Review of TED Talk

I was so nervous before my TED Talk. Normally I love public speaking. I’ve been told public speaking is a gift of mine. However, I’d never given a speech without notes before, and, up until the hour before I gave my TED Talk, my speech never quite seemed complete. It wasn’t flowing the way I wanted, and I kept losing my train of thought when I practiced in my room. I tried to channel my sixth-grade self when I had to deliver a soliloquy as Tock the Dog in our play “The Phantom Tollbooth” – a long soliloquy for a sixth-grader. If I could do it then, I could do it now. I took George’s tips and practiced with a fake clicker and recorded myself on my phone so I could listen to myself on the way to the library.

I thought my TED Talk went pretty well for how nervous I was beforehand. It flowed better than it ever did in practice. I was nervous that I was forgetting something because I was so in the zone that words were just rolling off my tongue and I couldn’t remember if I mentioned everything I intended to talk about. After watching the video of myself, I thought I looked pretty confident standing up there and I made more eye contact than I remembered. I did notice that I never let my hands drop to my sides. They were always moving which got a little annoying. I thought it made me look confident but I think I overdid it. I also would practice more beforehand so I wouldn’t get the awful nerves before speaking. Overall, though, I’m happy with how I did.

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