Speech! Speech!

Several decades ago, I took a speech class at a four-year university. I enjoyed this class very much, and I feel like I actually learned a thing or two. To pass the class, I had to write and deliver three speeches.  I think I was pretty good at giving my speeches. 

And if I haven't mentioned it before, I have spent twenty plus years working in radio and talking for a living. 

Still, my university speech credit did not transfer to my new college. And speech isn't one of the classes for which I can get credit for prior learning.

I would have to take and pay for this class. Again. 

Unless, I could test out of it. 

Challenge accepted. 

Motivated by the thought of saving one thousand dollars. 

Part one: multiple choice test. 

I was encouraged to study for it. The professor in charge of testing had a text book on reserve at the library, but no guidance as to what parts of it would be on the test. I could not justify spending time reading an entire textbook, so I took the test cold. Expected little, hoped for the best. 

Good choice. There were 40 questions. Can you image reading an entire textbook and picking out 40 lousy bits that might be on a test?

Yet, I passed. 

Part two:  deliver a persuasive speech to faculty. 

Crap. 

Now, I knew months ago that delivering a speech was going to be required.  But I hadn't done more than mull ideas around in my head; it seemed unnecessary to work on it when the odds of passing part one were so low. 

I had a week between learning I passed part one and needing to deliver the speech... which will be this coming Tuesday morning. 

!!Crap!!

I spent five hours yesterday *frantically* tracking down sources to cite in this speech.  I don't mind talking to an audience; but I hate writing the material. Citing sources?  That's like... writing a report!  How did this turn so wrong so fast?

 I spent five more hours today writing the speech and condensing it onto 3x5 cards. 

The speech needs to be 7-9 minutes long. At best, I thought I had five minutes. I crammed as much fluff as I could into that thing. 

Then I did a test run-through. 

Dudes. 

It ran twelve and a half minutes. 

::facepalm::

At least it'll be easier to take stuff out than add more in. 

Geez. 

One thousand dollars motivation, peeps. 

I understandably overshot the goal by a bit.