Public Speaking Reflection

Public speaking is a skill that is extremely important in a career in the business field. A
businessperson may have to quickly prepare a presentation for their supervisor at random about
some topic they are researching for the company or about some different alternatives the
company is choosing between and the benefits and downfalls of each option. It is important to
be a good public speaker so that the audience pays attention and believes that the speaker is
credible. Research has shown that listeners usually only remember 7 percent of the words a
speaker says. The other 93 percent they remember is nonverbal aspects of the speech such as the
speaker’s body language and tone of voice. This is why it is incredibly important to learn to
become a good public speaker as a business student so that the audience is not distracted by poor
public speaking techniques.
Personally, I do not believe that public speaking is my strongest skill. To accommodate
for this, I practiced the strategies we learned in class. I knew that the more I practiced my part of
the speech, the more prepared I would feel. It is recommended to practice a speech
approximately six times before presenting. This helped me to know exactly what I was going to
be talking about and feel more comfortable and less nervous while in front of the audience. I
also practiced using gestures and making sure they were visible to the entire audience.
I was certainly most nervous for the impromptu speech we gave in class because we had
no time to prepare our topics. I used some incorrect words and was not even paying much
attention to what I was saying, but I was able to make eye contact and come up with three main
points. I think that this was probably my weakest speech performance in the class.
As for my informative speech, I was able to prepare my three main points beforehand and
use a visual aid to keep the audience focused. I was more prepared with what I was going to be
talking about, so I think that my performance in the informative speech was better than it was in
the impromptu speech. The group persuasive speech may have been my best performance
because not only was I prepared, but I also had other group members to make me feel more
confident speaking in front of the class.
I think that the area I need to work on the most with my public speaking is making sure I
avoid talking too fast when I get nervous. During the group persuasive speech, I started out
talking calmly and slowly, but as I stayed up there longer, I began to get more nervous and
stumble over my words. I think that this is an issue that I can fix with more practice and more
public speaking opportunities. It is important that when I am speaking, I remind myself to stay
calm and take my time.
One specific improvement I made during the semester was learning to make better eye
contact. I tried looking less at my notes so that it would not look like I was just reading off a
sheet of paper. I think that I also improved my use of gestures. Previously, I would stand in a
position and either clasp my hands together or fidget nervously. I also tended to sway when I
would get nervous. During the speeches this semester, I focused on avoiding these distracting
tendencies. Instead of fidgeting, I used meaningful gestures. I tried to stand up straight and still
rather than slouching and moving around.
 Another thing I learned that helped me during speeches was to write out basic notes in
large, easy-to-read font. Having a long paragraph of exact words to say would make it sound to
the audience like I didn’t know what I was talking about because it would sound like I was
reading the information. Just including basic bullet points of the points I wanted to make made it
easier for me to focus on maintaining eye contact. I would just briefly glance down at my notes
to ensure that I remembered all the points I wanted to make.
While it may seem obvious not to use filler words such as “um” or “uh,” taking this
course in business communications taught me to focus more on truly avoiding these words and
not using them to occupy the silence when I’m thinking about what to say. Instead, I learned to
simply take brief pauses when thinking of how to phrase what I want to say. It is ok to pause
briefly if it stops you from using filler words or rushing and stumbling over your words. I
practiced this strategy, and I think it made me more credible to the audience.
I believe that the improvements I have made in my public speaking this semester have
already began to benefit me in life. I have had to speak at weekly meetings of the Inter-Greek
Council for my position on the executive board, and I was much more nervous and shaky when I
spoke at the beginning of the semester than I am now. I now know to plan out the basic points of
what I plan to say beforehand and to take deep breaths and relax before it is my turn to speak.
My public speaking skills have also benefitted me when I ran for positions within my sorority. I
had to write four speeches for elections, and thanks to my preparation and my confidence when
speaking, I was able to win each of the positions I ran for.
I am still working on improving my public speaking skills. I especially need to practice
by giving more speeches so that I can learn to be less nervous talking in front of a crowd. I
believe that continuing to practice my speeches beforehand and concentrating on maintaining eye
contact and using meaningful gestures instead of fidgeting will help me learn to make these good
strategies habits.
I hope that the techniques I have learned and the improvements I have made will help me
in my professional career. Not only will these techniques help me when I have to give
presentations to my supervisors or coworkers, but they will also help me with interviewing skills.
The importance of not using filler words and practicing my main points certainly also applies to
an interview. I also learned techniques for a professional video skype interview, and I think that
my public speaking skills certainly have helped in this area as well. If I ever have to have a
skype interview or give a presentation to my supervisors or to clients in my future career, I
believe that I will be very well prepared.