essay about speaking

Career Advice

Ready, Set, Speak

By Aisha Langford

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Public speaking is a critical, but often underdeveloped, skill among higher education professionals. Your ability to convey ideas with confidence and clarity is essential for articulating the importance of your research, getting buy-in for your projects and obtaining funding from sponsors.

Many people are afraid of public speaking. They think that effective public speakers are “naturals” who were born with strong oratory skills. Luckily, it is practice and not genetics that will make you a better public speaker. With practice and a few tips, you can improve your skills in a relatively short amount of time. This article will discuss five tips to becoming a better public speaker.

WAIT Method

WAIT stands for Why Am I Talking ? Before you jump right into making Powerpoint slides or writing a speech, take some time to think about why you’re speaking and what you want the audience to remember. That is, begin with the end in mind (habit number two from Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ). For example, pick three things you want people to take away from your presentation and then work backward. A clear understanding of your end goal will keep your thoughts cohesive as you prepare. More details can be found on Loren Ekroth’s webpage .

10/20/30 Rule

Introduced by the entrepreneur, author and speaker Guy Kawasaki, the general idea behind the 10/20/30 rule is that your Powerpoint presentations for most talks should:

Have only 10 slides
Last no more than 20 minutes
Use 30 point font or greater so the audience can actually read your slides.

Keep in mind that these guidelines were created with the business community in mind and may not always apply to academic situations (e.g., dissertation defenses). However, it’s worth noting that our attention spans are short. There’s nothing worse than listening to a talk that goes on and on, or seeing slides that you can’t read.

Content Over Medium

The content of your presentation is far more important than fancy slides without substance. Powerpoint is a wonderful tool; however, it isn’t a requirement for effective presentations. Let’s repeat. Powerpoint isn’t a requirement for effective presentations.

Sometimes speaking without Powerpoint slides is even more effective and engaging. This may be especially true if you’re sharing aspects about your life (e.g., how you landed in higher education) or giving a motivational speech.

Unfortunately, Powerpoint is often used as a script instead of the visual aid tool it was designed to be. Using the analogy of a music concert, you are the lead singer and Powerpoint is your backup singers -- there to support you, but not the main focus. You are the show.

If you choose to use Powerpoint slides, avoid common Powerpoint mistakes like reading every slide and presenting crowded tables. Your audience will thank you.

Control the Controllables

The marketing and management consultant Somers White once said, “90 percent of how well the talk will go is determined before the speaker steps on the platform.” Reduce your public speaking anxiety by following these steps:

Organize your thoughts. This blueprint for a presentation by Eleni Kelakos is a good guide.
Decide which format is best (Powerpoint, no slides and/or paper handouts).
Practice by yourself and refine.
Practice in front of others and refine.
Time yourself. Staying within allotted time limits is crucial.
Decide what you’re going to wear. Be comfortable, but look professional.

If possible, practice in the room where you’ll be speaking. Test the equipment to make sure it works. If using your own laptop, remember to bring your charger and adapters. This is especially true for Mac users. Also ask about:

Wireless clickers
Laser pointers
Internet connections
Sound system
Microphones

Speaking of microphones, please use one if you’ll be in a large room. As we present, our voices get tired. Tiredness makes it hard to project our voices to the back of the room. If people can’t hear you, then you’ve missed an important opportunity and wasted everyone’s time, including yours. Lastly, if you have interactive exercises or surveys that require writing, be sure to bring pens.

Body Language and Other Distractions

A few years ago, I attended a job talk. The candidate -- we'll call him John -- had great training and an interesting program of research. Unfortunately, all I remember about John’s talk is that he spoke too fast, fidgeted a lot and rambled during the Q and A. He didn’t seem prepared, and he didn’t get the job. The selected candidate was probably a better fit overall for the department. However, I still wonder if John’s poor public speaking skills were a factor in the final decision.

Keep these things in mind when you’re giving presentations:

Make good eye contact and scan the room. Force yourself to look to the left, center and right portions of the room.
Eliminate filler words like um and ah . Take a pause instead.
Reduce excessive hand movements, including taking your hands in and out of pockets.
Try not to sway or rock in place.

Finally, it’s okay to move around the stage and interact with the audience. If you do so, use a wireless microphone so the audience can hear you.

For more information on public speaking, check out Toastmasters International , a nonprofit organization focused on public speaking and leadership development. If you own a smartphone, this article, Fearless Public Speaking: 6 Apps to Help You Prepare for Presentations (pages 46 and 47), may also be helpful.

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1.1 Why Is Public Speaking Important?

Learning objectives.

Explore three types of public speaking in everyday life: informative, persuasive, and entertaining.
Understand the benefits of taking a course in public speaking.
Explain the benefits people get from engaging in public speaking.

Christian Pierret – Leader – CC BY 2.0.

In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with messages both good and bad. No matter where you live, where you work or go to school, or what kinds of media you use, you are probably exposed to hundreds. if not thousands, of advertising messages every day. Researcher Norman W. Edmund estimates that by 2020 the amount of knowledge in the world will double every seventy-three days (Edmund, 2005). Because we live in a world where we are overwhelmed with content, communicating information in a way that is accessible to others is more important today than ever before. To help us further understand why public speaking is important, we will first examine public speaking in everyday life. We will then discuss how public speaking can benefit you personally.

Everyday Public Speaking

Every single day people across the United States and around the world stand up in front of some kind of audience and speak. In fact, there’s even a monthly publication that reproduces some of the top speeches from around the United States called Vital Speeches of the Day ( http://www.vsotd.com ). Although public speeches are of various types, they can generally be grouped into three categories based on their intended purpose: informative, persuasive, and entertaining.

Informative Speaking

One of the most common types of public speaking is informative speaking . The primary purpose of informative presentations is to share one’s knowledge of a subject with an audience. Reasons for making an informative speech vary widely. For example, you might be asked to instruct a group of coworkers on how to use new computer software or to report to a group of managers how your latest project is coming along. A local community group might wish to hear about your volunteer activities in New Orleans during spring break, or your classmates may want you to share your expertise on Mediterranean cooking. What all these examples have in common is the goal of imparting information to an audience.

Informative speaking is integrated into many different occupations. Physicians often lecture about their areas of expertise to medical students, other physicians, and patients. Teachers find themselves presenting to parents as well as to their students. Firefighters give demonstrations about how to effectively control a fire in the house. Informative speaking is a common part of numerous jobs and other everyday activities. As a result, learning how to speak effectively has become an essential skill in today’s world.

Persuasive Speaking

A second common reason for speaking to an audience is to persuade others. In our everyday lives, we are often called on to convince, motivate, or otherwise persuade others to change their beliefs, take an action, or reconsider a decision. Advocating for music education in your local school district, convincing clients to purchase your company’s products, or inspiring high school students to attend college all involve influencing other people through public speaking.

For some people, such as elected officials, giving persuasive speeches is a crucial part of attaining and continuing career success. Other people make careers out of speaking to groups of people who pay to listen to them. Motivational authors and speakers, such as Les Brown ( http://www.lesbrown.com ), make millions of dollars each year from people who want to be motivated to do better in their lives. Brian Tracy, another professional speaker and author, specializes in helping business leaders become more productive and effective in the workplace ( http://www.briantracy.com ).

Whether public speaking is something you do every day or just a few times a year, persuading others is a challenging task. If you develop the skill to persuade effectively, it can be personally and professionally rewarding.

Entertaining Speaking

Entertaining speaking involves an array of speaking occasions ranging from introductions to wedding toasts, to presenting and accepting awards, to delivering eulogies at funerals and memorial services in addition to after-dinner speeches and motivational speeches. Entertaining speaking has been important since the time of the ancient Greeks, when Aristotle identified epideictic speaking (speaking in a ceremonial context) as an important type of address. As with persuasive and informative speaking, there are professionals, from religious leaders to comedians, who make a living simply from delivering entertaining speeches. As anyone who has watched an awards show on television or has seen an incoherent best man deliver a wedding toast can attest, speaking to entertain is a task that requires preparation and practice to be effective.

Personal Benefits of Public Speaking

Oral communication skills were the number one skill that college graduates found useful in the business world, according to a study by sociologist Andrew Zekeri (Zekeri, 2004). That fact alone makes learning about public speaking worthwhile. However, there are many other benefits of communicating effectively for the hundreds of thousands of college students every year who take public speaking courses. Let’s take a look at some of the personal benefits you’ll get both from a course in public speaking and from giving public speeches.

Benefits of Public Speaking Courses

In addition to learning the process of creating and delivering an effective speech, students of public speaking leave the class with a number of other benefits as well. Some of these benefits include

developing critical thinking skills,
fine-tuning verbal and nonverbal skills,
overcoming fear of public speaking.

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

One of the very first benefits you will gain from your public speaking course is an increased ability to think critically. Problem solving is one of many critical thinking skills you will engage in during this course. For example, when preparing a persuasive speech, you’ll have to think through real problems affecting your campus, community, or the world and provide possible solutions to those problems. You’ll also have to think about the positive and negative consequences of your solutions and then communicate your ideas to others. At first, it may seem easy to come up with solutions for a campus problem such as a shortage of parking spaces: just build more spaces. But after thinking and researching further you may find out that building costs, environmental impact from loss of green space, maintenance needs, or limited locations for additional spaces make this solution impractical. Being able to think through problems and analyze the potential costs and benefits of solutions is an essential part of critical thinking and of public speaking aimed at persuading others. These skills will help you not only in public speaking contexts but throughout your life as well. As we stated earlier, college graduates in Zekeri’s study rated oral communication skills as the most useful for success in the business world. The second most valuable skill they reported was problem-solving ability, so your public speaking course is doubly valuable!

Another benefit to public speaking is that it will enhance your ability to conduct and analyze research. Public speakers must provide credible evidence within their speeches if they are going to persuade various audiences. So your public speaking course will further refine your ability to find and utilize a range of sources.

Fine-Tuning Verbal and Nonverbal Skills

A second benefit of taking a public speaking course is that it will help you fine-tune your verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Whether you competed in public speaking in high school or this is your first time speaking in front of an audience, having the opportunity to actively practice communication skills and receive professional feedback will help you become a better overall communicator. Often, people don’t even realize that they twirl their hair or repeatedly mispronounce words while speaking in public settings until they receive feedback from a teacher during a public speaking course. People around the United States will often pay speech coaches over one hundred dollars per hour to help them enhance their speaking skills. You have a built-in speech coach right in your classroom, so it is to your advantage to use the opportunity to improve your verbal and nonverbal communication skills.

Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

An additional benefit of taking a public speaking class is that it will help reduce your fear of public speaking. Whether they’ve spoken in public a lot or are just getting started, most people experience some anxiety when engaging in public speaking. Heidi Rose and Andrew Rancer evaluated students’ levels of public speaking anxiety during both the first and last weeks of their public speaking class and found that those levels decreased over the course of the semester (Rose & Rancer, 1993). One explanation is that people often have little exposure to public speaking. By taking a course in public speaking, students become better acquainted with the public speaking process, making them more confident and less apprehensive. In addition, you will learn specific strategies for overcoming the challenges of speech anxiety. We will discuss this topic in greater detail in Chapter 3 “Speaking Confidently” .

Benefits of Engaging in Public Speaking

Once you’ve learned the basic skills associated with public speaking, you’ll find that being able to effectively speak in public has profound benefits, including

influencing the world around you,
developing leadership skills,
becoming a thought leader.

Influencing the World around You

If you don’t like something about your local government, then speak out about your issue! One of the best ways to get our society to change is through the power of speech. Common citizens in the United States and around the world, like you, are influencing the world in real ways through the power of speech. Just type the words “citizens speak out” in a search engine and you’ll find numerous examples of how common citizens use the power of speech to make real changes in the world—for example, by speaking out against “fracking” for natural gas (a process in which chemicals are injected into rocks in an attempt to open them up for fast flow of natural gas or oil) or in favor of retaining a popular local sheriff. One of the amazing parts of being a citizen in a democracy is the right to stand up and speak out, which is a luxury many people in the world do not have. So if you don’t like something, be the force of change you’re looking for through the power of speech.

Developing Leadership Skills

Have you ever thought about climbing the corporate ladder and eventually finding yourself in a management or other leadership position? If so, then public speaking skills are very important. Hackman and Johnson assert that effective public speaking skills are a necessity for all leaders (Hackman & Johnson, 2004). If you want people to follow you, you have to communicate effectively and clearly what followers should do. According to Bender, “Powerful leadership comes from knowing what matters to you. Powerful presentations come from expressing this effectively. It’s important to develop both” (Bender, 1998). One of the most important skills for leaders to develop is their public speaking skills, which is why executives spend millions of dollars every year going to public speaking workshops; hiring public speaking coaches; and buying public speaking books, CDs, and DVDs.

Becoming a Thought Leader

Even if you are not in an official leadership position, effective public speaking can help you become a “ thought leader .” Joel Kurtzman, editor of Strategy & Business , coined this term to call attention to individuals who contribute new ideas to the world of business. According to business consultant Ken Lizotte, “when your colleagues, prospects, and customers view you as one very smart guy or gal to know, then you’re a thought leader” (Lizotte, 2008). Typically, thought leaders engage in a range of behaviors, including enacting and conducting research on business practices. To achieve thought leader status, individuals must communicate their ideas to others through both writing and public speaking. Lizotte demonstrates how becoming a thought leader can be personally and financially rewarding at the same time: when others look to you as a thought leader, you will be more desired and make more money as a result. Business gurus often refer to “intellectual capital,” or the combination of your knowledge and ability to communicate that knowledge to others (Lizotte, 2008). Whether standing before a group of executives discussing the next great trend in business or delivering a webinar (a seminar over the web), thought leaders use public speaking every day to create the future that the rest of us live in.

Key Takeaways

People have many reasons for engaging in public speaking, but the skills necessary for public speaking are applicable whether someone is speaking for informative, persuasive, or entertainment reasons.
Taking a public speaking class will improve your speaking skills, help you be a more critical thinker, fine-tune your verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and help you overcome public speaking anxiety.
Effective public speaking skills have many direct benefits for the individual speaker, including influencing the world around you, developing leadership skills, and becoming a go-to person for ideas and solutions.
Talk to people who are currently working in the career you hope to pursue. Of the three types of public speaking discussed in the text, which do they use most commonly use in their work?
Read one of the free speeches available at http://www.vsotd.com . What do you think the speaker was trying to accomplish? What was her or his reason for speaking?
Which personal benefit are you most interested in receiving from a public speaking class? Why?

Bender, P. U. (1998). Stand, deliver and lead. Ivey Business Journal , 62 (3), 46–47.

Edmund, N. W. (2005). End the biggest educational and intellectual blunder in history: A $100,000 challenge to our top educational leaders . Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Scientific Method Publishing Co.

Hackman, M. Z., & Johnson, C. E. (2004). Leadership: A communication perspective (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland.

Lizotte, K. (2008). The expert’s edge: Become the go-to authority people turn to every time [Kindle 2 version]. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved from Amazon.com (locations 72–78).

Rose, H. M., & Rancer, A. S. (1993). The impact of basic courses in oral interpretation and public speaking on communication apprehension. Communication Reports , 6 , 54–60.

Zekeri, A. A. (2004). College curriculum competencies and skills former students found essential to their careers. College Student Journal , 38 , 412–422.

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Don’t Underestimate the Power of Your Voice

Dan Bullock
Raúl Sánchez

It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it.

Our voices matter as much as our words matter. They have the power to awaken the senses and lead others to act, close deals, or land us successful job interviews. Through our voices, we create nuances of meaning, convey our emotions, and find the secret to communicating our executive presence. So, how do we train our voices to be more visceral, effective, and command attention?

