Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Heads Or Tails

When it comes to talking i'm a bit of an enigma.

At school, i was debating vice-captain, and i won awards for public speaking. I was in an awesome mock-trial team and my Tournament of Minds team was state or national champs every year. In that respect, my talking was an attribute. I was good. But, when it came to speaking up in school, i was quiet. I spoke to my friends, but i didn't really speak out. I wasn't known widely as confident and loud (except among my friends).

Nowadays, when i'm not comfortable, i don't speak much. I get nervous and my brain freezes up a little bit. When i do talk, things tend to get tangled up in my brain and i sound a little nuts.
But when i'm around people i know, i'm loud and you can't shut me up. If you know me well enough, i'll talk and talk. Or, if there are awkward silences, i'm happy to fill those. I can babble away with the best of them.

Often, i do tend to talk so much that people just tune me out (haha, Dr.B...), but my philosophy is to keep talking until they start listening. It's very effective... well, not really. I often have to repeat my brilliant ideas multiple times before people pick them up!

So, sometimes i talk, sometimes i don't. You can usually read my mood by how often i open my mouth. A quiet Annabel is an upset, nervous or angry Annabel. A talkative Annabel is a comfortable, happy... or nervous Annabel. It's a complex situation! Try to keep up.


5 comments:

smarmoofus said...

That's really interesting... but I bet it's easier to speak up and out when you've got a topic that you have thoroughly researched, such as for debate. Maybe it's a question of being able to think on your feet when you're nervous. Or (as in my case), an attention span issue. If you're already well-versed in a topic, then it's no problem to rattle off, but if you're in an uncomfortable situation and have to try to think, you're out of luck. Maybe?

Happy HoT!
-smarmoofus

Anonymous said...

I am a talker, but I tend to get very quiet when feeling out of my element. Nice to get to know you a bit more, and happy HOT day!

Hootin Anni said...

I love this: "I keep talking until they start listening"!!! I must remember this....perfect.

My HoT is quite eclectic...but all about talk. Stop by when you can find time!

Barb said...

I was never ever comfortable talking in front of a crowd when I was in school. I always took a zero on oral reports, it was so bad.

I'm a bit more confident now, though. And isn't blogging a wonderful way to talk without the pressure? :)

Anonymous said...

I am much like you. I clam up in crowds. I could never speak in front of large group. My knees turn to jello. Even with close friends, my thoughts get jumbled up when I try to explain something.