Second Speech
Deciding to talk about suicide and self-harm was an excruciating decision. I had never shared my story before, and admittedly do feel extremely uncomfortable with the idea of discussing it. In fact, prior to even giving my first speech, I had decided that it would be the one topic that was off-limits.
Vulnerability
During the exercise where we "gave a note" to a partner while staring into their eyes, Coreena's tears showed how incredibly touched she was by her partner's gestures. During the group speeches at (the Harvard theatre), Tery teared up when talking about her own struggles and triumphs during the course. My classmates' openness with each other was inspiring to me, and convinced me to at least consider the idea of speaking about suicide and self-harm.
Consideration
As classmates asked me what topic I was going to select for my inspirational speech, I tentatively replied with "Suicide prevention - but I'm not sure yet." Almost everyone who heard my reply volunteered a personal story for me about a relative or friend who had gone through depression or a suicide attempt. Once again, I was taken aback at the openness of my classmates. Hearing my classmates' stories also confirmed something that I had already known: the commonality of the problem of depression was disproportionate to how little it was spoken about. As a leader, it was my responsibility to do my part to change that.
Vulnerability
During the exercise where we "gave a note" to a partner while staring into their eyes, Coreena's tears showed how incredibly touched she was by her partner's gestures. During the group speeches at (the Harvard theatre), Tery teared up when talking about her own struggles and triumphs during the course. My classmates' openness with each other was inspiring to me, and convinced me to at least consider the idea of speaking about suicide and self-harm.
Consideration
As classmates asked me what topic I was going to select for my inspirational speech, I tentatively replied with "Suicide prevention - but I'm not sure yet." Almost everyone who heard my reply volunteered a personal story for me about a relative or friend who had gone through depression or a suicide attempt. Once again, I was taken aback at the openness of my classmates. Hearing my classmates' stories also confirmed something that I had already known: the commonality of the problem of depression was disproportionate to how little it was spoken about. As a leader, it was my responsibility to do my part to change that.
Looking at my speaking outline after delivering the first sentence of my speech
The words "Believe in your message", "Select a topic that matters to you", and "Ooze passion" from the previous couple of classes resonated with me. They didn't seem as much like specific instructions, but a general mandate of true leadership. Every experience I had gone through in class pointed me to the topic that would challenge me the most. I decided to trust and fully embrace Dr. Cohen's advice from the very first class: "Talk about something you're passionate about."
I practiced my speech well and knew what points and ideas I needed to hit, and in what order. When I stood up to give my speech in front of the class, however, I felt a shift occur. As soon as I said the words, "On October 10th, 2012, [Amanda Todd] killed herself", I didn't know what to say next - even though I had practiced it many times. It wasn't because I was nervous. It wasn't because I blanked out. It was because I was completely engrossed in my message; because I wasn't thinking, butfeeling. At that moment, I knew I had made the right decision to speak about a difficult topic. As I said in my speech, "Bravery is uncomfortable." But due to what I had learnt and experienced during class, I was able to overcome that discomfort and give a speech on a topic that meant the world to me.
I practiced my speech well and knew what points and ideas I needed to hit, and in what order. When I stood up to give my speech in front of the class, however, I felt a shift occur. As soon as I said the words, "On October 10th, 2012, [Amanda Todd] killed herself", I didn't know what to say next - even though I had practiced it many times. It wasn't because I was nervous. It wasn't because I blanked out. It was because I was completely engrossed in my message; because I wasn't thinking, butfeeling. At that moment, I knew I had made the right decision to speak about a difficult topic. As I said in my speech, "Bravery is uncomfortable." But due to what I had learnt and experienced during class, I was able to overcome that discomfort and give a speech on a topic that meant the world to me.
