Metal Mouth Message Board

Public speaking is my worst fear. I think the condition of my teeth is one of the reasons I fear it so. I'm in college and I have put off taking Public Speaking for as long as I possibly could. This Spring semester, my advisor informed that I could no longer put it off. This Friday, March 3, I have a 6-8 minute Informative Speech due. Any guesses as to what will be the topic of choice?

That's right... <b>Oral Care</b>! I can't believe I'm doing this topic because I know people are going to be looking at <i>MY</i> teeth the entire time! I'm going to talk about the proper way to clean the teeth/gums, available tools, available products, and even throw in a special section for cleaning braces. I just have to hope I hit at least the 6 minute mark!!

Do you all have any other ideas? Keep in mind that I can in no way try to persuade the audience to have better hygiene. I can only inform them of their options.

Thanks!
Leslie

Excellent choice of topic. I'd call it a preemptive strike.

Hi Leslie022,

Congratulations for taking on this challenge! It is not easy with the braces - that's for sure! But the braces will not really be a hinderance in any way. I did not face this public speaking thing until mid forties! And I wasn't scared because of my teeth. It is just something that is very anxiety producing, even for the most accomplished speakers. Just realize that the nervouses is normal and actually makes you more aware and less likely to make mistakes!

I am in toastmasters and (http://toastmasters.org/). I have done, I think, two or three speeches now with my braces. I am also doing a 5-7 minute speech on orthodontics and how it works! I will be doing this next month!

I hate public speaking too and that is why I joined Toastmasters. I highly suggest it for anyone with fear of public speaking. I am starting to get much more comfortable speaking now that I have 7 out of 10 speeches accomplished. My ortho topic will be my eight speech! After ten speeches I will be getting a CTM award (Competent ToastMaster)

If you need any advice on your speech let me know - you can pm me. The best general advice though is to practice outloud at least 6-7 times before the speech. I think you will have plenty of material for 6 minutes. It is amazing how * little* material you can cover in 6 minutes!

If you don't have enough stuff about cleaning to cover the 6 mintues, you can go into what happens if you don't clean

Good topic! You won't have any trouble filling up 6 minutes with that material.

I did competitive public speaking in high school and was a State champion. I'm really glad for that experience because it has helped me a lot in other public speaking I've been called upon to do, including for my job.

The biggest thing to remember is to keep control of your breathing and SLOW DOWN! What sounds to you as though you're speaking way too slowly will come off to an audience as just right. Remember the audience is engaged in "active listening" (or auditory learning) which requires more concentration than just a regular conversation. In order for them to absorb your material and learn from it, you'll need to speak more slowly than normal. I would suggest you practice your speech with a tape recorder and then listen to yourself. Do that a few times and you'll have it down pat.

what a great topic to chose!

if you get to use powerpoint, I think showing the prgoress and benefits of adult ortho care will really make some audience members think "hey- maybe I should get braces too! she's so smart/confident to do this!"

6 minutes will go by fast! I don't like public speaking either, but I'm getting better at it with practice

Also, people will probably think that you care about your oral care and it shows from the fact that you have braces.
Good Luck

Hi Leslie (et all),

I should start by saying I've been lurking her for about a month now, and everyone on this site is incredible, your stories, words and support are wonderful. I'm 38 and have taken the plunge as well, I'm currently in upper and lower expanders, I get my ceramics in about 3 months. By day I work for a major software companyand in my spare time I work as a mobile & club DJ. I make my first post to this thread because I can totally relate to what you are going through.

When my expanders went in 1.5 months ago, I was terrified. I do a ton of public speaking and immediately developed a terrible lisp, I sounded awful and became so depressed that I nearly abandoned getting my teeth fixed. Fortunately, I consulted my ortho first who was able to make an adjustment that helped significantly, while I still have a slight lisp, it's not nearly as bad...enough about me.....

As a "corporate" type, my advice on public speaking, be it in the boardroom or the classroom (and JCDamon might be able to attest to this), is not so much about how you sound, but how well you know your material. Practice your speech as much as you can, especially with the words that tend to give you trouble, but spend as much time focused on the material you are presenting. Public speaking is about confidence, and you can find that confidence in knowing what your talking about, that's what the audience will be drawn to, not your teeth. Given your first hand experience, step in front of the classroom feeling like you have the most expertise in Oral Care, know that you are ready for any question they may ask you. And as Ingyandbert said, take your time...don't be in a rush, your audience isn't going anywhere and if you know your stuff, 6 minutes will fly by. The thing I've noticed about wearing this contraption is that if I don't act like it's bothering me, then it doesn't seem to bother anyone else either.

Best of luck to you, let us all know how it goes.

Everyone else, accept my apologies for the long post, but it's nice to meet you all!

Best,
Wen

I just took public speaking a couple of months ago. Just remember in front of the class you might speak a little faster than usual because you're nervous. My professor penalized heavily if you were off on time. Good luck!

Hi Leslie, what a great topic for you! There is nothing better to talk about than something that is close to your heart (in this case your mouth).

I recently had to represent myself at a Workman's comp hearing. I did fine, although I did have to appologize once and free my upper lip from my brackets. The hearing officer was very nice about the whole thing.

Just reading what you have written in this post let's me know that you will do a great job - you are informed, interested in your topic and concerned about your presentation. Best wishes.

Oh wow! Thanks for all the responses, everyone! It's a nice confidence booster!

Hey all - I just wanted to let you know that my speech went very well today! I went a little over 7 minutes, so I was inside my required time frame of 6-8 minutes! Thanks for your support!!!

Leslie

I knew you'd do a good job! Congratulations.