The key lies in harnessing our voices using the principles of vocalics. Vocalics primarily consists of three linguistic elements: stress (volume) , intonation (rising and falling tone), and rhythm (pacing). By combining vocalics with public speaking skills, we can colors our words with the meaning and emotion that motivates others to act.
Crank up your volume: No, we don’t mean shout. The effective use of volume goes beyond trying to be the loudest person in the room. To direct the flow of any conversation, you must overtly stress what linguists call focus words. When you intentionally place volume on certain words, you emphasize parts of a message and shift the direction of a conversation toward your preferred outcome.
Use a powerful speech style: The key to achieving a powerful speech style, particularly during job interviews and hiring decisions, is to first concentrate on the “melody” of your voice, also called intonation. This rise or fall of our voice conveys grammatical meaning (questions or statements) or even attitude (surprise, joy, sarcasm).
Calibrate your vocal rhythm with the right melody: Our messages are perceived differently depending on the way we use rhythm in our voices. Deliberately varying our pacing with compelling pauses creates “voiced” punctuation, a powerful way to hold the pulse of the moment.
Dan Bullock is a language and communications specialist/trainer at the United Nations Secretariat, training diplomats and global UN staff. Dan is the co-author of How to Communicate Effectively with Anyone, Anywhere (Career Press, 2021). He also serves as faculty teaching business communication, linguistics, and public relations within the Division of Programs in Business at New York University’s School of Professional Studies. Dan was the director of corporate communications at a leading NYC public relations firm, and his corporate clients have included TD Bank and Pfizer.
Raúl Sánchez is an award-winning clinical assistant professor and the corporate program coordinator at New York University’s School of Professional Studies. Raúl is the co-author of How to Communicate Effectively with Anyone, Anywhere (Career Press, 2021). He has designed and delivered corporate trainings for Deloitte and the United Nations, as well as been a writing consultant for Barnes & Noble Press and PBS. Raúl was awarded the NYU School of Professional Studies Teaching Excellence Award and specializes in linguistics and business communication.

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Public Speaking Essay | Importance of Public Speaking Skills, How To Improve Public Speaking?

December 24, 2021 by Prasanna

Public Speaking Essay: Public speaking is an important part of today’s life. If a person can master the art of public speaking then there is a lot of chance for him or her to make a successful career in life. In whichever field you look at today, public speaking is very important to establish your identity and brand image. We need to know what public speaking is and why we need to master it. Public speaking refers to delivering some important topic in front of a group audience. This group could be small or at times big. But the main objective of public speaking is to catch the attention of the audience and convince them of the idea that the speaker wants to convey. This task is not very easy.

One may think that public speaking is easy as he has the knowledge on a particular subject but there are a lot of intricate things one needs to take care of. Some common mistakes are very often committed by people while delivering a topic on public speaking. All knowledgeable persons can’t become good public speakers. So the first step to public speaking is to go through the process systematically and master the skill. Public speaking is an art so it needs to be learned both in theory and practice. It is a test of an individual’s knowledge and expertise in certain fields. It also helps to develop an individual’s communication skills and confidence. This is a very basic thing and one needs to practice a lot to improve the oratorical skills.

You can also find more Essay Writing articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long Essay on Public Speaking

Public Speaking Skills

A good public speaker must have the required skills to create a substantial impact on the audience by communicating his points clearly and by building a connection with the audience. The key to success in public speaking depends on the expressions and body language of the speaker which helps to keep him connected to the audience while speaking. To be a successful public speaker one needs to work on the content as well. The content has to be different from boring lectures overflowing with data and facts but should be made interesting to draw the attention of the audience. This can be done by adding some inspiring and motivational stories, quotes, and real-life examples within the speech.

Another important aspect is to create an environment for effective interaction between the speaker and the audience. It is a special skill of a good public speaker to keep the audience involved all the time so that their mind can never get diverted. The effectiveness of public speaking depends primarily on the speaking skills that keep the audience engaged and engrossed in the topic being discussed. These speaking skills involve some modulation and variations in voice, expression, and delivery. The purpose is to draw the attention of an audience and get you noticed in front of a large gathering.

The Trend in Public Speaking

In the current scenario, public speaking has become a successful career in terms of earning opportunities. People want to hear from certain eminent personalities about their experience and their journey towards success. It is also a professional approach adopted by many coaches and guides to building a brand of their own by appearing as public speakers in a gathering of selected people. It has become a part of organizational culture to conduct sessions for working professionals where an expert public speaker is invited to provide insights into some topics of relevance in a motivational and interesting manner.

One aspect is to provide the audience with some updated knowledge but the main motive is to make the people present in the session more charged and motivated in work with some increased energy. The success of a public speaker depends on how well he can influence the thought process, views, ideas, and corresponding actions of the people after attending the session.

Short Essay on Public Speaking

Opportunities in Public Speaking

There are plenty of situations where good public speaking skills are required, be it in a social or organizational setup. You might be asked to make a speech at an award function or in a cultural event or talk to a group of volunteers or recruits. In the virtual platform, speaking to an audience also includes online presentations or discussions, consulting a team, or speaking to a group of customers in an online meeting. Showing good public speaking skills helps to open up new career opportunities and build your identity in social circles as well.

Strategies for Public Speaking

To become a better public speaker, one has to use the following strategies:

Plan appropriately: Work on the content that can resonate with your audience. As a good speaker, you need to intrigue your audience from the very beginning. It is better to start with an interesting fact, headline, or story in the context of what you’re going to talk about.

Engage with the audience: It is necessary as a speaker to keep everyone involved with your speech so that you don’t feel isolated from the audience. It is very effective to interact and ask questions and encourage people to participate and give feedback.

Pay attention to body language: The gestures and body language of a speaker generates positive vibes to the audience constantly. The confidence and belief can be communicated to the audience through your body language and voice. Instead of standing, walk around and present yourself as more active and passionate.

Think positively: A positive approach with confidence brings effective results in public speaking. The primary focus should be that you’re trying to help a group of people in some way, so convey your message in a more meaningful way.

The essence of public speaking lies in the way you create awareness and educate others to bring some tangible results. As a public speaker, you must ensure your communication is always natural, confident, and authentic.

FAQ’s on Public Speaking Essay

Question 1. How are the main types of public speaking?

Answer: There are mainly three types of speeches public speakers use to influence their audience. The informative speech conveys information, the persuasive speech motivates people to take action and the special occasion speech is given to commemorate a person or event.

Question 2. How one must practice the habit of public speaking to gain confidence?

Answer: One of the best ways to practice public speaking is to be involved in situations that require public speaking, such as volunteering to speak at team meetings and events.

Question 3. How do voice modulation and pace of speech help in building engagement with the audience?

Answer: A vocal variation in volume, pause and pacing can help to break the monotony of speech and create better engagement with the audience.

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What Are Effective Speaking Skills?

American writer Dale Carnegie famously said, “There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you…

American writer Dale Carnegie famously said, “There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” His words are a testament to the importance of speaking skills when it comes to communication.

Effective speaking has the power to change history, whether it is to turn the tide of war or announce the independence of a nation. In the modern context, speaking skills have been effective in launching iconic products. They’ve even brought back companies from the edge of bankruptcy.

The right combination of words and gestures can inspire people, spur them into action, and get them to dedicate themselves to a cause.

What Are Speaking Skills?

The importance of speaking skills, types of speaking skills and frameworks.

People believe that effective speaking is a natural talent. Either you have it or you don’t. But this is not true. You can learn different types of speaking skills and become good at it.

You can’t take speaking skills lightly, no matter how talented you are. If you speak with conviction and passion, it will help the audience relate to you, believe in you, and remember you.

The question then is: what are speaking skills? They are techniques that enable a speaker to convey a message effectively.

Speaking skills don’t just involve the use of the right words. Your body language also has a major role in conveying a message.

There are three main aspects of effective speaking:

Language is an integral part of speaking skills. The words you use must suit the occasion and the audience. For example, the language you use when speaking to a friend is different from the one you use for a formal presentation.

Effective speakers customize their message to suit their audience. The audience is familiar with certain types of words. It’s important to use such words to get them to respond. For example, using industry terms in a client meeting can evoke desired responses.

As a general rule, shorter and simpler sentences work well. They are easier to process and understand, and they create a sense of urgency. For example, in the Avengers series of movies, when Captain America says, “Avengers assemble!”, and not “Avengers, gather around me”, the message becomes memorable and impactful.

Similarly, the memorable line in Jawaharlal Nehru’s Independence Day speech in August 1947, “At the stroke of the midnight hour”, conveyed the gravity of the occasion, which a line like “At 12.00 am…” may not have.

Another aspect of speaking skills in communication that is often ignored is your voice. It includes pitch, tone, and strength. How you speak signals your emotional state.

A low voice and too many pauses could denote hesitation. Clarity and volume could denote confidence. A strong and confident tone portrays conviction. People believe what you say when you deliver it in a strong voice.

Public speaking requires practice. You might be quite comfortable talking to small groups or in informal settings. But that is not the same as addressing a large crowd, which is why practice and rehearsals matter.

You can slowly read your message aloud, making sure you pause at the appropriate places. This will help you polish your speaking style. Good orators have a tone and style which they own. It’s his distinctive voice that makes Morgan Freeman a favorite Hollywood narrator.

The final aspect of speaking skills is not about speaking at all. Non-verbal communication consists of body language. It includes facial expression, posture, eye contact, and hand gestures. Your body language must match your words for your address to be effective.

Your body language signals to the audience how invested you are into what you are speaking about. It shows the passion behind your words and helps draw the audience emotionally to your message and make them feel involved.

You might think that you’re never going to lead an army or coach a cricket team. So why would you need to practice speaking skills? The fact is, such skills will come in handy not only at your workplace but also in your personal life. Here’s how:

Getting them to say ‘yes’

One of the objectives of speaking effectively is the ability to persuade: when you need your manager to back your idea, when you want your team to work longer hours or when your spouse needs convincing to watch your favorite movie. These are all instances that require effective speaking.

The whole point of speaking skills is to be able to sway people’s opinions. It’s to get them to act in alignment with your goals.

Developing a career edge

Being an effective speaker separates you from the corporate herd and pitches you as a valuable resource for your company. It, of course, gives you an edge over your colleagues.

Effective communicators get special treatment because they are often asked to represent the company. They’re the ones meeting the important clients, negotiating and closing deals, and building a reputation for the company.

For example, when you need to impress a new client, you send your best salesperson. You won’t send in someone new or inexperienced. The best salesperson is almost always your best speaker.

When it’s time for promotions and bonuses, speakers are rewarded first. Companies invest significantly in their training. They’re the ones who get groomed for leadership posts.

Holistic communications development

Speaking skills hold a special place of value. Good speakers are also good writers for they would have written several drafts of each speech.

Good speakers are also those who can connect and empathize with people. This makes them approachable and authentic. Often, people gravitate towards them for support and advice. ( punandjokes.com )

They are also readers, as reading helps expand the vocabulary and develop the flair for using suitable words for different situations.

Thus, practicing speaking skills leads to the development of writing, listening, and reading skills too.

Becoming an expert

Effective speaking signals subject matter expertise because of the research that the making of a good speech would involve. That is why a good speaker is also regarded as a leader and influencer.

Popular intellectuals such as Barack Obama and Richard Dawkins are all good speakers. When they talk, we believe them. We trust them to know what they’re talking about. To rise to a position of fame and influence, having effective speaking skills is a must.

Feel like a boss

Establishing a genuine connection with the audience gives a sense of accomplishment. Listening to the audience’s applause is a great boost for self-esteem . Being appreciated by the audience is like receiving a gift for all the hard work that a speaker puts in.

While speaking effectively is rewarding, it is also challenging. Various speaking skills and frameworks can help overcome the challenges.

1. Aristotle’s Appeals

One of the most useful frameworks speakers use is Aristotle’s Appeals. They help you find various ways to appeal to the audience. Your appeal can be based on logic, authority, and emotion.

The audience might listen to you because your argument makes sense. They might listen because you’ve appealed to their anger or sadness or some other emotion. They could also listen to you because you’re an expert.

These different types of appeals are also known as Logos, Ethos, and Pathos .

2. The PAM Framework

Another useful framework is PAM (Purpose, Audience, and Message). You convey the purpose or objective of your speech to the audience through a verbal message.

The PAM framework requires you to know your audience, their triggers, likes, and dislikes.

3. The Three Ws

You can also use an introspective framework. This is where The Three Ws of speaking will come to your aid.

The first ‘W’ is ‘Why are you delivering this speech?’ The second is ‘Who is listening?’ And the third ‘What are you talking about?’ Together these questions help you define your purpose and your audience. The third question helps you structure your speech.

The importance of speaking effectively lies in its tremendous potential to induce change. A good speech can inspire employees and even save companies.

Their words may fade over time, but the feeling they leave us with never diminishes. In the words of American poet Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

To learn more, sign up for Harappa Education’s Speaking Effectively course. It covers all these concepts and a few more including the Harappa Idea Funnel and the Elevator Pitch . Join now to learn how to become an effective speaker.

Explore our Harappa Diaries section to know more about topics related to the Communicate habit such as the importance of reading , report writing , and interpersonal skills .

Essay on Public Speaking

Students are often asked to write an essay on Public Speaking in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Public Speaking

What is public speaking.

Public speaking is when you talk in front of a group of people. It’s not just about giving a speech. It’s about sharing your ideas, telling stories, or teaching something new. Everyone, from teachers to leaders, uses public speaking to share their thoughts with others.

Why is it Important?

Getting better at it.

To get better at public speaking, practice is key. Start by talking in front of a mirror or with friends. Listen to feedback and try again. Remember, everyone gets nervous, but with practice, you can become confident and clear in your speaking.

250 Words Essay on Public Speaking

Public speaking: the art of communicating effectively.

Public speaking involves delivering a presentation before an audience, sharing a message, or informing a group of people about a certain topic. It is a valuable skill that helps individuals communicate effectively, share knowledge, and engage others through eloquent words.

Importance of Public Speaking

Key elements of public speaking.

Effective public speaking involves careful preparation, clear structure, and confident delivery. Speakers need to research and gather relevant information related to their topic. They must organize their ideas logically and arrange them into a coherent structure, including an introduction, main points, and conclusion. Additionally, using captivating visual aids, speaking expressively, and practicing effective body language enhance the impact of the speech.

Preparation Tips for Beginners

To excel at public speaking, beginners should start by choosing a topic they are passionate about, allowing them to connect with the audience authentically. Practicing in front of a mirror or with friends helps build confidence. Also, speaking slowly and clearly, using simple language, and engaging the audience through questions or stories can make speeches more captivating.

Overcoming Nervousness

It is common to feel nervous before speaking in public; however, deep breathing exercises, positive self-talk, and visualization techniques can help manage anxiety. Speakers should remember that being authentic and passionate about their topic goes a long way in making a successful presentation.

Public speaking is a powerful tool for sharing ideas, informing audiences, and influencing others. It is a skill that can be developed through practice and preparation. Effective public speakers are admired and make a positive impact on society. Therefore, if you’re given a chance to stand before the public and speak, seize it with confidence, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.

500 Words Essay on Public Speaking

Public speaking: making your voice heard.

Public speaking is the art of talking to a group of people in a structured, purposeful manner. It involves delivering a message, sharing information, or persuading an audience to take action. Public speaking can be intimidating at first, but with practice, anyone can become a confident and effective speaker.

Preparation and Organization

Be confident and engaging.

Confidence is crucial in public speaking. Practice your speech in front of a mirror, a friend, or a family member to build up your confidence. Maintain good posture, make eye contact with your audience, and use hand gestures to emphasize your points. Keep your voice clear and vary your tone to keep your audience engaged.

Practice Makes Perfect

The more you practice, the better you will become at public speaking. Look for opportunities to speak in different settings, such as a school debate or a community meeting. You can also join a public speaking club, where you can get feedback and encouragement from fellow speakers.

Handle Fear and Anxiety

Effective speech delivery, handling questions and feedback.

After your speech, be prepared to answer questions from your audience. Listen attentively, and respond thoughtfully and respectfully. Welcome feedback, both positive and negative, as a chance to improve your public speaking skills.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Public Speaking

Finding a Topic
How to Plan and Give a Great Speech
Speech Anxiety
Web Resources and OERs
RBC Writing Center This link opens in a new window

Planning Your Speech

Being confident in your speech making and your public speaking means that you should fully prepare for your speech! Here are some tips to write a great speech!

