Public Speaking

[Guest T®ITEC]

In my Law class, we are carrying out these little cases. Tomorrow, I have to give my closing statement, as well as question my three witnesses.

 

My problem is this: I am a freakin' nervous wreck. I have never been able to stand before my class and give a report or anything... Ever.

 

Basically, I'm looking for ways to calm down, so that I won't fail tomorrow.

 

Any help? Anyone?...

[Guest T®ITEC]

Also, uhm, here's my closing statement. Should I reword anything?

 

 

Officer Dana Barr claims that he was terminated because of a conflict with his supervisor, and that simply isn’t true. He was terminated because he, through no fault of his own, could no longer do what was required of him as a prison guard. He could no longer “command respect and exercise authority over the inmates,” as Kit Zuff testified. They feared him, and even if it was an irrational fear, it was still a real fear. The inmates no longer felt safe around Barr, and they would not obey him.

 

Officer Barr also contends that, because he was terminated for testing positive for HIV antibodies, he was discriminated again, in accordance with the Utah Human Rights Act. Once again, this is a false claim. His termination was based solely on his ability to perform his duties as a corrections officer. Let me now reflect further on the statements of Ms. Zuff.

 

Officer Barr was endangering the inmates and other staff. The inmates did not want him there, which increased the possibility of violence in his unit. In dealing with the violence in the unit, he might have to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an inmate, or treat an inmate’s bloody wounds. He himself could get cut open, adding further risk of infection to the situation.

 

You have also heard the testimony of Chris Sanger of Correction Management Incorporated, an expert on the management of correction facilities. He testified that it was not logical to keep Officer Barr employed, due to the financial costs and the extra security that would be needed on Officer Barr’s unit. It was Mr. Sanger’s professional opinion that Officer Barr be terminated, for the good of the facility.

 

Randy Edwards, an inmate himself and head of the Inmate Council, which represents the inmates, suggested that Officer Barr be terminated as well. He stated that nearly everyone involved in the riot agreed that the reason for it was that the inmates in that unit are afraid of catching the AIDS virus from Officer Barr. They all knew about his test results, and they didn’t want him to be around them.

 

The testimony of Dr. Fran Bartlett, Public Information Director of the AIDS Project at the National Centers for Disease Control confirms the fears of the inmates. Dr. Bartlett stated that, whether or not Officer Barr actually contracts AIDS itself, “he is still able to pass it on to someone else.” Although the transmission of the antibodies does not occur during casual contact, this does not change the perception of the disease by the inmate population.

 

To conclude, we have have shown that Officer Barr was terminated based solely upon his ability to perform his duties as a corrections officer, and not for personal reasons. He was not discrminated against. Therefore, the Utah State Department of Corrections and Kit Zuff are both innocent. This case should be decided in their favour.

 

Thank you.

[Guest Kinetic]

I'm a fantastic public speaker. You should pretend that you're me.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

That's sound advice.

 

Should that fail, just imagine Kinetic naked.

[Guest godthedog]

I'm a fantastic public speaker. You should pretend that you're me.

hahaha

 

that's golden.

[Guest J*ingus]

Just do your very best Linda McMahon impression the whole time.

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Should that fail, just imagine Kinetic naked.

All I can imagine is a beanstalk.

 

I'm a great speaker too, but I have no advice to offer.

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

[Guest LooseCannon]

Just talk in a loud clear voice, and stand up straight and try to appear confident, even though you are not. If you begin to forget something or trip over your words. Don't say "um uh" or any such thing like it. Just pause, untill you get yourself back on track.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Try to imitate Al Wilson. If you do that, you'll be in the clear. You'll probably put everyone to sleep, but still..

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Get drunk first.

[Guest Choken One]

Great. I was a Debater and I LOVED public speaking, Here were my techs.

 

Wear something appros but comfortable...

Be confident...It'll sell your case

Have posture

Make eye contact

Use your body languge to sell your story

Clear voice, don't try to sound different then you do (I.E no accents)

Be elquent

Smile occasional before the case is presented and THEN go serious.

 

and most of all...Chill...It's only a class assignment.

[Guest hardyz1]

I suck at public speaking. Hell, in my Powerpoint class that ended last month, I barely got through my presentation in fron of 15 people. I think it's just because I'm ugly.

[Guest El Gigante Killa]

I'm a fantastic public speaker.  You should pretend that you're me.

hahaha

 

that's golden.

hahaha

 

youre so funny. lets be friends, please. ill do anything!

[Guest El Gigante Killa]

I'm fine with public speaking now, simply because my self-image is through the roof, and I'm a haughty bitch. It's all about confidence, honey... and I'm sure you can find it.

[Guest T®ITEC]

Bah, I should have read this before I gave my closing argument. I'll save it for future reference...

 

Well, I lost my case, *but* I'm still getting a good score, so I'd like to thank Kinetic, as his is the only advice I read. 'Cause no one replied until it was too laaate...

