Improv

The art of public speaking can occur in many different ways. Theater, speeches, poem slams, interviews, or even simply talking to a new crowd of people you've never met all involve public speaking. Most of my experiences have come from some sort of theatrical or speech related background.

With theater you memorize and repeat you lines word for word. I began at the age of nine, and continued on through middle school. One thing that theater teaches you is how to get in front of a crowd and talk. Your lines are preset and your actions are predetermined. Your job is to do those actions exceptionally well and repeat the lines word for word. So what happens when you mess up? Improv! You can't show you messed up so you immediately improvise in a way that keeps the dialogue flowing. It really teaches you how to control your nerves.

With speeches you have the option to speak word for word or recall general ideas and talk about them with the knowledge you already have. Depending on the speech you could be in front of a large crowd or a small crowd. I've always found it easier to do something in front of a large crowd. I can't pinpoint why it's like that for me but it is.

Objectively looking at the way I am when I publicly speak, I want to be able to recall and capitalize on my past ability to improvise. In most of my speaking events I've had some sort of movement required, such as in theater. Now that I am supposed to remain still I need to figure out what my body will be doing as I talk. Nerves are natural, but when they impair both your smooth talking and ability to look calm it's time to get them under wraps. That's my goal.