I do not like to speak in front of people unless they are my students. I have never liked to speak in front of people, just ask Kjera how I was in his Film Club 14+ years ago. Even through college, those seminar classes killed me. It is, honestly, very surprising that I am a teacher today and now quite humorous that I am teaching public speaking skills to Sophomores this year in Big History 2.
During this past summer, I knew I had to find some help in public speaking. I remember my friend, Jeff, joined a group called Toastmasters, a group that helps adults speak in public. I decided to go to one of their chapter meetings in Concord. As I was greeted with smiles, handshakes, and many names, I eventually took my seat. My hands were at a constant clamminess and my heart was pounding most of the meeting. Here is a glimpse into the meeting, but also my thoughts that night:
Please do not make me speak in front of all of you…Oh no, the leader is looking at me, this is it, this is when I will have to stand and say something in front of the 15 to 20 people here in this conference room…oh ok, phew, they were just making eye contact…oh no, they are randomly calling on new people to answer a question on the spot that relates to their theme of “freedom” tonight?? S***. Don’t make eye contact. Oh good, I was skipped over…now they are asking for newcomers, like me, to come up and answer a question?? Ok, I should do it, just freakin’ do it. This is why you are here…yeah, noooo, I am good, not tonight, I don’t want to do it. Noooope.
I did not have to speak in front of all of them. THE RELIEF. THE BLISS. But also, the defeat. To be honest, I wasn’t proud of myself that night. I really should have tried to speak in front of those strangers, but my thoughts were just too powerful. I did get some ideas, however, of what to incorporate into my Sophomore class this year by this one meeting. Here are some takeaways:
1. Clapping after anyone speaks: Everyone at the meeting seemed very encouraging to one another and a simple way to emulate that encouragement in the classroom is by applauding once a student has spoken in front of the class, no matter how long or short they speak for.
2. Evaluating the speaker: For every Toastmasters meeting, there are specific roles for people to fulfill, but all members had to evaluate the night’s scheduled speaker through an evaluation sheet. I used the same one (although a bit altered) for our recent presentations on WWI. The students not only presented to the class, but they gave verbal feedback to a group as well.
3. Speaking on the spot: There is a scheduled speaker who presents a speech on a topic and then after, there is a round of questions that people in the audience have to answer on the spot. I wanted to incorporate that same process with my students. We have done several, short impromptu exercises. It’s a way to keep the students on their toes, a way for them to build their confidence in front of people, and a way for them to have to teach or explain something to the class quickly.
4. Conveying a “beginning, middle, end”: Not only does the scheduled speaker have to deliver their content effectively (eye contact, gestures, tone, volume, etc.), they have to be organized in the content of their speech so the audience can understand what the speaker is saying. This is something that is in development for the Sophomore class along with the idea/goal of students relying on outlines as opposed to note cards/a script.
With any new course, my Sophomore class is a work in progress. I hope by the end of the school year, my students will be more aware of themselves as presenters and make a conscious effort to improve upon this skill as well as take what they have learned and apply it to their other classes. And I already know they will do a much better job than I did that one Toastmasters night!
Gaeby, this is a beautiful post, thank you for sharing… I think the very fact that you have deep deep empathy for the fear of public speaking makes you the BEST person to support them in their learning.
I love this Gaeby! Such a fun and creative way to do PD
I am one who is terrified of public speaking, especially in front of a group of peers. I don't have a problem with students when I know what I'm talking about, however the feeling of dread I get on Back to School Night for example, is significant. This is a relatable post for me, and as Elizabeth said, it shows great empathy for your students to relate to the fear of public speaking and how you used this as an opportunity to connect and support your students through a very valuable life skill.
Thank you Gaeby for sharing. I tried a Junior Toastmasters here a few years back – it obviously sank – a lot of requirements as a club. Anyway, I love the organized delivery – before I speak I ask myself, what is my home run? Chunking tasks out, whether it's a beginning, middle, end or a past, present, future (in the case of a parent meeting), always helps my delivery. Always a work in progress though:)
My students are always amazed when I share with them my fear pf speaking in public. After all, I'm a teacher and therefore I must LOVE public speaking. Thank you Gaeby for bringing these tried and true methods of learning to confidently speak in public to Carondelet and for eliminating the judging adult from the equation. Hopefully the empathetic culture you are spreading around in your classroom will allow the students to feel a sense of empathy about each other as well.
I can identify with your interior monologue, and the feelings afterwards. Good for you to face something that you know you will be asking your students to do!
The internal monologue you had reminds me of how I am in new social situations, even ones that are low stakes. This is a great example of application of PD, thank you for sharing!
I can relate! I love the way you bring your personal experiences and feelings to your classroom. Your students are lucky for it!
When I used to work with younger students giving presentations, the practice was that after each one finished, a few of their classmates would offer a compliment. This was a simple and sweet exercise in positive feedback, as well as another opportunity to speak up in a different context.
Public speaking in all of its forms takes a lot of practice, especially for those of us who prefer to listen!
Gaeby, the courage it took to even go to the Toastmasters event is something to be commended for. I genuinely would have thrown up all over myself and made some sort of excuse for why I could not/should not go. To challenge yourself to do something that is so frightening for yourself is honorable and I hope your students get to see how much work you put in to being a better version of yourself for you and for them.
This is great Gaeby. You are helping them more than they know and it is a skill that colleges, and the workplace, are looking for-one of the top 5 skills listed by both….and this is so well written 🙂
I can less-than-fondly remember the first public speaking class I (had to) take in college. Weird how life works out when introverts make a career in public speaking.
That's great that you can relate to the "me"s in your class though, and are actively trying to make public speaking easier for them.