Speech Reflection

I have one of the worst habits when it comes to giving a speech...I memorize word for word.  I have done this since high school so it is a habit that is going to be very hard to break.  When I prepare for a speech, I begin by typing out everything I want to say and then organize those thoughts into a meaningful order.  This outline becomes my lifeline when I go up to speak.  Although our brains are amazing things, they can let us down when we least expect it.  I clearly experienced this when I took a long pause in the beginning, racking my brain for what I was supposed to say next.  This has to be one of the most terrifying situations when giving a speech because people don't always pay attention when you're talking, but when you stand there fighting for words, EVERYONE is alert then.  After this horrifying pause though, I was able to pick back up and finish without any other mishaps.  I have never watched myself give a speech so I was interested to see what other annoying habits I had.  Fortunately, I did not sway, use filter words, or avoid looking at the audience. When giving a speech, you become so focused on what to say next that you become completely unaware of your body.  I was pleased to find that I kept control of my movements and engaged with the audience more than I realized. Overall, I presented about as well as I expected.  I just hope I learn my lesson and avoid memorization for future speeches.

Questions I hate answering

I am Polish and I am proud of it. My heritage is probably the first thing people notice about me.

"Hi, what's your name?"

"My name is Madeline Strzelewicz."

From this point forward I wait for the inevitable series of questions that follow this introduction.

"Wow, what is that?"  This has to be one of the most irritating question among all the irritating questions.  Although this question is always poorly worded, I know exactly what the person is trying to ask about.  Either the person directly asks what my ethnicity is or even worse, they try to guess.  And for as many times as people have tried to guess, very few people get it right.  The people that do are my fellow Michiganders because Michigan and northern Ohio have large Polish populations.  But for the rest of you, no it is not Russian, German, or Greek. 

"Can you say that one more time?"  I don't mind this question too much because it is easy to answer, but what typically follows is the frustrating part.  Once a person has heard my last name they try numerous times to say it, butchering my name every single time even after I have tried to give helpful hints.  In all honesty, there have been points where I just give in and tell the person they are saying it right even when they are completely wrong.  At that point, I have weighed the pros and cons in my head and determined that I truly don't care if they know how to correctly say my last name.

Having to spell my name over the phone is probably the worst.

"Can I get your last name?" Yes, this is a simple question but usually when this is asked over the phone the person on the other line has to write it out...

"Uhh..Can you spell that for me?" This is the question I dread the most because spelling out an 11 letter last name that is spelled nothing like it sounds is always a disaster. Eventually, I have to break down every letter one at a time using a word that starts with that particular letter for the other person to understand what I am saying.  And sometimes after all of that, they read back through it one more time to make sure they spelled it all right and they still made a mistake. And trying to explain where that mistake is and how to fix it is a whole other pitiful story.

Last but not least,
"I bet you get that a lot."  Although this is not exactly a question, it is a statement that I hate responding to.  And all I have to say to that is why ask if you already  know the answer.  Yes I do get that a lot; thank you for continuing the trend. -___-