Speech Class: My New Nightmare

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Hello, my name is Eli, and I am new to the site.
The New Year came with me being diagnosed with Asperger's. I am in currently in my third quarter of my freshman year at art school in field of photography. As with all universities, I am required to take a speech/communication class of which I am currently enrolled. Only two classes in and I already dread it on a daily basis. Assigned seats, forced social interaction, and a professor filled with uncontrollable energy. Needless to say, this is anxiety filled nightmare. Do you by any chance have any advice for coping with speech classes? Anyone currently enrolled in such a class? I could use some tips.

I remember surviving freshman speech.

Breathe.

And practice, as much as possible. Practice your speeches in the morning while you're getting dressed, in the mirror when you get home from class, when you're making dinner, and so on. Set up a video recorder, and practice recording them (if your phone has a camcorder function, that will work); video cameras are stressful, and the more you do it, then more comfortable you'll become. I have to script in hand movements, much like you would find in a movie script. I have found that speeches / presentations actually work really well for me as far as my tendency to avoid eye gaze goes - I can make eye contact with a person for about two seconds, then look at someone else. In a small social setting, brief eye contact is rude, but in a presentation, it's engaging the audience!

It sounds like the bigger problem might be the forced social interaction and the professor who's a cross between a talk show host and an animated blackjack dealer.

Try to give speeches on things your passionate about, it will give you some confidence.

Also, I always remind myself, I am sharing information with these people, I don't have to have a conversation with them. It's not a two way conversation.

I love speaking in front of people for those reasons. It's not like 1 on 1 where you have to read body language, let the other person talk, respond, etc. No, I'm presenting information, you have to listen to me.

One thing to experiment with is to arrive early. Just getting used to the room, being prepared to reciprocate if someone starts a conversation with you, also having for example notes from previous class or another class to occupy yourself.

I've also heard people who are going to testify before a Congressional committee and expect a hostile reception, are sometimes advised to come early!

Another thing to consider, take a deep breath and savor the possibility, is to play the Aspie card. You do have an actual diagnosis.

Okay, about playing the Aspie card, or more formally signing up for disABILITY Services and requesting reasonable accomodations under the Americans with Disability Act.

For example, the centrality of the class is learning the material and demonstrating your knowledge on tests. It might also be giving four or five speeches during the course of the class. What is probably not the centrality is participating in goofy in-class exercises. And you should also be able to have a seat, whether the front of the room or the back or the middle, where you feel more comfortable.

To do this, you'd probably call, visit, or email and set up an appointment with disABILITY Services.

And beyond that, I don't know the details. I am self-diagnosed, and people in middle age like me are often going to be self-diagnosed.

One good method of contacting the professor is email followed up by a phone call. When you visit him or her, it's perfectly appropriate to have someone with you. What I got from Herb Cohen's book You Can Negotiate Anything (not strictly true but I love the idea!), is that this is not a sign of weakness. This is actually a sign of strength. I mean, mayors of cities do this for crying out loud. This person with you can be a friend, can be a brother or sister, can be a former teacher or coach, or can be someone from disABILITY Services. If the person is older, you and your situation might be taken more seriously. Shouldn't be that way, but probably is.

Thanks, everyone, for the advice. The idea of arriving early sounds like it would yield very positive results. One of the worst feelings is arriving to a classroom filled with students and having to walk past them avoiding any and all eye contact. That alone gives me anxiety. I already feel a bit more prepared.

You're welcome. And I hope you have a good week at your university.

And by the way, welcome to Wrong Planet!