1. Determine the purpose of your speech. Whether it is a persuasive essay, argumentative essay, or just an informative one you need to know why you are giving the speech. Generally you may be told what kind of speech to write for your assignment, but if you have a choice on what type of speech you need to give it's important to know what you want to tell your audience.

2. Identify your audience. This may depend on your assignment but you need to know your audience to know what type of the information you are giving to them. Are you giving a speech to people who don't have any knowledge on the subject? Experts in the field? Or are you just speaking in front of your professor and fellow classmates? Understanding your audience helps you determine the scope of the detail in your speech and how you can keep the audience captivated.

3. Create your claim (or thesis). Just like writing a paper, your speech needs a thesis. Your claim is the main idea for your speech, and you will spend your speech providing evidence that supports your claim.

4. Collect your evidence. You need to support your claim with evidence. Evidence may include: surveys, statistics, anecdotal evidence, or even your own experience.

5. Start determining how you will organize your speech. Just like an essay, a speech has a similar structure. Your introduction, body, supporting evidence, and conclusion. It's helpful to write down your speech in a similar way you would write an essay.

Giving Your Speech

Glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, is very common. Below are some speech-giving tips that can help reduce your anxiety!

1. Talk to someone if you are feeling stressed. Talk to a counselor, your professor, or just a friend. It's always helpful to talk about your worries and get support from people around.

2. Know what you're talking about. You will be more comfortable reciting your speech when you have some knowledge on the subject. While you are researching and preparing your speech, get some preliminary background information so you feel more confident with the subject. This also helps if you get any surprise questions from your audience!

3. Practice. Practice, practice, practice. In the mirror, in front of some friends, in front of your classmates. Be comfortable with the words, the structure of your speech, and knowing the order in which you will present your main ideas.

4. Organize your materials. Disorganization the day of your speech can worsen your anxiety! Prepare the night before by setting out all of your demonstrative items (poster, powerpoint, pictures), make sure any notecards are in order, and set aside your clothes if you are dressing up for your speech. It's also important to make sure the technology in the room you are presenting in has everything you need (check with your professor)!

5. Study other speeches. You don't need to study the great orators of the world to learn how to improve your speeches. TED Talks, interviews from people you look up to, and even watching YouTube videos can help improve your public speaking skills.

6. Don't rely on Powerpoints/posters. Items like Powerpoints and posters that you use for your speech are meant to support you and not be something that you read off of the entire time. If you can do without visual aids or if they are not required for your speech, you may decide not to use any at all. Try to have as little text as possible on them--you won't be able to read off of them and your audience will not be distracted reading the slides.

7. Focus on your message. Don't get caught up in little details, your stories, or any jokes you may have in your speech. Focus on your claim so your message is understood by your audience.

8. Don't apologize. Everyone makes a mistake. Technical difficulties can happen to every one. Don't let minor issues such as forgetting a part of your speech or getting a little mixed up derail your presentation. Your audience may not even notice the small mistake. If you feel like you need to make an apology, make a small one and continue on. You've got this!

9. Look around the room. You should always give your audience your full attention. It might be a small classroom of a few students or a massive auditorium but your audience is very important. Focus on different parts of the room that you can spend a few seconds on during the speech. If you can't decide where to look, focus on a specific person.

10. Be yourself. You can reduce your anxiety by just being yourself. Involved your personality in how you present information; use your pitch and create a style that's meaningful and allows the audience to relate to you. And don't forget to smile!

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Last Updated: Aug 18, 2021 1:37 PM
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Speaking skills and speaking effectiveness, speaking happens in real time, monologues: overview, importance of monologue, socio-economic profile and english language learning, media exposure, insights learned from the related literatures.

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112 Persuasive Speech Topics That Are Actually Engaging

What’s covered:, how to pick an awesome persuasive speech topic, 112 engaging persuasive speech topics, tips for preparing your persuasive speech.

Writing a stellar persuasive speech requires a carefully crafted argument that will resonate with your audience to sway them to your side. This feat can be challenging to accomplish, but an engaging, thought-provoking speech topic is an excellent place to start.

When it comes time to select a topic for your persuasive speech, you may feel overwhelmed by all the options to choose from—or your brain may be drawing a completely blank slate. If you’re having trouble thinking of the perfect topic, don’t worry. We’re here to help!

In this post, we’re sharing how to choose the perfect persuasive speech topic and tips to prepare for your speech. Plus, you’ll find 112 persuasive speech topics that you can take directly from us or use as creative inspiration for your own ideas!

Choose Something You’re Passionate About

It’s much easier to write, research, and deliver a speech about a cause you care about. Even if it’s challenging to find a topic that completely sparks your interest, try to choose a topic that aligns with your passions.

However, keep in mind that not everyone has the same interests as you. Try to choose a general topic to grab the attention of the majority of your audience, but one that’s specific enough to keep them engaged.

For example, suppose you’re giving a persuasive speech about book censorship. In that case, it’s probably too niche to talk about why “To Kill a Mockingbird” shouldn’t be censored (even if it’s your favorite book), and it’s too broad to talk about media censorship in general.

Steer Clear of Cliches

Have you already heard a persuasive speech topic presented dozens of times? If so, it’s probably not an excellent choice for your speech—even if it’s an issue you’re incredibly passionate about.

Although polarizing topics like abortion and climate control are important to discuss, they aren’t great persuasive speech topics. Most people have already formed an opinion on these topics, which will either cause them to tune out or have a negative impression of your speech.

Instead, choose topics that are fresh, unique, and new. If your audience has never heard your idea presented before, they will be more open to your argument and engaged in your speech.

Have a Clear Side of Opposition

For a persuasive speech to be engaging, there must be a clear side of opposition. To help determine the arguability of your topic, ask yourself: “If I presented my viewpoint on this topic to a group of peers, would someone disagree with me?” If the answer is yes, then you’ve chosen a great topic!

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork for what it takes to choose a great persuasive speech topic, here are over one hundred options for you to choose from.

Should high school athletes get tested for steroids?
Should schools be required to have physical education courses?
Should sports grades in school depend on things like athletic ability?
What sport should be added to or removed from the Olympics?
Should college athletes be able to make money off of their merchandise?
Should sports teams be able to recruit young athletes without a college degree?
Should we consider video gamers as professional athletes?
Is cheerleading considered a sport?
Should parents allow their kids to play contact sports?
Should professional female athletes be paid the same as professional male athletes?
Should college be free at the undergraduate level?
Is the traditional college experience obsolete?
Should you choose a major based on your interests or your potential salary?
Should high school students have to meet a required number of service hours before graduating?
Should teachers earn more or less based on how their students perform on standardized tests?
Are private high schools more effective than public high schools?
Should there be a minimum number of attendance days required to graduate?
Are GPAs harmful or helpful?
Should schools be required to teach about standardized testing?
Should Greek Life be banned in the United States?
Should schools offer science classes explicitly about mental health?
Should students be able to bring their cell phones to school?
Should all public restrooms be all-gender?
Should undocumented immigrants have the same employment and education opportunities as citizens?
Should everyone be paid a living wage regardless of their employment status?
Should supremacist groups be able to hold public events?
Should guns be allowed in public places?
Should the national drinking age be lowered?
Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
Should the government raise or lower the retirement age?
Should the government be able to control the population?
Is the death penalty ethical?

Environment

Should stores charge customers for plastic bags?
Should breeding animals (dogs, cats, etc.) be illegal?
Is it okay to have exotic animals as pets?
Should people be fined for not recycling?
Should compost bins become mandatory for restaurants?
Should electric vehicles have their own transportation infrastructure?
Would heavier fining policies reduce corporations’ emissions?
Should hunting be encouraged or illegal?
Should reusable diapers replace disposable diapers?

Science & Technology

Is paper media more reliable than digital news sources?
Should automated/self-driving cars be legalized?
Should schools be required to provide laptops to all students?
Should software companies be able to have pre-downloaded programs and applications on devices?
Should drones be allowed in military warfare?
Should scientists invest more or less money into cancer research?
Should cloning be illegal?
Should societies colonize other planets?
Should there be legal oversight over the development of technology?

Social Media

Should there be an age limit on social media?
Should cyberbullying have the same repercussions as in-person bullying?
Are online relationships as valuable as in-person relationships?
Does “cancel culture” have a positive or negative impact on societies?
Are social media platforms reliable information or news sources?
Should social media be censored?
Does social media create an unrealistic standard of beauty?
Is regular social media usage damaging to real-life interactions?
Is social media distorting democracy?
How many branches of government should there be?
Who is the best/worst president of all time?
How long should judges serve in the U.S. Supreme Court?
Should a more significant portion of the U.S. budget be contributed towards education?
Should the government invest in rapid transcontinental transportation infrastructure?
Should airport screening be more or less stringent?
Should the electoral college be dismantled?
Should the U.S. have open borders?
Should the government spend more or less money on space exploration?
Should students sing Christmas carols, say the pledge of allegiance, or perform other tangentially religious activities?
Should nuns and priests become genderless roles?
Should schools and other public buildings have prayer rooms?
Should animal sacrifice be legal if it occurs in a religious context?
Should countries be allowed to impose a national religion on their citizens?
Should the church be separated from the state?
Does freedom of religion positively or negatively affect societies?

Parenting & Family

Is it better to have children at a younger or older age?
Is it better for children to go to daycare or stay home with their parents?
Does birth order affect personality?
Should parents or the school system teach their kids about sex?
Are family traditions important?
Should parents smoke or drink around young children?
Should “spanking” children be illegal?
Should parents use swear words in front of their children?
Should parents allow their children to play violent video games?

Entertainment

Should all actors be paid the same regardless of gender or ethnicity?
Should all award shows be based on popular vote?
Who should be responsible for paying taxes on prize money, the game show staff or the contestants?
Should movies and television shows have ethnicity and gender quotas?
Should newspapers and magazines move to a completely online format?
Should streaming services like Netflix and Hulu be free for students?
Is the movie rating system still effective?
Should celebrities have more privacy rights?

Arts & Humanities

Are libraries becoming obsolete?
Should all schools have mandatory art or music courses in their curriculum?
Should offensive language be censored from classic literary works?
Is it ethical for museums to keep indigenous artifacts?
Should digital designs be considered an art form?
Should abstract art be considered an art form?
Is music therapy effective?
Should tattoos be regarded as “professional dress” for work?
Should schools place greater emphasis on the arts programs?
Should euthanasia be allowed in hospitals and other clinical settings?
Should the government support and implement universal healthcare?
Would obesity rates lower if the government intervened to make healthy foods more affordable?
Should teenagers be given access to birth control pills without parental consent?
Should food allergies be considered a disease?
Should health insurance cover homeopathic medicine?
Is using painkillers healthy?
Should genetically modified foods be banned?
Should there be a tax on unhealthy foods?
Should tobacco products be banned from the country?
Should the birth control pill be free for everyone?

If you need more help brainstorming topics, especially those that are personalized to your interests, you can use CollegeVine’s free AI tutor, Ivy . Ivy can help you come up with original persuasive speech ideas, and she can also help with the rest of your homework, from math to languages.

Do Your Research

A great persuasive speech is supported with plenty of well-researched facts and evidence. So before you begin the writing process, research both sides of the topic you’re presenting in-depth to gain a well-rounded perspective of the topic.

Understand Your Audience

It’s critical to understand your audience to deliver a great persuasive speech. After all, you are trying to convince them that your viewpoint is correct. Before writing your speech, consider the facts and information that your audience may already know, and think about the beliefs and concerns they may have about your topic. Then, address these concerns in your speech, and be mindful to include fresh, new information.

Have Someone Read Your Speech

Once you have finished writing your speech, have someone read it to check for areas of strength and improvement. You can use CollegeVine’s free essay review tool to get feedback on your speech from a peer!

Practice Makes Perfect

After completing your final draft, the key to success is to practice. Present your speech out loud in front of a mirror, your family, friends, and basically, anyone who will listen. Not only will the feedback of others help you to make your speech better, but you’ll become more confident in your presentation skills and may even be able to commit your speech to memory.

Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to write a powerful, unique persuasive speech. With the perfect topic, plenty of practice, and a boost of self-confidence, we know you’ll impress your audience with a remarkable speech!

Essay on Qualities of a Good Speaker (1500 Words)

A good speaker possess many qualities; as he can engage their audience. They should have an engaging speaking style and be able to speak clearly and confidently, while also being able to engage with the crowd. A good speaker can also make their audience feel comfortable, whether they’re speaking in front of a large group or just one person.

How to become a good speaker?

Good physical condition.

Good physical condition is very important for a good speaker. The ability to stand and speak in front of an audience is one of the most important qualities that every speaker should have. A speaker who lacks good physical condition must be able to imagine himself or herself as strong and fit, otherwise he/she cannot deliver an effective speech. Good health helps you maintain your body weight and keeps you away from diseases. It also helps keep your mind clear, so that you can think straight during meetings or public speaking events. In short, it makes your life easier!

Proper knowledge

A good voice is typically clear and audible. It should be pleasant to listen to, appropriate for the occasion, controlled, and confident. A person who speaks with a high-pitched or whiny voice will have trouble being taken seriously by most audiences. A person whose voice is too low-pitched will also struggle to be heard above competing noise levels in large venues. By contrast, a speaker whose speech sounds natural and relaxed is usually easier on the ears than someone who shouts or whispers into their microphone.

Interesting delivery

Effective body language.

Good speakers use appropriate hand gestures when speaking in order to reinforce what they are saying verbally. For example, if you are talking about something new that you want people to learn about, you could use an upwards motion with your hands as if pulling up information from the ground into your mind – this shows that there is more information available on the topic that can be learned by others if desired by them as well

Bad body language includes crossing your arms across your chest or putting one leg over another during presentation time signs of hostility towards others who might be listening in on what’s said during lecture sessions

Properly organized speech

A good speaker influences his audience., vocal qualities of a good speaker.

A good speaker can make a difference in the world and inspire people to do great things. A good speaker is also able to influence his audience and change their minds about things. The qualities that a good speaker should have are many, but they all come down to being knowledgeable, confident and clear when speaking with others.

Importance Of English Language Essay

500 words importance of english language essay.

The English Language is becoming more and more common in the world. As a result, increasingly people are dedicating time to study English as their second language. In fact, many countries include it in their school syllabus to teach children this language from a young age. However, the true value of this language is that it helps remove many barriers from our life. Whether it is to find a new job or travel the world. In other words, it helps to progress in life both on a personal and professional level. Thus, the Importance of English Language Essay will help you understand all about it.

Importance Of English Language

Language is our major means of communication; it is how we share our thoughts with others. A language’s secondary purpose is to convey someone’s sentiments, emotions, or attitudes. English is one such language in the world that satisfies both the above purposes. English has been regarded as the first global Lingua Franca. It has become part and parcel of almost every existing field. We use it as the international language to communicate in many fields ranging from business to entertainment.

Many countries teach and encourage youngsters to acquire English as a second language. Even in nations where English is not an official language, many science and engineering curriculum are written in English.

English abilities will most certainly aid you in any business endeavours you choose to pursue. Many large corporations will only hire professional employees after determining whether or not they speak good English. Given the language’s prominence, English language classes will be advantageous to you if you want to work for a multinational organization and will teach you the communication skills needed to network with professionals in your area or enhance your career.

The English Language opens an ocean of career opportunities to those who speak this language anywhere in the world. Similarly, it has turned into an inevitable requirement for various fields and professions like medicine , computing and more.

In the fast-evolving world, it is essential to have a common language that we can understand to make the best use of the data and information available. As a result, the English Language has become a storehouse of various knowledge ranging from social to political fields.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Reasons to Learn the English Language

As the importance of the English Language is clear now, we move on to why we must learn the English Language. First of all, it is a global language. It is so common that one out of five people can speak or understand this language.

Further, learning the English Language can help in getting a job easily. As it has become the language of many fields, it automatically increases the chances of landing a good job in a good company.

