I remember making my schedule for the spring semester and signing up for Communication 1010. I knew it was a required course here at Baruch and was actually extremely excited to take the course. I have always been a good speaker and don’t normally get nervous about speaking in front of a crowd. I went into the course extremely confident in my ability to speak but was unaware that I was lacking in other areas when it comes to speech and public speaking. When I got to the first day of class, and read the syllabus, I was so happy that most of the assignments would consist of us giving speeches about topics that we were actually interested in. But, when the time came for me to write my first speech, I was having a hard time with the actual writing part and how to formulate a speech. That was until we learned in class what the structure of a professional and well articulated speech looks like. I remember Professor Kim teaching about how to properly structure a speech complete with transitions, topic sentences and an awareness of vocal fillers while diligently taking notes so I could go home and structure my speech in the way.
After I was aware of how to properly structure a well articulated speech, I then came across the fact that sometimes when I talk, I talk fast. When I would talk fast, my words would sound like one word and would cause me to mumble or repeat words over and over again which became extremely frustrating.This whole idea that I originally had that public speaking for me was easy seemed to be false. But, after listening to other people’s speeches, and hearing feedback from those speeches, it became evident to me that practice was all it took to perfect tone and pace of speeches. Every time throughout the semester that I would have a speech, I would always practice the night before making my roommates listen to me recite my speech over and over. Anytime I thought I was failing in a certain aspect of speaking, there would always be a way to perfect that obstacle. This was accomplished through listening to feedback from classmates, others’ speeches and learning what my weaknesses and strengths were when it came to speaking. Now, when I look at videos of my speeches to evaluate, I see that I now speak in a more articulate and calm tone while also getting my message across.
Through this class, I learned that sometimes I may have been lacking in certain areas of public speaking such as in structuring, tone and pace, but there is always a way to perfect those obstacles. I recognized that it is extremely important to listen to other people’s feedback and to pay attention to other people’s speeches because their is so much you can learn form others about yourself. I also recognized that it’s so important to speak in a confident manner and that so many aspects go into speaking such as body language, eye contact and engaging with the audience. This class has been extremely vital in perfecting my writing but also my speaking ability in general.
