How Public Speaking Improved my Communication skills

First Day At Stand Up and Speak

Imagine a student so unable to communicate that he would run away from anything that made him speak in front of a crowd. Now imagine that same student chasing interviews with Members of Parliament, speaking in front of crowds, and dreaming of becoming a professional speaker.

This was my journey in public speaking. But long before I ever stepped on a stage, my life was dictated by fear.

Before I developed my public speaking skills, I felt overwhelming communication anxiety, where the amount of eyes looking at me would directly relate to how nervous I was. Just walking into school would make me repeatedly check if my shoes were tied, or if my backpack was strapped unevenly. While making it to class, I would make sure I wasn’t staring at the ground or ceiling too long, and that I avoided eye contact with people I didn’t want to speak to. Once I finally made it to class, I would only communicate with my friends, bury myself in homework, and avoid looking at the teacher when she tried to choose someone to answer a question.

This distinct lack of confidence and communication did not only harm my anxiety, but also led to many opportunities being lost.

One day in third grade, my Mom signed me up to act in a school play. As you can imagine, I felt indescribable anxiety. During the first practice, the teachers made us stand together in a line for auditions. While everyone else was preparing for their role, I was hiding under a table. I physically could not get myself to communicate, and because of that, I missed out on an experience my friends who auditioned cherish to this day.

It didn’t stop there. During school presentations, I would stutter, hide, and try with all my might to skip the day of the presentations. Rather than making me more comfortable, this strategy of hiding only exaggerated my anxiety, dropped my grades, and deteriorated my reputation with teachers, who saw me as disengaged rather than terrified.

What Led Me to Public Speaking

As my anxiety continually got worse, my Mother began looking for solutions. First, she tried to put me in more plays, which only extended the amount of time I spent hiding under tables. Next, she would put me in more summer camps, which only led me to stick beside my brother and let him do all the talking.

Finally, she signed me up for a public speaking course for kids and teens at Stand Up and Speak.

As a troublesome child, I always picked fights when I had to go to extracurriculars I deemed "useless." I dragged my feet, fully prepared to hate every second of it. But I found comfort in the shared discomfort of speaking in front of others at Stand Up and Speak. 

The Early Challenges

My first few days at Stand Up and Speak were shaky. I was still somewhat anxious, had troubles with stuttering, stumbled over my words, and used plenty of filler words. But I was developing.

At Stand Up and Speak, I no longer felt any anxiety, instead I felt very comfortable with my class and my teachers, Mrs. Natty and Mrs. Jakel. These first few lessons are where I learned about body language, audience eye contact, vocal tones, volume, and signs of nervousness. 

I distinctly remember a sheet titled "Signs of Nervousness," where there were detailed explanations of the effects of anxiety. Unfortunately, I had every single one, from sweaty palms and a racing heart to a shaking voice and short breathing. As I was continually improving, they introduced to us the idea of a speech and speech competitions, something I was terrified of. That day we began working on our first speeches, where I planned to speak on Lionel Messi. By the next class, the competition date was set, leaving me only 10 weeks to practice and memorize my speech.

By the 8th week, I had entirely memorized my speech, but something felt off. The feeling of anxiety came back, not because of social situations, but because of the fear of speaking in front of large crowds at the competition. Once again, my defenses were up. I was retaliating against my parents, not practicing, and redeveloping my anxiety.

Two weeks later, the competition came. I stood up on the stage with my parents, brother, and teachers among the crowd, and began speaking. The first 30 seconds were an unforgettable mix of shaking, stuttering, teary eyes, and most of all, anxiety. But as I eased into my speech, all of these feelings went away. For the first time in my life, I felt confident to speak in front of a crowd of people.

Although I came in third place and behind a fellow student who spoke about potatoes, I felt good about what I had accomplished. I walked off that stage knowing I had survived the very thing I used to hide under tables to avoid.

How My Communication Began to Change

Even with this victory, I still was shaky during everyday conversations. Without a prepared speech and cue cards in my hands, the anxiety still remained. This was so apparent that even my school teacher commented on how great I was speaking with cue cards, but lacked communication on the spot.

Around this time was when my teachers at Stand Up and Speak introduced a concept called "impromptu speaking," where you speak with no preparation. 

My very first impromptu speech was a mix of stuttering, fidgeting, shaking, and plenty of filler words. But as we continued practicing in classes, I slowly improved. Feedback from Mrs. Jakel and Mrs. Natty showed me exactly where I needed to improve and how. They taught us how to quickly organize our thoughts with structure. 

By the fourth week of impromptu speaking, I no longer felt nervous, but rather, confident. My very first impromptu competition followed two weeks after, where I confidently spoke about the wonders of ice cream trucks on the spot, leading to a solid second place finish. Not only did I speak well impromptu, but I no longer had the anxious feeling I did during conversations.

However, even with two victories under my public speaking belt, the anxiety during the first 30 seconds of speaking still remained.

The following few years were where I saw continuous growth in my public speaking ability and confidence. The 30 second anxiety time during competitions was lowered to just 10, and I no longer had any conversation anxiety. Opportunities through public speaking competitions continued appearing.

By my third year, I had qualified for the Lions Competition, where I placed an impressive second place due to slight timing issues. I impressed my audience so much that a leader in the Lions Club named Rudy offered me an opportunity to be a keynote speaker. I immediately accepted this offer, realizing that due to my new public speaking skills I had been given an experience most adults lack.

