Brianna Taylor

Brianna Taylor 

When I first found out we were all given the task of presenting in front of our peers, I felt confident. To me, speaking in front of a group of classmates on Zoom would be a breeze, and this was material I had learned throughout my lifetime in literature classes. However, when it came to the day of the presentation and my moment to present grew closer, anxiety kicked in. As my counterpart concluded their part and my turn approached, I froze for a slight moment. As time outran the fear that consumed me, I found my thoughts racing faster than I could get the words to come out. All eyes were on me, and this was the moment of truth, whether the material that had followed me throughout all of my school years would hide behind my anxiety or flow. As much as I thought this would be an assignment I could easily come out on top of, it showed me otherwise. I didn’t expect to be reminded that it’s not about the words you say, but the skill set you equip yourself with in order to be a skillful public speaker. This presentation, not only from my own experience but also from watching my group and counterparts, taught me that public speaking is more than just reciting a bunch of words. You become a great public speaker when you have structure.

Before going through these presentations, I thought that public speaking was just saying how you felt. Some of our most iconic public speakers, including Martin Luther King Jr., showed us otherwise. Based on his body language, confidence, clarity, and balance in his speech, we can see what a great, structured speech looks like. Even though we never saw him recite verbatim words from a paper, his delivery and the way he structured his speeches made his words and messages stick.

So, what is a clear structure? Usually, a clear structure includes the following: Introduction (which contains your hook and thesis), Body (which goes more in depth on your reasoning), and Conclusion (which brings everything you discussed together). Without this universal structure, your message can easily get lost. This structure is used all around us. For example, when a lawyer is presenting a case in front of a judge and jury, they utilize the same skills and structure to grab attention. They start by introducing their case, then provide evidence, and finally conclude their argument in their closing statement, leaving you with something to remember.

During the introduction, you set the tone for what you’re going to be talking about. In that moment, you either lose your audience or have them leaning in, ready to hear more. In the body, you break your points down step by step, and in the conclusion, you leave your audience with something to remember. However, structure alone does not make someone a great public speaker. When it came to my own presentation, I believe I had structure, but I lacked proper presentation skills. You can’t deliver a powerful speech without also knowing how to be a strong presenter. What does that mean? 

Your delivery is a big part of presenting. For example, if you sound the same throughout your entire presentation, meaning your tone never changes, you’re going to lose your audience. Knowing when to project your voice in order to emphasize a point, and when to lower your voice to draw the audience back in, helps keep people engaged. If this presentation taught me anything, it’s that spontaneity is important when presenting — you have to change things up as you go. Structure gives you a guide, but in order to be a truly skilled public speaker, you have to engage with your audience like you’re talking to someone you know, not reading off a script. Looking down at a paper of notes throughout a presentation is what you don’t want to do. As much as your tone is important, so are eye contact, gestures, and energy. People tend to get distracted if not kept engaged, so all of these skills play a critical part in delivering a speech one can remember.

What brings a speech together and what enables a great, well-executed presentation is preparation. All of the great speakers I have learned about, in order to deliver their incredible speeches, couldn’t be fully spontaneous without preparation . Preparation is the key. Preparation allows the speaker to be comfortable in what they are presenting. When presenting my slides, I prepared but not effectively. When preparing to present my speech, I focused more on retention, which made me nervous during my presentation and anxious. Because I was focused on not reciting from a paper, I tried to remember everything, and that put even more pressure on me. My focus on perfection is what caused my part to not flow how I wanted it to, and it put more pressure on me as a presenter.

I learned a lot from this presentation, and one of the most important things I could have taken away from this first experience was to stop trying to be perfect and present like I am having a conversation with my audience. Reflecting back, going through this first presentation in class made me feel more confident than before about public speaking because I now have more information on how to deliver a well-written speech. I also learned that speaking is a skill. No one is born just knowing how to effectively deliver a speech. These lessons revealed that improvement still needs to be made, but I now have the knowledge I need in order to achieve my goal when it comes to public speaking. With what I know so far, I am confident that I will be able to speak to an audience without lacking confidence and without being anxious.

Throughout the other presentations, I observed different and diverse forms of presenting. Each group had their own approach when it came to presenting. Many factors were different when each group presented, such as PowerPoint organization and how they engaged the audience (one group used a video). During the presentation with all three groups, everyone seemed to be well-educated on the topic they were presenting, which made it flow greatly. Seeing all three groups present, including my group, showed me all the different ways in which you can effectively present. It also showed the importance of teamwork and how, if everyone is on one accord, things flow smoother.

This is something I can use not only when communicating with a large crowd but also when speaking to an individual. What I was taught in these lessons can help me keep whoever I’m speaking to more engaged. These skills can be utilized during an interview, at an event, while networking, or in countless other real-life situations.