Speeches

[Her]

I suppose I know what I'm walking into considering this is a forum famed for the strong introversion present through the populace, but alas! I'm still interested!

When you have/had to present a speech at high school/university, what was it like for you? Did you have much trouble? Or did you thrive? Is this something you have to do in your work life? Do you have any memorable moments from these occasions?

 

[Aurora]

I love giving speeches. I take it all in my stride. Unless it's a high-stakes situation, like the finals of public speaking, I don't usually get nervous. Even when I do get nervous, I do a pretty good job of hiding it. My best memories of giving speeches involve my high school debating team. We made the finals three years in a row, and although we lost two of them I'd like to think I did a good job of speaking on all three occasions. On some occasions, I've had a few not-so-nice people laugh at my voice, but that only fuels my determination to speak well. Screw the haters.

 

[Shamol]

I don't know what this is, maybe the community psychiatrist can shed some light- I usually have a difficult time practising a speech, or speaking into a camera. When there's a moderately attentive audience, however, all my inhibitions go away and I can speak very fluently and efficiently. During my college years, I had to give some 20 or so presentations on different topics, and sometimes I didn't have enough time to practice. But whenever I got behind the podium (lectern?) and saw students/adjudicators/teachers waiting for me to speak, I spoke very confidently throughout the length of the presentation.

I'm not sure how this connects to introversion in general, either. I think I'm something of an introvert, in that if the person I'm conversing with doesn't have much in common with me, I have a difficult time connecting. In family gatherings and such (if it requires my presence at all), I seat myself at some quiet corner waiting for all the people to leave so I can get back to my room and wallow in self-pity. But I'm recognized as a very fluent speaker/presenter in the college student community. I've even been requested to take a class on public speaking. So I'm not sure if there are some deeper connections between personality type and public speaking capabilities.

 

[Sirfetch’d]

While I do struggle with anxiety and am not the most outgoing person in real life, speeches don't actually bother me too much. When I was in high school, I was required to give a speech each week in history class on a current event. I guess over time I just grew immune to the nervousness of it and kind of began to enjoy it. That said, I've never really given a speech in front of a crowd that consisted of more than 100 people so I'd probably have some nerves if I was required to give one in front of a really large group.

 

[MadHatter62]

It depends for me. If I'm prepared I don't have an issue. When I go up unprepared is when I get nervous.

 

[EC]

Absolutely loved doing it. Always wrote on my note card that improv was okay to do. Killed it every time.

 

[Bellsprout]

ILL BE THE ONE TO BREAK THE STREAK

Presentations/speeches are the bane of my existence. I usually throw up the morning of presentation day lololol. If I can afford to skip I usually do.

 

[Nah]

I somehow lucked out in college and never had to take a speech class, while both my sisters did.

I hated giving speeches and presentations in high school and college and always dreaded them when I had to do them. Sometimes I wonder how I made it through them (and got a passing grade to boot). Also didn't like when they set some sort of time limit (I also don't like minimum page requirements). "Your presentation should be 5-7 minutes long". Yeah teach I can do it in like 2 and that's what I'm doing so tough shit.

Nowadays I kinda feel like I wouldn't hate and dread given speeches/presentations, though I suppose I'd need to test that lol since I've been outta school for a few years.

I usually throw up the morning of presentation day lololol.

Do you literally puke that morning or is that more of an exaggeration?

 

[Bellsprout]

Do you literally puke that morning or is that more of an exaggeration

Lol I literally puke, but since it's in the morning it's just saliva and stomach acid

 

[Sheep]

Presentations/speeches are the bane of my existence. I usually throw up the morning of presentation day lololol. If I can afford to skip I usually do.

I'll join you. I don't throw up but I'll be nervous thinking of it weeks in advance. Half of the speeches I had to give people didn't seem to notice though, for the other half I'd make excuses about being unable to do them or just turn all red and gah it was the worst. My skin is very sensitive so the moment I get even remotely tense people would notice. I'd never want to give a speech again.

 

[gimmepie]

During school I didn't enjoy giving speeches, but I wasn't terrified of public speaking like others tended to be. I didn't struggle or anything either, I actually tended to make all my speeches up on the spot. But it just wasn't something I liked doing.

