"What Did I Sign Myself Up For"

The Career Service event I attended was a workshop on Public Speaking. I thought this would be a fun work shop that involved a really good public speaker and some pointers and tips on how to speak more clearly, fluently, and effectively.

WRONG.

Very interactive workshop! The attendees were asked to present a 3-5 minute speech about a certain topic of their choice. We then got immediate feedback from seasoned instructors.

At first, like any other student, I rolled my eyes dramatically and thought what is explicitly stated in the title of this blog. I signed up for the workshop because I have had an interest in public speaking ever since high school where I received an award for a speech I had given for the organization Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Although, at first I was annoyed, the workshop turned out to be a pretty fun experience. I reminded myself that this was a low-risk environment and to just have fun with it.

I did a quick speech on some research I am doing for a class on edible trees in public spaces. I will have to present my research in class at the end of the semester anyways so it really was good practice. It really helped me pull out the key issues and be able to communicate them, not as clearly as I would have liked. That was the biggest feedback I received. They told me I had great energy, personality, presentation mannerisms, and speech content but the clarity of the KEY points were blurry. I have gotten similar feedback from Professors on some of my writing assignments. I think this stems from my "beat around the bush" approach.

The eye-rolling workshop I attended for my dang blog post ended up being a really good reminder and reflection on my personal weakness to be direct. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Practicing this in subtle ways in everyday conversations will naturally clear up my writing and presentations.