In my younger years, I was shy, quiet and didn’t speak up a lot; I preferred to take everything in. But one of the yearly requirements of 4-H was writing a speech and saying it in front of your club.
When I started, at age 6, this task was one of my most hated ones. I didn’t know what to talk about and I really didn’t want to say a speech in front of everyone. But slowly, as the years went on, I started to enjoy this task and I began to get good at it.
After I finished 4-H, I took this public-speaking skill with me. I’ve gotten up in front of large groups of people and emceed, given a presentation or simply updated a crowd on what’s going on. My 4-H experience has given me the confidence to speak up. I have no problem talking in front of a room full of people anymore.