The Class from Hell

[puppet]

Jun 10, 2015 18:12:43 GMT -5 StarFall said:

Day 11: Today started off with a hiccup, but ended on a good note. We had to bring in prepared questions to survey our class about our demonstration speech topic. When it was my turn to ask the questions I had to restart four times because someone would interrupt to ask questions about the previous person's questions, or the teacher had to tell the person who just walked in what we were doing, etc. Finally the fourth time I just waited until everyone was quiet and they were all staring at me so I knew nobody was going to interrupt.

After that we watched some online demonstration speeches and critiqued them. At the end of class the teacher informed us we would be doing another impromptu speech. She let us choose a slip of paper with two topics on it and we could choose one to talk about. The universe must have been smiling on me because the paper I chose had two topics I felt I could work with. I ended up choosing "You are a mad scientist - tell us about your latest invention." The nice thing about that topic for me is that I could use my acting skills and become a different person for a minute or two. I think the class liked it, they laughed a little, and I was able to bring out parts of my personality that are usually only seen by the bathroom mirror. Plus I managed to fit all the criteria the teacher wanted into the speech. Her only comment at the end was that the class was learning so much more about me since I'm usually so quiet, and something about being on stage/theater (the nerves were flooding back as I walked back to my chair so I can't quite remember what she said, but I know it was positive). Yay!

28 hours down, 18 to go.

Even though I know it must be really hard for you, the more you tell us about it the more I feel like this has been a good experience for you.
It's really great. I would have loved to see your acting. ^^
Great job! :-)

[StarFall]

Day 12: Today was pretty mundane as far as this class goes. The first hour was spent working individually on our speeches. The second hour started with one of my classmates giving her demonstration speech since she will be on vacation next week. After that we picked numbers for what order we will present on Monday. I got number 5 so I'm right in the middle, which is fine by me. Then the teacher let us ask questions about the upcoming speeches, after which we were free to go.

30 hours down, 16 to go.

[StarFall]

Jun 11, 2015 6:33:41 GMT -5 puppet said:

Jun 10, 2015 18:12:43 GMT -5 StarFall said:

Day 11: Today started off with a hiccup, but ended on a good note. We had to bring in prepared questions to survey our class about our demonstration speech topic. When it was my turn to ask the questions I had to restart four times because someone would interrupt to ask questions about the previous person's questions, or the teacher had to tell the person who just walked in what we were doing, etc. Finally the fourth time I just waited until everyone was quiet and they were all staring at me so I knew nobody was going to interrupt.

After that we watched some online demonstration speeches and critiqued them. At the end of class the teacher informed us we would be doing another impromptu speech. She let us choose a slip of paper with two topics on it and we could choose one to talk about. The universe must have been smiling on me because the paper I chose had two topics I felt I could work with. I ended up choosing "You are a mad scientist - tell us about your latest invention." The nice thing about that topic for me is that I could use my acting skills and become a different person for a minute or two. I think the class liked it, they laughed a little, and I was able to bring out parts of my personality that are usually only seen by the bathroom mirror. Plus I managed to fit all the criteria the teacher wanted into the speech. Her only comment at the end was that the class was learning so much more about me since I'm usually so quiet, and something about being on stage/theater (the nerves were flooding back as I walked back to my chair so I can't quite remember what she said, but I know it was positive). Yay!

28 hours down, 18 to go.

Even though I know it must be really hard for you, the more you tell us about it the more I feel like this has been a good experience for you.
It's really great. I would have loved to see your acting. ^^
Great job! :-)

Thanks again puppet! This class is definitely something that is far outside my comfort zone and, while I hope it helps me in future situations, I'm not exactly sure that any of the skills and experience will stick. That's the only problem with having such high anxiety over these speeches - it makes it difficult to relax and actually be aware of myself and what I'm doing during a speech so that I can improve.

As far as my acting goes, should I ever post a video to the video thread on SU you just might see some of it - but don't count on that being any time soon!

[puppet]

Jun 11, 2015 19:56:56 GMT -5 StarFall said:

Thanks again puppet! This class is definitely something that is far outside my comfort zone and, while I hope it helps me in future situations, I'm not exactly sure that any of the skills and experience will stick. That's the only problem with having such high anxiety over these speeches - it makes it difficult to relax and actually be aware of myself and what I'm doing during a speech so that I can improve.

