Dear Aquinas,

Whenever the teacher asks about who wants to read or who wants to answer something, I tend to find myself staying quiet even though I know the right answer. I was wondering if you have any tips that would help me to be more comfortable with public speaking. I don’t mind presenting but I feel like everyone can read my thoughts and know if I’m nervous or not. Please help! Thank you!

-Kora Hinke

Dear Kora,

Thank you for reaching out to me! Being scared to speak out in class is an issue that I find a lot of people struggle with. I think that the best way for you to get more comfortable with public speaking is practice. I know it sounds very basic, but I have found that practice with public speaking helps people the most. The more you talk out loud, the more comfortable and confident you get. You will slowly start to see that no one is judging you, but rather, it is benefitting your social skills and will maybe even earn you some extra participation points!

Until the next question,

Aquinas