentation. While watching my classmates’ presentations, I further began to understand the importance of forming a well-structured argument and speech.

Part III:

Having had more time to be able to research and develop a deeper understanding of the necessity of needing to take action in being an effective public speaker. Becoming more confident in the ability to speak publicly is only accomplished though going through repetitions and having more audiences to practice.

In our presentation, we understand the relationship between how you said something and what you said, needing to work on the way the speech is perceived to assure that the communication is effective, and not a waste of time for the audience and a waste of breath for the presenter. Also, using the power as a visual aid is not just having a PowerPoint and using it as a crutch to read directly from the presentation. During a presentation we have three important points that we can control and improve upon even as a seasoned public presenter: the visual (eye contact, gestures and dressing professional to look credible), the vocal (controlling volume and pitch), and the verbal (choosing the right words). Effectively combining those three points will not only build more confidence withing myself as a presenter, but also it will keep the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats waiting for more.

Presenting this to the class was emotionally intense but it forces me to practice what I was taught. Having to practice in a language that is one that I am still learning, I learned that when I focused on my gestures and my PowerPoint the nervous disappear.   

Part IV:

The final part of the book teaches us that every environment needs a special strategy. We have types of speaking including informative to teach, persuasive to change minds or reinforce beliefs, and speech for special occasions giving a tone when it is more personal. There is also another form of presenting that has started becoming more used is the distance speaking or online presentations. With all the changes that the world faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of online presentations either through zoom or being prerecorded and uploaded to sites like YouTube, show the need to adapt with the changing landscape of communicating to not only reach and audience today, but to be able to refer to the teaching at any point, from anywhere that has connection to the internet.

After only one month since I started this class, I can say that the transformation in my perspective is significant, because I not seeing public speaking as obstacle to get over, but a skill to learn and improve every day, and something I can work on to build more confidence in speaking in English. I can understand that the shaky hands and knees might never fully go away, but now I have strategies such as organization, techniques and speaking skills can help me to pass the fear, till one day from doing it so frequently and consistent, the nerves stop and I pass my fear of being thought of as a fool. 

Public speaking is given me a new kind of confidence and help me to understand that my ideas have a value but only if I know how to communicate them correctly. I am excited to see how these skills will continue to improve my communication.