One of my mannerisms that I have always been self-conscious of is the way I speak. I am a very animated speaker. I bob my head, making facial expressions, and use many gestures to convey my meaning. Sometimes I feel as if I am acting like one of those “popular” girls on television shows that people look at in negative ways. I do this unconsciously and do not mean anything by it. I am also afraid of saying something incorrectly or unclear and being looked at in a weird way. Like everyone else, I want to fit in, but I am afraid that when I speak in front of people I will say or do something wrong and the group will not accept me. This has resulted in me becoming a very antisocial and quiet person.
Aristotle coined a persuasive concept called the three artistic proofs: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. This concept is widely used in persuasive speaking. Ethos includes convincing an audience that you are a credible speaker and you are presenting credible content, pathos includes using emotional appeal to persuade an audience, and logos includes appealing to the logic or reasoning of a topic ( Examples of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos," n.d.). My fear when speaking relates to the proof, ethos. For example, I was given the opportunity to speak to a group of grant recipients at the University of South Carolina Lancaster about hypertension and the benefits of exercise. When presenting my PowerPoint and speaking to this audience, I used the concept pathos by explaining the negative outcomes of untreated hypertension such as death and cited some statistics to support these outcomes. I also used the concept logos by using logical explanations of why this disease is so harmful to the body if not treated properly. I was more concerned about using ethos and speaking in a way I would be understood and saying everything correctly without directly reading off a PowerPoint slide. I used many terms such as saturated fats, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, and hypertrophy. I had to find a way to clearly explain these terms so the audience would understand the material. If I am
My freshman year of college I decided to join the USCL Research Club. I thought this would be a great opportunity for me and I would not have to speak in front of a group. I went to watch all the research speakers and participated in as much as I could. I really enjoyed being a part of this organization, but one day there was a meeting where the advisors took nominations for officer positions. I did not know that a bunch of my classmates in the club wrote my name down. I got an email from Dr. Easley, one of the Research Club advisors, about being nominated by students and asking if I was interested. I knew that this leadership position would look great on resumes and graduate school applications, but I did not want to have to talk to and lead a large group of people. As I pondered this opportunity, I decided that going into the nursing profession I would need speaking skills to communicate with my patients and colleagues on a daily basis. I decided to run for the position and was elected. As an officer I was responsible for welcoming club members, speaking during group meetings, and introducing guest speakers. After a semester of conducting these officer duties, I began to realize that maybe speaking to others is not as horrible as I have always anticipated it to be. I had decided that my fear of speaking in front of people was excessive and that no one pays that close of attention to the things I notice when I speak. In reality, people are more concerned about the content I am sharing.
As part of the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN), I was required to take a Public Speaking (SPCH 140) class. As an assignment, we had to write an outline for an informative speech and deliver the speech to the class. If the speech was not between five and a half minutes and six minutes then we would fail the assignment. I was very nervous to speak in front of a very strict teacher and a large class with no one I knew previously. After my speech, the professor called all of the students into the classroom individually. When it was my turn the professor gave me many praises for my speaking ability. He said that my only problem was that I crossed my legs while standing and swayed back and forth. He also gave me other good advice to practice during my next speech and he gave me a 95 on my speech. Our second speech assignment was a persuasive speech. During my speech, I had to consciously make sure I did not sway but I did realize that speaking during my second assignment I was more comfortable than I was during my first assignment. After I gave my speech the professor called me into the room and stated that he loved my speech and that it was very interesting. He gave me a 99 because “nobody ever has a perfect speech.”
During my first year of college, Dr. Catledge who was my teacher mentor of a BSN research project I participated in, asked me to speak at USC Lancaster’s Celebration of Research and Productive Scholarship event about my research experience. I agreed and was actually excited to share with faculty and students at USC Lancaster about how engaging in research had positively impacted my life. I spoke about how being involved in research has helped me learn how to interact with younger students such as the middle school band participants. I also learned how to interact with people who are going through nursing school like me. I have gained relationships with these nursing students and with the nursing advisors as well. During the speech, I felt more confident than I ever have speaking to a large group of people. These roles have helped me prepare for my career as a nurse and helped me develop useful speaking skills.
Another responsibility I have being an officer of the research club is presenting my own research to interested faculty, staff, and students on campus during a Research Club meeting. During my sophomore year of college, I have been working on research to determine whether Body Mass Index (BMI) is an accurate measure of “obesity status” with its little regard to visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and total body fat. After completing the study and designing a presentation poster I presented to and answered questions during a club meeting. I am also required to present my research at Discover USC to people I have never met or seen before. I am very nervous, but any presenting opportunity I have will contribute to my confidence in speaking to a group of people and be a positive experience for getting over my fear of speaking.
As my speech professor stated before every assignment, it is in the human nature to be nervous when giving a speech; it is normal. Despite how scary public speaking can be, it is such an important skill to have. Having these skills are important and helpful for education and career advancement. For example, when I become a nurse practitioner and work in an emergency room I will have to be able to communicate and speak to patients, patient families, and other people on the care team. I will have to learn how to speak credibly so the non-health professionals can understand what I am saying, but to also be able to properly communicate with the care team to reduce medical error. As I progress in my professional career I also plan on continuing my research. If I collect data and find something remarkable about the healthcare field, I will have to present to a large group of professionals one day. These are a few examples as to why it was important for me to overcome my fear of speaking and how my college and research journey contributed to my progress today.
Overcoming Your Fear of Speaking
1. Beck, V. (n.d.). Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Triangle [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://msbecksnewsletter.blogspot.com/2014/03/ehthos-pathos-logos.html
2. Examples of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-ethos-logos-and-pathos.html
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Beck, V. (n.d.). Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Triangle [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://msbecksnewsletter.blogspot.com/2014/03/ehthos-pathos-logos.html
unable to clearly explain something, it might sound like I do not understand the material either. Also, I was very nervous that I would be presented a question that I did not know how to answer. Basically, I was afraid the participants would think I did not know what I was presenting them and that I was not a credible speaker. Luckily, I have had many college experiences that have really helped me learn how to present a proper public speech and develop confidence in my speaking abilities.
Pictured is me presenting my Acess Grant presentation. I was able to teach Lancaster community members about the disease, hypertension and how it can be prevented/managed.
Pictured above, I am speaking at the Celebration of Research event at USCL about how research has impacted me in many positive ways.
Photo credit: Shana Dry
Pictured above are Dr. Catledge, some research assistants, and I listening to another speaker at the Celebration of Research event.
Photo credit: Shana Dry
Pictured above, I am presenting my VAT research findings to faculty and students during a research club meetings.
