New Understanding of Public Speaking

When I look back at my first blog, I still feel like the woman who came to talk at my high school was the epitome of a great public speaker. She not only had good delivery and style, but I still remember to this day some of the things she said. I feel like if you're able to accomplish those things through a single speech, you're doing something right.

Through this course, my understanding of public speaking has definitely changed a lot. Six weeks ago, when I thought of public speaking, the delivery was the first (and sometimes only) thing that came to mind. Things like eye contact, speech anxiety and just the way one presents a speech was what I thought of. I never considered the actual writing of the speech and how much work is put into it.

I thought I was experienced in public speaking because I was on my high school's Speech and Debate team for three years, but this course was completely different because I actually had to take the time to research and write my speech. It turns out that I knew a lot less than I thought I did! I didn't know what to expect going into this course, but it gave me a new understanding of public speaking, and I know everything I learned will be useful for the future. I also learned that if you put in the right amount of time researching a topic that you find interesting, it can be really fun to present!