How Public Speaking Classes Helped One Student Find His Voice

Percy’s Journey: From Nervous Beginner to Confident Speaker

Young Percy after his first public speaking competition.

When Percy joined Stand Up and Speak at 11 years old, he was starting Grade 6 at a new middle school. He didn't know most of his classmates, and speaking in front of them felt intimidating.

One presentation from that year still stands out. Percy had to create a poster about his life and then stand in front of a room full of new students to share who he was. At the time, even a small audience could make him nervous.

“I didn’t like speaking in front of anybody, even if it was just a couple of other people in my class,” Percy says. “I didn’t really like getting up and speaking in front of everyone, especially if I didn’t know them.”

Meeting new people created the same feeling. Before presentations, he often had butterflies in his stomach and worried about how well he would do. His parents noticed that he was shy and suggested the program, hoping it would help him become more comfortable speaking at school and interacting with others.

Percy expected something similar to a regular school lesson, with students sitting at desks, taking notes, and being told how to speak. Instead, he discovered that most of the learning would happen by standing up and trying.

Six years later, Percy is 17 and teaches students at Stand Up and Speak. He recognizes their nervousness because he remembers it clearly. His story shows how confidence can grow through practice, feedback, and persistence.

First Impressions of Public Speaking Classes at Stand Up and Speak

Percy’s first class was taught by Ms. Jakel. What he remembers most is how welcome she made him feel.

“My first class was with Ms. Jakel, and she’s absolutely amazing,” he says. “She helped me step out of my comfort zone so much because she was super kind and welcoming to me.”

She also understood that Percy was not the only nervous student. Many people in the room were dealing with the same fear, which made the class feel less intimidating. “It was really easy to speak in her class and make friends in her class,” Percy says.

His nervousness did not disappear immediately. The difference was that he had a supportive place to stand up, speak, and make mistakes regularly.

“As I kept learning how to public speak and kept presenting, I little by little gained more confidence in myself,” he says. Over time, he “kind of lost that feeling of butterflies in my stomach.”

Percy also credits Ms. Natty with teaching him to be honest and genuine while presenting. He learned that being himself could make him a stronger speaker.

For Percy, confidence was not about pretending to be fearless. It was about learning what to do with nervousness, then practicing until the process felt familiar.

What Students Do in Public Speaking Classes

The amount of speaking practice was one of the biggest differences between public speaking classes at Stand Up and Speak and Percy’s school experience.

“In a regular school classroom, you may go up and present once a month,” he says. “In Stand Up and Speak, there’s at least one presentation every class, if not multiple.”

Percy took part in prepared speeches, debates, impromptu speaking, quote challenges, same-story speeches, and competitions. Some required careful preparation, while others required an immediate response.

Impromptu speaking became his favorite.

“It took less preparation, it was fun, and it was a challenge to speak on the spot,” he says.

Prepared speeches were rewarding in a different way. Percy enjoyed presenting them once he had worked through the hardest part, which was memorizing the material.

“I loved showing the audience how much work I had really put in and how well I really knew my speech inside and out.”

Competitions gave Percy a more demanding place to use those skills. He won several events and earned multiple second-place finishes, including one at the Lions Region A-711 Effective Speaking Competition for senior students.

Percy presenting his second-place winning speech at the Lions Region A-711 Effective Speaking Competition.

The placements mattered because they gave him evidence that he was improving. Those experiences “helped me realize that, wow, I can really do this, and I can do this at a high level,” he says.

Feedback was just as important. Percy was told to imagine he was simply practicing in front of a mirror. This helped him return to familiar habits such as projecting his voice, making eye contact, and using body language.

When his mind starts racing on stage, he reminds himself, “This is just another practice presentation. Let’s just go through what I’ve done a hundred times before.”

He also learned to use effective pauses instead of filler words and to think about tone, vocal variety, posture, gestures, and facial expressions.

The Hard Parts and the Turning Points

Percy describes the beginning as the most difficult stage.

“The most difficult part of the program would definitely be overcoming my fears at the beginning,” he says. He worried that he would be too shy, too nervous, or not good enough as a presenter.

“Getting over that first hump and that first nervousness was really the hardest part.”

Even after he became more comfortable, some skills took years to develop. Body language was the clearest example. At first, Percy either fidgeted or barely moved. Then he added gestures. Eventually, he went too far and received feedback that his movements were distracting from his message.

