I Never Expected Public Speaking To Come That Easy

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I wasn't a timid kid but I wasn't part of the cool kids that danced in the choreography at school functions (have my dancing skills been that bad since I was little??🀧). But there was one thing I could do: sing. I've been singing before Kings and Queens since I was as little as 7 πŸ˜ŽπŸ˜‚. I was a part of my school cultural team and at a point I became the leader and brought home spoils of victory from the money they showered us (literally) while we sang and danced for them.

What I didn't expect was to be chosen for the first debate in my school when I was in Basic 6. Several weeks we had been having mock debates in my class; I remember a friend of mine who said "before I prospone" (he meant proceed)πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ€£, I feared for him that day because our teacher was there with his vicious looking cane, but even the teacher was in stitches with laughter. I didn't smash my presentation but I did it alright, anything to avoid Mr. Iyawe's cane.

When I was chosen, I had a fit of anxiety, what if I see the crowd and lose my voice, what if I forget my point, what if..., there were so many doubts in my mind but I could not back out, I was to lead my class and that was it. I don't know why I forget little important details but I know the topic was something about technology.

The day came, I tried to look less like a rogue for the debateπŸ˜‚. When the time came, the school gathered and debate started. I didn't know how I fared that day but in everything I was doing I was very much conscious of my environment. I read the body language of the judges, I read the faces of the crowd, I observed my supporting speaker was shaking badly and I knew I had to leverage on the nervousness of my opposing colleagues to win, I was a natural. My mum was working in the school at the time so it was quite comforting seeing her face in the crowd.

The debate was uneventful for me, but we won. That was huge, the school was in an uproar (they would have been anyway, even if the opposing team won). And that was my first debate / public speaking event.

I realized that I actually enjoyed the nervous feeling followed by the boldness that comes when you step up to speak. And that was just the beginning of my public speaking journey. In Seconday school, I was part of the literary and debate team and mhen I totally enjoyed it.
Coincidentally, I once came for a debate in my present department and school, I never knew I'd come back to be a student of that same department.

The highlight of being a part of the literary and debate team was the fact that I skipped classes πŸ˜‚, I enjoyed anything that would make me skip classes (both legitimate and otherwise 🀣) and of course the incentives. The school provided us with allowance for transport and snacks every time we represented the school at any competition, and, we never lost one. I was the assistant debater and a friend of mine was the main speaker. When her workload got too much, I had to take over as the main speaker and trained a junior student to take over as the assistant speaker.

Over the years, I've participated in many public speaking activities and even represented my department in another tertiary institution sometime last year.

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My cameraman didn't do a great jobπŸ˜‚

How Has It Helped Me?

  • Public speaking has definitely impacted my reasoning. When you speak before an audience, you tend to be more objective in your thinking because you want to consider the different mindsets present in your audience and this has helped in my relation with people generally.

  • It has made me friends. In my first year in university, I was to represent my group in a presentation, one of my group members was determined to bring me down 😏 and frustrate me. At the time, I preferred to be quiet and let her take the reins but some of my group members would not have it. That single act of camaraderie endeared me to them. Most of my friends today are those people and their friends, it formed a bond between us even when I wasn't looking to make any friends.

  • Through public speaking, I have been on several stages. And for each stage, the audience has been relatively different. This has made me relate with different people from different strata.

  • I have earned certificates from participating in different public speaking activities, though they seem insignificant to me sometimes, they aggregate and prove my experience in public speaking which can be very relevant to me in the future.

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With these points of mine, I hope I've been able to confuse and convince you (@monioluwa, 2022) that even you're not sure or confident of your skills, try new things, they might resonate with your innate abilities.

Thanks for visiting my blog, you rock πŸ”₯❀.



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14 comments
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confuse and convince

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
This is really lovely, public speaking goals.
I admire those people that are bold and speak so well in public just that if it's too long I will not follow to the place where the person is going πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

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πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ I know right? Those events can be tiring.

Thanks for reading through πŸ€—

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Omo see as you stand gallant like lieutenant. I haven't been a good public speaker, ever. I remembered doing one particular defense and I f'ed up big time, people laughed at me πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚. Well-done, it's in you. Plus with the way I'm seeing your poise, you killed that event. Your black self was radiating from far..

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Wow and you write so well!

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ oh no. I bet it wasn't so funny to you that time, good you can laugh now🀣🀣

Thank you very much πŸ₯°. Yes o, we nailed it😌

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Everytime I go for debate in secondary school, my friends always say it is as if I am fighting with everybody. That the way my gesture was, they would be saying "Shey na fight"... I always feel tensed when in front of crowds, and I had stage fright (which I don't have any more) but I try to be hard within in other not to break in front of everybody. Maybe that's why my gestures were like that.

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I can absolutely relate πŸ’―. My friends even said I insulted everyone when I did GNS presentation in 100L, not my fault though, they weren't responding to my questionsπŸ˜‚. I think it just gets better with practice. With time you loosen up and even learn to make jokes.

You don turn pro now 😁 πŸ™ŒπŸΎ

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Wow wow. I'm not much of a public speaker, but I can certainly be confident in one if necessary. I admire people who can debate in front of large crowds with ease. Of course, it really is not all that effortless. You still get those mixed signals in your nervous system, but you handle them just fine.

Clearly, it's innate for you, as you enjoy the thrills. I am not sure I can debate to save my own life.

I had no idea that people still did debates at universities. But thinking about it now, I may have once heard about the school and its events in other schools in games like chess and other things like debates. I only played chess.

Being able to use words effectively is something that you seem to be a natural at. I had to open my dictionary for some words in our post. And then your writing is so cool; it's very engaging. You really should write more. I am sure you enjoy doing so (well, I'm not sure, actually).

And then, accolades to you (you already have them) for the many awards you have achieved just from public speaking.

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I am not sure I can debate to save my own life.

Come onπŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚. I'm sure you'd do just fine.

Well, it wasn't exactly a debate, it was more like a speaking competition. And you play chess? That's cool🀭, maybe you can teach me how to.

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚, thanks anyway and I'll plan on that. Thank you very much πŸ€—πŸ€—β€οΈ

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I started public speaking a bit late. That was when I got into Network Marketing, I had to learn it seeing as it was an important part of the job. And that skill has stuck with me ever since.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

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I'm sure it was a breeze through for you, you sure have a great personality 😊.

Thanks for reading through 😊❀️

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Looks like you too were about to say

"I hope I ve been able to confuse you and not confuse you" πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

Omo.. good morning my judges, accurate time keepers, co debater and my "fellow" listeners.. πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

I m here to challenge... Criticize,and put to you that bla bla bla..

Wow . You remind of a lot..

I was also surmmoned back in school for an impromptu speech.. that was my first.. it was on the assembly ground ..Omo.. how I prayed that day ehn.. like say I go die..

But the story has been different.. I jump at it easily now, I think it just makes me be versatile and can speak on most subjects at any time.

All the best in your speaking careers.. hehe..
Great post.

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πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ€£ yeahh, forgive my blunder there (so many blunders we make when speaking and only remember laterπŸ˜‚).

🀣🀣 I know right??

Yeah, it helps especially, if you can relate on with so many topics and some things are just pure logic. You never know what's coming at you next.

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ thank youuuπŸ€—β€

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