Public speaking is a bit like being opened up and manipulated by a room full of people. All of their hands poke and prod and move inside of you as you try to guide their hands to your core. This whole ordeal is extremely invasive and morbid, and I love it. Some people tend to worry about what the public thinks of them, but not me. It took me a long time to realize this, but every audience wants nothing more than to have a good time and enjoy the show. No one in the crowd is analyzing your speech or nitpicking your choice of words. Everyone wants to believe that you are a great speaker. But first you have to believe it yourself. My college years were a kind of social hibernation for me. I literally don't remember talking to anyone other than my friend Matt throughout seventh grade. Eighth and ninth grade were better, but high school was a whole new animal that was only a few months away. The last semester before high school, my mother forced me to take a public speaking class to make me more comfortable with speaking, and it was here that I learned to speak with something more just a drawling voice. I spoke with passion. Speaking to a group helped me make the “conversation” less personal. For some reason, it was easier to build relationships with fifteen people than with one or two people. If I told a joke, people were more likely to laugh when I stood in front of the class than if we just exchanged small talk. Something about the situation loosened everyone up and made them feel more accepting. I took my new understanding of mob mentality and practiced with it. By the time I left that class, I was speaking like a social human being in front of the class and at the lunch table, take... middle of paper ...... your latest joke rather than your previous stumbles. The event was a huge personal achievement. I branched out into other events as a result. I played Lynn Roper, an expert witness in drug safety and educational administration, in a mock trial competition. I participated in a speech contest where I discussed the downsides of texting on my generation's social skills. Additionally, I find myself in front of a group and speak whenever the opportunity arises. No matter how bad I was, there was no shortage of people telling me how gorgeous I looked, or at least telling me how brave I am for public speaking. Bravery is good, but to one day have your own group of fans, you have to be smart. Sometimes it is easier to calm the dragon than to slay it with a sword, just as it is to conquer an audience with the ease of speech rather than with a "perfect" strategy. »..