In addition, it helps with meeting new people. As it is the official language of 53 countries, learning it helps to break the language barriers. Most importantly, it is also the language of the Internet.

Another important reason to learn this language is that it makes travelling easier. Being a widely used language globally, it will help you connect with people easily. Similarly, it is also essential in the world of business.

It does not matter whether you are an employee or employer, it benefits everyone. Students who wish to study abroad must definitely study this language. Many countries use their schools and universities. So, it can offer a good opportunity for students.

Why and where do we need the English language?

Use of English on the Internet – Because of the tremendous rise of information technology, particularly the internet, English is the language of choice for Internet users. The internet has also played an important role in promoting and spreading the English language throughout the world, as more and more people are exposed to it, and English has also become the language of the internet.
Use of English in Education – English has become one of the majorly used languages to understand, learn and explain concepts from various fields of knowledge. The majority of instructional tools, materials, and texts are written in English. The global educational systems at colleges all over the world need English as a foreign language.
Use of English for Travel purposes – As we all know, English has been named as the official language of 53 countries and over 400 million people in the world speak English, the English language comes in handy for communicating with everyone when anyone travels around the world be it for tourism, job opportunity, settlement, casual visits, etc.
Use of English for Communication – The most important function of a language is to allow people to communicate effectively. For many years, English has been the most widely known and valued language on the planet. In other words, English becomes an efficient tool for communicating with people all over the world.

Conclusion of Importance Of English Language Essay

We use the English Language in most of our international communications. While it is not the most spoken language in the world, 53 countries have named it their official language. Moreover, about 400 million people globally use it as their first language. Thus, being the most common second language in the world, it will be beneficial to learn this language to open doors to new opportunities.

FAQ on Importance Of English Language Essay

Question 1: How does the English Language help you get a job?

Answer 1: the English Language is the language of many things like science, aviation, computers, diplomacy, and tourism. Thus, if you know English, it will increase your chances of landing a good job in an international company.

Question 2: Does the English Language help in connecting with people globally?

Answer 2: Yes, it does. It is because English is the official language of 53 countries and we use it as a lingua franca (a mutually known language) by people from all over the world. This means that studying English can help us have a conversation with people on a global level.

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101 Public Speaking Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best public speaking topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 simple & easy public speaking essay titles, 📑 interesting topics to write about public speaking, ❓ research questions about public speaking.

Public Speaking as an Effective Skill Proper application of public speaking knowledge will allow the new member of a group to move through the stage of getting to know the colleagues and feel comfortable talking with new people in unfamiliar situations.
Communications: Public Speaking Problems The main problem that people face when speaking to the public is the inability to understand the expectations of the audience.
Public Speaking: Why Recycling Is Important The intention of such a program is to make “recycling of lead batteries easier and more profitable to recycle would lead to more extensive recycling programs.
Personal Public Speaking Critique The purpose of this critique is to evaluate the speech I gave during the class, note the strong and weak points as I see them after the fact, and suggest improvements.
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A Student’s Struggle to Speak English Leads to a Career as a Communicator

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Fiorella Riccobono first contributed to Knowledge@Wharton High School back in 2015, when she was interviewed for her high school social entrepreneurship project helping coffee bean farmers in Northwest Haiti. She has stayed in touch ever since, sharing insights from her college and social-awareness experiences at Florida State University. You can check out Riccobono’s KWHS contributions in the Related KWHS Stories tab accompanying this article.

As always, we appreciated hearing from Riccobono this week, when she reached out to tell us about her new job (she graduated in December) and share her perspective on a very personal topic: how her journey learning to speak English has influenced her life and career decisions.

In this personal essay, she expresses why she hopes that “more people in our society, especially in today’s political climate, analyze their perceptions of disadvantage and accept that qualities like language “barriers” can in fact be personal strengths.”

I vividly remember the moment when I became a shy girl and developed a profound fear of public speaking. I was in my pre-k classroom sitting in a big circle of 4-year-olds, when our teacher asked us to share what we had eaten for breakfast. My parents had immigrated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. from Venezuela shortly before my brother and I were born, and we only spoke Spanish at home. However, this was my second year enrolled in school in Davie, Florida, so I had picked up enough English to understand the question. But I was still learning. I raised my hand and responded “cereal con leche.” My visibly angry teacher asked me again and again to repeat my answer, and I couldn’t understand why.

Falling Silent

Eighteen years later, I still recall the shame of being scolded for my inability to communicate in the appropriate way – in this case, fully in English. Luckily, my teacher’s aide spoke Spanish and translated that I was saying “cereal with milk.” But at that point, the damage had been done. I was wounded and crying. I remember thinking to myself that I wouldn’t speak in class unless I absolutely had to. It was an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy; something a four-year-old girl should never experience.

That feeling stayed with me. In high school, I would choose to be absent on days when I knew I had to present projects to the class. My eyes would water when I had to speak in front of my classmates, my voice would shake, and so would my legs.

This story marks the start of my improbable triumph.

My favorite author, Malcom Gladwell, poses an interesting question: “Why do we automatically assume that someone who is smaller or poorer or less skilled is necessarily at a disadvantage?” I believe that we have a very limited definition of what constitutes an advantage.

Now, at the age of 22, a recent graduate of Florida State University and a new employee of the Florida Senate, I am very clear on my own advantages. Being the daughter of two Venezuelan immigrants made me the professional woman I am today, and that identity has been a driving factor in my success.

Much of the credit goes to my so-called language “barrier” and struggle with “broken” English. During my years of learning English, my mom and I would sit down together to do my homework. When I was tired of studying, and I didn’t want to practice spelling out any more words, my mom would softly and persuasively say, “Dale Fiore, otro treinta minutos, porque cuando tu aprendes, yo aprendo tambien,” which translates to: “Let’s study another half hour, Fiore, because when you learn, I learn too.”

That phrase kept me going. We would sit there at the table laughing hysterically as we butchered the words we were spelling aloud to each other. When test day came, I would remember the mistakes we made, because they were so funny to me, and that helped me memorize the correct spelling. The way we had to study turned spelling and vocabulary tests into a fun game. I began to appreciate a certain joy and fulfillment of studying for the sake of knowledge, not to overcome an inadequacy, and I also had the deep satisfaction of watching my mom learn English.

Conventional thought suggests that if you live in the U.S. you should learn English, and we eventually did. But the truth of the matter is that not knowing English made me a better student. It meant that I had to work harder and couldn’t lose focus in class. I paid close attention to how people spoke and pronounced words. When I was tired and wanted to stop, I had to keep studying. Many would argue that my inability to fluently speak English in my childhood was a weakness, when in fact it turned out to be one of my greatest strengths.

While I still hold onto some of the feelings I had all those years ago in my pre-k classroom, I have grown to embrace my Venezuelan heritage and language as motivations for my achievements in the U.S. The fact that I am not a native English speaker has made me more empathetic. It has helped me truly understand why diversity of thought is such a strength in the workplace, and, ironically, has made me a far more effective communicator.

I majored in finance, economics , and social entrepreneurship at Florida State, and graduated a semester early in December 2018. I am now the reading clerk for the 2019 session of the Florida Senate. Our state constitution requires senators to read bills three times before voting on them. I stand at the podium and read these documents aloud for the 60 days that the Senate is in session, navigating the language that could ultimately become Florida law. That one-time shy, silent little girl actually pursued and landed a job that now requires me to regularly stand in front of 40 state senators and read proposed legislation – in English.

I also speak Spanish every day, with family and friends. My college roommate and best friend is from Mexico, so we speak to each other in Spanish. I am bilingual in my professional life, as well. Just this week, the Florida Senate phones were blowing up with citizens supporting or condoning a controversial bill that entered committee. This specific bill prompted lots of calls from Spanish speakers and I was the only person on staff who could speak Spanish. So I answered the phones and spoke with the Spanish citizens, communicating about their opinions on this piece of legislation. I helped the voices of non-English-speaking citizens be heard.

Shifting Perceptions

I see how speaking English as a second language actually adds to the richness of this country. As a Venezuelan immigrant, I grew up forcing myself into situations where I had no choice but to confront my fears, and I would do it again and again until that specific situation no longer made me uncomfortable. I have contributed deeply to my school and now my work communities because my “otherness” sparked my intellectual curiosity and my desire to work that much harder to achieve my personal goals.

My hope is that more people in our society, especially in today’s political climate, analyze their perceptions of disadvantage and accept that qualities like language “barriers” can in fact be personal strengths that open up entire worlds of opportunity and accomplishment.

To the students who relate to my experiences and who may be struggling with their inability or even lack of desire to learn English, I ask you to shift your perception and embrace the opportunity in your challenge. I ask you to consider how you can spin this perceived weakness and draw energy from it to become a stronger student, friend, and contributing member to society. Don’t accept the notion that you are disadvantaged. Learning English and being able to effectively communicate with your peers is rewarding. More importantly, how you speak, complete with your thick, beautiful accent, is an advantage and an asset, not an inadequacy you must overcome.

Conversation Starters

Fiorella Riccobono says, “My hope is that more people in our society, especially in today’s political climate, analyze their perceptions of disadvantage.” What does she mean by this?

How would you describe Fiorella’s “improbable triumph?”

Does Fiorella’s story resonate with you? Can you relate to some of her struggles learning the English language and how that has helped to define her course? Why or why not?

14 comments on “ A Student’s Struggle to Speak English Leads to a Career as a Communicator ”

While scrolling through the articles listed on the webpage, this unique one caught my eye immediately. What it described is a complete mirror of my experience, my pain and my struggle. More importantly, when looking through it, I realized the way I should face myself, both strengths and weaknesses. Fiorella’s “improbable triumph” is truly “improbable”, at least that’s what I believed before finishing this article. She did undergo many challenging situations, difficulties that her first language Spanish but not English. And for me, a second language learner becomes a Florida Senate sounds totally incredible. Since my first language is also not English, I know how much struggles and courage it needs to be able to speak out in front of people, let alone standing in front of 40 state senators and read proposed legislation. But I believe that’s one of the main reason why she made to her position, it is because she already has a strong heart, enough self-confidence and a constant thirst for knowledge. These were all honed from her school years. I was always the top students back in my home country and English was one of my strongest subject. However, it was opposite when I came to Canada. The “barrier” of language discourages me from participating in school activities, being actively during class. During my first year, Every time I was in class, I was worried whether the teacher would ask me to answer questions or not. I always remember my first speech. I practiced it over and over again, but some students still didn’t understand what I was talking about and I couldn’t answer their questions. Same as Fiorella, my mom also played an important role. She practice my presentation’s script with me and she told me that there is no way to be ashamed by my accent or the fact that I am a second language learner. She told me that’s exactly the point I should be proud of myself because I am able to speak both two languages. I have always been grateful for my parents, without them I couldn’t be where I am today. I enrolled my school’s principle list every semester and honor roll on the Waterloo Math Contest. Now, I am preparing for my debate club as a leader with my friends. I always believe man grows in adversity, I don’t regret any of the attempts I’ve made, even if I fail and fall. Isn’t the realization of my shortcomings also a progress? Tribulation is accompanied by harvest. Just as Fiorella Riccobono says to “analyze perceptions of disadvantage.” I was contradict to communicate because my accent, lack of vocabulary, different culture, when I read the last paragraph of this article, I just found that all my worries and evasions were ridiculous and untenable. This article once again strengthens my heart and guides my future efforts, to become a stronger student, friend, and contributing member to society. Everything I have and experienced has made me who I am now, and it takes that to make me whole.

Hi Jasmine,

Thank you for your fantastic comment!

Also as an immigrant to Canada at an older age (14), I find your experience much more relatable than Fiorella’s. I believe that one of the reasons why I agreed to my parents’ idea of immigrating, is that I was confident in my “English” language, and that was partly because I was performing well during English class in my home country. However, it was really different being in an environment where you are forced to speak the language. My problem wasn’t during class and academics but in my social life. What a teenage girl needs the most perhaps is a social life, friends. At least for me. But it was extremely hard to make friends if I wasn’t willing to make a step out, to talk to people. Fortunately, with my mother’s little push, I was able to do so. Even though I stumbled through the beginning, attending lots of social events and making awkward conversations, I eventually made a couple of great friends and got to know many other people. Joining the debate club and filing applications to other councils was difficult because I wasn’t confident in my speaking and was afraid that I would make fun of myself. Which I did, modelling the motion “THW lift patents” supporting patents. But I gained a lot of valuable experience in the process, found my passion in debating, and ultimately improved my English speaking and confidence. However, I do believe that this struggle is just a part of the journey of fitting in the new language environment.

This unique title also did catch my eyes, but I wasn’t feeling related while reading the article. I thought that at the age of four, it would be really easy to learn English and be amalgamated into the American society. It was hard to believe that a four-year-old memory could be carved so deeply in her mind, also how does over ten years of living in an English environment she is still not confident of her language? With doubt and suspicion, I finished the article.

I agree with you and Fiorella that by analyzing and reconsidering our “perception of disadvantages”, we could learn how to embrace and turn our so-called disadvantages into motivation and strength. However, I do not believe that her “triumph” is “improbable”. In my opinion, her “triumph” is being confident of speaking English and eventually becoming an employee of the Florida state senate. Admittedly, she is quite successful in her confidence and career. But again, as a person living in the states, speaking English for so many years since childhood, her English will come as she grows. I believe that her “solving all the obstacles” is just a process of fitting into the new environment, what actually brought out her “triumph”, is her action of acknowledging and recognizing her former disadvantages, then turning it into her interest and continued pursuing it.  The society is biased, being a good English speaker is important for our success in the future or just to be more like a part of the society, but the process of learning is crucial as well, it teaches us life-long skills — persistence and motivation for learning.

Jasmine, your story of progress and growth in language learning is truly inspiring. Your journey, from feeling apprehensive about participating in class due to language barriers to becoming a leader in the debate club in your second language, showcases a remarkable testament to your determination and perseverance. Reading about your experiences motivates me to push myself further in my own language studies. In a few years, I’ll be taking my AP Spanish exam, and your story constantly reminds me that with determination and continuous effort, I can overcome the challenges I currently face in learning Spanish and achieve my goals. Your narrative has given me valuable insights into the complexities of language acquisition, which directly resonates with the struggles my parents faced when learning English as a second language. I used to find humor in their pronunciation struggles, not fully comprehending the difficulties they were encountering. However, my own language-learning experiences have humbled me, and now I hold a profound respect for their determination in learning a second language. My language teacher once said, “Once you dream in a language, you know you’re fluent,” and this notion fascinates me as I strive to achieve a similar level of language mastery in Spanish. Your narrative also got me thinking about the remarkable ability of some individuals, including yourself, to learn languages quickly. This phenomenon is not limited to children but also extends to certain adults. I decided to conduct some of my own research on the topic to gain a better understanding. In my investigation, I found that certain cognitive factors and personality traits can contribute to accelerated language learning. For example, individuals with strong working memory and high levels of empathy tend to grasp language nuances more quickly. Moreover, the motivation to learn a new language, much like your own drive, can significantly impact the speed of acquisition. Additionally, exposure to immersive language environments and consistent practice plays a crucial role in fostering rapid language development. This would also explain why children have a unique advantage in language learning, primarily due to their lack of prior knowledge in the target language. Their immersion in an environment where the target language is consistently spoken enables them to develop an intuitive grasp of grammar, pronunciation, and cultural nuances. Imagine a child stepping into a world where everything they hear and see is in a new language. They don’t have preconceived notions or linguistic habits to overcome. It’s a blank canvas waiting to be filled with the colors of this unfamiliar language. As they interact with native speakers and engage in daily activities, they naturally absorb the language without conscious effort. This lack of pre-existing linguistic baggage allows them to embrace the new language wholeheartedly, much like effortlessly stepping into a racecar and taking the wheel without any previous experience in driving. Your efforts to learn a language is truly commendable, Jasmine, and it serves as an inspiration for others to follow. Your dedication and enthusiasm for language learning are evident throughout your essay, and I want to express my appreciation for sharing your journey with us. Your story has not only motivated me personally but also broadened my understanding of the multifaceted aspects of language acquisition. Keep up the incredible work!🚀

I think that perspective is one of the greatest traits that a person can have. It has the ability to bridge almost any gap of all sorts of disparity; economic, cultural, political, the list goes on and on. It’s this trait that is not found often enough in society that is key to understanding why others around you say what they say, do what they do, and believe what they believe. In the instance of Fiorella Riccobono, this was in regards to the perspective of a four year-old girl who had immigrated to the United States with her parents in search of a better life. Now 22, Fiorella boldly states “My hope is that more people in our society, especially in today’s political climate, analyze their perceptions of disadvantage”. Her saying is meant to imply that those of us who are at what we perceive as an adversity to our aspirations ought to gain more perspective to realize that it is often the greatest challenges that create the best people.

