The fear of sounding dumb is what stops a lot of black students from sharing their thoughts in the lecture hall. I can say for a long time it held me back from asking questions, sharing my viewpoint, or doing whatever normally would cause me to speak out.
In order to build up the confidence to talk in the lecture hall, I started taking very little steps. My starting point was to make myself accustomed to hearing my voice in a noiseless lecture hall. When the instructor garbled his sentences or was not clear in his remarks, I would raise my hand and ask, "Could you say that over?" This query doesn't call for any forethought nor will it make it possible for another person to dispute or question your stance. It's merely the widely used, "I didn't hear exactly what the teacher stated, and I need explanation."
My next move was to respond to the queries the lecturer asked inside my head. While a different student was answering, I would reply to the query on my own, and sometimes note down my opinions. When different college students held an opinion identical to mine or made a point I possibly could add to, I would raise my hand and share my thoughts. Adding to the students who had just laid the structure to introduce my comments helped me become confident enough to chime in and share my opinion in the classroom.
With this approach, I began build the confidence for speaking in the classroom. I started voicing my thoughts and opinions frequently and was not afraid to provide a different opinion from the consensus, as was usually the case.
This rather long process was well worth it. After learning to talk openly in classes with hundreds of people from various backgrounds, public speaking got to be quite simple. If you happen to be scared of voicing your opinion in university classrooms, begin by getting accustomed to solely talking in the classroom. Then, continue on to expressing your viewpoints. You'll witness your own self-confidence improves each time you do.
In order to build up the confidence to talk in the lecture hall, I started taking very little steps. My starting point was to make myself accustomed to hearing my voice in a noiseless lecture hall. When the instructor garbled his sentences or was not clear in his remarks, I would raise my hand and ask, "Could you say that over?" This query doesn't call for any forethought nor will it make it possible for another person to dispute or question your stance. It's merely the widely used, "I didn't hear exactly what the teacher stated, and I need explanation."
My next move was to respond to the queries the lecturer asked inside my head. While a different student was answering, I would reply to the query on my own, and sometimes note down my opinions. When different college students held an opinion identical to mine or made a point I possibly could add to, I would raise my hand and share my thoughts. Adding to the students who had just laid the structure to introduce my comments helped me become confident enough to chime in and share my opinion in the classroom.
With this approach, I began build the confidence for speaking in the classroom. I started voicing my thoughts and opinions frequently and was not afraid to provide a different opinion from the consensus, as was usually the case.
This rather long process was well worth it. After learning to talk openly in classes with hundreds of people from various backgrounds, public speaking got to be quite simple. If you happen to be scared of voicing your opinion in university classrooms, begin by getting accustomed to solely talking in the classroom. Then, continue on to expressing your viewpoints. You'll witness your own self-confidence improves each time you do.
About the Author:
Learn how students of color can deal with other obstacles they may encounter in college by checking out the book The Only Black Student at the above link.
