# Have you ever been asked to make a speech? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 11, 2016, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-asked-to-make-a-speech/745796 "2016-02-11T05:54:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-asked-to-make-a-speech/745796/21 "2016-02-12T02:01:25Z")
Sure, and I have no problems with it. I was in my early 30s and was asked to give a speech in front of 300 or so people in a formal setting in a hotel ballroom as part of my job. My compensation was that it was during work hours and I was being paid to be there. I’m used to standing in front of roomfuls of people, including CEOs, chief nuclear officers, etc. and giving presentations. Ain’t no big thing. ---
**Author:** ![GloryDays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GloryDays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GloryDays)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-asked-to-make-a-speech/745796/22 "2016-02-12T02:07:35Z")
Absolutely. I took lots of public speaking courses in college. I had to speak in front of the workplace on Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-asked-to-make-a-speech/745796/23 "2016-02-12T05:19:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > They’re not paying you to write those briefs! 😃 Oh, court. Sure, I get paid for that, but I was thinking more of guest lectures at a uni, continuing professional development talks, community outreach, that sort of thing. Besides, at its best, court is more like a free-ranging debate with the judges than a speech. Best court appearences aren’t speeches. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-asked-to-make-a-speech/745796/24 "2016-02-12T07:43:33Z")
I’ve done a few big talks at the Game Developers Conference over the years. I wasn’t ASKED though. I submitted proposals and they were accepted. I have been asked to give smaller talks though. For example, a couple of weeks ago I was invited to USC to give a talk on game design and participate in a round table discussion. I do presentations at work all the time. I got over any fear of public speaking years ago when I took part in what I thought was going to be a Q & A session in front of about a thousand people. The organizer thought I was giving a prepared speech instead. I only discovered this when he introduced me. Being thrown into a situation where you have to talk for 40 minutes without any preparation whatsoever and managing do actually pull it off does wonders for your confidence! ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-asked-to-make-a-speech/745796/25 "2016-02-12T14:33:30Z")
I’m a member of Toastmasters, so I’ve given quite a few speeches. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-asked-to-make-a-speech/745796.md?page=1)