“I went from nothing and fidgeting, to just nothing, then to a little bit of body language, then to more body language, and then to too much body language,” he says.

Over time, he learned to make his gestures more intentional so they emphasized his ideas instead of competing with them.

The difference is visible in the way Percy describes himself on stage. At first, his posture was timid, and his voice did not project as strongly as he wanted. After years of practice, he became comfortable using a larger voice and more expressive body language. The goal was not movement for its own sake. It was to help the audience follow the message.

A major turning point came in Grade 7 when Percy earned his first top-three placement in a speaking competition.

“That really helped me realize, wow, I can do this,” he says. “This is something I can do, and I can speak well.”

His first remembered win came later, in a dual impromptu competition around 2022. He also remembers early events where he did not place in the top four. Those results became reasons to practice and try again.

He is especially proud of his second-place finish at the Lions competition because of the time he spent practicing and memorizing his speech.

Percy says he no longer feels nervous when he is prepared and knows his topic. When nervousness appears, he takes a deep breath and reminds himself how many times he has done this before.

“I know the drill,” he says. “I know how it goes, and I know exactly what to do.”

Confidence Beyond the Program

Percy confidently delivering his speech.

The changes extended beyond speaking classes. Impromptu practice helped Percy organize his thoughts during a lifeguard interview and university application questions.

“Impromptu helped me so much when I had to interview to get a job,” he says. “Interview skills were incredibly important when I had to think on the spot.”

He also applied the delivery techniques to school presentations. He paid more attention to tone, projection, vocal variety, posture, pauses, and signs of nervousness. Instead of focusing only on getting through the material, he could think about how to keep an audience engaged.

Percy recalls strong marks on biology, chemistry, and business presentations. More importantly, teachers noticed his communication. One praised him as a speaker, while another noticed how he organized DECA answers and used pauses instead of filler words.

Listening also became part of his development. Hearing classmates, instructors, and well-known public figures helped him notice how speakers affect an audience.

The clearest sign of Percy’s growth is that he is now on the other side of the classroom. As a teacher, he meets students who arrive with the same nervousness he once felt.

“They’re really shy,” he says. “They don’t want to speak in front of the class for the first one or two lessons.”

After the first couple of lessons, many students understand the routine, get to know their classmates, and become more willing to participate.

Percy sees progress happen through small steps, whether over an eight-month program or a five-day summer camp. His own history gives him patience with students who need more time.

Percy’s Advice for New Students and Parents

Percy’s first advice to a nervous student is to recognize that the first class feels significant because it is new.

“Everyone’s nervous when it comes to something brand new that they’ve never done before,” he says.

He reminds students that everyone in the room is there to learn. The teacher is there to help, not to judge them for being nervous.

Once classes begin, Percy believes students should pay close attention to feedback. He recommends writing it down and applying it during the next presentation. Improvement happens faster when feedback is treated as something to use, rather than something to hear once and forget.

Practice outside class also made a difference. Percy recommends choosing a random impromptu topic, speaking in front of a mirror, and noticing what needs work.

He also keeps competitions in perspective. They show the result of many hours spent learning in class and practicing at home.

For someone nervous about a first competition, his advice is to breathe, rely on the preparation, and try.

“Even if you don’t do as well as you wanted to, it’s not going to be a big deal,” he says. “You can always improve, practice more, and do better next time.”

To parents, Percy points to the value of communication in interviews, school, work, and everyday conversations. In this interview, he had to listen, organize an answer, and respond without knowing each question in advance.

Still, the heart of his advice is not about awards, marks, or flawless performances. It is about giving students enough opportunities to become familiar with something that once felt frightening.

When asked to describe his six-year experience in three words, Percy chose “learn, try, and succeed.”

“At first I had a lot to learn,” he says. “I came in very nervous and very shy.”

Then he kept trying. There were difficult presentations, disappointing competition results, adjustments to his body language, and many hours of practice. Success came later, built from those earlier experiences.

Today, Percy can stand in front of a class as a teacher and recognize the student he once was. He knows that a nervous first presentation does not define what someone will be able to do six years later. It is simply where the learning begins.

Conclusion: Embrace the Journey

Embracing the journey of public speaking can transform lives. Each step taken, each word spoken, and each moment of courage builds a foundation of confidence. Remember, it’s not just about speaking; it’s about finding your voice and sharing it with the world. So, step up, speak out, and let your story shine!