Students' public speeches

Transcript

Recently two groups of students gave public speeches to members of our university community. First, international students from China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam presented their research on various aspects of Japanese society, which they had studied in a Japanese language class. Second, a class of Japanese seniors gave research presentations and persuasive speeches in English.

I've been teaching and giving public speeches for so many years that I'd forgotten how terrifying it can be to address a live audience. But as I met many of the students in the days before their presentations, I gained a deeper appreciation of the challenges that they faced. Most were looking forward to speaking, but at the same time they were very nervous.

Speeches varied in quality, of course, but I was impressed by the students' poise. Some made errors in Japanese or English, and some became quite nervous, but every one of them showed strength and dignity, including some who had been extremely shy when they first entered our university. They and their teachers can be very proud of their achievements. I was reminded again that some academic challenges, such as public speaking, can help young people overcome their fears and face the future with skill and confidence. (207 words)