Over the years though, I've found myself routinely in positions where I need to be able to talk in front of groups of people. I'm a dance coach, studying to be a teacher, part of a fundraising committee for dancers at my studio and have done work with charity groups organizing events. So whilst I'm not making political speeches on national TV, I do need to be comfortable talking in front of groups of varying sizes and competent at getting what I need to across and I like to think I tick those boxes.

 

[moon]

I love giving speeches. I take it all in my stride. Unless it's a high-stakes situation, like the finals of public speaking, I don't usually get nervous. Even when I do get nervous, I do a pretty good job of hiding it. My best memories of giving speeches involve my high school debating team. We made the finals three years in a row, and although we lost two of them I'd like to think I did a good job of speaking on all three occasions. On some occasions, I've had a few not-so-nice people laugh at my voice, but that only fuels my determination to speak well. Screw the haters.

While I do struggle with anxiety and am not the most outgoing person in real life, speeches don't actually bother me too much. When I was in high school, I was required to give a speech each week in history class on a current event. I guess over time I just grew immune to the nervousness of it and kind of began to enjoy it. That said, I've never really given a speech in front of a crowd that consisted of more than 100 people so I'd probably have some nerves if I was required to give one in front of a really large group.

Waa, I envy you guys. While I actually enjoy attention and having people listen to whatever exciting stuff I have to tell them, I'm always nervous before and sometimes even during. Speeches in school, presentations at work... I wish there were some hints and tricks one could use that actually worked, to stop feeling so ridiculously nervous );

Exception is when I'm leading kids. Be it explaining and leading a fun outdoors game or talking serious stuff in front of them; for some reason I seem to relax much more than I do in front of grown-ups. Maybe I subconsciously think adults will judge me much more than kids do?

 

[t0gekiss]

I love speeches, especially preparing them. There's just something about it that I love but I can't really put my finger on. Maybe it's making powerpoints, I have a ton of fun just animating them and making them all flashy.

 

[Gabri]

I avoid them like the plague. When I really really REALLY have to do one, if it's completely unavoidable, I jitter all around and have to carry a pen or something to play with, and just get on with it and start racing with words, because I just want to get the fuck out of there as soon as possible. I hate having multiple people's attention on me in such a way.

 

[gimmepie]

Exception is when I'm leading kids. Be it explaining and leading a fun outdoors game or talking serious stuff in front of them; for some reason I seem to relax much more than I do in front of grown-ups. Maybe I subconsciously think adults will judge me much more than kids do?

When you're leading kids you're in a position of power, right? That generally makes people feel more comfortable than when they're on equal or lesser footing than their audience.

 

[Altairis]

I was okay at giving speeches in high school. It was tough freshman year because of the usual worries about speeches, but after a while I quickly realized that if you don't go first or second, people stop listening to you speak and just want to get the class over with, and that almost everyone is just as nervous as you are. So I wasn't as worried about making mistakes. It helped that my classes were a lot smaller, and that I knew everybody in the class by name. It just felt more familiar.

I have only had to do three presentations in college, one in a language class and two in an English class. Not to toot my own horn, but after hearing some people's speeches before me in my language class I wasn't as nervous, because I knew that I had better pronunciation that some of the people that went before me, so it would be less cringey haha. I did okay in the English ones, it was harder because I didn't know everybody by name and there were some more people (20-something instead of like 15), but I survived and got a good grade, so I guess I did okay :)

 

[maccrash]

I've always been good at this somehow; I get pretty nervous leading up to it but once I actually start talking as long as it's not a total trainwreck I'm okay, and perhaps even good at it. I don't write things in advance unless it's a subject I couldn't give a shit less about; when it's something I'm interested in I can just talk about it and it usually works in my favor. it's not something I like to do but there are worse things, I.M.H.F.O.

it helps to know that literally no one in your class is going to remember a thing about your presentation ~7 minutes after the fact unless you manage to fuck something up really awfully which I imagine most of you have not done.

 

[moon]

When you're leading kids you're in a position of power, right? That generally makes people feel more comfortable than when they're on equal or lesser footing than their audience.

Oh. Yea, maybe the explanation is as simple as that. Kind of boring, haha, so basically I'm weak when I feel like I need to sound like I know things in front of people I feel are more powerful than I am. Huh.

 

[Lapis]

Depends on how prepared I am or how confident I am when it comes to the particular subject. If I'm not that passionate about the subject, I am a nervous wreak.