Public speaking is one of the most widespread and relatable fears. Many people dread the heart-racing, tongue-liquifying, face-redding experience of speaking in front of a crowd. Luckily, the Public Speaking class at Fauquier High School offers a way to escape this global anxiety by facing the fear directly. Public Speaking teacher Patrick Frazer explains, “Our goal is to make every student more comfortable speaking in front of others.”
The class places people in different speaking situations, forcing the students to adapt to the challenge placed in front of them. Senior Ivan Dronsick gives an example of this, noting, “Everyday we play this card game… [Frazer will] draw a card and one by one he’ll ask everyone a different question and you just say [your answer] out loud.” This forces the students to develop an ability to think on the spot, as well as giving them familiarity in social communication scenarios. Interactive tools like this are used throughout the class, with speaking games, rants, movie pitches and more incorporated in the classroom work and projects.
On top of this, the class is constantly improving; Frazer explained, “At the end of class, I always ask my students for feedback and then I will adjust based on the answers. At the end of the day, it’s not only my class, but their class as well. ”The effort works rather effectively, as although the class only started with four students, there are currently 18. Freshman Michelle McMullin adds, “There’s not really anything else that could improve the class…It’s made my speaking abilities much stronger.”
At the end of the semester, students show their speaking abilities and what they’ve learned in a “State of the Union Address.” Frazer optimistically comments, “It will be the best speech they have ever given.” The “State of the Union Address” is a final speech where the students implement what they have learned in the class by speaking in front of the class. The speech’s idea is borrowed from the United States’ Presidential State of the Union Address, a speech commenting on the condition of the country. Similarly, the address in the Public Speaking class has the students dive into their personal life and note their past situation, their current life and where they plan to be in the future.
The interactiveness makes the class very close-knit, with everyone quickly knowing each other, as they are constantly speaking in front of each other. Dronsick noted, “You know everyone in the class after a week.” This allows the students to grow together and improve with each other, which can greatly advance their abilities. McMullin added, “It’s my favorite thing about the class; we all get closer to each other and improve our skills together.”
The public speaking class is an effective and collaborative way to face a fear, improve upon an everyday skill or even just make a friend, and the excitement surrounding it by its students and teacher encapsulates this exquisitely.
