When I signed up for electives in college, I thought about which communications courses might help me get a job.
I focused most of my efforts on journalism and public relations courses, and I skipped out on fields such as event planning and public speaking.
Thankfully for me, my job doesn't require knowledge in either field. My personal life now does, though.
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Scott Shelters
I'm the best man in my brother's upcoming wedding. That means a couple of things: I have to plan his stag party, and I have to deliver the toast.
The stag party planning might've gone a little better with some formal training, but I think I've done OK with some help from family and friends.
The toast is a different story.
I hadn't put too much thought into it until recently.
I had planned to stand up in front of everyone at the wedding reception and "wing it," meaning I was going to improvise.
I've been informed by many people that that's not such a good idea.
Who knew? Call me a rookie best man, I guess.
The same people who told me I should write a speech and read from it have told me they think I'll do a great job. I'm a writer after all.
They've missed an important detail, though.
Like most writers, I chose to go into this field because I'm a shy, awkward person. I don't like standing up in front of people.
I'm not exactly well spoken. Those people are on the radio, and if they're good looking, they're on TV.
Once I've decided what I need to say, I'll write it up and prepare to read from a sheet of paper. Apparently that's the best way to go, so I'm told.
Regardless of how the toast or stag party go, I blame the recession for the anxiety that planning them has caused me.
In better economic times, maybe I would've taken a few more life-skills classes, rather than focusing on just those that writers need to land jobs.