The Light at the End of the Tunnel

The end is here.

I honestly never thought those words would escape me as I came into this quarter.

I came in terrified, thinking “How in the world am I ever going to pass this class?” and as some of you remember, I am graduating next Friday and put this class off for two very long years. I guess maybe I was hoping they’d take it off my list of requirements?

I can now say that I’m glad they didn’t. I have learned a lot this quarter. I have learned that public speaking is really not so bad. I have learned how to accept myself and to take what I have to say seriously. Sometimes you think people really don’t care what you have to say, but in all honesty, they do. And they listen. And sometimes what you say can help them and/or even teach them.

There have been so many wonderful speeches this quarter and I , personally, have learned a lot. I never knew what Anna’s Army was, I never knew Patty’s great tips for decorating, I never knew that Jamie howled at the moon, and I never knew that Hannah made such fantastic cupcakes. I also never knew that Clinton was absolutely hilarious, no matter what the speech topic was. I never even knew that I’d actually be interested in what these people had to say because all I was worried about was just making it til June.

Well June is here and I am so glad and grateful to have taken a class like this. I have met some great people and even made a friend or two along the way. I have learned more than I ever thought possible out of one class. I have even learned how to come out of my shell a little bit.

In the end, this class will be one I will never forget. Thank you Candee.

 

Jennifer

Almost there….Graduation is Around the Corner

So the informative speeches are over and we are swiftly moving into the demonstrative speeches. It seems like just yesterday we started this class with a lot of fear and anxiety (for most of us, anyway). Here we are now with two speeches down and very little time left in the quarter.

The feedback forms we get are very helpful and a lot of the comments I really reflect on, especially for what I can do better to improve my speeches.

I am happy to say that I received a better grade on my informative speech than I did my reading, which goes to show me that even if I am still apprehensive, that I am improving and that I can “defeat” this class. It’s a battle, one that has been hard fought, but I will keep on fighting until the very end. Graduation is around the corner and I will succeed.

Jennifer

It’s Going To Be Alright

After weeks of worry, speech class is in full swing, and the worry has subsided a little bit. I have completed my first speech, the reading of the kindergarten story, and it wasn’t as terrible as I believed it would be.

Although I was very nervous and scared, I was told afterwards that it wasn’t even noticed while I was reading the story. That definitely makes a person feel better, knowing that even though they are a mess of butterflies inside it really isn’t visible on the outside. It has helped to calm my nerves knowing that I can mask them (the nerves) and I can come across as someone who might not be nervous at all. Faking confidence is what I’m guessing that would be called.

I am still worried though, because the reading seemed to be the easiest of the assignments, which is probably why we started with it.  Reading out of a book wasn’t difficult, but trying to compose my own speech and ideas is another story. Trying to capture the attention of the audience and deliver a good speech with something personal that I have worked on brings on a whole new meaning to having butterflies.

But like I read in another blog, I will just have to get up there and do it. Work through it and get it over with. And I have to remember that no matter what, at the end of the day, it’s going to be alright.

Jennifer

Shedding Butterflies

 

I have come into this class feeling scared and nervous. I saved it until my very last quarter because I dreaded even thinking about giving a speech, let alone actually doing it. The thought of standing up in front of the entire class is terrifying. The judgment and ridicule that could possibly come with that has been scary enough for me to put it off for two whole years. I have finally come to the end of the road and am ready to walk across the stage  in June to receive my diploma. But before that can happen, I must conquer this class. After having a few classes under my belt, I feel like maybe this won’t be as tough as I had perceived it to be. We’ve done a few group activities and I really feel like getting up in front of the class with a group helps to calm some of the anxiety and the butterflies that come with that. I am thankful for the teacher that we have as she makes it more comfortable to be up there. She listens and helps us along in our presentations and doesn’t seem to be judgmental at all.  And I can honestly say that right now, I’m actually getting kind of excited about the idea of preparing and delivering speeches just for the mere fact that I can say I did it. I’ve always been very shy and ‘backwards’ as people like to say and I’m going to look at this as an opportunity to grow and shed some of that shyness. Am I still scared and nervous? Absolutely. But I think that the feelings of pride and accomplishment I will have gained at the end of this quarter will far outweigh those negative feelings and all this nervousness I have here in the beginning will be totally worth it.

 

Jennifer