What makes me apprehensive about public speaking?

I was very shy when I was younger, even around my own family. So when I started school, it was especially difficult for me to feel comfortable talking in front of a bunch of strangers. My nerves take over knowing that everyone is focused on me and is probably judging every word I say. When I see everyone’s eyes on me, for some reason, my entire body freezes, my face turns red, and I completely forget what class I’m in and what in the world I was talking about. I express myself much better on paper, which is probably why I much rather write an essay than do a one-minute speech.

Much of the reason why I care about what others think is because I think I am being compared to other presentations. If my presentation is the worst, then I might be considered the “dumb” one in the class. If I know that my speech will be better than the person before me, then I would probably gain a little more confidence. It’s all about competition and comfort. That’s probably why high school wasn’t so bad. I didn’t have much competition at my public high school, and I definitely felt more comfortable talking in front of my classmates who were mostly my friends and wouldn’t judge me by my speech.

But then college came along. I was intimidated by almost all of my classmates because I thought they were all smarter than me. So, I felt extremely pressured while speaking. If I messed up, they would think poorly of me. I shouldn’t feel so self-conscious, but I do. However, after my communication class at USF, my nerves certainly loosened up. Practice really does make perfect though- which is why I just need to keep on practicing!