The Importance of Debates and Public Speaking- Sarah West

Today in English, we started our dreaded and ever feared debates. Being a naturally quiet person myself, I've been stressing about this for a while. I've always avoided public speaking as much as possible throughout my school career, and have never been very good at presentations or reading out loud. My nerves always end up getting the better of me. But I have found that this skill is becoming increasingly important for school and for life. The presentations are never going to stop, class lead discussions are going to happen more often, job interviews are going to start, but the skills that these debates aim to teach us will always be there. So even though my stomach may have been churning, and I might have been sweating, and my heart may have been pounding out of my chest,  I am thankful for the chance to practice and improve this important skill now.