My view on Fiorella’s “improbable triumph” revolves around the idea that her success was reliant on her individual positive mindset. She disregarded society’s notion that her not knowing English was an inherent disadvantage that she would be restrained by, and rather turns it into an opportunity to show growth and determination. She says herself that “Many would argue that my inability to fluently speak English in my childhood was a weakness, when in fact it turned out to be one of my greatest strengths”. This ideal mindset is exactly what in my opinion needs to be emphasized in society; the concept that people’s ability to move up the ladder is mostly in their own hands, and even if there are inevitable obstacles, it is the individual’s responsibility to face them head on. This is why stories such as Fiorella’s must be celebrated and showcased more often, to teach communities and especially youth to not accept that they are disadvantaged and that there is nothing that they can do about it. Mindsets that accept there is nothing left to change the status quo are the most dangerous; they not only remove any potential to make change, but pass down ideology to younger generations, creating a cycle of lost opportunity. That’s why Fiorella’s “improbable triumph” and stories like it must be highlighted in communities all across the world.

In regards to Fiorella’s story, it resonates quite deep personally with my family and I. As the son of immigrants, it was easy to relate to the struggles she describes of getting past the initial language/cultural barrier that occurs when getting used to living in a new country. My parents came to the United States 17 years ago, knowing a few sentences they had learned from a Hindi-to-English pocketbook dictionary, a couple hundred dollars, and a 3 year old son, my older brother. I was born a year later, and then we eventually moved to Tampa, Florida as my dad had received a job offer. As I was born in the US and naturally learned the language, culture, and customs, I became more and more observant of the divide between what I saw as “normal” at school and what my parents did. They had been in the country for a number of years, but still were speaking that “broken English” that Fiorella references. Naturally as a kid, I met and hung out with my friends outside of school, often encountering their parents who had often either lived their whole life in America or had been living here for decades. They spoke perfect English, much better than that of a eight-year-old, and certainly better than that of a husband and wife that had only been in the country for a few years. As I came home from playing with my friends, I became frustrated at communicating in English with my parents as they were not as good as the moms and dads I met at my friends’ houses. Being naive, I did not understand why they were unable to speak that fluent English that I always listened to outside my home. I actually became embarrassed when friends came over to my home to hang out, only to be confused by how my parents tried to greet them using English that was often grammatically wrong and covered with a thick accent. I was ashamed of it for a long time, and looking back I even admit it made me angry that my family was different than others. I just wanted to be the acclaimed “normal” that every kid always desired. However, as I began to grow up, I had an experience that completely changed the lense that I was looking at my parents through. That year I had begun staying up later at night to complete homework and other commitments that started as high school began becoming more demanding. On a particular night that year, when I had finally finished my homework and whatever else I had to do that late night, I decided to get some water downstairs before I went to bed. When I came down, I saw that my father had left his computer on; so naturally, I went over to turn it off. When I was about to press the power button, the screen caught my eye: “Online Tutoring for English”. It had never occurred to me that my dad was taking lessons to improve his English – to say I was surprised would be quite the understatement. The realization had dawned upon me that specific moment how difficult life truly was for an immigrant – and in this case – my parents. Any notions to myself thinking that I had a lot of work and stress to deal with in high school quickly evaporated, as I really took a moment to reflect on my father’s journey all these years later. To leave his family and friends behind in India, travel thousands of miles to a foreign country, not knowing the language or anybody to help him, and having no other option than making it knowing he had a wife and young son counting on him finally hit me. I was humbled. I was washed over with a sense of regret and shame for always being mad all those years at my parents for not being fluent English speakers. That night was years ago. Today, as I write this, I have the upmost pride in knowing that those two immigrants who came to this country not knowing the language, are MY parents. I feel that this story is not exclusively mine, but rather one that millions of other immigrants who have come to this country have experienced as well, and it’s comforting know that all of us have made it against all odds. Just like Fiorella, I want to take this moment that showed a disadvantage that my family had gotten past and transform it into a showcase of how rewarding resilience can truly be. While I was privileged to learn the language as I grew up, I appreciate the perspective of someone who only had a pocketbook dictionary and a strong will to make it in a foreign country for their family, and that is something I will cherish for a lifetime.

The ability to turn a disadvantage into an advantage is what paves the way for “improbable triumph”.

In the words of Fiorella: “I believe that we have a very limited definition of what constitutes an advantage.” She could not be more correct.

As the son of immigrants, this is an article that resonated with me. Like Fiorella, English was not the primary language spoken within our house. Like Fiorella, I struggled with feelings of inadequacy for not being able to speak English as well as my peers. Like Fiorella, these feelings created shyness and timidity that affected my participation in class. But most importantly, like Fiorella, this ‘disadvantage’ of mine turned out to be the driving cause of one of my greatest accomplishments.

Fiorella says that not knowing English made her a better student. She cites the extra effort she had to put in to understand concepts as the root of her strong work ethic. My own childhood was characterized less by a struggle to learn English, but more by a persistent feeling of insecurity about cultural norms. In other words, while I was able to overcome the language barrier, the cultural barrier that existed created a constant pressure of inadequacy; it felt like everyone was part of an inside joke that I wasn’t allowed to know. But in the same way Fiorella responded to adversity by bouncing back with fervor, I responded to my perceived disadvantage by turning it into an advantage. I developed a passion for public speaking in middle school, determined to change my impression of “the quiet kid” into someone who was outspoken and confident. When I think back to what ignited that sudden change, I honestly think it was simply to spite those who underestimated me. It was a way for me to put myself out there and feel included despite the nagging feeling of cultural difference that made me feel separated.

This passion for public speaking developed into a passion for argumentation. I joined the debate team in high school and won many awards. More importantly, I made friends and broadened my perspective. Last year I was even fortunate enough to be selected for the USA development debate team, representing the nation while competing against international teams across the globe. The experiences I had as a part of this team are what makes Fiorella’s statement ring so true for me. Meeting debaters from all over the world changed my perspective – what society considers an advantage is extremely limited in its scope.

In the world of international debate, English is the lingua franca. You would think that the Western countries would then be at an advantage, being more comfortable with English and thus being better speakers. Yet, some of the best communicators I’ve met speak English as a second language. When we versed the national Bangladesh team, we were amazed by how skillfully they debated. Yes, they had an accent, and yes their grammar and word choice were awkward at times, but the meaning they conveyed was poignant. If the round felt difficult, the conversation I had with them in Bengali afterwards felt like they were running circles around me. I realized that they focused on meaning of the words not how they sound. They may not have been familiar with English, but their ideas were strong and they conveyed them directly and powerfully. Their articulation wasted no time, unlike them teams from Western countries, who used extravagant vocabulary and complicated metaphors. Team Bangladesh went on to do extremely well in the tournament despite their unfamiliarity with English, truly encapsulating the essence of “improbable triumph”.

From the shy, timid student, to the debater representing the USA, I had an improbable triumph of my own. As I found my voice and people listened, I realized that the cultural barrier I thought was inhibiting me was empowering me. At first it was simply by giving myself an obstacle to overcome, but then I realized how my own cultural experiences gave me a diverse worldview that enhanced everything I did. It propelled me to my position on the national debate team which served to further my diverse worldview. Aaditya mentioned his personal story about his parents in an earlier comment, Jasmine and Eileen discussed their hardships in immigrating to Canada, and Fiorella mentions her own struggles in the article above. However, in the end, the disadvantages we all faced made us stronger and gave us character. In a way, I am grateful for the disadvantages I had to deal with.

Throughout the article, and above in my own comment, the term improbable triumph has been used to describe success in the face of disadvantages. Yet, it seems that triumph becomes more probable in the face of disadvantages that must be overcome and learned from. We really should change our conception of advantage then, because disadvantages can be advantages in disguise and make improbable triumphs less improbable.

Diana wrote about her story as an immigrant who was having a hard time breaking the language barriers in the United States. I felt camaraderie with her story as a foreigner who has gone through a similar experience in adapting to a culture and language that I have never been exposed to ever since I was born. She said she was having a hard time breaking the implicit barrier between her and people in the States, and so did I. It took me so long to get used to just speaking and writing my thoughts in English to share with my friends, and many people are struggling with that too. I was admitted to my current school in the first year of the Pandemic, and trying to make friends when everyone had to stay inside their homes was a horrible experience. I took all of my classes virtually, without a single experience of speaking English. My school initially did not even provide an ESL program to help foreign students like me. Also, I was not able to socialize with other kids in the school because there were no chances. I finished my first year with a lot of struggles, and I moved into the school for the second year. I tried to make lots of friends because I realized that if I didn’t get used to this environment, I thought I would never be able to get friends in school. So, I decided to play some sports, join clubs, and be active in class.

During those times, I’ve seen many students who are also having a hard time like me. I’ve seen a lot of smart Asian students talented in many different fields, but are unable to express their creative ideas as they were not able to speak English fluently. I remember the time when, I was in my math class, and we were solving a hard calculus problem that required us to see it with a creative perspective that people normally cannot even imagine. However, Chan, my Chinese friend, raised his hand and tried to explain his thoughts on the problem in front of the whole class. It took a while for many students in my class to understand his words because of his accent and his fluency in English. Later, he had to just write down equations and variables on the board to enable others to understand what he was trying to understand. Though some people might think that it is Chan’s fault for not being able to fluently speak English while going to a public school in the United States. However, for those people, I want to ask, ‘since when did English become the Nation’s official language?’ I, knowing how talented Chan is in transforming hard math problems into simple solutions during when we worked on a math project together, felt sorry for his embarrassment. At that moment, I realized that the existing educational system does not support many talented students to overcome their language barrier to reach their full potential. As a person who also went through a similar experience of having a hard time, I wanted to make a change in the current form of education for future generations of students in the overlooked population. I did not want any more students to not reach their 100% potential just because of the language barrier. From my experience, I learned that the school’s ESL classes do not practically help foreign students to learn English in a short period of time. Even more, I realize that there is no support system in our education that could help foreign students who are struggling with their school work just because they cannot speak English fluently. Realizing that there has to be an end to this continuing educational disparity, I decided to run a student club “Near2Perfection” that can help talented students who are suffering because of language or cultural barriers. Currently, in the United States, the majority of people expect immigrants to speak English fluently, even when 14.4% of its total population consists of immigrants whose mother tongue is not English. Empathizing with these often overlooked populations in our society, I and Near2Perfection aim to support them to socialize with other students and break the language barrier to spread their innovative dreams that could change the world. For instance, one of my friends from Taiwan, Tiger Ding, was struggling in his language & literature class, and especially with speaking and writing an essay in English. Like me, he never left his home country before coming to Salisbury school, and it was the first time he came to an English-only learning environment. Our club helped him to get familiar with the different cultures and languages by introducing our club members and giving him a tour of our school. Throughout the semester, we helped him with writing essays, providing him notes on how to write a persuasive essay, while doing daily assignments together, and having lunch with other classmates to make them feel inclusive in the school community.

After reading this article and reading through the comment section, I’m so glad that there are others who also recognize that all people, regardless of race, gender, age, and fluency in speaking English, have remarkable talents, energy, knowledge, and creativity to innovate the world. Being motivated, In the near future, I want to build a non-profit organization that promotes collaborations among lots of companies in the private industry in different countries. The goal of this organization is to play a significant role in “breaking the barrier” to help companies in different nations to introduce their innovative business ideas more easily. With my unending passion to promote equity, I am eager to collaborate with many other innovative peers in different nations to put our heads together and make the world a better place.

“I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.” is a monumental quote stated by Kurt Cobain. This quote not only illustrates the social concern of insecurities but also reflected an image of my life in general. The article, “A Student’s Struggle to Speak English Leads to a Career as a Communicator”, was especially intriguing to me because it shows how one’s aversion towards a certain area may also make them emotionally stronger by forcing them to step outside of their comfort zone. As Fiorella Riccobono stated, “My hope is that more people in our society, especially in today’s political climate, analyze their perceptions of disadvantage.” This suggests that rather than viewing stereotypically bad behavior as something we should avoid, we should also consider the delight it has brought to us and the positive adjustments it has made to our lives as a whole. For example, Fiorella Riccobono’s inability to communicate in English when she was younger forced her to go through an ordeal that has damaged her internally, but ultimately acknowledged the idea that having communication problems is not necessarily a drawback. The student underwent the hardship of learning a foreign language and overcame her insecurities on self-consciousness which is ultimately, her “improbable triumph”. As a ten-year-old little boy stepped into a foreign country where the environment was completely new to him, it was inevitable for him to face issues like language barriers, culture shock and discrimination. When I immigrated to Singapore from my homeland China, where I had spent the previous ten years, I attended an international school and did not speak a single word of English. I used to be in the English as a Second Language(EAL) course for three years hoping that one day I could be moved to English as a First Language(EFL) class. Throughout these years, I have seen many of my fellow classmates get transferred to EFL after only a few months of learning English, but I still had not yet met the requirements for EFL. I often asked myself, “Am I dumb?”, “Why am I always different from others?” and “Why can’t I just be like them?” Every time I speak in front of the class, I feel that I am stuttering and making simple grammar mistakes in my speech. I used to always be afraid to look others in the eye because I knew they might be making fun of my accent and giving me judgemental looks. Later in life, I was inspired by an artist that promotes the concept of ‘self-love’. The artist has numerous songs implying that we should not try to pretend to be someone that we are not in order to fit into a specific type of community and we should always love ourselves and embrace who we are individually. That was the moment when I realized that my insecurities are confining my individuality and it is perfectly fine to be different. I joined a local service called “Her Journey” that advocates Migrant Domestic Workers’ Rights and some people questioned why I am involved in a ‘Her’ related activity. I simply replied, “I am just doing what I love”, that is empowering the women in my society and beyond. The younger me tried really hard to be a ‘normal’ student but soon acknowledged that there is no category of ‘normal’ in our modern society. I started not caring about my accent and whether I can speak ‘perfect’ English or not because as Fiorella Riccobono stated, “This story marks the start of my improbable triumph.”

Fiorella’s story as the child of Venezuelan immigrants inversely mirrors my own experience as the child of two Korean immigrants. Her story starts with the shame and insecurity of not knowing English in her pre-K classroom, leading her to the realization that this “barrier” bolstered her work ethic and beliefs on diversity. My own story is similar: my struggle to resonate with my Korean identity as a Korean-American made me curious and led me to building my own community.

“Conventional thought suggests that if you live in the U.S. you should learn English,” Fiorella writes, and while this is true, I present another version of this line in a way applicable to my life: Conventional thought suggests that if you have family from outside of the U.S., you should be able to speak their language. When I was in first grade, I traded my once-fluent Korean for perfect English. This sacrifice gave way to the insecurity and shame that Fiorella alludes to in her article. Whenever I went back to Korea to visit family, I felt a sense of isolation as the only one who wasn’t fluent in Korean. I felt like a particularly grotesque piece of artwork, while my family looked at me as if they couldn’t quite figure me out. “Can you try to speak Korean around us?” they would ask, but the moment I spoke, they would chastise my poor grammar and even poorer pronunciation. They would comment on my colored hair and clothes, blaming it on the “American influence.” Language was not the only barrier that separated me from my Korean family. Korean mannerisms and culture that my family had practiced all their lives were unfamiliar to me, only feeding my insecurity. As the shame grew, I marginalized myself from my Korean identity and pushed myself to become more American. I stopped speaking Korean altogether, because every time I did, I was reminded that I didn’t quite belong.

