On Monday, Jan. 27, I offered to judge a club 4-H Public Speaking in the area. The club was having a difficult time finding someone who was free that evening and though I have limited experience, I decided I had enough to help at least a little bit.
I was once in 4-H and although public speaking still brings a pit to my stomach, once I start talking I settle into it. This I feel comes from my experiences public speaking, mainly through 4-H, but also through school presentations over the years.
In fact two years ago my friend's who were getting married last summer asked me to be the MC at their wedding. I said yes after a moment's hesitation, my stomach sank, and I worried about what I would say for an entire year.
In the end everything went fairly well, they all said my co-MC who spoke while I ate and vice versa both did great, but thinking back to that day I remember my palms sweating as I went to the podium, butterflies in my stomach, and my hands were shaking slightly. Not enough to be noticeable to those whose eyes were on me, but just enough I could feel it.
I remember thinking briefly, "Why did I agree to this?" But as I introduced myself and how I knew the newlyweds I settled into the role. I was there for them and though nervous about such a big event for my friends and not wanting to mess up anything on their very special day, it's a fair amount of pressure; I realized they asked me because they knew I could do it, so I shouldn't put so much stress on myself for it. They trusted me, so I should trust myself.
So, as I explained how I had no friends at university, choosing to go where no one else I knew was going for school, and how I randomly ran into Chantel in residence and recognized her from geography class telling her I was going to come sit with her next class after introducing myself. As I continued the story about later discovering she hadn't just let me sit with her because she was being nice, like Chan always is, she was actually in the same boat and had no friends either. A few laughs erupted at us poor friendless souls those first few days of university and I settled into speaking.
I think it's only normal to become nervous before speaking in front of a group, but being forced to as a part of 4-H activities pushes you. I likely overcame my nerves in this instance because I had to overcome them in the past with 4-H speaking and class presentations.
At the public speaking event on Jan. 27, there were only seven youth who had to present and they all did very well in my opinion. They had all developed a speech and presented it to their fellow 4-H members and parents.
Although it was a small group, they did become nervous despite knowing each other well. Though they mostly read from their notes the topics they presented were interesting and diverse. It was a lot of fun to listen to what they had to say.
In the end I then had to give them a little bit of feedback about their public speaking and overall it mainly focused on knowing what you were talking about well enough that the cue cards are only that, cues. You should know the material well enough to be able to look up during sentences and engage the audience; this also lets you emote what you're saying as opposed to being flat while speaking which also engages the audience more.
As I listened to them speak and remembered my time in 4-H, I realized what a good program it is. Ultimately it helps mould youth into helpful community members promoting valuable life skills.
Not only does it do this, but it also provides them with experiences like public speaking and even introduces them to democracy through voting for their council including president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and club reporter usually. The youth then take on these positions learning how to run meetings, take notes, and even manage money with the guidance of their club leaders.
4-H also comes with numerous activities and opportunities to learn. There is literally an unlimited amount of projects to participate in so long as a leader can be found, while independent projects can also be developed.
For youth living in rural areas it's a perfect program because often it is difficult to find something to do to occupy your time and 4-H offers such a variety of interests that it's bound to entice young people in some way.
