Apprehension in Public Speaking

Tomato Face.

That is what I dread about speaking in public.  My face, for whatever reason, decides that when I am in front of a group of people, particularly a group that I don't know, that THIS is the best time to demonstrate its color-changing ability.  Truly, this is the most appropriate moment to flaunt my little-known talent for impersonating a rather angry lobster who is about to be thrown into a pot of boiling water.  Thank you face, your timing is impeccable.

For the most part, while I do not seek out situations in which I find myself addressing a crowd on a given topic, I actually do alright.  When I was younger I most definitely suffered from shaking, lack of confidence, and worry from how my fellow students would evaluate me.  I have gotten a lot better with more performance related presentations in particular; if any of you have ever taken the State Board test for Cosmetology, you know that if you can handle a proctor staring at you for the entire duration of a three hour practical exam, well, you can handle just about anything. For something like that where the situation is more to the effect of being evaluated while I do my own thing, I am able to go into my own space and pretend no one is watching me.  Mostly.

But something that occurred to me as I read the chapter is that while public speaking and something like a cosmetology exam are arguably very similar, public speaking involves interacting with the audience.  And to interact properly one cannot go into their own little world and pretend no one is watching. Well, I suppose you could, but I doubt you would interact with your audience effectively.

Some of the tips that the book gives for working your way through speech anxiety are completely new to me, and others I have heard before.  I really like the idea of relabeling:  "My face isn't tomato red, I am simply so excited to give this speech that my exuberance is radiating form the pores in my face! Winning!"  But all in all I totally agree that changing the way that you think about something can make a huge difference.

I also thought it was interesting the way that the book advised to not clue the audience in to how nervous you are.  In times past I have occasionally opened with an acknowledgement of how nervous I was, and I feel like starting off with that admission of humility allowed me to relate to my audience a bit more, and it alleviated some of the pressure I felt over the need to be perfect.  But the book makes a good point in how the audience could take the opportunity to nitpick your behaviorism in order to watch your anxiety in action.  Clever, clever audience.

But for the most part I thought the book had a lot of great advice.  Hopefully I will be able to put it all to good use.  Or rather, I look forward to practicing the techniques form the book amongst such fine classmates, as well as demonstrating my excitement in the form of exuberant face radiation.  Positive thinking for the win.  

Introductory Post

Hi, my name is Amethyst February and I have been a student at Sierra for four years.  I've been chipping away at an art degree while I work full time, and I have decided to get my personal training certificate while I am here as well. I also study martial arts.  In my spare time I like to draw stuff, kick stuff, lift heavy things and then set them right back where I found them, climb things, and spend time outside.  I generally don't wear shoes.

As far as communications experience goes this is the first communication class I have taken, but I have been known to be a bit on the verbose side in my personal life.  I also work in an office where I spend a lot of time on the phone and emailing customers. I look forward to expanding my communication skill this semester.

I hope you all are well, and have a great first day of classes!