Public speaking has never been a strength of mine, and probably won't ever be. I get nervous no matter how much I practice, my voice gets shaky no matter how much I take deep breaths, and I just can't get comfortable in front of a class of people all sitting and watching me. However, one thing that makes me feel much better is the fact that everyone is doing the exact same thing as me. Everyone is bound to feel a little nervous, some more than others. And honestly, no one cares enough to judge you or pick out all the little things that aren't perfect. I know when I watch someone present, the last thing I am thinking about is their shaky voice, and their little nervous tics.
In the past all I've done for public speaking is random group presentations in class, or maybe one or two individual presentations, so I am pretty much in the dark for these things. However, the only times I have felt completely fine for the most part with public speaking is when it is something that the teacher brings up at a random time, with no preparation. For some reason it is not as nerve-wracking for me.
Besides public speaking, I have been in front of audiences for different occasions, but they were events where I wasn't alone. I danced for 12 years, and I played volleyball in state championship games, where both were full of spectators. But again, being with a team or a whole class together is different. I have always been on the more shy side, and even though as I've gotten older I have become much more outgoing, I still struggle in things like talking in front of people I barely knew.
I have many bad habits when it comes to speeches and such, like not speaking loud enough, not being confident enough in front of an audience, and having a bad posture that suggests I'm uncomfortable. Sometimes making eye contact with people makes me lose my train of thought, in which case a glance at my notes saves me. Public speaking is up there with my least favorite things, but I think one of my strengths is having strong content. I'm hoping this next talk will be slightly more successful for me, even without notes.