As far as my acting goes, should I ever post a video to the video thread on SU you just might see some of it - but don't count on that being any time soon!

I see. It might not be of a big help but maybe having done it several times will let you know it is possible. You are able to do it. Then it might be a tiny bit less difficult the next time.

That would be great. ^^

[StarFall]

Day 13: Today I gave my demonstration speech and I'm not too sure how I feel about it. It was supposed to be somewhere between 9 and 11 minutes. Whenever I practiced, it was always around 11 minutes but when I presented today it felt like it went by so fast, almost like it was only 5 minutes long, but for all I know it could have been 15 minutes - just a really weird feeling, like a time warp or something. I guess I'll find out how long it was when I get my evaluation back. Also, my hands were shaking so bad, and I was trying to will them to stop because my demonstration was very hands-on, yet it just seemed to get worse the longer my speech went. On a good note, though, some of my classmates seemed to be impressed by my demonstration so that was nice (I demonstrated how to make your own multi-loop bow to put on gifts).

32 hours down, 14 to go.

3 speeches down, 2 to go (The teacher finally confirmed we would have a "fun" speech for the last day of class).

[StarFall]

Day 14: Today we mostly talked about our next speech, the persuasive speech, and I actually volunteered some answers in class.
I think the persuasive speech is going to be the hardest for me because it involves adding charisma and dynamism to your speaking. When I get really nervous (like when I'm giving a speech) it makes it very hard for me to talk with passion and conviction in my voice. It will also be hard because the class then evaluates whether your speech was convincing or not.
This speech must be on something controversial that we are passionate about and, while I have a few controversial topics that I am passionate about, I am not very comfortable talking about them, especially when I have to convince people who hold a different viewpoint. Problem is, I need to have my topic decided by tomorrow when we will have to poll the class to find out which side they are on regarding our topic. So, I'm on the hunt for a subject that has two opposing viewpoints without being too controversial, which I'm at least somewhat passionate about, and which is also still interesting, plus fits all the necessary criteria and is something I can make a 13-15 minute speech from.

34 hours down, 12 to go.

[StarFall]

Day 15: Today we had to poll the class about our persuasive speech topic to see where everyone stood on the issues. I went last, surprise surprise. But at least no one else picked my same topic (though others chose ones that I had thought about doing).

I actually stayed up until four in the morning trying to choose a topic. The one I ended up going with isn't one that I'm overly passionate about but it was the only one on my list that fit the requirements of the speech. Oh well, by 4 A.M. I was DONE trying to come up with the perfect idea.

For the last bit of class today, we had to choose between two speeches from movies. We were given a few minutes to read over them, then we had to go up in front of the class and read them. It was meant as a way to practice emphasis and pauses in our speeches as well as drama. We were required to act as much as possible. I actually volunteered to go second, and I did okay, but I pictured it going much better in my head before I went up there. The movie speech I had was from one of the Rocky movies (possibly the last one) where Rocky is giving a life lesson to his son. I've only ever seen the first Rocky so I had no idea what the real scene was like. The other speech choice was one from the move Miracle. I've not seen that movie either, but the speech was the coach's motivational speech.

After everyone had gone up and done theirs, the teacher showed us the clips from the actual movies. Very interesting to see Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell saying the lines we'd just done.

36 hours down, 10 to go.

[StarFall]

I haven't been anywhere fun online lately, including SU, because this last speech (plus working) took up all my time. So here's a recap of the most recent days.

Day 16: The teacher let us have the whole class period to work on our speeches. We didn't even have to come to the school! Of course the topic I chose (GMOs) was like going down the rabbit hole with all the information out there, so I spent all day working on the speech.

Day 17: We gave our introduction to our speeches and then the class was supposed to critique them so they would be perfect for when we actually presented. I guess I had all the correct pieces in mine because they didn't say too much about it. We also chose numbers so we'd know what order we had to go in. I got number 10 which is second to last.

