Hey guys! So.. speech one went a lot better than I expected. I was very anxious coming into this class, nonetheless, having my first speech. Thinking that my nerves would get to me, I practiced multiple times. I didn't want to get up there and forget my entire speech.  I practiced in the mirror as well as in front of an audience. In addition, I tried to relate my topic to the class. Being that we are here in college, I thought separation anxiety would be relevant. In my speech, I thought it would be a good idea to wake the audience up with a few things. I used the beginning attention getter as a way to get to audience interested. By them putting their heads down, probably sparked their attention. I also got the audience involved when I asked them to raise their hands if any of them have had any of the symptoms of separation.  By talking about the signs and symptoms of the disorder, maybe got my audience thinking about if they too are experiencing this now. I thought this too was effective. Overall, I thought my speech went well. Being that I went a day before I signed up for, I was not as nervous as I probably would be. I just got up there and tried to act as confident as possible. I didn't really look down at my note cards too much. I might have been playing with the cards while I was up there so I need to work on that. I also thought that the organization of my speech was great. I am pretty sure everyone could follow what I was talking about. Lastly, I thought the content of my speech was good. I didn't go too in depth where no one could understand but I just briefly described where the disorder stems from such as the topic of object permanence as a child, some of the signs and symptoms and why this disorder is important to talk about being that we away from home. I am very happy with how it went and how I have started to overcome my fear of speaking to an audience.

I would have to say that my low point of the speech was when I forgot my last point. I thought I was standing up there for a while but I am sure it was only about 3 or 4 seconds. Although it was kind of embarrassing, I stayed very composed and got right back on track. I don't think I looked that anxious. I think if I practiced maybe one or two more times, this would not have happened. My high point of the speech had to be the feeling I got when I was half way through. I knew that I had all my material down and nothing was stopping me. It was a great feeling knowing that after all my anxiety and stress over the speech, it all worked out. Another high was when I was done. Not only did I get many compliments about how good my speech was, I also felt good about it too. Knowing that I just went up there and faced my fear was a rewarding feeling.

            After my speech, I have a great idea of what to expect and where I will go with it from here. I now realize that practice does make a HUGE difference. For my next speeches, I will work hard to perfect my delivery. I will also practice a few more times than before just so I don't forget anything. I need to be a bit more confident with my stance and overall manner when I stand up in front of the class. I will practice more on looking professional and confident. As for my topic, I will go further in depth separation anxiety and become more of an expert. I need to make sure my audience becomes experts too after my speeches. I look forward to presenting my next speech and improve upon the mistakes I made.