Hooow did you get through SPEECH class????

suzy253, RN · Jan 6, 2006

Sorry...don't know the answer to your ??? but I'd be interested in finding out. I'm VP of my class and have to give a speech at graduation in May in front of faculty, staff, other students, family, friends.......:stone :stone

My hands are starting to sweat just thinking about it. :)

stpauligirl · Jan 6, 2006

This is like my GREATEST fear! Let me tell you I told my best friend I was not gonna say anything at her wedding (when I was the maid of honor) becuase I could NOT do it!!! If I am up in front of people I start to shake and turn red....its so bad.
I actually took group discussion for my speech requirment to get out of this situation and now I am finding some school I wanna go to only take PUBLIC speaking (where your by yourself).
I just hate attention on myself of any kind, and I want to get over it. even in group discussion my words would get shaky while I talked...
Its sad because Im a great student but I dont want any kind of spotlight on me.
Anyone took speech yet or about to take it....what is the secret? :chair:

Get a good teacher! I had such an awesome, funny teacher, he put us so much at ease. WE all ROFL when he immitated Henry Kissinger. I did very well and I was very pregnant,too. One of the first things I learned in speech was that people rather die than speak in front of others. We were videotaped and when I heard that I almost went into labor....but you don't even think about it while you are doing your thing. Just remember every student in your class feels the same. We had such fun topics and I could really let that creative child out in me. It's been a few years since I took the class and I am happy to say that I am not as shy anymore as I used to be. I am alot more confident around other people. Loved the class, made an A

dsomday · Jan 6, 2006

I have to take this summer quarter. Boy do you sound like me!! I am already dreading it. A&P, sociology, math, doesnt bother me. Speech terrorizes me!!

L&D4ME · Jan 6, 2006

I just finished doing Speech this past fall. I was just like you. I get red, my voice sounded like I was going to cry, I couldn't look up at anyone, and I hate being the center of attention. (I didn't have a baby shower because I didn't want focus on me.)

You have to go into this class with the mindset of - you have to get an A. If you are anything like me that was motivation enough. I found a couple of students in my class and we were all in the same boat. Hating speech. By the end of the class we all made A's - do any extra credit if you can.

You need to listen to what your teacher expects. When it comes to giving your speech, you have got to practice speaking. That is the key. I practiced each of my speeches in front of my kids (a 2 year old and a 6 month old =]). When my husband came home I would practice my speech at least 10 times in front of him. If you only practice your speech in your head, it will sound weird when your words are coming out of your mouth - SO PRACTICE. Keep your speeches light and conversational. When you have a chance to pick your own topic don't do something controversial -ask fellow classmates what topics they might want to hear about.

Good Luck =]:)

LAAngelsFan · Jan 6, 2006

i loved my speech class!!! i took public speaking this past fall and easily earned an a. i couldn't agree more with stpauligirl in that the key to get through public speaking is with a great teacher. ask around at your school and get recommendations. not to scare you even more, but i have heard some serious horror stories from other people about their speech teachers. anyways, i was pretty much in a similar situation as you. i had taken interpersonal communication to fulfill the g.e. requirement, but then i decided i wanted to go into the nursing program and found out that i had to take public speaking instead. i was absolutely dreading it!!! it wouldn't surprise me at all if you find out that everyone in your class has the same fear of public speaking as you do. trust me, that's what happened in my class. a couple of more tips . . .

1. practice!!!

2. do not memorize your speeches! (i know that sounds weird, but if you are so focused on delivering your speech word-for-word, one mistake can throw you off and it can be difficult to recover.)

3. practice!!!

Sunshine Sweetheart · Jan 6, 2006

I had a great teacher. She was so fun. The weird thing was is that I took speech as a online class. I know you are wondering how do you take speech online? I thought the same thing. You would do all your work and tests online and then you would come to class to give your speeches. We had a speech approx once a month and you could either go on Wed. or Thurs. night. We always brought food or desserts when we came to have potlucks. Although we did not see eachother every week we were still a close class. We woud post on our online discussion board and post pictures of our families and ourselves. It was a awesome experience. My advice is to be yourself and have fun with it. Even the best speakers mess up from time to time. And you know what else? Your classmates are having the same thoughts and insecurities as you are. Our teacher had us take shots of tequila for the butterflies in our tummies. Okay.....not really tequila, but deep breaths that she called tequila shots!!!! Hey it worked.:chuckle

