Public Speaking Class Analysis

All throughout high school I have dreaded doing presentations; this is because I get really nervous, I start to psych myself out and due to this I usually do horrible. Therefore, when I found out that it was a general education requirement to take a public speaking class I completely freaked out. My preconceived ideas of what a public speaking class is: is that it is a class where you give presentations on topics you do not care about, you have to give speeches every week, classmates give you feedback, and that is it. My main concerns about this class are just being judged and doing badly because of it. I never thought that it was going to be a class where I would have to give speeches about myself. I think that this idea of talking about myself and things I know how to do is really different. The idea of getting to do presentations about topics that are actually interesting to me, is making me give this class a second chance.
The process of public speaking is something many fear, but when you break it down it is basically talking in front of an audience. I believe that the difficult part of public speaking is preparing yourself mentally. Our minds tend to betray us and in that moment
of self-doubt we let it show and we become an insecure nervous wreck. I believe that this what public speaking is and that is why many fear it. Communication is generally talk to someone about anything. When I think of communication I imagine sitting down and having dinner with your family and just talking to them about your day. Public speaking does involve communication, but in a more formal manner.
As a speaker I feel that I have more weaknesses than strengths.
My strengths as a speaker are that I can get all of my information out. Other than that I do not feel that I have any more strengths in public speaking. My weaknesses in public speaking are that I get very nervous and because of it my voice becomes shaky and I have a difficult time controlling my breathing. Almost every time I would give presentations in high school I would have to take a pause from speaking to take a deep breath because I would forget to breath. Another weakness I have is that I tend to talk really quietly and I have been constantly told to speak up during my presentations. I believe that I have more weaknesses than strengths as a speaker because I tend to focus on the negative instead of the
positive.
My goals in taking this public speaking class is to hopefully gain some confidence. I am not confident whatsoever and I feel that that is one of the main reasons why I hate public speaking. My goal is to learn to feel comfortable in my own skin and focus on all the positive things about me instead of the negatives. I want to be able to have the courage to walk up in front of an audience and talk to them without being scared of what they think of me. That is all I want, and I believe that with this class I am going to be able finally gain that confidence I need to succeed in life. By the end of the semester I hope to accomplish all of my goals. I will need to work extremely hard, but it is something I need to do and I am willing to do it. Of course I also hope to get an A in the class, but my main focus is going to be in bettering myself. Overall I believe that I am going to succeed in this public speaking class and with the help of Professor Turner I know I will do great.