Conclusion

This semester is a semester I will never forget. Coming from high school to college and adjusting to the work load, total independence, and a brand new environment, is an experience I will never be able to relive. I have made new friendships I know will last a lifetime and have learned lessons on how to use my best judgement in critical situations. Rhetoric and Composition was one of my favorite courses due to all of the pointers I learned and many rules that put me on the right road to becoming a better writer. I loved writing these blogs throughout the year to give me a little escape from the original black and white college curriculum. My first semester of college definitely pushed me to my limits  and showed me what I am capable of mentally and emotionally. I am very excited to see what the rest of my college career has in store for me.

Public Speaking After Presentation

I know I have the ability to make public announcements,but it is always a little nerve racking just the thought of messing up in front of an audience. I know I tend to work myself up over things like presentations, and then once I am actually presenting in fron of the class, I realize it is not as bad as I expected it to be. I was just talking to my classmates about what my final paper was about. No one is perfect, so I did stumble over a couple words and talked a little fast, but it was almost as if I was having a conversation with my friends. I enjoyed watching Leah's presentation the most because of course being a girl I was a big fan of Barbie and my mother also had a Chatty Kathy doll. I loved how she interviewed her mother and she talked about her childhood with Chatty Kathy. Leah's presentation was original and very well done.

Oral Presentations

Public speaking has never come across as one of my biggest fears, but it has certainly made me nervous especially before final presentations. Little things I tend to worry about like mispronouncing words, stuttering, and forgetting important information. A tendency I have had in the past in high school is crossing my feet and moving around a lot during my presentation, which can be very distracting for the audience and the teacher trying to give me a grade. I have also had trouble with eye contact in the past, I wouldeither look at my note cards or stare at the powerpoint or even at the ground at times. Two ways i can get over the fear of presenting would be to simply read over my material repeatedly and practice over and over again. Another way to fix my eye contact issue would be to pick something to keep my focus on either the back wall or a person I can continuously glance at to keep me on track.