Daniela Murcia

 The skill of public speaking is essential to master in order to succeed in our modern society. Public speaking is not limited to lawyers, business people and politicians. This is a skill that everyone should have experience with, as it is something we will inevitably come across at some point in our careers. Whether it is giving a presentation in college, speaking during a job interview, explaining ideas to people, or communicating with a client, being able to express yourself clearly is a very important part of being successful. Practicing these skills helps strengthen a person's speaking abilities, build confidence, and improve communication skills that can be applied in every day life. 

In this class specifically, we have a variety of students that are majoring in health or science fields, and these career paths require one to be able to communicate with their clients in a professional manner. Many of these students want to become personal trainers, physical therapists, nurses, doctors, and other professionals who will work directly with people. In these careers, knowing how to communicate effectively could be just as important as knowing the material. For example, I am an exercise science major and I want to be a personal trainer. I could be the smartest in my anatomy classes and know how to perform certain exercises, but if I cant effectively explain to a client what needs to be done, they will likely be confused. The same would apply to something much more serious like a nurse or a doctor. Imagine someone having to break the news that your family member is terminally ill but they are not clear when delivering the message.

In the future, when speaking to a client or patient, it is crucial to maintain professionalism and communicate with confidence. Using filler words such as "like" and "um" is a common example of something that can affect the way a person comes across when speaking. Although these are words that many of us use every day, using them repeatedly during a professional conversation or presentation can make it hard for the listener to follow what is being said. It can also make the speaker look unprepared and less confident. This can easily throw someone off, and you can come off as unprofessional and less credible by making the simple mistake of not being clear and straightforward. This is why it is important to slow down, organize your thoughts, and speak clearly without any angst. 

It is entirely normal and human to be nervous or anxious during a speech or presentation, which is why we take this class to refine our skills that will make us successful in our future career paths. Prior to enrolling in this class and reading the book "Public Speaking: The Evolving Art", I thought that public speaking solely consisted of giving a speech in front of a crowd. Though, this could be applied in countless areas and it is more complex than we may think. The book allowed me to view different perspectives and gain more insight on the world of public speaking. 

Public speaking also involves preparing, getting to know your audience, and being ready to deliver your speech in a clear and concise way. Effective listening is a very important  part of this as well, and it should not be overlooked. This helps the listener understand what the message of the person delivering the speech is trying to convey. It is also important to keep distractions at a minimum, and give your full attention to the person speaking. You always want to make sure that the audience is engaged to be certain that the message is being delivered and they are internalizing it. This ties into being clear and concise because people can be easily distracted and misinterpret your speech. Furthermore, to create a successful speech you must have a specific purpose in mind, a thesis statement, and main points to organize your ideas in order. It is also important to use trustworthy information to be as credible as possible to the listener. With this being said,  it is also important to do this while giving credit to whomever you get the information from to avoid plagiarism. 

I feel like this project was very educational to me as a whole. It allowed us to collaboratively work with each other, all while not even meeting each other face to face. This was an interesting experience because we had to rely heavily on communication through whatsapp to make sure we were all on the same page. We learned how to communicate with each other, divide tasks, use our time effectively, give a speech in front of an audience, and listen to others presenting. These skills can not only be useful in class, but in our every day lives. 

Working with multiple people and creating a presentation as a group meant that we had to make sure everyone contributed too. Everyone had their own responsibilities, and we had to trust each other to complete our individual parts. I also loved that we were all harmonious and everything went smoothly. As a group, we were very organized and prepared to deliver an excellent presentation. We were super organized from start to finish, including the style of our presentation, and the way we passed on the next slides to each other. I think our transitioning was very smooth. We also did a great job including visuals to make the presentation engaging to the audience. instead of filling out slides with large amounts of texts, we focussed on making them easy to understand. 

After watching everyone present, it made me feel a little bit better about being nervous because most people admitted to that too. This made me realize that feeling this way is entirely normal when speaking in front of other people. Ultimately what matters is being prepared and not stopping just because of your nerves. Nobody really knows how you feel, and you can fake it until you make it. Watching my classmates present also allowed me to see how i can improve with my own public speaking skills.