Iliana Ramos

12/14/2019
Comm 1B
Refelction Essay

First of all I would like to start this essay by saying that Professor Vriksha’s class has

provided me with life long communication skills this semester. In this class, I not only

learned how to articulate my thoughts but also learned the technical terminology of

logical fallacies. Public speaking is important as it helps individuals create opportunities

and advance their careers in various organizations or institutions.

Having high-quality public communication skills could be applicable in areas

such as conference speeches, accepting awards or talking to new recruits in an

individual’s area of expertise. Others include family speeches, weddings and charity

events among others. Prior to this class, I had various challenges concerning public

communication that included self-confidence, body language, planning, and

nervousness. For example, I could sometimes be very nervous making me talk quicker

leading to message distortion. One of my biggest issues with public speaking wasn’t so

much speaking in front of people but getting my thoughts together and expressing them

in an orderly fashion as where people knew exactly where I am coming from. Almost

convincing of my opinion from my conversation, because of this class I feel as though I

can persuade anyone.

Before this class I had issues with body language like standing straight and

looking at audiences. This happened one time when giving a family speech during a

get-together celebration. I felt like I had so much to say but my thoughts were

everywhere. There has been tremendous growth when it comes to public speaking since
I was able to improve on my weak points like body language communication, nervous

control, practice, and appropriate planning. In relation to body language, eye contact,

use of gestures, taking deep breaths and feeling natural were some of the lessons learnt.

For example, on my persuasive speech I spoke on a political campaign regarding

women’s issues. Although I will forever stand with the fight of women’s rights I had to

analyze and pick what this particular women’s rights campaign did wrong. The second

example would be during my debates, I learned to appropriately plan. Having my ideas

or facts properly understood and analyzed before the presentation. Other areas of

planning may involve starting with headlines and catchy or interesting hooks. On the

other hand, practice is aimed at boosting a speaker’s confidence and enhancing smooth

flow presentations. I was able to apply these skills during class presentations.

Considering the above progress learned in class, I believe that areas like

emotional appeal, fun, and body language are some areas I need to improve on. Some of

the specific goals I would like to achieve in the future would be to incorporate my

emotion and humor into my public speaking. This is because such elements normally

help audiences to remember conveyed messages when they think of fun or the

emotional appeal of a speaker. Despite learning some elements of body language,

sometimes I have challenges on deciding when to smile or not. I believe public speaking

is important in boosting self confidence and enhancing a person’s reputation. As such, it

is necessary for people to gain skills such as planning, body language, nervous control

and practice among others.

Overall Communication 1B has been one of the most beneficial class I’ve ever

taken. Public speaking is one of the most important skills a professional can have, the

skills learned from this class will continue to be applied throughout my academic career
and most importantly through my professional career. In this class, I learned how to

verbalize my thoughts in an organized way. In addition, I learned how to analyze and

criticize world issues to debate both negative and positive sides.