Self-acceptance took a lot of work over the years, and admittedly, I still harbor some of those feelings from when I was younger. But like Fiorella’s connection to her identity, mine blossomed into a unique strength. Being Korean-American caused me to ask questions about who I really was, leading me to discover a community where my hyphenated identity has evolved into something entirely its own. Discovering the Korean-American community in my town let me uphold a blend of what both cultures have to offer; for example, many Korean-Americans bond over our experiences in Korea, the struggle of learning a language, and aspects of Korean culture that we can only confide in each other in America, such as Korean music and fashion. The Korean diaspora in the United States is comprised of nearly 2 million individuals, and after connecting with those like myself, I realized that I had spent my entire life trying to conform to one group or another when really, all I had to do was recognize that I had been part of one all along.

At the end of her article, Fiorella writes, “To the students who relate to my experiences and who may be struggling with their inability or even lack of desire to learn English, I ask you to shift your perception and embrace the opportunity in your challenge. I ask you to consider how you can spin this perceived weakness and draw energy from it to become a stronger student, friend, and contributing member to society.” This is exactly what I aspire to do. Already, I have contributed to my school and community through the thing that made me different and made me doubt myself all my life – in this case, my Korean-American identity – because it ultimately sparked my intellectual curiosity and allowed me to cross barriers to reach people like myself. Our identities are not deficits, barriers, or obstacles, as Fiorella has found out for herself. No matter our challenges, our ethnic origins, beliefs, gender, religion, and nationalities make us who we are, and being Korean-American has allowed me to find a community between lands, oceans, and cultures that feels like home.

I deeply resonate with your experiences as an Asian-American navigating the waters of having many different cultural identities. As an immigrant who has lived in four countries, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and the US, I can empathize with the challenges you faced in connecting with your Korean roots while adapting to American culture.

Although I have not experienced living in India and spent most of my formative years in Japan, my Indian heritage has always been an essential part of who I am. I always found it difficult to answer the seemingly simple question, “where are you from?” Whenever it comes up, I am faced with a dilemma: Should I say that I am Indian, even though I never lived in India, but my parents were born and raised there? Should I say that I am American, despite the fact that I have lived here for only 3 years? Or should I say I am Japanese, since I have spent many years immersed in their culture, but was always seen as a foreigner? These moments make me feel isolated from those around me, like I don’t entirely fit into one particular mold.

However, I have learned to make light out of my situation. Akin to Fiorella’s realization of the “barrier” being a catalyst for growth, my journey has allowed me to experience the world through differing and often contrasting perspectives, providing a greater sense of depth in my life. As you put it, “Our identities are not deficits, barriers, or obstacles… our ethnic origins, beliefs, gender, religion, and nationalities make us who we are.”

Reflecting on your story, I’m reminded of a quote from an Indian hero, Mahatma Gandhi: “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.” Similar to how you’ve discovered a unique strength in your assorted identity, I have learned to embrace my diversity, allowing me to better understand myself and those around me.

Just like you, I agree that our identities are not limited to the place we currently live in, where we were born, or where we grew up; they are a culmination of our experiences and family heritage and are a part of what makes us unique. Learning about Indian values and traditions is a beautiful journey of self-discovery, and I find comfort in knowing that there are others, like you and Fiorella, who share similar experiences.

Today, when asked the question “Where are you from?” Instead of attempting to provide a simple one-word answer, I take the opportunity to share my journey through different cultures and the countries that have been an integral part of my life. I proudly acknowledge my Indian heritage while also showing gratitude for the Japanese customs and American values that have shaped my present day self. I have come to realize that my story cannot be explained by a single place; rather, it is a beautiful mosaic of influences from the various cultures that have touched my life.

Thank you for sharing your story and reminding us that our identities are all unique, and our ability to embrace diversity can lead to a richer, more connected world.

Trading one language for another, and then trying to rejuvenate the lost language is something that deeply resonates with my childhood experience. Despite being raised in the U.S., the first language I learned was Chinese — not English. Like you, Jennifer, I swapped my once fluent Chinese with English. Once I entered preschool, I was able to meet multitudes of children who spoke perfect English. Yet, far from being conformed to their ways of playing and talking, I started distancing myself from everyone. As a result, my English didn’t improve. It was only until I was in kindergarten that my parents decided I should start focusing on improving my English. And so, I began to transition slowly towards the standard English that everyone else had, which in turn, gave up my once-perfect Chinese.

When I reached fourth grade, my parents signed me up for a class meant for third graders to improve my Chinese. I was beyond embarrassed, seeing that these younger students read and wrote Chinese better than me. In deep relation to Jennifer, I struggled to learn the language that was native to my parents and relatives. And I took with me both humiliation and resentment at the fact that my Chinese was so poor compared to others.

Yet, unlike Jennfier and Fiorella, being teased and reprimanded due to my incompetent Chinese was not what drove me into shame and lack of interest in learning the language. It was the opposite; I separated myself from those whose Chinese was better than mine. I couldn’t bear the shame of everyone commenting that my Chinese was years below what I should have been learning. Thus, not wanting to embarrass myself even furtherby revealing my weak areas, I avoided bringing them into the spotlight.

Now that I recapture those memories, I found that I had my strong suits too, years of hard work on my English allowed it to qualify as one of my strengths. This became apparent when I took a trip to China to visit my relatives. While I was interacting with kids who were around my age, I often had trouble understanding what they said. Eventually, I admitted that I was not from China, but instead, the US. After that announcement, they began curiously asking all about life in the States. Many exclaimed that they had learned English as a second language for years but it was nowhere near as good as my Chinese. “I could never handle two languages,” was a quote from one of the children I met that time, leaving me to realize that I shouldn’t kick myself for my current level in Chinese — especially when many of the most academically focused students across the world are not bilingual. My Chinese is a wavering branch that taught me I have weaknesses, but I shouldn’t forget the sturdy roots that fix me to my current self — that my English has been so well cultivated that it now represents one of the things I am best at. As both Fiorella and Jennifer have discovered, obstacles and tribulations are what make you realize that you can be more valiant.

Hi April, thank you so much for sharing! I deeply concur with all the points you brought up in your comment. I would just like to say that I’m startled to hear that we have such similar experiences – it’s scarily identical!

While I was raised in the US, my first language was also Chinese. Akin to you, I had learnt English at the cost of my Chinese. When I was younger, I went to a Pre-k where everyone spoke Chinese, so English wasn’t a concern for me at that time. It wasn’t until Kindergarten that I came in contact with English and realized the importance of understanding and speaking fluently. Although I struggled with English, I still tried my best to communicate and make friends. But as Elementary school started, I left my Chinese behind. Exactly like your experience, my parents signed me up for Chinese class meant for a lower grade as well. I specifically remember, there was this one time where the teacher called on me to recite this certain set of Chinese flashcards. I had felt extremely called out and embarrassed. I couldn’t do anything else besides staring at the ground and staying quiet. The teacher asked me again, but all I could do was shake my head. A younger girl sitting behind me raised her hand and offered to recite the flashcards. This was a huge turning point for me at the time, motivating me to continuously improve.

I immensely agree with the lesson you learned after you came back from your trip to China. You said “My Chinese is a wavering branch that taught me I have weaknesses, but I shouldn’t forget the sturdy roots that fix me to my current self…” I agree with this because I’ve experienced numerous instances where this lesson applies. In my personal experience, there was a period of time where I couldn’t blend in with either my classmates at school or in my Chinese classes. I felt lost and isolated as I was Asian but I couldn’t even understand my own language. Again, it’s more reassuring to know that other Asian Americans have gone through the same experience, practicing Asian traditions but unable speak or understand their own native language. Due to this, some Asian Americans may be embarrassed of their Asian heritage and background. This feeling especially heightened during Covid 19, where episodes of anti- Asian hate became frequent. Asians were targeted which led to many staying home, afraid to come out. There would frequently be hate crimes reported on the news every week. For many Asian Americans, after seeing the news, I’m sure it felt like being Asian was suddenly so difficult as all of a sudden we were being targeted against. For so many of us, identity was already a problematic topic – and now we were faced with complex and frightening new dangers.

Everyone should remember their sturdy cultural roots because it’s what makes them, them! I keep coming back to the metaphor you used: the sturdy roots that support and ground us as we face new challenges. I’d like to add that it’s not just language but culture too that anchors and characterizes us. So even if you can’t understand the language your family speaks, you can still learn it. Over time, my Chinese has improved to the point where I’m no longer embarrassed to speak in front of my Chinese class. Which really comes to show the importance of cultural pride. There may be times when we question ourselves, but motivation is really the key to success.

As a Korean attending an international school in France, I totally relate to the idea of ‘analyzing the perceptions of disadvantage and accepting qualities like language barriers can in fact be personal strengths’.

In my case, the qualities that I had to accept were my cultural barriers. Even though my class has a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, with each of us coming from different countries around the world, I still get the impression that I am particularly different. I get the impression that I do not belong here, that I am an outsider. The reason is that my lifestyle, shaped by my country, Korea’s society differs from others’. Even though the others are also different from each other, they share a lot in common in terms of their ways of thinking in general and approaching life. For instance, because I was born and raised in a country where sacrificing the present to get the best future is normalized, I have been prioritizing the future over the present without even noticing, while people in my school mostly come from countries that have that mindset of enjoying the present and thinking that ‘present is present, future is future’.

The first time this difference made me feel like an outsider was when I decided to study in my room for my future when everyone else was going to parties during the weekends. Later on, I kept inflating this difference in my mind, ending up blocking myself from getting along with the new society.

However, recently, at the end of my first year living abroad, I realized that this difference is a richness instead of a barrier. As a person who knows and experienced the pros and cons of each lifestyle, I can now stand in the middle, in between the two, and take the aspects I want, thinking of both the future and the present; I would enjoy my present moments as well while planning and working for my future.

Moreover, I have learned the lesson that this difference brings me to widen my worldview, which in turn enriches my thoughts and reflections when it comes to making important personal decisions and choices. For example, from today’s discussion with a Mexican friend of mine, I learned that Mexican people value living in the present for each day, as that mentality empowers individuals to be creative, allowing them to come up with innovative ideas and solutions. I found that this contrasts with the Korean mindset of keeping individuals working, by convincing them that kind of working will ensure them a stable future, which actually robotizes people to follow pre-established mechanisms, instead of being creative. Through the realization of this, I can, from now on, take into account the importance of being in a relaxed and stressless environment that focuses on the present in order to stay creative as well as the importance of putting devotion into things I want to accomplish.

I believe these experiences of mine reflect the message of this article, that barrier-ing qualities can actually be personal strengths.

Congrat! Finally, you have got a valuable asset in your mind.

Thank you Fiorella for sharing your story! Your experiences truly resonate with me – I feel as if we have been on parallel journeys.I’m a Chinese American who grew up in NY. NY is known to be one of the US states that has the most Chinese American population. And because of this, as a young child, I never felt the need to learn English. I remember when I was in Pre-K, everyone spoke Chinese, so I was able to communicate fairly well. There was even a teachers assistant that could help us translate if it was needed. At that time I expected that school life would be super easy. No one around me spoke English, and when I was on the streets everyone spoke Chinese or a foreign dialect. It never occurred to me that I would need English in a community where everyone spoke Chinese.

Reading your story really brought me back to my childhood. When I was in kindergarten, I vividly remember there was this one time where everyone was sitting around in class and practicing how to write letters of the alphabet. While everyone else was writing the letters perfectly fine, I kept messing up and needed the eraser. However, at the time, my English was very poor. According to the American Census survey, in 2012 there were about 11,231 children who spoke another language other than English at home and about 786 children who either spoke English not well or at all. Unfortunately, I was a part of that 785 children. I had little to no idea on how to ask the teacher for an eraser. Not to mention, I was also a rather shy child. Unfortunately for me, I had to ask in my mother tongue. In Chinese, I reluctantly spoke in a tiny voice asking for the eraser. I remember being extremely embarrassed when I saw my teacher unable to understand me. I had no other way of expressing myself, so my last resort was to point to an eraser on a nearby table and hope for the best. To my luck, the teacher actually understood and brought me an eraser. That moment was a special turning point, motivating me to improve my skills in both languages.

But as I grew older and started elementary school, I gradually left my Chinese speaking self behind as my English speaking ability grew. It was rather difficult for me to be bilingual at that time. But later on, I took Chinese classes and watched many Chinese cartoons to be able to finally speak Chinese proficiently again. I didn’t know at the time, but there’s many benefits that come with bilingualism. According to the US department of education, individuals who are bilingual understand math and solve word questions easier, develop stronger thinking skills, and have an easier time using logic. It also enhances their skills on focusing, remembering, and making better decisions. And generally, making it easier for them to learn another language. Not only is it beneficial for educational purposes, it also “supports children in maintaining strong ties with their family, culture, and community.” Moreover, it may also assist in future job opportunities. Personally I feel like our education system has not failed us in encouraging bilingual children to maintain their language skills. From my personal experience, middle school and forward, my school requires taking a second language class. Before middle school, taking second language classes weren’t even accessible. Similarly, in the article, we saw that Fiorella was able to preserve her bilinguality through strong social connections by speaking Spanish at home and while she attended college. Through all that practice, she was able to help the voices of non-english speakers in her workplace because of her bilinguality.

Kindred to Fiorella, I had trouble in public speaking, especially during presentations and projects. Learning the languages in depth boosted my confidence in speech, but I still needed more practice for my stage fright. Before every single presentation, I would practice for hours reviewing my presentation over and over again, attempting to perfect it.. Analogous to Fiorella, I would practice at home with my mother. She would always encourage me whenever I felt like I wouldn’t be able to present well. We would often pretend that she’s the teacher listening to my presentation and when I’m finished, she would provide helpful feedback. Each time I spent with her practicing a memorable recollection. During the presentation I would always be nervous despite practicing for hours with my mother. But the majority of the time, I’m able to get through the presentation with flying colors.

Parallel to Fiorella, my Chinese heritage also motivated me throughout my life. And I really agree when she said “I have contributed deeply to my school and now my work communities because my “otherness” sparked my intellectual curiosity and my desire to work that much harder to achieve my personal goals”. I attended an English speaking kindergarten and being Chinese really made me stand out. At that time, I wasn’t used to the new surroundings as my pre-k had been all asian. Reflecting on my past I really appreciate my “otherness”. Once again, thank you Fiorella for sharing your story and giving us insight on your journey to success.

5 Tips on How to Write a Speech Essay

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M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
B.A., History, Armstrong State University

When figuring out how to write a speech, the essay form can offer a good foundation for the process. Just like essays, all speeches have three main sections: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

However, unlike essays, speeches must be written to be heard as opposed to being read. You need to write a speech in a way that keeps the attention of an audience and helps paint a mental image at the same time. This means that your speech should contain some color, drama, or humor . It should have “flair.” Make your speech memorable by using attention-grabbing anecdotes and examples.

Determine the Type of Speech You're Writing

Since there are different types of speeches, your attention-grabbing techniques should fit the speech type.

Informative and instructional speeches inform your audience about a topic, event, or area of knowledge. This can be a how-to on podcasting for teens or a historical report on the Underground Railroad. It also can relate to health and beauty, such as "How to Shape Perfect Eyebrows," or hobby-related, such as "Make a Great Bag Out of Old Clothing."

Persuasive speeches attempt to convince or persuade the audience to join one side of an argument. You might write a speech about a life choice, such as, "Abstinence Can Save Your Life," or getting involved in the community, such as "The Benefits of Volunteering."

Entertaining speeches entertain your audience, and topics may not practical. Your speech topic could be something like, "Life Is Like a Dirty Dorm," or "Can Potato Peels Predict the Future?"

Special occasion speeches entertain or inform your audience, like graduation speeches and toasts at celebrations.

