Shark Tank Proposal Review

This speech was something I planned out but did not try and memorize word for word. In some ways I see this as a good thing, and in other ways I think it made me look less prepared. Public speaking has never been a strong suit of mine, however I feel my lack of confidence wasn't always visible in my speech. This was a huge step for me. I did see some nervous ticks develop, that I would like to reabsorb and not make a habit of. Things like playing with my feet, over emphasizes with my hands, and my hair slightly covering my face. These are all things to work on, however I feel I completed what was asked of me in the assignment. I dressed to the occasion, and delivered a speech, even though everyone in the room had already heard it (three times that day even). This within itself was a challenge for me. Knowing that everyone just wanted to leave the room, and that I could hardly shed light on this project was  more than a little imtimidating. I think my nerves got the better of me in the end when I gracefully fell into my seat. After reading my review, I do agree with the constructive criticism that I could have outlined my planned more concisely and tried to paint a better picture of my documentary. Overall I think I need to focus on my nervous ticks, and not letting my nervousness get the best of my speech, or allow it to distract from it. I also noticed that I used the dreaded "um" somewhat frequently. I credit this to the order I was in and attempting not running out the door screaming. While there is a fair amount I am able to improve on for my next speech, in every way possible I found my speech effective and fulling the guidelines and believe I did well.

Questions I hate

There are a variety of questions I despise, most of which pertain to my height. “How’s the weather down there?” is a favorite of my friends to ask, as well as “Are you a legal midget?” I would consider both to be far more insulting if I in fact was below the height requirement of four-foot and ten-inches. I am in fact one inch taller (thank you very much). More than anything, I just find these questions to be insensitive. I am perfectly fine being the height that I am, but for those legal defined as small people, I could see how these comments could cause more than a slightly bruised ego. One of Abraham Lincoln’s famous quote captures my feelings on this topic; “Its better to be silent and remain a fool then to speak and remove all doubt.” If everyone just took one second and paused to examine if what they were about to say in any way contributed to the conversation, it would almost extinguish the amount of annoying awkward laughs that riddle my life.

Another, almost as annoying question that people ask me frequently is “Really?” While this may seem as a reaction of surprise, by asking if what I just said is indeed true, is almost as insulting I am legally handicapped. It is simply a waste of breath and is hardly ever answered anyway. Pointless questions are so threaded into our culture; I find people hardly get annoyed with garbage like “really?” In both cases Abraham Lincoln’s quote applies beautifully as a way to describe the downfall of our civilization.