MMARN, BSN, RN · Jan 6, 2006

This is like my GREATEST fear! Let me tell you I told my best friend I was not gonna say anything at her wedding (when I was the maid of honor) becuase I could NOT do it!!! If I am up in front of people I start to shake and turn red....its so bad.
I actually took group discussion for my speech requirment to get out of this situation and now I am finding some school I wanna go to only take PUBLIC speaking (where your by yourself).
I just hate attention on myself of any kind, and I want to get over it. even in group discussion my words would get shaky while I talked...
Its sad because Im a great student but I dont want any kind of spotlight on me.
Anyone took speech yet or about to take it....what is the secret? :chair:

OMG!!! I absolutely understand what you're going through. I used to be the type of person who would shy away from everyone. It was wonderful if no one called on me or just didn't put me on the spot. I found out that I had to take Public Speaking for my AS degree. I took it two semesters ago and God got so many prayers out of me that you wouldn't even believe!!!

I was blessed with a wonderful professor, though. He was funny and wonderful. He took it really easy with us (class was at 8am!!!!) But everytime I had to do a speech in front of everyone, I was petrified. I got through it by breathing deeply in and out and telling myself that I needed to pass this class.

I'm a pretty outgoing person, but that class almost did me in. Almost. Also, it was a pretty small class, so one thing that my professor did (that was awesome) was to tell us to get to know each other and to know each one's names. That way it is a bit easier to be "among friends". It really did help. Don't worry. You'll get through it.

stpauligirl · Jan 6, 2006

I had a great teacher. She was so fun. The weird thing was is that I took speech as a online class. I know you are wondering how do you take speech online? I thought the same thing. You would do all your work and tests online and then you would come to class to give your speeches. We had a speech approx once a month and you could either go on Wed. or Thurs. night. We always brought food or desserts when we came to have potlucks. Although we did not see eachother every week we were still a close class. We woud post on our online discussion board and post pictures of our families and ourselves. It was a awesome experience. My advice is to be yourself and have fun with it. Even the best speakers mess up from time to time. And you know what else? Your classmates are having the same thoughts and insecurities as you are. Our teacher had us take shots of tequila for the butterflies in our tummies. Okay.....not really tequila, but deep breaths that she called tequila shots!!!! Hey it worked.:chuckle

Sounds like you had as much fun as I did in that class. One of the speeches was a demonstration.....I made a German potato salad and everyone dug in at the end.... one guy made the easiest available instant cheese cake box desert :lol2: the teacher had the greatest sense of humor and even the more serious topics could be presented with a light twist.

Here is some more comfort to those scared of it: We were allowed to use flashcards as long as we didn't stare at them the entire time whil giving the speech. The speeches are basically like essays....you've got your introduction then you make your different points and then the conclusion where you summarize what you just talked about. You just talk about it instead of 'writing' aobut it. Once you get into the swing of things you might find yourself really liking it and 16 weeks later you will be a new person.

FNPhopeful · Jan 6, 2006

I like the tequila shots idea! Id be afraid of forgetting my speech then though. But maybe one woldnt hurt....people would start to wonder when you took a bathroom break right before every speech! LOL

stpauligirl · Jan 6, 2006

I like the tequila shots idea! Id be afraid of forgetting my speech then though. But maybe one woldnt hurt....people would start to wonder when you took a bathroom break right before every speech! LOL

And the spotlight would be right on you....too many of those tequila shots and you'll sway from left to right, tripping over student's bookbags....... :chuckle

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Jan 7, 2006

I haven't taken a speech class. I am quite 'stage shy' like many have described. I do know that when I gave the prayer at my high school graduation in front of hundreds of people the most amazing thing happened. I was so happy that my anxiety didn't have room to get going. I wasn't nervous at all. (A miracle!) I was too happy. Since then, a few times I've had to do public speaking. I've learned to NOT PREPARE. Yes, I meant to say, DO NOT PREPARE. It's the anticipatory thinking that leads to the anxiety. I would jot down the outline of what to say then forget about it. Every time a thought of "OMG I have to do that tomorrow" comes up, SQUELCH IT! Then when you get up there you are concentrating on remembering what to say and smiling, speaking clearly, etc.

Works wonderfully for me. I do know it flies in the face of the usual advice, i.e. be very prepared. I just can't think about it, and I'm fine.