It was the same feeling every time. My heart pounded, my cheeks burned, and when trying to swallow, I choked on the golf ball that was stuck in my throat. Public speaking is to introverts what the Sahara Desert is to polar bears. When I found out that speech class was mandatory for all incoming freshmen at my college preparatory school, I was panicked to say the least. Little did I know that this class would be the start of my love for public speaking.
During my first presentation, I dressed to the nines. I flaunted a dress and heels, trying to “fake it until I make it.” I thought of the most confident person I could. I pictured myself as Blake Lively (I was a Gossip Girl fanatic back then). I gave my presentation about the ivory trade on the black market. For the rest of the week, people came up to me and complimented my presentation skills. I was starting to hit my stride. About one week later, my teacher and the rest of the class decided we wanted to make a difference on the streets of our community. Speech class is not only about presenting yourself in a certain way, it is about addressing issues that matter to you. Homelessness in our community was something that truly struck a chord within all of us. We started raising money to buy meals for the homeless. We’d take them down to the people at the harbor and ask to hear their stories. Our class only gained momentum from there. We purchased hundreds of sock for homeless men and women all around the county. One of our most profitable fundraisers was when we tied our Speech teacher to a tree. People would make bids which they would put into a hat. Whoever had the highest bid was given the unique privilege of smashing a pie into our teacher’s face. He was willing to do whatever it took to help the homeless, and that determination inspired all of us.
Speech was certainly the class I learned the most from. The fact that we took what we learned and used it outside the four walls of the classroom is what turns knowledge into experience. I was more confident with myself, not only as a public speaker, but as a person. I end with this simplistic yet powerful quote by Peter Marshall, “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” Speech class helped me to act on the small deeds, and I will continue to do so throughout the rest of my life.
