Here you are with a devil and angel on your shoulder trying to determine
if you can actually do this. Chances are pretty good you have given the devil
enough time to body slam and silence the angel from trying to convince you that
this challenge can be met. From there you have had time to build a wall of
reasons why this cannot be done and Mr. Durnell is irrational. The list of all
of the reasons this CAN be done are silent and the doubt is churned up in your
head. Maybe I am totally off and these are just responses I have had to similar
situations in the past.
The problem is that your perception creates your reality. You have
probably heard of the "self-fulfilling prophecy"- If you tell
yourself this is going to horrible enough times, it will indeed be horrible. People sometimes set themselves up for failure because they have psyched
themselves out before the game. Henry Ford said it best, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't-
you're right". Again, our perception creates our reality. So the
first step is giving the negativity (devil) a break and start listing all the
reasons why you CAN face this challenge head on.
This challenge, while legitimately intimidating, is totally possible to accomplish. Hundreds of students have worked through the process and not only survived the project, but also gave good speeches. I first came across this format for giving speeches without notes when I was invited to be a judge for 7th graders doing 8 minute speeches without notes. Since that experience over twelve years ago, my juniors have been achieving success with this challenge.
You have a free speech coach who is willing to work with you through each step. I have put together a process that has helped hundreds of students overcome this challenge. Have a little faith in yourself, your teacher, and the steps of preparation. You are not the first person to walk down this path.
Find your voice and use it to get the help that is needed. There is ample information on your topic and the project is usually assigned over a period of several weeks. There is nothing wrong with being afraid of public speaking. However, there is something very wrong with backing down from a challenge and acting as if the skill of speaking is not something you will have to work on to find success in life. Step up and let's start working on this now.
