Journal Entry: Small Talk & Speaking Anxiety
This journal entry consists of listening to 3 podcasts and answering 6 reflection questions.
Please listen to the podcast listed below and complete the 3 reflection questions.
Small Talk
Podcast: How to Talk to Strangers. (2020, May). Slate. (32 minutes)
Links:
Spotify | iHeart | Apple | Transcript
“Small Talk” and YOU: How do you feel about “small talk”? Why do you or do you not choose
to strike up a conversation with strangers? When are times in your day-to-day life when there are
opportunities for small talk? How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed your experiences with
small talk? (1 paragraph)
When it comes down to creating small talk with someone it really comes down to who
you are speaking with and something you both can relate to and proceed to create a full fledge
conversation. When talking to someone you don’t know that well like a stranger I usually use the
environment or surroundings in order to strike up a conversation as it can get the best results.
The time in my day where there are opportunities to create small talk would be when I go to the
gym and have my workout there are some opportunities to create small talk, along with this there
are always opportunities at work and especially at school to create or strike a conversation with a
stranger. I feel that the results of COVID-19 has changed the way I experience small talk as not a
lot of people want to converse since they just want to get in and out of the current situation or
location they are in but now that the pandemic is slowly going away more people are willing to
converse and strike small talk conversations.
“Small Talk” and Work and Leadership: What role does “small talk” or talking with strangers
play in your intended career or current work? What is the relationship between “small talk” and
leadership? What characteristics of introverts might enhance their “small talk,” and consequently
their leadership, and why? (1 paragraph)
Small talk with strangers is going to happen in a lot of situations but in the line of work
and intended career path it is going to be common practice to converse with new people and
create in interactions with those said people. Small talk as I see it is an opportunity to create
initiative and lead a conversation which can be seen as a leadership trait as most people are
afraid of confrontation or sparking a conversation. Small talk can be seen as a way for someone
who does have initiative to create new leads and opportunities to further expand their networking
because that conversation can lead to getting a contact for one thing or multiple things and as a
leader who seeks that it is crucial to have multiple leads and have that confidence to be easy to
speak to which is why small talk is important. Introverts have some traits that can actually
enhance small talk that being they take time to make decisions but give meaningful and thought
out responses which can be helpful but I feel as if they need to break away from the stigma of
self isolation and begin to branch slowly out to create new leads/connections and small talks are
helpful to reach that goal in taking initiative to be a leader.
“Small Talk” Takeaways: What did you learn about “small talk” from the podcast? How might
you change your approach to “small talk” based on what was discussed in the podcast? What
new strategies from the podcast might you implement? (1 paragraph)
The podcast honestly taught me to break away from the normal and become a bit more
outgoing when it comes to creating small talk to be more aware of your surroundings in order to
use that as an opportunity to create a conversation. My approach to small talk has been tweaked
because of this podcast since it taught me to use my surroundings and environment to create a
reason to speak up or say something in or to possibly spark a conversation but also to find some
sort of common interest in order to gather a reaction as people will often grow more eager to
speak about something that they’ve are passionate about but also can relate to.
Please listen to the podcast listed below and complete the 2 reflection questions.
Speaking Anxiety
Podcast: High-Stakes Communication: How to Manage Anxiety Speaking in Front of Others.
(2020, May 7). Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Strategies. (17 minutes)
Links:
Source & Transcript | Spotify | Apple
Speaking Anxiety and You: Do you have severe, moderate, mild, or no anxiety related to
speaking? Are there certain speaking contexts (e.g., interpersonal, group, public) where your
anxiety is higher or lower? What are the symptoms of anxiety you experience before or during
speaking? What are the sources of your anxiety before or during speaking? If you have no
anxiety, why do you think that is the case? (1 paragraph)
When it comes down to public speaking I have a bit of mild anxiety but once I get
comfortable I can continue to speak about the topic/subject at hand for the amount of time
needed. When it comes to breaking down the level of anxiety I have when it comes to group,
interpersonal, and public it really does very on the situation but for the most part in public I
would say my anxiety is at a high as the group of people listening to what you have to say is
larger while in a group it’s a smaller amount so I would say my anxiety is mild and lastly
interpersonal it would be at its lowest. The symptoms of anxiety that I experience before I begin
to start speaking would be a heavy feeling on my shoulders and sinking feeling in my stomach
while afterwards I feel little to no anxiety but a weight lifted from my shoulders and a sense of
relief. I would say the source of my anxiety before and after would be the opinion of what I have
to say come with a lot of backlash or I miss up mid speech would be some of the anxiety’s I feel.
I do have anxiety when it comes to public speaking but only for as bit but it is very real.
Speaking Anxiety Takeaways: What did you learn about anxiety in high stakes speaking
situations from the podcast? What new strategies from the podcast might you use to manage the
symptoms and sources of your speaking anxiety? How did the podcast change or reinforce how
you feel about speaking anxiety? (1 paragraph)
I learned that anxiety in high stakes situation is something that occurs in a lot of people
but there are ways to mediate that by controlling your breathing and concentrating on the topic at
hand you are discussing. Some of the strategies that I got from the podcast are some of the things
that I have been incorporating into my own ways of public speaking such concentration on a sole
object and controlled breathing which have really helped improve my speaking anxiety. The
podcast reinforced the idea that speaking anxiety is common with everybody but there are ways
to mediate it and control that fear of public speaking.
Please listen the podcast listed below and complete the reflection question.
Virtual Meetings
Podcast: Quick Thinks: Use this Framework to Speak up in Virtual Meetings. (2020, April 3).
Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Strategies. (4 minutes)
Links:
Source & Transcript | Spotify | Apple
Virtual Meetings: How do you feel about speaking up in web calls, Zoom meetings or in online
class? What are the three ways for inserting ideas into conversation described by the podcast?
(~2-3 sentences)
I feel that speaking up in web calls is something that has become the new normal in
todays changing world as the pandemic COVID-19 has taught many that online learning and
remote work is something of the future and with that online video calling has become a staple in
todays world and is a necessity. I believe that with the changing of the times it has really come
down to the generation people grew up in as many do like online learning over in person as it
allows people to get a lot done while also maintaining. I believe that more traditional people
prefer in person as it really does encourage students to focus more and pay attention while also
getting direct responses to questions. I would say using the environment, surroundings, and
relatable topics would help create more conversations amongst other people.