Hey everyone, I kinda need some advices please bcs I suck at improvising. The worst that could happen to me is that something that wasn't planned out happens. My brain needs time to think it over and most times there's no such time, and I end up looking like a weirdo that doesn't have any social skills(which may be true...). Anyways, up until now, that was a fact that I had accepted about myself and I always would prepare everything in advance so that no surprises happen. Well too bad for me I have an oral exam on June that will test those skills... There are two parts: one of analysing a text(that one is ok since it's one we've already prepared with the teacher) but the second one is 4 mn of presenting a book that I've read and 4 mn of questions about it. And let me tell you that last Wednesday my teacher suddenly asked us some questions that could be asked and gosh, she asked one of them to me and it was awful. I wasn't expecting her to ask me anything and I just mumbled everything, none of my sentences made sense and everyone was looking at me as if I had a mental problem. I don't want that to happen in the oral exam, it's really really important, the grade is almost just as important as the written exam's grade. So do you know what I could do to become a little bit better at being spontaneous and improvising?? Thanks...
Let me tell you one thing in advance. People who are usually more the quiet type and need a lot time to think before answering a question are considered to be highly intelligent individuals. So keep this in mind and try to build up a little more confidence. ^^
Moreover, spontaneous behavior and the urge to organize and plan everything beforehand are human personality traits. So, considering they are more than just a habit, personality traits are a little hard to change. It will need the resolve to work hard, actively and persistently... tired already? We're just beginning.
Next, let me give you some advice. The Rhetoric discipline focuses on fast and effective solutions for situations you don't have the time or possibility to think everything through in detail. This is complementary to the task area of philosophy. If you want to improve your spontaneous reaction, I would recommend you to participate in some kind of Rhetoric course or class. They are usually very good and you can use the skills which you learn there also in job interviews etc. in the future.
Even without professional education in fields of Rhetoric, I would suggest you training your discussion skills. When there is a book you have to talk about, talk about it in advance with your friends, classmates, family, teachers or completely strangers on the internet. Talk about the motives, the characterization, the parts that you don't really understand. While putting your thoughts into words, you will learn an awful lot. Not only about the book, but also about the process of articulating yourself. And that happens almost automatically.
Last but not least, try not to worry about mistakes in class. You can advance sooooo much through the try and error system. That's what classes are for. If you knew everything from the start, you wouldn't need to take the class, don't you? It may be kinda uncomfortable at first, but it will get really relieving after you have gotten used to it.
>>2 Thanks sachi! I'll try to talk about it with a friend that is also going to present the same book since anyway I don't have rhetoric classes at school. Thanks for the advices! Oh and thanks, you boosted my confidence a little bit!
