Writing Assignment 1 - Public Speaking and Me

My Experiences

To be honest, I don’t think I’ve done much public speaking, unless speaking in front of a small group of people counts. Most of the time I’m speaking publicly to a group, it’s either to children or a study group; in other words, I don’t usually speak to more than ten people. Either way, I tend to enjoy it. I like sharing my experiences and opinions on things, especially if it relates to apologetics or politics. In fact, I want to start my own discussion group and provide a place for people, mostly Christians, to talk about triggering or sensitive topics and learn what the Bible has to say about it. Part of this future plan would also include a Bible study hosted by myself centering around whatever the big discussion of the week was. This idea, about sharing my opinions on trigger topics to others, excites me and I can’t wait to be a leader in that area.

The Most Challenging Part

Even though I love it, public speaking isn’t all smiles and giggles. The most challenging part for me is the backlash I get from close friends and family. Again, a lot of my public speaking includes personal experiences, politics and apologetics, and those are not exactly fun topics. There have been times when I’ve gotten into discussions with close friends who held very different political views than me and when I questioned those views, my opinions were pushed aside because I was too young and “inexperienced” in the topic. I try not to be an aggressive person when I’m arguing a point, but it’s frustrating how aggressive and defensive someone can get when you poke at their arguments and viewpoints. I understand that most of us don’t like being told that they’re wrong, but what’s wrong with asking “why” questions regarding your viewpoints? Plus, if I’m being respectful, and I’m younger than you, why can’t you do the same for me? Respect should be a two-way street.