Laura Triana - Post 1

 "Mastering the Art of Public Speaking: Lessons from My Class’s Presentations."

 

Hello👋 and welcome to my blog where I share the journey I’ve taken through my public speech course presentations. Over this blogpost I’ll be sharing some of my thoughts, learnings and reflections on my Public Speaking📢 class presentations, the value of public speaking and how they have influenced me and helped me evolve.

Public speaking is a great asset of value personally and professionally. Whether you need to convince someone of something through a powerful presentation, make an audience empathize with you using a compelling talk, or simply speak clearly and effectively for your ideas — knowing how to communicate well is critical these days as time moves along at a faster pace than ever before.

This subject is an underrated yet powerful tool that can help you skyrocket 📈 in your career and life. In this blog post, I’ll discuss everything from troubles I had, approaches I acquired and personal development that occurred during my time in this course until now. One of the goals of this blogpost is to be transparent about both my wins 👍 and my challenges 👎 when it comes to speaking and in hopes to empower other people to start their journey to being an awesome confident and compelling speaker themselves!🙌

So come along with me as we venture into my public speaking class and get some unique insights and expert tips which can help you speak with confidence and have your message stick in your audience’s head forever.

Let’s jump right in and open up your voice to public speaking!💥

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Each student in this course also had to make their own slides for the chapter they were presenting 💁 on in our book📗. Learning from one another about all aspects of becoming great public speakers — tips, techniques, and strategies on improving speaking skills, various types of speeches, and how to effectively practice.

I dreaded tripping on my words when giving a powerful speech, plus the stage fright was all there!😨 At the same time though, watching others get up there gave me a real sense (for the first time) that actually, I’m not the only person who feels scared when they’re presenting something 😌— and encouraged me to overcome those nerves in the first place. When it became my turn, one of the main problems for me was managing anxiety😰 and keeping my thoughts in some kind of order. However, with every presentation, my confidence kept growing. It’s been an exciting ride that had its bumps but ultimately, in spite of those and watching my colleagues and being up there for myself; this entire experience in terms of preparedness, rehearsal, and persistence really taught me a lesson about how to deliver well.👌

In these public speaking presentations, I learned many great things that helped to prepare me for any speaking scenario. I learned how to construct compelling speeches and deliver enriching talks, all of which I’ve brought back with me to change the way I communicate.

One important thing I learned was how to adjust your style based on the type of speech you’re delivering. I also found out how powerful it is to tailor ✂ your content and performance for the particular goal 🏆of each talk. Also, along with knowing what kind of speeches can be delivered, I got into the world of techniques of public speaking. The ability to change your voice was very important (as I found out how to effectively modulate pitch, speed and inflection), when speaking in order to add further substance to the underlying message 💬. I’m also aware that to present myself effectively, maintaining good posture (open and confident), meeting the gaze with the viewer, and incorporating hand movements are important💁. These non-verbal cues encourage empathy from the viewer— they connect with us on an emotional level, make our message easier to swallow, and add credibility.

Another fundamental factor for public speaking was audience interaction. I found that active listening👂 and inclusion of interactions keeps, not only an audience but connect and involve each other.

I found some points very useful which helped me a lot in deciding of a speech well. Preparation is number one. By preparing and planning, we can feel more confident💪 and also make sure our messaging is well understood and powerful. But I also learned about the value of preparing yourself while remaining flexible. Repeating too much causes you to sound canned; there must be enough space for some off-the-cuff expression to seep in.

Learning how to manage nerves😓 from these presentations was also important. Though it is normal to be nervous before a speech, I found out that using calming techniques such as taking deep breaths💨 and “fake it until you make it” can keep you relaxed and help to channel all your energy onto performing confidently. As for incorporating visual aides📊 in my presentation, I learned a lot from watching other people’s presentations and some were successful with simple techniques and others went too far. I discovered that being simple was important — having minimalistic slide designs with less text and higher quality images served more as an asset than a drawback to the story.

And, last but not least, one of the biggest lessons I took away is how powerful consistency and practice can be. Speaking in front of others is a great way to practice and receive some good constructive criticism.

Looking back at my time as a public speaker, I honestly have to say, the effect of witnessing my fellow classmates give presentations on this topic and me giving one too was huge in terms of developing. I learned a lot and it made me confident in speaking, it even changed the way of my speech, and I could feel the connection with the audience. At first, I was filled with self doubt😖; stumbled over my words, couldn’t maintain eye contact👀. But when my fellow students took turns presenting their work, I heard how good command over the posture of confidence, captivating body language, and authoritative vocal delivery can affect an audience of 100 or more people👥. Applying these techniques during my own talk significantly boosted my confidence at a general level and allowed me to engage and keep the audience more effectively😃. On top of which, I got taught on how to change up the way I speak for various audiences and successfully communicate ideas. And through this process, I discovered that being an orator—public speaking is an art that can only perfected by practice itself and with careful observation too — I’ve had the fortune of learning from great people who were with me, as much as I have self-taught it all.💪

All in all, my public speaking course was full of gems💎. I acquired knowledge 🧠 about all kinds of speeches📣 and was trained in how to use various techniques such as vocal modulation, body language, and interaction with the crowd, which are essential to excel in the field of public speaking. If I use these skills, sure; I’ll be able to speak well📢, hold the audience’s attention👥, and make sure that they remember my speech.💭

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