Explore the different types of speeches and decide what speech type fits your assignment.

Craft a Creative Speech Introduction

Thoughtco.com / Grace Fleming

The introduction of the informative speech should contain an attention-grabber, followed by a statement about your topic. It should end with a strong transition into your body section.

As an example, consider a template for an informative speech called "African-American Heroines." The length of your speech will depend on the amount of time you have been allotted to speak.

The red section of the speech in the graphic provides the attention-grabber. It makes audience members think about what life would be like without civil rights. The last sentence states directly the purpose of the speech and leads into the speech body, which provides more details.

Determine the Flow of the Body of the Speech

Thoughtco.com / Grace Fleming

The body of your speech can be organized in a number of ways, depending on your topic. Suggested organization patterns include:

Chronological: Provides the order of events in time;
Spatial: Gives an overview of physical arrangement or design;
Topical: Presents information one subject at a time;
Causal: Shows cause-and-effect pattern.

The speech pattern illustrated in the image in this slide is topical. The body is divided into sections that address different people (different topics). Speeches typically include three sections (topics) in the body. This speech would continue with a third section about Susie King Taylor.

Writing a Memorable Speech Conclusion

The conclusion of your speech should restate the main points you covered in your speech and end with a memorable statement. In the sample in this graphic, the red section restates the overall message you wanted to convey: that the three women you've mentioned had strength and courage, despite the odds they faced.

The quote is an attention-grabber since it is written in colorful language. The blue section ties the entire speech together with a small twist.

Address These Key Objectives

Whatever type of speech you decide to write, find ways to make your words memorable. Those elements include:

Clever quotes
Amusing stories with a purpose
Meaningful transitions
A good ending

The structure of how to write your speech is just the start. You'll also need to finesse the speech a bit. Start by paying attention to your audience and their interests. Write the words you'll speak with passion and enthusiasm, but you also want your listeners to share that enthusiasm. When writing your attention-grabbing statements, make sure you are writing what will get their attention, not just yours.

Study Famous Speeches

Gain inspiration from others' speeches. Read famous speeches and look at the way they are constructed. Find things that stand out and figure out what makes it interesting. Oftentimes, speechwriters use rhetorical devices to make certain points easy to remember and to emphasize them.

Get to the Point Quickly

Remember to begin and end your speech with something that will gain and hold the attention of your audience. If you spend too much time getting into your speech, people will zone out or start checking their phones. If you get them interested immediately, they will be more likely to stick with you until the end.

Keep It Conversational

How you deliver the speech is also important. When you give the speech , think about the tone you should use, and be sure to write the speech in the same flow that you'd use in conversations. A great way to check this flow is to practice reading it out loud. If you stumble while reading or it feels monotone, look for ways to jazz up the words and improve the flow.

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by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak essay questions.

Examine the role that female sexuality plays in Melinda's world. How does it affect Melinda differently from those around her?

After the rape, Melinda notices the sexual objectification of women all around her, whether it be the celebration of the two-sided, sexually promiscuous cheerleaders or Heather's swimsuit modeling career. Melinda, as "Outcast" removes herself from her world, partly in order to remove herself from this system of objectification. As an outside observer, Melinda takes on a socially asexual role and is able to effectively critique the gender breakdown at her high school.

What role does David Petrakis play in the novel? What is the significance of his character?

David Petrakis is Melinda's smart and outspoken lab partner. She admires him from the beginning of the novel, when she explains that he is never bullied, even though he seems like the type that would be. As the story moves forward, David Petrakis challenges Mr. Neck and helps Melinda to do the same. He becomes a symbol of what Melinda would like to be: strong, well-spoken, independent. David is an able communicator, unlike Melinda. She calls even his silence "eloquent." Her crush on him develops not only because he is one of the only people to talk to her, but also because he possesses the personality she aspires to have. You may wish to consider the significance of this position being filled by a male character, instead of a female one.

What role does confession play in the novel?

Speak is a story about the struggle to confess. Melinda tries initially to hide behind silence, but as the novel progresses it becomes increasingly clear that she must confess before healing. There are two confessions: one to Rachel and one to Mr. Freeman at the very end of the book. While the one to Rachel is written and at first appears unsuccessful, it nevertheless has healing qualities, and ultimately leads to their presumed reconciliation. We see a stark difference in Melinda's actions and thoughts. The ultimate confession, the spoken one to Mr. Freeman, comes after everyone has already learned of Melinda's secret. The act of confessing in this novel, however, is more important than what is confessed. You may wish to address the fact that confessing sets Melinda free even though she is the victim, not the perpetrator of the crime.

Can Speak be read as a feminist novel? Why or why not?

Speak certainly contains many feminist overtones. Melinda regains her voice and strength after being silenced and dominated by a male. She writes a report on the suffragettes and then stands in front of the class protesting in what she believes to be a suffragette manner. Melinda also works hard to distinguish herself from the traditional gender roles at her high school, and she regularly satirizes the characters that happily fill those roles.

What are the results and consequences of speaking in the novel? How does this affect Melinda?

Melinda witnesses two very different reactions to speaking/speaking up. In some instances, she sees people humiliated, such as Rachel who speaks up against symbolism in English class. These instances reaffirm Melinda's belief that speaking only hurts you, never helps you. However, in other cases, such as David Petrakis' stance against Mr. Neck, Melinda observes the power of speaking up. These instances ultimately encourage her to grow and speak again.

Melinda often reminisces about childhood. What does this say about Melinda?

Melinda's childhood memories do not serve simply to indicate that Melinda was once happy, but now is not. To the contrary, they serve a much more complex purpose. Her reminiscences show her attention to identity and the fluidity of identity change. To Melinda, these identity changes have mostly been negative. There are also times when Melinda wishes to protect her friends from this change. When she sees Rachel kissing Andy Evans, Melinda upsets herself by remembering when she and Rachel were kids. Because Melinda has so far found adolescence so painful, she has a hard time letting go of her childhood, which seems idyllic in comparison. This contributes to the inability she feels to grow until the end of the novel.

What is the function of Melinda's closet?

Throughout the novel, Melinda wants to deflect attention from herself and conceal her thoughts. It thus makes sense that her safe haven would be an abandoned closet where she can shut herself away and see nobody. The closet is also a symbol traditionally used in the homosexual world. It functions similarly for Melinda. While she is in the closet, she has not opened up about her secret and not crossed a socially-charged line. It is only after she decides to leave her closet behind, and effectively "come out," that she is willing to confess, and can show her inner voice to her peers.

What is the significance of Mr. Freeman acting as the recipient of Melinda's first spoken confession?

Mr. Freeman is first and foremost the character that most obviously reaches out to Melinda and emphasizes the importance of recognizing and expressing emotions, not stifling them. She rejects his help at first, but eventually decides to confess to him. This is a sign of her growth as a person. Secondly, however, a confession to Mr. Freeman is significant because it falls in line with the traditional young adult novel form. Ultimately, in order to heal, Melinda must reach out to an older, wiser adult.

Discuss the importance of the intertextual references in Speak .

The most important references are to The Scarlet Letter and Maya Angelou. The Scarlet Letter features a woman who is exiled from society for sexual reasons. The relationship between this story and Melinda is obvious--though her classmates don't realize it, they have exiled her beacuse of the consequences of a sexual act. Maya Angelou's face appears on a poster in Melinda's closet. Angelou is known for her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , a coming-of -age story that illustrates overcoming racism and moving past the trauma of being raped at a young age. She not only admitted what happened to her, but did so to the whole world, and so she serves as a role model for Melinda as she tries to find her voice.

Examine the role that mirrors play in the novel.

Melinda posses a distinct dislike for mirrors and her own reflection throughout the novel. This dislike indicates the self-loathing that Melinda feels after the rape. She turns the mirror around in her bedroom and covers the mirror in her closet. At the end of the novel, the shattering of the mirror, and Melinda's use of one of its broken shards to threaten Andy Evans, demonstrates a conquering of her self-loathing, and a turning of the loathing to the appropriate object, Andy.

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Speak Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Speak is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What aspect of The Scarlet Letter does Hairwoman seem obsessed with?

Hairwoman is obsessed with the symbolism in The Scarlet Letter.

How is Mr. Freeman keeping track of grades in his art class?

Mr. Frreman doesn't give grades, but rather, evaluates his students' work and paints his evaluations in a list on the wall.

what problems are people having with mr.freemans assignment? what advice does he give to help them? from pages 20-26

Mr. Freeman's assignment is rather abstract. He wants students to pick an object that metaphorically speaks to the person who views it. I think Mr. Freeman tells them to listen to themselves.

Study Guide for Speak

Speak study guide contains a biography of Laurie Halse Anderson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

About Speak
Speak Summary
Character List

Essays for Speak

Speak essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

The Power of Words: A Speak Analysis
From Wishbones to Wings: The Symbolism of Birds in "Speak"
The Factors That Helped Melinda Recover
Sexual Assault in Speak

Lesson Plan for Speak

About the Author
Study Objectives
Common Core Standards
Introduction to Speak
Relationship to Other Books
Bringing in Technology
Notes to the Teacher
Related Links
Speak Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Speak

Introduction

Home — Essay Samples — Education — Class Reflection — What I Learned on Public Speaking Class: a Reflection

What I Learned on Public Speaking Class: a Reflection

Categories: Class Reflection Communication Skills Speak

About this sample

Words: 861 |

Published: Mar 18, 2021

Words: 861 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Works Cited

DeVito, J. A. (2020). The essentials of public speaking (6th ed.). Pearson.
Hamilton, C. (2014). TED Talks: The official TED guide to public speaking. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Lucas, S. E. (2014). The art of public speaking (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
O'Hair, D., Stewart, R., & Rubenstein, H. (2019). A pocket guide to public speaking (6th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin's.
Pearson, J. C., & Nelson, P. E. (2000). An introduction to human communication : Understanding and sharing (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Petersen, C., & Gallagher, K. (2017). Public speaking: Strategies for success (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Pride, W. M., Hughes, R. J., & Kapoor, J. R. (2020). Business communication (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Quintanilla, K., & Wahl, S. (2016). Business and professional communication: KEYS for workplace excellence (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Verderber, R. F., Verderber, K. S., & Sellnow, D. D. (2020). Communicate! (16th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Zarefsky, D. (2017). Public speaking: Strategies for success (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.

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Read an Excerpt From Ann Leary's Book That Made Husband Denis Leary Laugh 'So F---ing Loud' (Exclusive)

The bestselling author's new essay collection, 'I've Tried Being Nice' spans family, fame, recovery and learning not to be a people-pleaser

Angela Weiss/WireImage; Marysue Rucci Books

Lots of husbands would be embarrassed to read a book their wife had written that covers — among other things — that time they almost got divorced, disastrous ballroom dancing lessons and their social snafus as they learned to navigate fame, family and all that comes with it.

But Denis Leary isn't that kind of husband.

His wife Ann Leary is brutally honest in her newest book, I've Tried Being Nice , out June 4 — but not at anyone's expense.

"Anything that I write about my family, they get to see before it's published anywhere, because if they don't like it, I don't wanna publish it," the author, 61, tells PEOPLE in a joint interview with Denis, 66. "Writing essays, you have to be so careful about people's feelings, like your husband's and your children's and your parents'. You have to tell your truth, but I like to be mindful of the privacy of people in my life."

The book spans a range of topics from serious to borderline-slapstick, mostly centered around the author's family, marriage, their life together and trying to be less of a people-pleaser.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now !

"I do touch on my childhood a little bit in one of the early essays, but most of it is about our family, being married to Dennis, having our great children and trying not to embarrass them too much by describing our lives," the author adds.

Running like an undercurrent to the laughs, as happens in so many of Ann's books, comes a sneaky dose of wisdom.

"I kind of explored the difference between being nice, which is actually a very good trait, and being a people-pleaser, which is more of like being insecure," she explains. "And it doesn't really come from a place of of altruism or kindness, or a higher level of emotion. It comes from selfish angst and fear."

Her husband, who Ann calls "my kindest critic ... and my biggest cheerleader-fan," says that it's "always exciting when I get to read whatever draft I'm allowed to read of something." He got an early look at these essays before publication, in pretty much the same form the reader will see them.

"I'm proud of her, but it's not the kind of writing I can really do, so a lot of times I'm just sort of in awe of how she could take something and turn it into something so funny or beautiful," Denis says. "I was laughing so f---ing loud at so many things, especially in the newer essays that I didn't know. But, man, this book! It really made me laugh."

The couple, who share children Jack, 34, and daughter Devin, 32, have always liked to laugh — together and, occasionally, in good-natured fun at each other.

"You have to laugh," Ann says, of what gets her through the tough stuff. "I'm actually annoyed when people don't have a sense of humor, I actually find it personally offensive."

Below, in an exclusive excerpt shared with PEOPLE, read a case of mistaken identity with endearing results.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer , from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Marysue Rucci Books

Years ago, at a dinner party, I was seated next to a very sweet, nebbishy-looking guy who seemed a little out of his element. Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos were also at our table. They had been dating for less than two weeks. Now their daughters are in college, but how can that be? This party seems like it was yesterday. The thing about humiliating situations is that they always seem so fresh. Memories of my finer moments such as … well … none come to mind right now, but they all seem to fade. Shameful moments have a way of crystallizing in my memory, perfectly intact, forever.

My shy dinner companion at that party was concerned that there wouldn’t be anything for him to eat, as he was vegan. He was so quiet and unassuming. He didn’t seem to know anybody, and I assumed that he was somebody’s plus-one. A famous actor’s cousin, maybe visiting from out of town.

I realized he was overwhelmed by the dazzling luminaries in the room, so I decided to take him under my wing. I asked one of the waitstaff to prepare him a salad, and then I explained to him who all the important people were. On his other side was a very famous actress. I told him that he shouldn’t be shy—he should introduce himself to her. He told me he already had.

At one point I asked him what he did for work. He told me that he was a musician.

“Wow, that’s really cool,” I said, imagining him in an orchestra pit, his upper lip quivering above a flute, or perhaps on a subway platform strumming on a mandolin.

When we left the party, Denis and I shared a ride with Jon Stewart and his wife, Tracey .

“What was Moby like?” Tracey asked me when we were all in the back of the car. Denis and Jon leaned in toward me with expectant smiles.

“Moby was there?” I asked. “I love Moby!”

I’d been listening to a Moby playlist all summer; it was pretty much all I listened to that summer. I guess I’d never seen his photograph, because — yes, Moby had been my sweet, shy dinner companion.

I began confessing to the others, in a voice rising hysterically, that I had just schooled Moby on the ins and outs of fame. I had just promised Moby that if he had a sample CD of one of his songs, I would personally make sure my husband Denis listened to it.

“Denis Leary,” I’d said to him, with a humble little laugh. I don’t like name-dropping.

Then I said, and my face is flaming now just typing these words: “I can’t promise anything, but if he likes one of your songs — who knows, maybe he’ll use it on his show.” I think I even offered some wisdom about how, in show business, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

God bless Moby. He didn’t laugh in my face and tell me he’d never heard of Denis Leary or his damn TV show. He thanked me for my thoughtfulness. He asked me about myself.

This reminds me of something else I’ve learned on the sidelines of fame. Famous people have an undeservedly bad reputation as a group. They’re always accused of being entitled, stupid, selfish and narcissistic. Many are.

But the most entitled jerks at the Emmys or the Golden Globes or even celebrity-filled dinner parties tend to be actors who people besides me don’t recognize, along with lawyers, agents and certain publicists. These jerks will snatch a seat away from an elderly woman with a walker because she doesn’t belong in the VIP area. They push and shove their way to the front of the press line where nobody wants to take their picture.

The most talented celebrities, in my experience, tend to be the most generous and kind. I’m talking about Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan , now. I’m talking about Morgan Freeman , Meryl Streep , Robert DeNiro — and all the other gentle giants of the celebrity kingdom. They’re thoughtful and kind, they wait their turn in line. They offer their seat to the pregnant or elderly. They turn away from the famous actress at a dinner party to say to the awkward, bumbling actor’s wife — the nobody seated next to them —“Tell me about yourself.”

