Important Firsts
Persuasive Speech
A default speaking setting of mine: clasping hands
Watching back my speech, I wasn't crazy about the musical quality of it. I started off with "Um". Some of the pauses sounded forced. Some of the hand gestures seemed clunky. I clasped my hands. Some of the prancing back and forth was distracting.
All these things made me ecstatic. Yes - I was thrilled! The fact that I had been able to step outside my comfort zone of one dynamic, one rhythm, standing in one spot, was a major accomplishment for me. Never mind how effective or non-effective my movement and musicality were - the important thing was that I was starting to experiment with them. Never mind that I kicked off my speech with "um" or that I clasped my hands often- the important thing was that I was now aware.
All these things made me ecstatic. Yes - I was thrilled! The fact that I had been able to step outside my comfort zone of one dynamic, one rhythm, standing in one spot, was a major accomplishment for me. Never mind how effective or non-effective my movement and musicality were - the important thing was that I was starting to experiment with them. Never mind that I kicked off my speech with "um" or that I clasped my hands often- the important thing was that I was now aware.
Alumni Dinner
A significant "first" in my life occurred at the alumni dinner. I willingly volunteered to speak in front of a group of people. Even if it only was for a couple of seconds, it was huge for me. It signaled a shift that had begun to take place in my mind - a shift from associating public speaking with "fear" to associating public speaking with "fun". A shift from thinking that I couldn't to knowing that I could.
Speech Order
After my persuasive speech, a classmate asked me how I had felt about presenting first. They told me, "It must have been nice to get it out of the way!" My reaction to this statement a couple weeks ago might have been one of agreement. But in that moment, I realized that I was no longer a person who wanted to get a speech "out of the way" or "get it done with". Instead, I was someone who now thought of a speech as an important message to deliver - a journey in of itself. My hesitancy in answering my classmate with a resounding "yes!" was an indication that after just one week of class, I had been changed by the magic of Dr. Cohen!
