Before giving my persuasive speech, I was more nervous than usual. I was giving this speech to an unfamiliar audience, in an unfamiliar setting, without my teacher. I had no idea what to expect. I pictured the speaking center being in more of an auditorium setting, being busy, and having a large audience. It ended up being in a small class room, and it was completely empty. I sat down and after a couple minutes, a teacher came in and talked to me. She was very nice, but it was discouraging to have only her to present my speech to.
I gave two speeches at once, starting with my toast speech because it was shorter. I was far more uncomfortable giving this speech because I still wasn't comfortable in the speaking center. But after receiving positive feedback from the instructor, I started giving my second speech and calmed down considerably. It was much easier the second time around.
After giving my speeches, I felt confident that I had done an okay job, because the instructor gave me nothing but positive feedback. I still feel like I have tons of room for improvement because I still have anxiety at the thought of having to give a speech, but the teacher's seemingly genuine interest and full attention to my speeches was very helpful, and I think not having an audience or too big of a setting also helped me to feel more relaxed.
