For me I have never really had many problems with public speaking. I respond if I have something to say or to add and I don't if I don't. Being in the major and line or work with theater it is hard to not be in situations where you have to speak publicly or to a large group. I find working with peers is the hardest not necessarily professors or teachers. Peers don't have to try and listen to you and they may not even pay attention in some circumstances.
The tips in the article I think are very helpful. However some of the suggestions I find could be difficult. In this environment of art school many of us are focused on our craft and therefore don't focus as much as we should in our liberal arts courses that mostly offer situations for speaking about classwork or homework. There just isn't enough hours in the day sometimes to focus on all those steps. Also in my experience after a long day of classes the brain can't compartmentalize it all to focus long enough.
Obviously someone with public speaking issues would make it a point to implement these tips if it is a desire for them to improve. No one can force them to do this though. For me knowing how to react to help people with these kinda issues are ideal. I don't think it takes
someone with a phd to notice if someone is uncomfortable or nervous, you just have to me observant and sensitive to them.
Being in college now I don't think much of public speaking so it is a little strange to me to hear it is still a problem so far into some peoples education. It seemed to me most people don't want to speak because they either aren't doing the work, do not care or just aren't fond of participating and have other things going on in their mind.
Yes, public speaking can definitely be a huge problem in one's education. I use to be painfully afraid to speak in public. I knew the material inside and out, but it was still difficult to get over that fear. As someone who has taught in middle school, high school and college; I still see it in many of these age levels. The cause of this fear is as varied as the people involved...
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I would be curious to explore to see how the growing use of technology may affect one's comfort level in speaking in public.