Day 18: I got a text from the person I worked with on the group speech, she wanted my help in putting her speech together and she was panicking and freaking out. She and I were both scheduled to go on Wednesday so at least she had an extra day to work on it. So I went to the school early to help her (and mostly convince her that she would do fine). She was actually contemplating not showing up for the persuasive speech which would likely have meant failure (it is worth the most out of all the speeches and apparently some people who have skipped one speech in the past have failed the class). For this day, though, my only job was to sit back and listen to the first five people that had to go (should have been six but one didn't show). We also had to write on a piece of paper whether we were for or against their side of the topic, if we felt they were talking to us specifically, and whether we were swayed or not.

Day 19: Today was probably the day I had dreaded the most going into this semester. Today was the day I gave my persuasive speech. I felt nervous going into it but because I was tucked behind the podium with my laptop in front of me and my PowerPoint on the big screen, I actually didn't shake like I usually do. I constantly had to remind myself to go slowly because my speech was a little on the short side, but I think I made it to at least 13 minutes which was the minimum requirement. I also think it helped that I'd been in front of that same group of people so many times before. Getting to know each of them really helped to make me more comfortable. However, I'm not looking forward to seeing their answers on whether I convinced them, or if they felt I was talking to them specifically. That just brings back horrible reminders of high school when we graded each other on videos we made for class and only the cool kids got A's while the unpopular ones got C's, D's, and F's. But, on a good note, at least some people were very interested in my topic so that was nice. (Also, the person who texted me yesterday did show up. She went right before me and she did awesome!)

44 hours down, 2 to go.

4 speeches down, 1 to go.

Also, this semester was supposed to have 23 days in it at 2 hours per day (hence 46 hours) but there were 3 days when class wasn't held so today really should say Day 22.

[puppet]

It feels like you keep doing great out there (even socially!). :-)
Good job!

[Slinky]

StarFall, I've kept up with your thread and I have to say I'm impressed with how you've come through the course, especially with so many presentations in a short span of time.  As daunting and anxiety inducing as the whole thing may have been, I really hope you get something positive from the whole experience in the long run.  Like many worrying or stressful situations, in the moment we'd do anything to escape or just be 'better' somehow.  Actually facing fears and allowing yourself to work through them can be of great benefit, and help us in ways we never anticipated at first.  Especially if we ended up avoiding experiences or making excuses as to why we shouldn't attempt things.

I'll be the first to admit public speaking and presentations still terrify me, and I'm faaaaar from being remotely good at either, but forcing myself to go through with such outwardly social activities in the past aided me in the long run in dealing with people (even when I don't want to!) and actually being able to work with others and get my point across just that tiny bit better.

It sounds like you've done so well, especially considering your group work partner called on you for reassurance and help.  That is a wonderful thing to achieve in my eyes, for someone to reach out to you.

Oh, and I used to have the contrasting sides of being extremely shy, but speaking out in group discussions.  I recall part of a job recruitment process was a large group project, which included a brainstorming of ideas.  Everyone there was a stranger to each other, yet I made myself contribute and even lead discussions.  Partly I think through the abject fear of painful silences!  I don't know why, but the silence sort of eats away at me, just as much as being put on the spot and being asked a question.  And also through empathy, of knowing how I felt, and how I assumed most others were feeling in that situation.  So to get the ball rolling I spoke up.

Anyway, I've enjoyed reading your progress and hope it continues to go well

[StarFall]

Day 20 (but really Day 23): Today started out with the teacher giving a toast to the class, complete with our choice of sparkling apple or sparkling grape juice, so that we could cheer the toast at the end. Then it was our turn to give our "fun" special occasion speech. We had several choices for this speech, anything from a toast, to an award acceptance, to a commencement speech, and more. Most of my classmates seemed to choose the inspirational speech, I chose the executive farewell, since this was not only my last class for summer semester but also my last class for this entire degree! For some reason, though, my shaking returned for this speech, even though it was only a minute and a half long. Oh well, it's over and done. After that, we handed in our final questions and got to look at our total points for the semester so we'd know what grade to expect (I think I'll be getting an A, woohoo!). Then we were free to go.

Thank you to everyone who commented on this thread and followed my journey. This class was easily one of the hardest, most anxiety-inducing things I've ever had to suffer through. Somehow I survived.

