Public speaking class has got to be the greatest enemy of the introvert. There is nothing like having to stand up in front of a class full of people that you do not know very well and reciting a speech that you may or may not have rehearsed several times, while trying not to mess up in the process. The funny thing for me is that I can normally talk and discuss with people in an informal setting, but when you put me up on the podium with people staring straight at me, my ideas start to mix up and the negative thoughts start to cloud my judgment.
This semester, I am taking a public speaking class. For the duration of the class, we have had to give several speeches on ourselves and topics of our choice. The thing is, no matter how long I practice my speech, I feel like I have consistently stumbled and stuttered my way through the speeches. For the perfectionist such as myself, it has frustrated me and made me ask myself what I can do to improve for next time. As I have reflected and re-watched my speeches (my professor uploads our videos that he records for us to review), I have realized that a lot of my problem has been that the times that I have stuttered and stumbled have been the result of being hesitant on following through with what I want to say. Whether it was because I wondered how it would sound or if it was the best way to phrase what I wanted to say, the fact of the matter was; I was trying to change it last minute and it was causing me to make the very mistakes I was trying to avoid.
I was feeling a little disappointed in my speeches but my professor said something that really stuck with me. What he said was that “you should never be afraid to give it your best shot, to commit to what you want to say, and if you fail, then to go out with a bang. People will not remember every single word that you say, all the facts, all the statistics, whether or not you ‘won’ the argument, but they will remember how you presented it and the passion and manner in which you did so.” Regardless of how any speech goes, I should be able to take pride in the effort that goes into crafting it, as well as be happy with having the courage to commit to what I want to say and to have confidence in following through with it. Trying to perfect what I am saying or focusing on swaying a crowd should not be the goal; instead, it should be on conveying my ideas and thoughts in my own unique way without being worried of how it sounds. Because at its core, communication is about sharing and listening, not trying to throw a perfectly-edited infallible speech at an audience—that will get me nowhere. If I truly want to make an impactful speech, I will forget the doubts, uncertainty, and fear and commit to what I want to say without second thought of anything else.
If there is one thing Public Speaking Class has taught me, it is this idea that a speech is really just a dialogue with an audience intended to share ideas and open up new possibilities for meaningful conversation. All I am really doing is talking on a larger stage. Public Speaking should create new opportunities to learn, grow, hear feedback, and connect with others, rather than stress me out in the pursuit for perfection. People want to hear a fellow student talking about something they are passionate about; not a robot who can throw numbers and facts at them or speak without emotion.
Standing up in front of everyone can be daunting and it certainly can be nerve-racking. But as I have come to understand the purpose of Public Speaking, I have released myself from the need to craft that perfect speech and allowed myself to just be myself up there. And really, it is when you release the need to perfect everything and stop overanalyzing that you start to enjoy it. Don’t give into the fear and the doubt. The worst possible outcome is never really as bad as it seems. You aren’t in a contest or a competition, and the goal is not to put on a show or an act. Knowing and believing this has started to make a world of difference for me, and for all my fellow introverts, I know it can for you as well.
