Olivia Bodden- Post 1

Appreciating the Art of Public Speech:

From An Introverted Perspective

9/23/23 at 12:18 AM by: Olivia Bodden

I’ve never been a natural public speaker in my life. Pretty much all my experiences where I have been in the spotlight as a conveyor of information have been clouded with feelings of anxiety and doubt. “Do people really care about what I am saying?” Do they think I sound knowledgeable or unprepared?”  But despite the emotions it stirs up in me, I fully understand the value in the art– especially as I have done it numerous times now. 

If you think of some of the most influential moments in history, most of the time they involve somebody who knew how to articulate and reach the people. Think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” or Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”. To be able to truly reach people is something that breeds change and adapting your skill of public speaking is essential if you even dream of making a difference in this world. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. giving his speech
"I Have A Dream" on  August 28, 1963

With all that said, I’m grateful to be able to have the opportunity to truly improve my ability to communicate. In the creation of this semester’s first presentation, I’ve had the chance to meet and work with some very genuine people who are truly dedicated to their success. And I’ve been able to witness some skillful speakers who have amazed me with their ability to capture attention and hold it. 

In my own group, the dynamic was just so cohesive; we all respected each other and worked together as one instead of an every man for himself kind of thing. I really commend the two class leaders, Gabriela and Kelly for their diligence and attentiveness. Whenever an issue arose, they didn’t hesitate to mediate or find a solution for us. I appreciate Professor Sinkoff’s approach in appointing them class leaders and I think they were perfect for the job. 

Most of the group presentations I have done in the past involved a lot of unnecessary stress in the preparation portion due mainly to students who just won’t pick up their slack and leave the rest of the group members to take on the bulk of the workload– a tale as old as time I am sure. However, in group one, despite there being some challenges, we all took it seriously and gave it our all. Some members even went out of their way to ensure it was carried out properly. There was just an overall attitude of selfless teamwork, which was such a pleasant change of tune from my past experiences.

I think everybody gets a little rattled when it comes to speaking in front of a group of people, and in the case of our class as a whole, I’m sure everybody had some pre-game jitters before they had to do it. I must say though, every group did an excellent job despite how they may have been feeling. I also thought that they all had a good understanding of the assignment and it showed in the way they relayed in a way we could comprehend. 

I want to commend group number two for their visuals above all. I think they had a beautiful template that showcased their creativity very well, they had a nice use of color and visuals as well; it was very engaging. Visuals are super important when it comes to a powerpoint because it sort of gives the audience a way to follow what you are saying with more ease. Not only did this group have a nice design to their slides, but they also included an abundance of pictures as well as video examples and diagrams. One of the things they touched on was the importance of organization, which I believe they understood the concept considering their speech was very organized and thorough overall. Not to mention, they all seemed to have a knack for not staying too focused on the index cards– if they had them at all; it was evident that they were well versed on the content. 

I also think that group three did an excellent job and I was especially impressed by Fabiola. Don’t get me wrong, they all did really well, but I found it easy to listen to her because it seemed to come so naturally to her. I find it to be like gold when you find a speaker who can communicate to an audience as if they are speaking to each person one-on-one. Use of gestures, tone of voice, examples/anecdotes and structured arguments/points makes for a strong speech, which are all things she exhibited. But, overall this group had it together and I thoroughly enjoyed their presentation as well as their use of gifs and video clips.

Often, we may think of public speaking as something you only need to worry about if you’re in politics, acting, teaching, or business perhaps, but that is only the surface level. The skills you develop along the way when you become a better speaker will help you in various areas of life. You need to know how to communicate your perspective, your opinions. People listen better to somebody who knows what they’re saying and they may feel you are more worthwhile to spend time listening to if you say it in the right way. And not only that, but if you hold something to be true, you should know how to defend it, thus, being able to properly articulate your points is one way in which public speaking can help you. This is one of my main takeaways from their group. 

It was the first of the semester and there are more to come. I’m confident that we’ll only improve as we become more used to presenting, and thankfully, it is recorded so we have the ability to reflect and change anything we didn’t really think worked for us. Even though I think everyone did an exceptional job, there’s always room for improvement in life. I look forward to our future endeavors and I know when we put our heads together, there’s so many possibilities for us. 

“Speech is power. Speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson