I think that most colleges require at least one course in communication as a way to ensure that their students not only have the skills to successfuly succeed in their careers, but also to communicate those skills with other people. It is a way to show students how important communication is, and that it is not something to be afraid of. Most colleges and universities have certain goals for their graduated students, one of which being that they want their graduates to be well rounded and well educated individuals in society. Having great communication skills is a small but important step to achieving this goal.
I personally am a pretty good interpersonal communicator, that is to say that I can communicate well with others around me and my friends and loved ones. I am not however, a great public speaker. I sometimes clam up in front of crowds or studder, sweat, and avoid eye contact. These are skills that I need to improve before I can become a confident speaker, which is the basis for my chosen career path. My major is Elementary Education and of coarse, if i am going to be a teacher I need to be comfortable and confident in front of large crowds.
My most embarrassing moment occured in front of a huge crowd of highschool students waiting for the bus to pick them up from school. I was walking toward the school and looking behind me (while walking forward) to see if I could find my dad's car in the line of awaiting parents. I do this quite often, (walk without looking where I am going) so I consider myself pretty skilled at it; but on this day I was walking for to long without looking in front of me and I walked myself straight into a pole. I had turned around just in time to smack the pole with my face, actually my right eye. I had a black eye the size of the Pacific Ocean, and just as blue. Luckily I had my contacts in, otherwise that would have led to the demise of my glasses. I did not however, get knocked over, but there was a repulsive sound loud enough to be heard through out the school parking lot, thus ensuring that everyone in the vacinity stopped their conversations to stare at the freak who walked in to the clearly present pole.
Although I have always had issues with public speaking, I believe that this incident contributed to my nervous acts in front of people. I hope that this class will break me out of my shell and allow me to feel comfortable in front of strangers.
