Ray Robillard gives his speech for valedictorian Anna Galvani at the academic banquet April 25 at the Painted Pony in Bethlehem. The speeches for the top 10% varied from satirical to heartfelt, but they all demonstrated public speaking being enjoyed by others, not being a cause of anxiety. (Courtesy of Nonnewaug High School/Instagram)

WOODBURY — Shaking. Sweating. Scared.

These are common effects of anxiety about public speaking, which many people experience. Whether it’s giving a speech in front of a large audience or doing a school presentation in front of a classroom, talking in front of groups of people can be nerve-wracking.

“I think that the students here at Nonnewaug have enough stress on themselves as it is,” Nonnewaug sophomore Karli Brandt said, “and knowing they have to present in front of their whole class makes them more stressed.”

Kyle Brennan, Nonnewaug teacher and recent speaker at the Nonnewaug top 10% banquet, somewhat uniquely doesn’t have any grudges against public speaking.

“I’ve always been around it, so I think about it differently than a lot of other people,” said Brennan, who was a broadcast journalism major at Quinnipiac University. “I feel like the root of anxiety is lack of preparation, and so if you’re prepared then you can basically be confident no matter what you do.”

Having a lot of experience and practice with speaking in front of people can help ease the nerves, but according to Nonnewaug sophomore Grace Rubacha, it’s also nice to speak rather than have a lengthy writing assignment due.

“I like public speaking because it’s better than writing an essay,” Rubacha said. “So I prefer presentations to essays always.”

Whether you hate, love, or tolerate speaking in front of others, Brennan shares his viewpoint on speeches that may ease nervousness relating to public speaking.

“If it’s a situation where I’m being asked to speak, I assume it’s because people want to hear what I have to say,” Brennan said. “To me, public speaking is having a conversation with every individual in the room. You’re not speaking to an entire audience; you’re speaking to individual people.”

“Most of my public speaking is going to include stuff that I have some level of expertise or comfort with,” Brennan continued. “When this is the case, you’re gonna feel better at it.”

This original take on public speaking, as well as why it might not be as scary as some think, could be why people like Brennan or Rubacha don’t mind it.

Although, there is another key tip from Brennan which should not be ignored by the people who wish to become better public speakers:

“I have never once pictured people [in the audience] in their underwear like people say you’re supposed to do,” Brennan confirms. “That’s weird.”