The impromptu speech practice session was definitely an eye-opener for me. I can definitely sense that I can't talk about a topic that I either do not care strongly for, or disagree with in reality!
I really loved speaking about the exploitative credit card companies, but when it came to defending my years at Hopkins- I shut down. Hopefully, I will get a topic that I will be interested in talking about. When I gave the impromtu speech about the credit card companies, I thought I did well in delivering my message clearly and connecting with the audience. I know that using examples from my own mistakes with credit cards let the audience feel less like I was lecturing them on financial responsibility and feel more like I was keeping them aware of the topic through my experiences. I also was more comfortable and could keep myself organized while I was giving my speech.
However, when it came to talking about why someone should come to Hopkins, I know I had a difficult time. I need to practice being able to keep my personal emotions separate from a speech, especially if it's required of me to defend the topic against my will. I sensed that I said 'UM' a lot more in this second speech because I needed to think about what I wanted to say as I was presenting. Although my experience at Hopkins wasn't the perfect nor ideal college experience, I should be able to carry out a message that is necessary to carry out with certain audiences. It would be horribly offensive if I said everything on my mind regardless of who my listeners were! I sincerely hope that I will be able to control my genuine feelings and stay more neutral even though I may not necessarily agree with what I am obliged to say in the future.
Hopefully, the graded impromptu speech this Wednesday will be an improvement since I am aware of how I react to different topics!
Your insights about your personal anecdotes about credit cards were right on the money.
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