Blog 1

BLOG#1

 Jeremiah Previl Group 3:

When I had firstly realized I had public speaking I assumed that this was going to be fairly difficult for me from the aspect that I never really worked in groups and always found myself being the odd man out when it came to group projects preferring to always work individually or the tables always turning that way for me. Thru the class I've not only gained a new skill and perspective and importance of the way I only present presentations but the way I present myself when speaking to others and controlling the environment but also being part of a team and helping one another.

But through this class, I ended up gaining more than just another grade or another assignment finished. I gained a new skill set, a new perspective, and a new understanding of how important it is not only to present a topic but to present your when speaking to others. I ended up gaining more than just another grade or another assignment finished. I gained a new skill set, a new perspective, and a new understanding of how important it is not only to present a topic but to present yourself when speaking to others. Public speaking isn’t just about slides or information; it’s about controlling the environment, managing your presence, and connecting with people. And surprisingly, it also taught me about being part of a team.

My group had seven people, and I didn’t know any of them personally. I dont want to say it stressed me out at first but it did, but that was a hurdle I was able to overcome. Talking to strangers and trying to coordinate with different personalities, schedules, and communication styles is not something that comes natural to me. But the more we worked together, the more comfortable I became. Over time, I actually found myself looking forward to the process because it pushed me to be more open and more intentional with how I communicated. Even reminding people of deadlines or asking questions in the whataspp group chat, as time went the more we worked together, the more comfortable I became.

One of the biggest things I gained from this class was a new sense of awareness about the way I present myself. Before, I never thought much about tone, eye contact, pacing, or how I control the space around me. Now, I understand how much those elements matter. Even the words and emotion I show towards certain sentences or phrases when I present can create a certain tone in the room Im speaking in or to. 

Body language, My biggest takeaway was body language when your presenting it is important that not only you speak loud enough for those to hear you I realized but your body speaks and communicates for you. It can make or break your presentation in my opinion it shows if your confident and knowledgeable in what your presenting to your audience or if your nervous, uncertain. It speaks volume and give less creditability in what your showing. 

Another concept I became more aware of was cadence the rhythm and pattern of how we talk. Every speaker has a natural flow, and the way we choose our words, the way we pause, or the speed we speak at can influence how the audience receives the message.Public speaking almost feels like a dance to me , its poretry. When you speak too fast, people can get overwhelmed. When you speak too slow, you can lose their attention. Learning your environment and reading the room can separate what it means when someone speaks to a room and when someone presents to a room of people. Reading the room and reacting 

Even online, this mattered. It felt different each time someone presented based on there tone language and reaction, even while presenting through a screen. I learned how to create presence even in a virtual environment, that why being in a group was so critical I learned how other present and picked up on other skills of people that help reinforce mine.

Another concept I became aware of was cadence  the rhythm and pattern of how we speak. Every speaker has a natural flow. The way we choose our words, how long we pause, when we emphasize certain phrases, and the speed we speak at all affect how the audience hears the message. Public speaking almost feels like a dance to me. It’s poetry. There’s a rhythm behind it. When you speak too fast, people get overwhelmed. When you speak too slow, you risk losing their attention. The balance is what makes a message smooth and powerful.

Reading the room matters, too. There’s a difference between speaking a room and presenting a room. When you read the room well, you know when to slow down, when to bring energy, and when to adjust your tone. Presenters who can sense the audience’s reactions even small reactions have a better chance of keeping people engaged. That’s something I learned not just from speaking myself but also from observing my classmates.

This class also taught me about preparation. I used to believe you could just be last minute or wing it especially, this something you write a guideline or a script for, but now I understand how important it is to rehearse, review your slides, and organize your thoughts beforehand. When you prepare properly, your confidence grows naturally. You stop worrying about forgetting something and start focusing more on how to deliver it well. That preparation became a big part of why I saw growth in myself.

This class didn’t just teach me how to give a speech it taught me how to carry myself, communicate with confidence, even in unfamiliar environments, online in our case. Starting the semester, I believed Public Speaking would be difficult for me. Now, I can say it pushed me to grow socially, with seven strangers I thought I would never before and academically. It made me more self aware, more communicative, and more prepared for future challenges.

Working with seven strangers, learning how to control my presence, and understanding the deeper aspects of communication helped me build confidence I didn’t have before. And for me, that growth alone made the entire experience worth it. This class gave me skills I’ll use far beyond school  in conversations, interviews, professional settings, and everyday life. And you can say I got good grades while doing it.