46 hours down, 0 to go.

5 speeches down, 0 to go.

And do you know what that means? I...am...

DONE!!!!!!!!!

[summer]

Hi StarFall (like your name, btw!)

I am someone who joined here a few months ago but then ended up not staying...but now I'm back again and having another look around hehe..

I am really late to the party here but I just wanted to say that I read most of your posts for this thread with a lot of interest. I could see how you were growing (even though it may not have felt like it to you) over the course of your posts. I think you did a fantastic job and I realised writing a diary of sorts when going through something as anxiety-inducing as this was for you, is a great idea. I think you are really brave, a class like this would be a nightmare for me as well. Argh, words aren't coming to me as well as I'd like them to but in summary I found this thread very inspiring and I can imagine the wonderful feeling you must have gotten when it was all over and you did so well with it. Congrats

[Stranger]

It's late, but congrats Starfall; that was epic!

And an A -- who'd have thought?

[StarFall]

Jun 25, 2015 12:58:55 GMT -5 Slinky said:

StarFall, I've kept up with your thread and I have to say I'm impressed with how you've come through the course, especially with so many presentations in a short span of time.  As daunting and anxiety inducing as the whole thing may have been, I really hope you get something positive from the whole experience in the long run.  Like many worrying or stressful situations, in the moment we'd do anything to escape or just be 'better' somehow.  Actually facing fears and allowing yourself to work through them can be of great benefit, and help us in ways we never anticipated at first.  Especially if we ended up avoiding experiences or making excuses as to why we shouldn't attempt things.

I'll be the first to admit public speaking and presentations still terrify me, and I'm faaaaar from being remotely good at either, but forcing myself to go through with such outwardly social activities in the past aided me in the long run in dealing with people (even when I don't want to!) and actually being able to work with others and get my point across just that tiny bit better.

It sounds like you've done so well, especially considering your group work partner called on you for reassurance and help.  That is a wonderful thing to achieve in my eyes, for someone to reach out to you.

Oh, and I used to have the contrasting sides of being extremely shy, but speaking out in group discussions.  I recall part of a job recruitment process was a large group project, which included a brainstorming of ideas.  Everyone there was a stranger to each other, yet I made myself contribute and even lead discussions.  Partly I think through the abject fear of painful silences!  I don't know why, but the silence sort of eats away at me, just as much as being put on the spot and being asked a question.  And also through empathy, of knowing how I felt, and how I assumed most others were feeling in that situation.  So to get the ball rolling I spoke up.

Anyway, I've enjoyed reading your progress and hope it continues to go well

Thank you Slinky!

That's awesome that you spoke up and were able to lead discussions in the group project during job recruitment. Group discussions like that are still one area where I tend to be extremely shy (even with people I've known for a long time) so I admire you for speaking up.

Is it bad if I've grown used to awkward silences, and sometimes even relish them for their awkwardness? Lol! Maybe I'm just tired of trying to fill them, or tired of feeling bad about myself when I can't. 

Anyway, thanks for following along on my journey!

[StarFall]

Jul 5, 2015 3:03:20 GMT -5 summer said:

Hi StarFall (like your name, btw!)

I am someone who joined here a few months ago but then ended up not staying...but now I'm back again and having another look around hehe..

I am really late to the party here but I just wanted to say that I read most of your posts for this thread with a lot of interest. I could see how you were growing (even though it may not have felt like it to you) over the course of your posts. I think you did a fantastic job and I realised writing a diary of sorts when going through something as anxiety-inducing as this was for you, is a great idea. I think you are really brave, a class like this would be a nightmare for me as well. Argh, words aren't coming to me as well as I'd like them to but in summary I found this thread very inspiring and I can imagine the wonderful feeling you must have gotten when it was all over and you did so well with it. Congrats

Thank you summer!

Believe me, the feeling I had when I walked out of that classroom for the last time was one of the best in the world. Absolute pure joy! Even now, almost a month after I finished, I still do a little happy dance when I remember that I'm done with the class and that I (hopefully) never have to take it again.

Also, welcome to the forum! Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner - I've been busy celebrating being done, and busy working.