Shakily, I walked up to the front of the room. All eyes were on me. My palms started sweating as I began talking, totally forgetting everything that I wanted to say. After what felt like a lifetime, I took my seat and a wave of relief rushed over me. I finished the presentation and lived to tell the tale! That is until my parents found out the grade I got on it….

We’ve all been there before. The dreaded class presentation is something that haunts most of us. According to psycom.net, over 75% of Americans have a fear of public speaking to some degree. We would do anything to avoid it, but there are times when we have little say in the matter. We have to muster up the courage and just do it anyway. There is little chance that students will get through a year of school without having to do at least one class presentation.  So how do we prepare ourselves for these moments in life when we have to speak in front of others? Well, one of the best ways to overcome fear is to face it, and in doing so, you may learn to love doing something you once couldn’t even think about without getting nervous.

Speech is a great way to overcome the fear of public speaking, and what better a time to try it out than in middle school? It can build your confidence, prepare you for what’s coming in high school, and open up lots of fun, engaging opportunities. Senior and 2018 Poetry State Champion Hannah Singewald states, “Joining speech in middle school paved the path for high school. It helped with my public speaking skills in classes like Comm. 9. It also boosted my confidence in my writing skills and brought me out of my comfort zone in a good way. It is the reason why I was eventually bold enough to join the musical.”  Now, if you join in middle school, one of the downsides is that you go up against older, more experienced people, but just like any other activity, you get better as you go along. Eighth grade speechie Lydia Pederson states, “It’s nerve-racking at first. You know that you’re not on their level and that they are here for a reason. However, the longer the season went on, I began to see myself improve, and my confidence went up.” As a middle schooler, the main goal is to improve your speaking ability so that in future years of speech, you will be at your best.

In life, we are constantly encouraged to come out of our comfort zone and try new things, and most often you won’t regret it!