WOW...IT'S ALL OVER AND DONE WITH NOW..

I can’t believe that this semester is over. Time went by so fast. I remembered yesterday I was just registering for this class. I chose COMM107 because it fit in my schedule the best. Looking at the courses’ description and looking over comments people had made about the course, I decided that it would be easy and most likely teach me something because I had never taken a communications class before.

I have changed my major two times since being here at UMD and I finally decided that pursue in Communications. My public speaking skills vastly improved this semester; in high school the only bad grades I got were in public speaking situations.

I made progress toward the goal of having the self control to not use inarticulate while speaking, which forced me to think more about what I was saying instead of regurgitating words from the note cards I was using. I came in expecting this to be an easy class according to what I had heard from my friends last semester, but I was pleasantly surprised that the class was more challenging than I expected.

I think the speeches were excellent tools for the class. I was so nervous to do them, but I know for a fact that I learned skills that I can keep with me for the future.I learned a lot about video, picture, multimedia, Google docs and text sharing, among other things, and what sites I could use for these activities. I actually got a Google and twitter account that I use all the time as a result of hearing about it in this class.

From lessons about listening skills and nonverbal communication, to persuasive speech and social media, this course covered a variety of topics that I found extremely useful. The basic skills from the listening chapter were very successful because it emphasized that listening to one’s audience is a vital skill to communication. One skill I acquired through this class was to ensure that my body language appropriately displayed a welcoming attitude. For example, standing with my arms crossed and tapping my foot is a rude demeanor when listening to another’s presentation. I also quickly learned that there are many factors which contribute to good listening skills and I was able to implement them into my everyday life throughout the semester.

Over all I am very happy with this class, my speeches, and my blogs. This class has given me confidence for public speaking. It has also introduced me to some very cool people. My fellow students in this class and their peer review are what made it possible to have a great class. Each speech provided a different challenge. These challenges made me want to learn more and improve my public speaking with each assignment. The assignments were challenging but the instruction made them do able.

Thanks for everything Andi for expanding my horizon and making the class fun!