I've Tried Being Nice: Essays by Ann Leary is out June 4 from Marysue Rucci Books, and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

Olympic officials address gender eligibility as boxers prepare to fight

PARIS – The case of two Olympic boxers has drawn attention to a thorny issue: Who and what determines which female athletes can compete.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan both were disqualified from the 2023 women’s boxing world championships when they reportedly failed gender eligibility tests.

But this week, the International Olympic Committee confirmed the two boxers have been cleared to compete here at the Paris Games , as they both did at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The issues of so-called gender verification or sex testing have fueled discussion at the Olympics as the fighters prepare to enter the ring at North Paris Arena.

Khelif, a silver medalist at the 2022 world championships, is scheduled to fight Thursday against Angela Carini of Italy in the welterweight division at 146 pounds. Lin, a two-time world champion, is scheduled to fight Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan in the featherweight division at 126 pounds.

“Yeah, it’s really tricky," Australian boxer Tiana Echegaray told reporters Tuesday when asked about the situation. "I don’t know exactly what their circumstances are."

IOC spokesman Mark Adams indicated Tuesday no personal information about the boxers' medical histories would be disclosed. "They've been competing in boxing for a very long time," Adams told reporters. “They've achieved all the eligibility requirements in terms of sex and age. We're following the rules in place in Tokyo."

Who's in charge of boxing?

At the Summer Olympics, when it comes to gender eligibility, the IOC defers to the international federations that govern each of the 32 sports.

The IOC does provide a framework to the international federations . But it's “nonbinding."

In other words, it’s not up to the IOC. And the situation has grown especially complicated with boxing.

Last year the IOC banished the International Boxing Association (IBA), long plagued with scandal and controversy that jeopardized the future of Olympic boxing. In fact, the IOC denied IBA the right to run Olympic boxing during the Tokyo Games in 2021 and instead turned over control to an ad-hoc unit.

Opinion: Olympic female boxers are being attacked. Let's just slow down and look at the facts

With that ad-hoc unit in charge, Kehlif and Lin both competed at the Tokyo Olympics. Neither won a medal.

But the IBA has maintained control of the world championships and gender eligibility rules. And after Lin won gold and Kehlif won bronze at the event in March 2023, officials announced the boxers had failed medical eligibility tests and stripped them of the medals.

IBA president Umar Kremlev said DNA tests “proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded."

What's the eligibility criteria?

A passport could be key, based on comments from Adams, the IOC spokesman.

“I would just say that everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules," he said. “They are women in their passports and it is stated that is the case.”

Thursday Adams added that the issues with the previous tests for the boxers "was not a transgender issue, there's been some misreporting on that in press. ... These women have been competing as women for many years.

"What I would say just quickly on testosterone is, the testosterone (test) is not a perfect test. Many women can have testosterone, even what would be called 'male levels' and still be women and still compete as women. So this is not a panacea − this idea that suddenly you test, do one test for testosterone. Each sport needs to deal with this issue but I think we agreed, I hope we're agreed, we're not going to go back to the bad old days of 'sex testing'. That would be a bad idea."

In the past, other eligibility standards have hinged on science.

Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in track and field in 2012 and 2016, was forced to give up competing in the 800 meters because her testosterone levels were too high based on tests administered by World Athletics, the sport’s international federation previously known as the IAAF.

Semenya was assigned female at birth. She said she was told at age 18 that she has XY chromosomes and naturally had high levels of testosterone.

Khelif and Lin have not publicly addressed details of their medical histories regarding the tests.

The issue of eligibility surfaced as a source of controversy in the United States in 2022 when swimmer Lia Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA championship.

At the time, the NCAA required transgender female athletes to have undergone one year of testosterone suppression treatment to be eligible to compete on a women's team in any sport. The NCAA has been under pressure to update its guidelines after the NAIA banned all transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a decision in June by World Aquatics, the international federation for swimming, that prevented Thomas from competing in elite competitions through World Aquatics or USA Swimming.

Who are these two boxers?

Lin, 28, has been fighting as an amateur for more than a decade, according to BoxRec, a widely regarded boxing site.

She made her official amateur debut about three months shy of her 18th birthday, winning at the 2013 AIBA World Women’s Championships. She won gold medals at the world championships in 2019 and 2022.

At 5-foot-9, she often has enjoyed a height advantage while amassing a record of 40-14 with one knockout. The record does not reflect the four fights she won at the 2023 world championships before her disqualification, which resulted in the outcome of the fights being changed to “no contest.’’

She lost her last fight – a split-decision defeat against Brazil’s Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu in April at the 2024 USA Boxing International Invitational in Pueblo, Colorado.

Khelif, 25, made her amateur debut at the 2018 Balkan Women's Tournament. She won a silver medal at the 2022 world championships.

At 5-foot-10, she also has enjoyed a height advantage while amassing a record of 36-9 with four knockouts, according to BoxRec. That does not include the three fights she won at the 2023 world championships before her disqualification resulted in the fights being changed to “no contest.’’

In one of those fights, Khelif stopped her opponent by TKO.

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard

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Sophia Bush speaks candidly about Ashlyn Harris relationship for first time

Bush came out as queer while opening up about relationship with harris, article bookmarked.

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Sophia Bush has spoken publicly about her relationship with former American soccer player, Ashlyn Harris , while coming out as queer.

Within two months of one another, the former One Tree Hill actress and the soccer player announced their divorces from their respective spouses, Grant Hughes and Ali Krieger, and multiple outlets began to report that the two were seeing each other. Now, for Glamour ’s April cover story , Bush is openly talking about how their relationship came to be.

In the essay, Bush explained that it wasn’t the case that she divorced Hughes after a 13-month marriage because of Harris, explaining that her marriage felt wrong from the beginning. “In April of 2022 I was close to calling off my wedding. Instead of running away, I doubled down on being a model wife,” her essay published by the outlet began.

She went on to file for divorce from Hughes on Friday 4 August 2023, while Harris, who was married to Krieger for four years and shares two adopted children with her, filed for divorce on 19 September 2023.

Following her divorce, Bush acknowledged how a group of women around her were all collectively opening up about their home lives and the issues that arose, one of them being Harris.

“I didn’t expect to find love in this support system. I don’t know how else to say it other than: I didn’t see it until I saw it,” she said. “And I think it’s very easy not to see something that’s been in front of your face for a long time when you’d never looked at it as an option and you had never been looked at as an option. What I saw was a friend with her big, happy life. And now I know she thought the same thing about me.”

The actress explained how much time and effort went into accepting her feelings and eventually starting a relationship with Harris, but it didn’t come without various rumours - such as reports the relationship started while the two of them were in their previous relationships.

“A lot of effort was made to be graceful with other people’s processing, their time and obligations, and their feelings. What felt like seconds after I started to see what was in front of me, the online rumour mill began to spit in the ugliest ways,” Bush clarified to Glamour .

“There were blatant lies. Violent threats. There were the accusations of being a home-wrecker. The ones who said I’d left my ex because I suddenly realised I wanted to be with women — my partners have known what I’m into for as long as I have (so that’s not it, y’all, sorry!).”

The John Tucker Must Die actress said that she now identifies as queer and plans on dedicating her time to what she loves instead of attempting to defend herself from every online rumour she comes across.

She also couldn’t help but gush about the qualities she loves about her partner. “I don’t believe it’s my place to discuss details of Ashlyn’s circumstances or her children, but I will say that I am absolutely in awe of her relentless integrity. The way she prioritises and centres her kids, not only in her life but in the core of her being, is breathtaking to behold,” Bush said about Harris.

“Falling in love with her has sutured some of my own childhood wounds, and made me so much closer to my own mother. Seeing Ashlyn choose to not simply survive, but thrive, for her babies has been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed a friend do. And now I get to love her. How lucky am I?”

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Public speaking is a highly important and useful skill that carries multiple advantages for personal life and professional career. Public speaking skills are required for specialists of various kinds. In this regard, mastering public speaking is going to serve as great enforcement for anyone. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate ...
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Reduce your public speaking anxiety by following these steps: Organize your thoughts. This blueprint for a presentation by Eleni Kelakos is a good guide. Decide which format is best (Powerpoint, no slides and/or paper handouts). Practice by yourself and refine. Practice in front of others and refine.
1.1 Why Is Public Speaking Important?
In addition to learning the process of creating and delivering an effective speech, students of public speaking leave the class with a number of other benefits as well. Some of these benefits include. developing critical thinking skills, fine-tuning verbal and nonverbal skills, overcoming fear of public speaking.
To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking, Stop Thinking About Yourself
Showing kindness and generosity to others has been shown to activate the vagus nerve, which has the power to calm the fight-or-flight response. When we are kind to others, we tend to feel calmer ...
Don't Underestimate the Power of Your Voice
Don't Underestimate the Power of Your Voice. Summary. Our voices matter as much as our words matter. They have the power to awaken the senses and lead others to act, close deals, or land us ...
Public Speaking Essay
Public Speaking Essay: Public speaking is an important part of today's life. If a person can master the art of public speaking then there is a lot of chance for him or her to make a successful career in life. In whichever field you look at today, public speaking is very important to establish your identity and brand image. We need to know ...
Speaking Skills: Importance and Types of Speaking Skills
Speaking skills don't just involve the use of the right words. Your body language also has a major role in conveying a message. There are three main aspects of effective speaking: Vocabulary; Language is an integral part of speaking skills. The words you use must suit the occasion and the audience. For example, the language you use when ...
My Public Speaking Speech: [Essay Example], 532 words
A well-delivered speech can leave a lasting impact on the listeners, igniting a spark of inspiration and driving them towards a shared goal. For example, consider the famous public speaking speech by Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream." His powerful words and passionate delivery not only mobilized the civil rights movement but also left an ...
Essay on Public Speaking
250 Words Essay on Public Speaking Public Speaking: The Art of Communicating Effectively. Public speaking involves delivering a presentation before an audience, sharing a message, or informing a group of people about a certain topic. It is a valuable skill that helps individuals communicate effectively, share knowledge, and engage others ...
LibGuides: Public Speaking: How to Plan and Give a Great Speech
Being confident in your speech making and your public speaking means that you should fully prepare for your speech! Here are some tips to write a great speech! 1. Determine the purpose of your speech. Whether it is a persuasive essay, argumentative essay, or just an informative one you need to know why you are giving the speech.
The Importance Of Speaking Skills [Essay]
Importance of Speaking Skills. Likewise, speaking skills empower human to create new ways of speaking to others about any topic or experience. To speak fluently, correctly with proper intonation and pronunciation especially in the second or foreign language adds to credit of the speaker. The excellence in the use of the ability to speak in ...
112 Persuasive Speech Topics That Are Actually Engaging
112 Engaging Persuasive Speech Topics. Tips for Preparing Your Persuasive Speech. Writing a stellar persuasive speech requires a carefully crafted argument that will resonate with your audience to sway them to your side. This feat can be challenging to accomplish, but an engaging, thought-provoking speech topic is an excellent place to start.
Essay on Qualities of a Good Speaker (1500 Words)
17. A good speaker possess many qualities; as he can engage their audience. They should have an engaging speaking style and be able to speak clearly and confidently, while also being able to engage with the crowd. A good speaker can also make their audience feel comfortable, whether they're speaking in front of a large group or just one person.
Overcoming Public Speaking Weakness: [Essay Example], 774 ...
1. **Fear and Anxiety**. Fear and anxiety are among the most common public speaking weaknesses. The fear of facing an audience, the possibility of making mistakes, or being judged can lead to nervousness and anxiety. These emotions can manifest as shaky hands, a quivering voice, or even a mental block, making it difficult to communicate ...
Importance Of English Language Essay
Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas Reasons to Learn the English Language. As the importance of the English Language is clear now, we move on to why we must learn the English Language. First of all, it is a global language. It is so common that one out of five people can speak or understand this language.
101 Public Speaking Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
In conclusion, a good public speaker should prepare well for the speech and deliver it confidently while communicating effectively to the listeners. Public Speaking as the Art of Communication. The more homogeneous is audience composition, the easier it is for the speaker to achieve the desired result with the speech.
My Battle with Public Speaking: [Essay Example], 980 words
Public speaking is typically something many people do not enjoy doing. Most people try to avoid doing public speaking simply because of the fear of speaking in front of an audience is just terrifying or maybe even intimidating to some. I am one of those people who typically do not enjoy public speaking. The thought of getting in front of people ...
A Student's Struggle to Speak English Leads to a Career as a
For instance, one of my friends from Taiwan, Tiger Ding, was struggling in his language & literature class, and especially with speaking and writing an essay in English. Like me, he never left his home country before coming to Salisbury school, and it was the first time he came to an English-only learning environment.
Essay On Speaking Skills
Essay On Speaking Skills. 743 Words3 Pages. Teaching English as a foreign language depends on the four skills which are: writing, reading, listening and speaking. This latter is considered as the most important communication skill, whereas most students need to acquire. The term speaking has been defined by many researchers and writers.
How to Write a Speech Essay for Any Occasion
As an example, consider a template for an informative speech called "African-American Heroines." The length of your speech will depend on the amount of time you have been allotted to speak. The red section of the speech in the graphic provides the attention-grabber. It makes audience members think about what life would be like without civil rights.
Speak Essay Questions
Essays for Speak. Speak essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. The Power of Words: A Speak Analysis; From Wishbones to Wings: The Symbolism of Birds in "Speak" The Factors That Helped Melinda Recover; Sexual Assault in Speak
Free Essay: Importance of Speaking Skills
Importance of Speaking Skills. Speaking is considered as the most important skill of the learner, most of the time the proficiency of this skill is which judges the knowledge of the learner of the second language. People have to many reasons to improve their ability of the skill such as expressing ideas, creating relationships, exchanging ...
Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Reportedly 'Not Communicating' As ...
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are reportedly not on speaking terms as their marital troubles continue.. Sources close to the couple have confirmed that they have hit a rough patch in their ...
What I Learned on Public Speaking Class: a Reflection
Class sessions were a profitable expansion to the homework, as I got an opportunity to hear the assessment of my friends and discussion about the announcements routed to open talking. Besides, by and by, I can even draw upon the things I've made sense of how to make me a predominant and progressively thinking performer.
Read an Excerpt From Ann Leary's New Book, 'I've Tried ...
Read an Excerpt From Ann Leary's Book That Made Husband Denis Leary Laugh 'So F---ing Loud' (Exclusive) The bestselling author's new essay collection, 'I've Tried Being Nice' spans family, fame ...
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In the essay, Bush explained that it wasn't the case that she divorced Hughes after a 13-month marriage because of Harris, explaining that her marriage felt wrong from the beginning.

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1.1 Why Is Public Speaking Important?

Everyday Public Speaking

Informative Speaking

Persuasive Speaking

Entertaining Speaking

Personal Benefits of Public Speaking

Benefits of Public Speaking Courses

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

Fine-Tuning Verbal and Nonverbal Skills

Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

Benefits of Engaging in Public Speaking

Influencing the World around You

Developing Leadership Skills

Becoming a Thought Leader

Key Takeaways

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Don’t Underestimate the Power of Your Voice

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Public Speaking Essay | Importance of Public Speaking Skills, How To Improve Public Speaking?

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What Are Effective Speaking Skills?

What Are Speaking Skills?

There are three main aspects of effective speaking:

Getting them to say ‘yes’

Developing a career edge

Holistic communications development

Becoming an expert

Feel like a boss

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Essay on Public Speaking

100 Words Essay on Public Speaking

Why is it Important?

250 Words Essay on Public Speaking

Importance of Public Speaking

Preparation Tips for Beginners

Overcoming Nervousness

500 Words Essay on Public Speaking

Preparation and Organization

Practice Makes Perfect

Handle Fear and Anxiety

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Public Speaking

Planning Your Speech

Giving Your Speech

The Importance Of Speaking Skills

Speaking Fluency

Importance of Speaking Skills

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