Although I have always known that public speaking skills are crucial for delivering a message to the audience, this class taught me what particular impact some skills could make on the speech. By looking closely at each aspect of public speaking, I could see how it can be improved to influence the general impression. I find that the knowledge about our body language is one of the most valuable takeaways of this class. The most important aspect of the course is that it teaches what the perfect speech should be and also allows practicing and identifying our flaws. By doing this, we get the chance of self-analysis and know what skills should be trained. As I am a shy person, this class has given me immense motivation by showing that there is no inborn talent for public speaking, but every skill can be trained if one knows how to work on it.
Apart from body language, voice is a powerful instrument in public speaking. By management of its volume and pace, making pauses, and emphasizing key points with the help of pitch, one can gain full control of the listeners’ attention. I find this aspect of public speaking one of the most fascinating but also challenging. Our voice reveals each detail of our emotional state, and I find it challenging to avoid stuttering when I feel nervous. From the feedback about my project, I learned that I should work on the breath and try to control my voice to sound more convincing.
Keeping eye contact and proximity is essential for a speaker to engage with the listeners. Unprepared people often tend to fix their stare at the back of the hall for the whole presentation. By doing this, they fail to deliver an engaging message, and their audience cannot stay focused. In this class, I have learned that one should keep eye contact with people most of the time while presenting and switch it from one listener to another so often as needed to look in the eyes of each person. Proximity to the audience is often defined by the size of the place and the number of people present, but some actions help to make a connection and increase proximity. I have learned that by exercising open posture and approaching movement, one can demonstrate the willingness to be closer.
Although the public speaking technique is essential, one should always focus on the content and find the best ways to deliver it. Having a strong position and a clearly defined statement is vital to sound impressive. The project I was doing for this class taught me how to organize the information and what instruments to use (photos, numbers) to present my ideas convincingly. Moreover, having these tools helps to hold the presentation better and sound more fluent as I have more material to work with. In this class, I have also learned how to address the specific audience keeping in mind their interests and making the presentation relevant.