High school will provide you with numerous opportunities through which you can find your interests and self-identity. These opportunities mostly consist of the many extracurricular clubs and activities available to you as a student. However, the club I am going to recommend to you is not particularly a specific field of interest, but rather a broad community in which you can dabble in diverse concepts all over the spectrum- with the purpose of assisting you to excel at one universal subject: public speaking.
Many of us struggle with a fear of public speaking. (In fact, over 70 percent of the population are, ranking it in the top 5 of Americans’ worst fears!) But why? Why are we so scared of presenting our thoughts in front of a crowd? These fears may arouse from a lack of experience, low self-esteem, anxiety, or all of the above. Clearly, if you struggle with public speaking, you are most definitely not alone. But what if I told you there is a way to fix this? A fun, challenging, exhilarating way?
Before I begin to discourse on the amazing elements of Speech Club, I want to share with you my journey with it. Firstly, I want to preface that I was never the loudest or most confident out of the bunch; in fact, I have received countless emails and remarks from past teachers and coaches throughout my life emphasizing that I am “too shy” and “need to be more vocal.” Hence, my decision to join Speech was a massive step out of my comfort zone.
Initially, I was so nervous because I associated Speech Club with solely insanely-smart and talented extroverts. I felt intimidated- to say the least. However, I want to reiterate that Speech Club is for everyone. If you can’t utter a sentence without feeling like you want to zoom out of the room, this club is for you. If you are confident in this expertise but want to improve, this club is for you. Now, I’m not saying Speech is easy; it is mentally challenging. But I promise you- you will not regret it.
In most speech clubs, you will have the opportunity to choose a form of speech that interests you. The choices may comprise declamation, prose, poetry, extemp, impromptu, and duo. (Keep in mind, declamation is preferred for most freshmen/beginners as it is a good foundation to start from to enhance your skills.) Each form of speech requires unique execution and consists of contrasting elements- which makes Speech that intriguing!
Throughout the course of this club, you will learn many crucial skills: how to grasp the audience’s attention through different tones, voice inflection, a variety of body language, the importance of eye contact, movement, and more. Obtaining this virtuosity will greatly benefit you throughout your entire life. Presentations, meetings, calls, even a normal conversation requires the ability to entice and persuade the audience. Evidently, experience with public speaking will drastically improve your speaking skills and credibility: two critical aspects in school and work environments. Hence, this will lead to enhancing your leadership skills, and ultimately, gain you more confidence. Trust me, the future-you will thank you when you have to lead a big presentation for your boss or say a speech for your friend’s wedding. Speaking is obviously a necessary skill for the rest of your life, why not be a pro at it? :)
Now, let me tell you this. This club will consist of high highs and low lows. I guarantee you that everyone in this club had an embarrassing moment or two. (Mine was forgetting the speech during the intro and asking the judge to restart not once, but twice! Yikes! But I survived!) So don’t get discouraged. Push yourself and challenge yourself. The low lows? That’s the beauty of it. When you learn to laugh off your mistakes, better yourself, and move on, you learn to not take yourself too seriously. Failures and mistakes are inevitable, so don’t be afraid of them! (Obviously, I’m not saying to give it all you got, but don’t be hard on yourself if you aren’t perfect.)
To my friends who struggle with this fear, there is a method I want to discuss. This method essentially states that if you want to conquer any fear, the universal solution is to be exposed to it. Many therapists utilize this idea to their clients; hence, it is called “exposure therapy”. The more you put yourself in the situation you are afraid of, the better you will handle and overcome it.
Thus, my sudden surge in confidence can be accredited to Speech Club. It has constructed me into a more assertive and happy person from these rigorous times I was pushed out of my comfort zone. I am now a better leader, collaborator, and helper. But most importantly, I no longer receive those annoying comments from my teachers, haha.
Lastly, I want to challenge you to develop a new perspective on public speaking. Essentially, it’s not about you. It’s about the audience. It’s not, oh my gosh I’m going to mess up and everyone is going to make fun of me, it’s what can I give to the crowd to help them? What do I know that they don’t?
So, here are the key takeaways:
-Everyone reading this should try it out
-You can do anything if you put your mind to it
-Speech brings many benefits that will help you in life
-Life is too short to let fear control you
If you are even a slight bit interested, check it out! What have you got to lose? Remember to do it for fun and enjoy it! Don’t take it too seriously, but allow it to challenge and test yourself. Life is too short to care about what people think. You got this! Go for it. Kick it! Conquer that stage.
- By Joanne Park
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