Mediocre man vs. Public Speaking: Week One

Okay, I admit it, speaking publicly isn't exactly my forte. Week one of public speaking proved interesting for me. I find that if I know my topic I am perfectly comfortable in front of the class, but when given a topic and allowed only 15 minutes to research and prepare a speech on said topic I floundered. Our first evening was the usual introduction phase. "Hi, I'm Rob, blah blah blah...." Round two of week one was the impromptu speech. I don't feel that I wowed and dazzled but I also don't feel that I was a complete fraktard in front of the class. Our mission was to make the speech personal. My topic was mandatory uniforms in public schools.

Having grown up fairly un-wealthy, and having been the new kid in school pretty much every year from the first grade on through the 8th, I felt compelled to use that as my personal touch. My stance on public school uniforms was that they would have proven to be a substantial social equalizer in my youth. I talked about how hard it was to be the new kid in my ill fitting hand-me-down clothes, how it was awkward fitting in at lunch time with my free lunch program tickets, and how I spent a lot of time alone worrying about how I was perceived by the other kids in school based upon my second--and sometimes third--hand wardrobe. Or at least... that is how I wanted to present it. It came out more along the lines of "Umm... I was like, poor and stuff and I think school uniforms would have been like... you know... cool... and stuff." I did okay on that speech, but despite the feeling that I was up there for half an hour I was only really up there for just about 3 minutes.

I excel more at the written word rather than the spoken word. In my writing I find I can sort out and compose my thoughts with far greater ease--mixing, matching, cutting and pasting, rearranging and adding to the piece upon later  proofing. Much like the elusive witty come-back or sarcastic retort, I have discovered that when talking in front of a group I always have the right words and humorous anecdotes immediately after I sit down. "Damn it! I should have said this or that" is almost always my first thought upon sitting down. I am hoping that with a little practice and better preparation I will be able to deliver at least a passable presentation in the future.

Week Two of public speaking is under way, but I will save that for another day.