Needless to say, I am less than impressed with my performance today during a try-out for a regional presentation competition with SIFE.
I experienced all the typical symptoms of the presentation jitters; sweaty palms, increased speed of speech... I guess you could sum it all up as a typical case of speech anxiety.
After thinking it over and trying to understand why I goofed up or felt so anxious, I began going through some notes from Jackie's class back at the beginning of the semester. Zimbardo would argue that the root of speech anxiety is shyness, while Freud insists it has something to with being born naked. Solid theories gentlemen, but I think it's just a matter of wanting something and the fear of not achieving. Actually, that's a lie; that's Keiffer's take on it.
I think Adler was on the right track with his theory; We are powerless before powerful people. I won't lie; the minute Kathy walked into the boardroom, the pressure was on. I felt the need to impress her not only because she is my professor, but because her opinion really matters to me.
The lesson here? Take it in stride. I'm a student for a reason, right? The idea is to learn, grow and eventually succeed. Cheesy, yes; but that's my story and I'm sticking with it. Now, if only the little voices would start contributing some ideas for all these projects I've got lined up...