23 - Fire on All Cylinders
The words in my mouth slurred and I slowly mumbled word after word as I failed to remember what the next sentence was. Then, I said to myself, "Welp, nope, no can do. We are going to have to do impromptu on this one, boys." With that thought, I resorted to my last bullet—impromptu speaking.
That is what happened to me earlier when I was giving a speech about my moment of epiphany in front of my fellow members of APC Speaks. I was embarrassed and, after my speech, a lingering taste of disappointment was in my mouth. The feedback on my speech was generally good, they said that my voice modulation was fine, but my only problem was my speech itself as it lacked a proper structure. To tell you the truth, IT DID lack a proper structure because it was not good enough.
On my way home, I thought of nothing but improving my speech-writing skills after realizing that my performance—both in hosting and delivering a prepared speech—was "mediocre" or, should I say, "lackluster" as I had not lived up to my own expectation.
I guess that is the way the cookie crumbles. No worries, everyone makes mistakes and, because of my failure earlier, I decided to improve more—to improve my skills in public speaking.
The end of my all-English term is near and there is a myriad of activities in store for my finals. For one, they have the IGNITE competition (I heard that the word "ignite" should be capitalized, though I could be wrong) and we also have this speech exercise competition-thing for my Public Speaking 2 class. The top 5 or so would compete in a school competition, so I heard. Lastly, I have a speech choir competition that I have to join with my blockmates in SS151. Truth be told, I would rather do the IGNITE and my Public Speaking 2 competition instead of the speech choir.
So, what does this have to do with my "failed" presentation earlier? Well, for finals week and for APC Speaks, I have to fire on all cylinders. I will really devote most of my time improving my public speaking skills in order to compete in the IGNITE and to compete for my Public Speaking 2 competition. Lastly, I plan to give 110% of my performance to APC Speaks—my only organization in Asia Pacific College.
Now, I will begin the first phase of this "all-out assault" which is Stocking.
This first phase will be done mostly in the comfort of my own room where I would mostly research and watch videos of good and exceptional public speakers (excluding Hitler, of course) like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, and many more. I will watch videos of public speakers who competed in the ESU Public Speaking Competition from 2011 to 2015. I will learn their various styles, accents, stresses, postures, and ways of delivery.
The second phase is Applying.
In this phase, I will practice night and day in order to apply the lessons I have learned from my previous phase. I will apply their postures, hand gestures, ways of delivery, and more. It is going to be hard to see if I properly applied what I have learned because I have no one to check if I have applied my skills correctly. Still, I am sure that I can learn and apply lessons on my own.
The third phase is Presenting.
In this final phase, I will showcase the lessons I have learned from my previous phases and I will present them in a last-minute effort to turn back the tide and to show that I have what it takes to be a good public speaker. I will speak up for the times when I did not speak up in high school. My voice shall resonate through the walls of whatever room I am presenting in with courage and, most importantly, with a burning passion for public speaking.
I know this is just my first term in Asia Pacific College and at APC Speaks and all, but hey, this is my way to end one glorious and magnificent term—a term that I am sure will make my college life more memorable and much more valuable than my old high school life. You know what they say, "If you're going to end something right, end it with a bang."
Wish me luck on these next few weeks as these will be the first critical weeks of my life at Asia Pacific College.
That is what happened to me earlier when I was giving a speech about my moment of epiphany in front of my fellow members of APC Speaks. I was embarrassed and, after my speech, a lingering taste of disappointment was in my mouth. The feedback on my speech was generally good, they said that my voice modulation was fine, but my only problem was my speech itself as it lacked a proper structure. To tell you the truth, IT DID lack a proper structure because it was not good enough.
On my way home, I thought of nothing but improving my speech-writing skills after realizing that my performance—both in hosting and delivering a prepared speech—was "mediocre" or, should I say, "lackluster" as I had not lived up to my own expectation.
I guess that is the way the cookie crumbles. No worries, everyone makes mistakes and, because of my failure earlier, I decided to improve more—to improve my skills in public speaking.
The end of my all-English term is near and there is a myriad of activities in store for my finals. For one, they have the IGNITE competition (I heard that the word "ignite" should be capitalized, though I could be wrong) and we also have this speech exercise competition-thing for my Public Speaking 2 class. The top 5 or so would compete in a school competition, so I heard. Lastly, I have a speech choir competition that I have to join with my blockmates in SS151. Truth be told, I would rather do the IGNITE and my Public Speaking 2 competition instead of the speech choir.
So, what does this have to do with my "failed" presentation earlier? Well, for finals week and for APC Speaks, I have to fire on all cylinders. I will really devote most of my time improving my public speaking skills in order to compete in the IGNITE and to compete for my Public Speaking 2 competition. Lastly, I plan to give 110% of my performance to APC Speaks—my only organization in Asia Pacific College.
Now, I will begin the first phase of this "all-out assault" which is Stocking.
This first phase will be done mostly in the comfort of my own room where I would mostly research and watch videos of good and exceptional public speakers (excluding Hitler, of course) like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, and many more. I will watch videos of public speakers who competed in the ESU Public Speaking Competition from 2011 to 2015. I will learn their various styles, accents, stresses, postures, and ways of delivery.
The second phase is Applying.
In this phase, I will practice night and day in order to apply the lessons I have learned from my previous phase. I will apply their postures, hand gestures, ways of delivery, and more. It is going to be hard to see if I properly applied what I have learned because I have no one to check if I have applied my skills correctly. Still, I am sure that I can learn and apply lessons on my own.
The third phase is Presenting.
In this final phase, I will showcase the lessons I have learned from my previous phases and I will present them in a last-minute effort to turn back the tide and to show that I have what it takes to be a good public speaker. I will speak up for the times when I did not speak up in high school. My voice shall resonate through the walls of whatever room I am presenting in with courage and, most importantly, with a burning passion for public speaking.
I know this is just my first term in Asia Pacific College and at APC Speaks and all, but hey, this is my way to end one glorious and magnificent term—a term that I am sure will make my college life more memorable and much more valuable than my old high school life. You know what they say, "If you're going to end something right, end it with a bang."
Wish me luck on these next few weeks as these will be the first critical weeks of my life at Asia Pacific College.
