Kaiariki Taivero
Reflection
After watching my introduction speech video, there are many things I would have to work on to give a good speech. Right away, I noticed that I was trying to rush the video because I felt very nervous and I just wanted to get it over with. I tried to not be tense when I was filming, but it is obvious that I am very anxious because I kept playing with my hair or my hands. There were a few times I strayed from my topic, but I brought it back after I realized my error. Throughout the video, I was stuttering and forgot some pieces of my speech due to my nervousness and that is something I need to work on to give a proper oral presentation. However, I am pleased with myself because I could maintain good amount of eye contact with the camera, which is something that I struggled a lot with speeches. I noticed that it was not very engaging or interesting because I was just listing facts about myself and I seemed very uninterested in the speech. In the end, there are many things I need to work on to give a good oral presentation, but there are some things in my speech that were fine and I would like to strengthen those aspects even more.
Goals
My goals for this class is to become more confident in my oral presentations, to not be so nervous to give speeches or presentations, and to speak clearly without stuttering or pausing too much.
End of Class Reflection
In the beginning of this class, I was very nervous in giving oral presentations and tried rushing through the introduction speech to get it over with. It was hard for me to go through a speech without stuttering or fidgeting due to my nervousness and anxiety to deliver a good speech. It even became hard for me to retain eye contact with my audience due to my nervousness. I found that it was easier with a camera because no one was looking back at me and I assumed that it was the same thing with a live audience – I was wrong. The difficulties that I had in the beginning of this class – nervousness, fidgeting, and eye contact – has become much better and I was able to learn some tricks that combatted them.
After presenting various speeches in class, I was able to become less nervous and in some cases, even relaxed when presenting my speeches. With my nervousness and fidgeting, I learned to move around during my speech to avoid looking too stiff and it actually helped me relax a bit during my speech. It helped me to avoid stressing about my speech and allowed me to move along with my speech in times of pausing or forgetting what to say. I also learned that it is better to be conversational in your speech, as if you were talking to a friend, to avoid sounding too rigid or uncomfortable. I am still nervous when having to present, but now it is less noticeable thanks to the tips and tricks I learned from speech class.
In terms of eye contact, I still have a bit of trouble maintaining eye contact with the audience during speeches but it has improved greatly compared to how I was in the beginning. I am able to maintain eye contact for some time during my speech but I end up looking away whenever I get nervous. It is something that I need to work on in order to deliver effective speeches. For future speeches and oral presentations, I will try practicing with my friends and family members in maintaining eye contact with them during my speeches. If I am able to complete that task, I will then move on to my classmates and colleagues to ensure that I am able to maintain eye contact during my speeches. All in all, I believe if I consistently practice in maintaining eye contact during my speeches, then I will achieve it.
After presenting various speeches in class, I was able to become less nervous and in some cases, even relaxed when presenting my speeches. With my nervousness and fidgeting, I learned to move around during my speech to avoid looking too stiff and it actually helped me relax a bit during my speech. It helped me to avoid stressing about my speech and allowed me to move along with my speech in times of pausing or forgetting what to say. I also learned that it is better to be conversational in your speech, as if you were talking to a friend, to avoid sounding too rigid or uncomfortable. I am still nervous when having to present, but now it is less noticeable thanks to the tips and tricks I learned from speech class.
In terms of eye contact, I still have a bit of trouble maintaining eye contact with the audience during speeches but it has improved greatly compared to how I was in the beginning. I am able to maintain eye contact for some time during my speech but I end up looking away whenever I get nervous. It is something that I need to work on in order to deliver effective speeches. For future speeches and oral presentations, I will try practicing with my friends and family members in maintaining eye contact with them during my speeches. If I am able to complete that task, I will then move on to my classmates and colleagues to ensure that I am able to maintain eye contact during my speeches. All in all, I believe if I consistently practice in maintaining eye contact during my speeches, then I will achieve it.
Favorite Speech: "I Believe"
As for my favorite speech, it would have to be the “I Believe” speech because it was a speech that I was confident in despite being nervous and fidgety. It was the second speech that was assigned to our class, but I think I did pretty well because I was not as nervous or fidgety as I thought I would be. It also helped that we did not have to maintain eye contact with the audience. Despite that, I believe that this speech allowed me to get past some of my initial fears of public speaking which helped me pave the way to becoming more comfortable and confident in my speeches. Now, here is my "I Believe" Speech...
