I do not expect to totally rid myself of my "fear" of speaking in public to the point where I will enjoy or look forward to it, but I do hope to become more comfortable with the idea. I tend to psyche myself out before giving a speech/presentation so much so that the anticipation before the speech is the worst part of the whole ordeal. I therefore hope to develop a way of better preparing myself mentally. I also hope to learn how to better prepare my actual speech, as I tend to mostly "wing it"...which definitely doesn't help my nerves. I also use filler words like "um" and "like" too much, probably a combined result of nerves and insufficient preparation, and I would like to break that habit.
Through the above changes, I hope this course will serve as an opportunity for me to develop my speech in a way that reflects a greater sense of rhetoric and is therefore more effective.
