Speech class is easy

So right now I'm taking an "Intro to Communication" course, which is basically just a speech class, and yesterday I was scheduled to give a speech.  The topic of this particular assignment was your "last lecture" speech, which is fairly easy since the topic is yourself.  Also, as a student who has been around to many different schools, it's even easier for me to just talk about the decisions I've made for myself and what they mean for me.

Anyways, the majority of my class mates in this course are just about all recent high school graduates and as it turns out speech isn't a well taught subject in public schools.  It's almost unbelievable to me how inexperienced and afraid people can be when it comes to public speaking.  People can barely make eye contact with the audience, some are so nervous their voice constantly shakes, others can't function unless they read their speech word for word from a paper, and some people barely say anything at all once they get up there just to get it over with.  Also for some reason a girl in my class started talking about how she had an abusive step-father and an alcoholic mother in her speech, started tearing up as she was talking and had to leave right afterwards so no one saw her cry.  It seemed pretty unnecessary to me and I think some of the students got a little off topic in their speeches and for a few people I had no idea where their presentation was going.

I know it's probably not my place to judge other people, since it is a class where the whole point is to kind of learn more about public speaking, but it does make me realize how much of a difference there is in behavior with people of different age groups.  I'm getting close to 24 now and most of my class is either 18 or 19, so I guess it's only natural for there to be a big maturity and confidence gap when it comes to getting up in front of a crowd.  The funny thing is that being a young class, they love to talk during class and won't hesitate to talk over the teacher, and honestly it's really annoying as the class won't shut up when for once in my life I'm actually trying to pay attention to the teacher.  Even the teacher has threatened to split up the big talkers in the class and give them assigned seats away from each other, which is really sad for a college level class and that shouldn't have to happen period at this level.

Well back on topic, the class is rather simple for me.  Most of my speeches I never even write down since once I start talking I'll skip over stuff or ramble on and on, never following any sort of outline.  I suppose it helps when you've done some minor teaching here and there, as well as conducting large bands so I'm fairly used to being in front of people with their attention on me.

/rant