I Believe Speech
My personal belief is that you should not let past experiences affect your present. When I was 11 years old, my mom volunteered to teach classes to a Polynesian Dance group, Pacific Flowers, and she would always bring me along with her. The group reminded me of my past. Years before this, I danced in a different Polynesian Dance group, where I was the only little girl. I didn’t have very good memories of dancing at the time. I was forced into dancing by my father because they needed a new act and I was always scolded if I made a mistake, no matter how small it was. My mom couldn’t do much for me because she was at home, pregnant with my little sister. I did not like performing very much. The practicing, the makeup, the scolding, the smiling. It was a bit too much for my 8-year old self. Heck, it was a bit too much for the girls three times my age. I was able to escape, though, when my mom divorced my father and for the next one or two years, I was not dancing. I was happy, I thought.
With Pacific Flowers, I would sit in a corner by myself, usually with my phone or a book, until we had to go. My mom would always tell me to try dancing with the girls but I would always say no. Even the dance leader would ask me to join in, but my answer stayed the same. It was hard to not remember all the pain and stress I went through before. I just remembered the harsh words and fear of being spanked. I was too scared to try again. It was unfair, though. I loved dancing, especially Polynesian. It was a talent I was truly proud of, but I was afraid of it. I was too afraid to make mistakes and embarrass myself in front of the girls. So, I stayed in the back, where I watched them practice and watched them perform. It was frustrating.
Then, one day I started talking with the girls and eventually made friends with all of them. It was fun. Then, somehow, someway they convinced me to dance with them. I didn’t have a lava-lava but I did dance… it was like I never stopped. Only this time, I felt happy. I didn’t see my dad yelling at me. I didn’t see my embarrassing mistakes. I didn’t feel the pain and stress from my past. I was just happy to be dancing again. So, I decided to give it another shot. Unlike my past, I was enjoying practices and performances and even had a real smile throughout my time dancing. I regained my passion, but I felt dumb for letting my past hold me back. I went through months being upset and scared of the past that I didn’t give myself a chance to even try again. I allowed the fears of my past to hold me back from doing what makes me happy. It was then, that I learned that we should not let what happened in our past affect our present. The past will always be there but we shouldn’t dwell on it so much or else we’ll miss our present.
My personal belief is that you should not let past experiences affect your present. When I was 11 years old, my mom volunteered to teach classes to a Polynesian Dance group, Pacific Flowers, and she would always bring me along with her. The group reminded me of my past. Years before this, I danced in a different Polynesian Dance group, where I was the only little girl. I didn’t have very good memories of dancing at the time. I was forced into dancing by my father because they needed a new act and I was always scolded if I made a mistake, no matter how small it was. My mom couldn’t do much for me because she was at home, pregnant with my little sister. I did not like performing very much. The practicing, the makeup, the scolding, the smiling. It was a bit too much for my 8-year old self. Heck, it was a bit too much for the girls three times my age. I was able to escape, though, when my mom divorced my father and for the next one or two years, I was not dancing. I was happy, I thought.
With Pacific Flowers, I would sit in a corner by myself, usually with my phone or a book, until we had to go. My mom would always tell me to try dancing with the girls but I would always say no. Even the dance leader would ask me to join in, but my answer stayed the same. It was hard to not remember all the pain and stress I went through before. I just remembered the harsh words and fear of being spanked. I was too scared to try again. It was unfair, though. I loved dancing, especially Polynesian. It was a talent I was truly proud of, but I was afraid of it. I was too afraid to make mistakes and embarrass myself in front of the girls. So, I stayed in the back, where I watched them practice and watched them perform. It was frustrating.
Then, one day I started talking with the girls and eventually made friends with all of them. It was fun. Then, somehow, someway they convinced me to dance with them. I didn’t have a lava-lava but I did dance… it was like I never stopped. Only this time, I felt happy. I didn’t see my dad yelling at me. I didn’t see my embarrassing mistakes. I didn’t feel the pain and stress from my past. I was just happy to be dancing again. So, I decided to give it another shot. Unlike my past, I was enjoying practices and performances and even had a real smile throughout my time dancing. I regained my passion, but I felt dumb for letting my past hold me back. I went through months being upset and scared of the past that I didn’t give myself a chance to even try again. I allowed the fears of my past to hold me back from doing what makes me happy. It was then, that I learned that we should not let what happened in our past affect our present. The past will always be there but we shouldn’t dwell on it so much or else we’ll miss our present.