I would like to start out with a brief course reflection. Below that you will find information regarding my signature assignment.
COMM 1010 – Reflection
I recall feeling extremely reluctant in registering for this course. Communication – in all forms – has always been one of my most notable weaknesses. For as long as I can remember I have worked hard to avoid situations which require me to communicate, especially in a group or public setting. As I progressed through the semester, I was quite surprised by not only the things that I learned about communication, but the things I learned about myself as a communicator as well. I am very confident that the communication skills and techniques I have learned this semester will help me in any personal and professional situations I will face in the future.
I must say that my greatest fear has always been public speaking. For whatever reason, every time I speak in front of a group of people, I suffer severe anxiety. I start to sweat, mumble, and ultimately lose my train of thought. I have struggled with this for many years. I remember reading through the syllabus at the beginning of the semester. When I reached the section regarding our public speaking assignment, I contemplated dropping the class. As ridiculous as that sounds, my fear of public speaking has prevented me from taking classes, completing required assignments, and even skipping activities at work. The time to start the planning process for this assignment seemed to approach rather quickly in the semester. The closer it got, the more nervous I became. I spent a great deal of time practicing and even memorizing sections of my presentation, with the hope that I would be able to pull it off flawlessly. Although the presentation did not go as well as I might have hoped, I certainly stepped out of my comfort zone to portray an adequate level of confidence in front of my audience.
In wrapping up with this course, I feel that I have accomplished various goals that I had made subconsciously early on in the semester. I am pleased with the improvements I have made and can only hope to be able to use this information in all of my communication situations in the future.
Public Speaking - Final Outline (Click link to view)
Public Speaking - PowerPoint Presentation (Click link to view)
