Spencer+H’s+Final+AmEx+2013+Speech

=Title of Speech= Irrational Fear of Public Speaking

=Text of Speech= Everyone has a fear of something, some fears are more common than others. Arachnophobia for example, because what sane person isn't horrified by spiders. Many people are also afraid of heights (Acrophobia), public places (agoraphobia), dogs (cynophobia), blood (blood-injection-injury phobia), flying (Aerophobia), falling (falling phobia), small places (claustrophobia), and public speaking. Many of these make sense in one way or another, but not public speaking. Why are so many people afraid to talk in front of their peers? Now don't get me wrong, I am certainly one of these people. But why? Many people who don't like talking in front of the class or meeting whatever it may be are at the same time comfortable talking to the same group of people in a casual setting, and to me that just makes no sense. But once again I am one of these people. As many of you know I am comfortable talking about, well just about anything to pretty much anyone, so why the hell am I so damn nervous? Why am I bright red while my heart is pounding through my chest because I hate speaking in front of people only to tell people no one should reasonably be afraid to speak in front of other people? ... what? This fear that many of us have makes no sense, for we are all very capable to articulate clearly what we are trying to say in an educated way, if we would just relax.

People are afraid of public speaking for different reasons, some fear failure, others are full of self doubt, some even fear being judged. Well as far as failure goes the wise words of Wayne Gretzky may be helpful, "you miss a hundred percent of the shots you dont take yada yada yada". To those who doubt themselves, others will only doubt you if you doubt yourself so just don't do it, easy. And if you are afraid of people judging you I assure you someone is always judging you wherever you are so speaking in front of people is no different. There are also many tips and tricks to fight the fear of public speaking such as don't expect perfection. This can be helpful to many who feel the need to memorize every word forward and back, but that isn't necessary, just relax and talk. Or more commonly known, "imagine the audience in their underwear", but I prefer to see most of you in your clothes, thank you. Another tip, "avoid equating public speaking to your self-worth. Yes, don't do this, just know if you mess up during a speech you're a worthless moron who will never amount anything. It is my belief that being able to confidently talk in front of people is a very important skill that everyone should have. It should be so common it would not be thought of as a skill but rather just as talking normally. In the America I would like to grow up in, I would like to see schools centered around speeches and essays more than multiple choice tests and busy work. This would help students become more comfortable speaking to crowds of people. Never in life do we need to know that "C" is the best bubble to answer if you have to guess. On the other hand, it is useful to know how to improvise if you ever find yourself in a position where you forgot what your are talking about in front of a crowd. Just think back through history, almost every greatly influential person can deliver a powerful speech. Whether it be Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, or even Hitler. Some very notable moving speeches have come from recent years, like President Obama's speech demanding Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall, or Bill Clinton's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner". In all seriousness I would like a future America where there is no such thing as a fear of public speaking. An America where people voice there opinions not only anonymously over the internet but also confidently in front of a crowd. So I'll end with a quote from Jerry Seinfeld, "I read a thing that actually says that speaking in front of a crowd is considered the number one fear of the average person. I found that amazing – number two was death! **That means to the average person if you have to be at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”**

=Cite Your Sources= My vast personal knowledge