Monthly Archives: May 2014

Public speaking experience

Simpson, a student at Baruch College is an undergrad. He always attends all his classes and takes notes. He is good at working on the class assignments, making PowerPoint’s materials. But the problem with him is that he gets little nervous while presenting to the public. He does not feel much comfortable speaking to the mass but he does well in a group projects. He has done presentation before but still he has to build more self-confidence in him. He works hard to prepare every presentation materials and he practice his presentation as well. The good thing is that he is improving his presentation habit slowly. Only the thing is that he has to remove is his nervous behavior and start using his calm and assertive energy, which will build more confidence in him. If other people can do it then of course he can do it as well.

He does participate in the class few time but he is always focused in the class. It looks like presentation is not a problem for him but since English is his second language; he feels that he might not find the right words when he expresses his ideas. He did not had any public speaking course back in his country which is why he feels little awkward speaking in public. But he has done some nice presentations in a small groups where he can use his native language time to time while giving a presentation. That means speaking in public should not be his main problem. He is good at group meeting where he shares his thoughts to other members but may be he is little shy in front of the crowd.

He likes doing Internet research before any assignments or presentations so that he will have general knowledge on the topic. If he understands the topic very well and does not have to memorize, then he does well. And if someone starts asking questions then he might gets stuck for a while and then he will continue. He understands the importance of public speaking and he will go for it.

Welcome to COM 1010!

We’ll use this site to share thoughts and experiences related to public speaking and the power of effective communication over the course of the semester.

You can find important documents for the course under the tab “course documents” above.

I look forward to our semester together!

Post #1 Prompt

Blog posts should be between 250 and 400 words (longer isn’t always better!).

Reflect on your own skills and habits as a public communicator, by describing a made-up cartoon character that embodies these characteristics (if you wish, in an exaggerated way). Give your character a name.  Use the following prompts to guide your writing:

  • What are your experiences with public speaking (for example, giving class presentations or presenting something at work) generally like? Have you ever enjoyed them?
  • What kind of participant do you tend to be in class?
  • How would you describe your general speech communication skills in professional and personal situations? What kinds of habits and characteristics do you demonstrate in getting your ideas across?
  • In terms of oral communication, when are you at your best? Your worst?