 

I swear, though, that Linda McMahon tip was GOLD.

[Guest LooseCannon]

I was going to say this earlier today because it had just occurred to me, but I didn't post it because I figured it was too late, but I was going to give you a tip for the argument you were making. There is actually precedent in the law for permitting this type of discrimination from the government when the characteristic you are discriminating against impedes your ability to do your job. What I mean is, there is a case where SCOTUS ruled that a woman could be discriminated against as a prison guard, because her ability to work effectively as a prison guard was impeded by virtue of her womanhood, for almost exactly the same reasons as this HIV fellow.

[Guest Flyboy]

I'm a fantastic public speaker.  You should pretend that you're me.

hahaha

 

that's golden.

I agree... that was an awesome comment.

[Guest T®ITEC]

I was going to say this earlier today because it had just occurred to me, but I didn't post it because I figured it was too late, but I was going to give you a tip for the argument you were making.  There is actually precedent in the law for permitting this type of discrimination from the government when the characteristic you are discriminating against impedes your ability to do your job.  What I mean is, there is a case where SCOTUS ruled that a woman could be discriminated against as a prison guard, because her ability to work effectively as a prison guard was impeded by virtue of her womanhood, for almost exactly the same reasons as this HIV fellow.

Damn. That would have been sooo good to use. Oh, well... Thanks anyway.

 

 

Wanna know what someone said, after the "jury" (the other students) voted against me?

 

"Just because he has AIDS doesn't mean that he can't do his job."

 

To me, that statement really says this:

 

"I only listened briefly here and there, and ignored all reason in the case. But i don't like the way you look. You're fat and ugly, and you don't dress well. So I vote in favour of those two guys."

 

... Bitches.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

So, corner a couple of those little pansies later and beat them into submission.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

Pretend you're cutting a promo. Speak in that voice you use in your head.....the one that can say no wrong and mess up no word.

 

I know that sounds cheesy, but I've found if you actually attempt to talk as if you were a confident person........you start to become a confident person.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Another thing you can do to take that edge off, is to make eye contact with every single person you're talking in front of, and try to picture in your mind just how much they're judging and scrutinizing you. Then, look down at your notes, and realize how many mistakes are in them. After that, think about failure for a few minutes, and a career of sitting in a drafty house, popping out children while hubby pulls in a modest paycheck from the mill, only to fall asleep in a threadbare recliner, leaving you laying in bed, unfullfilled.

[Guest Choken One]

Huh? I always used the Promo attitude...I always had to make sure I looked Snazzy...Worked too, Wore Armani for all the tournaments...Won a handful...I'd get 250 for each one I win (from the Teacher)...

 

I loved Mock Trial...I played a PERFECT Liberal Defense lawler (although I dispise them).

[Guest T®ITEC]

Another thing you can do to take that edge off, is to make eye contact with every single person you're talking in front of, and try to picture in your mind just how much they're judging and scrutinizing you. Then, look down at your notes, and realize how many mistakes are in them. After that, think about failure for a few minutes, and a career of sitting in a drafty house, popping out children while hubby pulls in a modest paycheck from the mill, only to fall asleep in a threadbare recliner, leaving you laying in bed, unfullfilled.

Hey, thanks a lot. Really.

[Guest SP-1]

I think i did ok giving a speech in English once because I was sure I would fail. I believed my paper was poorly written, wasn't thought out and would reveal me for the geek that I am.

 

I got up there, looked over the class with my thinly veiled rant in hand and finally just decided, "screw it," and just went with it. It's really the best you can do. Not wondering about it and just coming down to the wire and delivering as best you can.

 

I was nervous as heck, but somehow I delivered, Nice Guys Finish Last well enough to get applause from my class and an "A" for my grade. You just gotta go do it and get it done.

 

Starting out with the ultra smooth, "This is for the ladies," or something like that may have helped, too, hehe.

 

SP, who had a single moment of coolness he would like to somehow recapture.

[Guest HartFan86]

Rent a copy of Starrcade 1996 and watch Roddy Piper's interview.

 

You will never be afraid to publicly speak again.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Another thing you can do to take that edge off, is to make eye contact with every single person you're talking in front of, and try to picture in your mind just how much they're judging and scrutinizing you. Then, look down at your notes, and realize how many mistakes are in them. After that, think about failure for a few minutes, and a career of sitting in a drafty house, popping out children while hubby pulls in a modest paycheck from the mill, only to fall asleep in a threadbare recliner, leaving you laying in bed, unfullfilled.

Hey, thanks a lot. Really.

See, now you're taking that all negatively which is understandable but incorrect. That's the worst case scenario, and it's almost impossible to do that badly in one instance and have that sequence of events result from it. Now that that situation has been identified and highlighted, it's easier to avoid. Next step, identify the worst likely scenario, and work to avoid that. Eventually the process speeds up until you've got a killer paper. Tellin' ya. That plan is a swiss watch.