23rd October 2018

formalised speech (portfolio)

To my nearest and dearest introverts. Its ok to feel scared. It is ok to feel nervous. It is ok to not feel ok. But it is not ok that you feel physically sickened. And as if you are being punished for being the shy, timid, introverted, wallflower that you were born as.

This is the one thing people don’t look forward to all year. My questions is why? Why is it that we are forced into presenting a speech?

Why do we not have a choice? Is there an alternative for the introverts who ponder over the thought of presenting a speech in front of a room full of judgemental eyes and opinionated minds?

Why is it that the timid who feel sick to their stomachs, who feel claustrophobic to a situation that is forced upon them fair? The hierarchy may think public speaking is apart of the adult life. And by forcing participation within students to completing this “speech” will make them a better more confident person.

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say presenting a speech to a room of people is unfair. I say this because I believe and see the whole speech debacle as a punishment to the people with quiet personalities and gut-wrenching anxiety. Now how is this fair?

In schools they want to bring more awareness to mental health. So why is it that the punishment of speeches develops anxieties and unsettles the minds of our students? Because of this so-called ”confidence developer”. Not to mention the extroverts who can easily present a speech to a class of people get higher marks. Because they have the confidence to do so.

But where does this leave the introverts? who as soon as they stand up and move to the front of the class. Feel the blood rushing to their heads which brings on the dizziness. The lump in their throats that gets bigger feeling like they can not physically speak. And the racing of their hearts that shorten their breaths. Bringing on that panic attack they feared wouldn’t happen. Causing their embarrassment, shame, and regret. Because we do not have the power to be as confident as we are expected to be. Causing them to stumble and fall to that lower mark. Again how is this fair?

So what do teachers and other English superiors have to say about speeches? That it apparently boosts our self-confidence every time we present a speech?

Teachhub says “It’s about focusing on the communication essentials that often get overlooked. Eye contact, tone, volume, speed, gestures, and nervous tendencies are all part of the performance package. When students conscientiously practice how to control these factors of their communication, they will be more prone to leverage these components to their advantage in the future. With the training and experience, they obtain in high school, students will become more powerful communicators in all aspects of live communication. they can apply the same set of communication skills to exhibit comfort and confidence.” but“ Will students need to stand up in front of mass audiences often? Probably not. But will they need to speak comfortably and confidently in front of others? Absolutely.”

This statement I agree that for some people it may help with boosting that self-confidence with public speaking. But other than that it may not. And yes. It will just be the nervous tendencies package. And it will always just be that. But also is this point relevant? As it states that we will most likely not need to speak to a mass audience. So why do we need to do speeches in front of a class? Why not just a few people for example 2-5? Personally. That is a comfortable confident number for me, and a lot of other introverts I have spoken to would also prefer this too.

How does this affects our introverts? From what I know they would rather have a choice. At my previous school people were given a choice of creating a static image or doing speeches. And I know 100 percent I would be choosing static images. As I’m sure a few if not more than half of the class would much rather do static image. Because that is so much better than crippling anxiety for weeks on end. Pondering over the thought of speeches. And by completing this confidence booster does Heightening our students mental health negatively worth it? So do our teachers really understand how it makes our chronically anxious feel? I hope they do because speeches are affecting our students negatively! Now I can finally say teachers do you think this is fair?

Join the conversation! 1 Comment

  1. Hi Shawna. Just recording that this piece was completed and sent to me via e-mail (and a google doc) on Monday, 29 October, along with your creative writing submission. You have just been able to post this piece now on your blog which I have recorded.

    Reply

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