Keynote Speaker at Lions Banquet

The teachers at Stand Up and Speak recognized that by now the vast majority of my anxiety had gone away, but identified weaknesses that remained in the way I spoke. Subconsciously, I would speak too fast, lack pauses, and lack strategic body language. After my yearly Top Quality speech, I looked back at the recording and realized that my body language only consisted of me aimlessly raising and lowering my hands. With advice from Mrs. Jakel, I worked on becoming more mindful of my body language and using it to replicate what I was speaking. For example, if I was talking about three steps, I would raise three fingers.

Using these new skills, I entered into the Lions competition once again. For the second time in a row, I placed second on timing. I was still held back by the little subconscious mistakes I would make. The classes after this were completely focused on refining my timing through impromptu exercises, pace exercises, and timing-centered speech building.

After another year of Stand Up and Speak, I once again entered the Lions competition, this time with a speech that won and was on time. With the expert lessons I had learned from the teachers, I now had the opportunity to go speak at the provincial competition. Unfortunately, I did not place. However, several people came up and talked to me about how they thought my speech should have won. I later learned that the judges that day were very new, but my placement didn’t matter. I had finally become a model speaker.

How the Benefits Extended Beyond Speeches

Outside of public speaking class, I was now entirely confident to communicate, whether it was a prepared speech or impromptu. Learning to organize my thoughts under pressure transformed how I interacted with the world on a daily basis. The real power of public speaking wasn't about standing on a stage with a microphone; it was about how it changed my everyday communication in real situations.

Before, my main goal in any conversation was to end it as quickly as possible and avoid eye contact. Once I mastered impromptu speaking, I stopped viewing unexpected questions as threats. I learned to pause, mentally outline my thoughts before speaking, and participate naturally in group discussions without retreating or getting overwhelmed.

In class, I stopped using vague language and constant filler words. Whether I was answering a question from a teacher or explaining a project to a classmate, I used the structure I had practiced on stage. I stated my point clearly, gave my reason, and concluded, making my ideas punchy and easy for others to follow.

Public speaking taught me that great communication is a two-way street. Instead of spending my time in conversations worrying about what I looked like or stressing over what to say next, I learned to actively listen to what the other person was saying, process their message, and offer a thoughtful, grounded response.

In group projects and debate, disagreements used to make me freeze up or back down. Public speaking gave me the composure to separate my emotions from my argument. I learned how to listen to another person's point of view and state my own clearly, turning potential arguments into calm, productive conversations.

A Specific Moment When I Recognized public speaking improved my communication skills

The year after my provincial competition, I joined my high school's debate club, where I placed first overall and had podium finishes the whole year, including winning finals. It is important to note that the judges would give feedback after the debates, where I found that my vocal delivery, clarity under pressure, and public speaking skills were the deciding factors in my victories.

It was around this time where I decided I wanted to become a Member of Parliament. Without realizing it, in just six years, my communication skills changed from my hatred of public speaking, to wanting to be a professional public speaker.

Luckily, I had the chance to meet Yvan Baker, the MP for Etobicoke Centre, at my brother's graduation. This was a major step, as not only did I have the confidence to speak to someone in authority, but I really wanted to. I walked right up to him, introduced myself, and talked to him for 30 minutes. Using my impromptu communication skills, I listened actively, expressed my ideas clearly, and answered his questions on the spot. By the end of our conversation, I landed an interview and a position to work on projects for his office.

The summer of that year, I worked with students to teach them how to communicate effectively. Students who had the same anxiety I started with were using the lessons I once used to become better speakers as well. Standing there, it struck me just how far I had come, from a terrified kid hiding under a table to working in a political office and teaching others how to find their voice. public speaking improved my communication skills, and that truly transformed me.

What Public Speaking Taught Me About Confidence

The biggest lesson public speaking taught me about confidence was that confidence does not mean completely eliminating nervousness and anxiety. 

The truth is confidence doesn’t have anything to do with fear. Confidence gives you the ability to go up and speak, whether you are afraid and anxious or not. 

Even today, when I step up to address a crowd, the anxiety during the first few seconds still pops up. The difference is that I no longer view that feeling as a reason to run away. I recognize it, trust my preparation, and know that once I ease into my speech, the confidence will take over.

Advice for Someone Who Wants to Communicate Better

If you are someone who struggles with anxiety, stuttering, or speaking in front of others, the best advice that worked for me is to push through it. Going back to my first public speaking competition, I was incredibly anxious, however, I pushed through, and because of that I was able to develop extremely important skills. This ties in heavily with finding opportunities to develop communication, this can be as simple as joining a club or signing up for communication courses. Getting over the lump of anxiety is paramount to never having that anxiety again, and trust me, it is entirely worth it. 

Reflecting on my Journey

Looking back at where I started, hiding under a table in third grade to avoid speaking, it feels like looking at a completely different person. The biggest change public speaking created for me wasn't just winning competitions or getting trophies, but rather giving the confidence to speak to anyone about anything. 

Debate Finals Award Ceremony

Today, I can surely say I am a confident speaker who not only is not afraid of speaking in front of people, but strives for the opportunity to do so. With the right practice and guidance, you can go from hiding in the back of the room to standing up and speaking with confidence.