HELP! I'm giving a speech on crossdressing for a class and I'm not sure how to do it! [Archive] - Crossdressers.com - #1 Community & Forum for Crossdressers, Family and Friends

italianprincess9878

10-25-2010, 07:24 PM

Hi everyone. For those of you who don't know me yet, I'm Dani, a 20 year old crossdresser in college. For my public speaking class, I'm giving a speech about crossdressing because it's a personal subject for me, obviously, and I find that so many people are misinformed and just don't really understand it. So I want to educate them. The trouble is, I'm not sure how I should do this. Like what direction to take the speech in. I was thinking motives and history. But that's all I have so far. And do I dress up for the class to give the speech? I live in KS so I'm not sure how receptive they'd be... Since you're all like older sisters to me, any ideas? What do I do?

AllieSF

10-25-2010, 07:40 PM

You have a great opportunity and a great dilemma. An opportunity to inform from within based on personal knowledge and experience and a dilemma as to how to protect your personal situation. I am assuming that this is an open topic where you can pick the subject. That is usually the best way for us shy public speakers to actually speak from the heart. If the speech is to touch on a specif theme or approach, then you just need to think how to work this subject into that theme. Politicians running for office and already in office do it all the time. That is getting there message out when being questioned or addressing a totally different topic. Now on to how to address CDing? Maybe you could insert it into a larger topic, time permitting. That could be talking about diversity in the general populace, or diversity in a college. Then you could give a brief description of diverse groups, cultures, sexual orientation (LGB), genders (T) and maybe spend more time of the "T". Maybe you can find a current article from the local newspapers about the subject and expound on that bringing in the info that you would like to share. So, like in any speech you need your subject matter/topic and then how to deliver that to your audience making it interesting and informative enough way to hold their attention and to get you an "A" for your assignment. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

italianprincess9878

10-25-2010, 07:47 PM

ReneeT

10-25-2010, 07:49 PM

Realize up front that this may be a "coming out" experience for you, if you are not already out. With that in mind, ask yourself what is important to you - is it acceptance, understanding, explanation..... Figure out what message you want to convey, and deliver that message.

Dressing might be a great intro. You could lead off with, "what do you see - a guy in a dress or a person...." - cut to the core of stereotypes, etc

renee k

10-25-2010, 07:59 PM

I couldn't think of a more perfect place for outreach than a college. I would go dressed. For an outline start out with crossdressings origins, reasons for crossdressing and finish with how it came into your life.
I would worry too much about the reaction your going to receive, even if it is KS. For goodness sakes your not at a 4H meeting.

Renee

Aimee20

10-25-2010, 08:01 PM

I was always taught with speeches to have a reason you are giving it. If what you are wanting to do is create an interest and possibly change views within the class or even the campus you will have to address the not so fun issues surrounding our community. Motives and history of CDing should only really take up about 45 seconds of your talk time as what you want to focus on is not what someone has done or why they did it but who the person is and how their diverse personality should be celebrated. I agree with Allie that perhaps bringing in the entire LGBT community, especially with the rash of recent suicides in the news, would really create a larger picture of understanding. Giving a speech on personal issues is not like writing a paper, you are giving the audience a window in to a world that they mostly like do not understand and have only the rude comedic references to fall back on to create their own view.

You have the chance to be a light out in a dark world hun, speak your mind.

AKAMichelle

10-25-2010, 08:02 PM

Renee makes a very good point that this will be your coming out party.

Now the way that I would approach the subject is to create an outline for the speech.

TG's in history
TG spectrum (TS, CD, Drag Queen, and the inbetweens)
Explain how cd'er hide their identities and remain in the closet much like gays did years ago.
How you figured out that you were TG
Finish by explaining that you the same person regardless of what you have on, but yes you are a cd'er.
The content of your speech will really depend upon how much time you have for your speech. This speech done right may take 10-15 minutes.

P.S. I wouldn't go dressed but I would take pictures for your coming out party. Let us know how it goes.

Aeify

10-25-2010, 08:19 PM

Um, WOW! I just want to say more power to you and please keep us informed! You have gotten some outstanding advise here and can't wait for an update!

juno

10-25-2010, 08:44 PM

I did not realize that so many crossdressers are confused about it themselves. Maybe it is just because there is more information about homosexuality than for other gender issues. I think the big surprise to most people is that feminine interests is a separate issue from being straight or gay. Views change over time, so I would start by talking to other students to see what kinds of ideas and misconceptions your audience has.

Nicole Erin

10-25-2010, 08:52 PM

If you do that, of course stick to the subject at hand.
Some TG have this habit of going off on tangents that just lose and bore people. We have alkl heard or read them -

"Let me tell you how I started. It was April 13, or was it 14? No it was 13 cause I remember my mailman had dropped something and there was this pitbull who chased him and the owner was on the way to the hospital..."
Yeah, some go of on irrelevant stuff.
Just make sure it is relevant, interesting, and not a bunch of boring details.

If you dress or present photos, make sure those or yourself are very presentable and don't show the audience a French maid outfit you like to wear when a boyfriend comes over.

JulieK1980

10-25-2010, 08:57 PM

What Nicole Erin said.

I'd also steer clear of the pictures, unless you throw one in at the end. The "shock and awe" of the pictures will lose the audience to what you actually say. Just remember: Tell them what your going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them. (Or so my public speaking professor always claimed lol) Keep it simple, relate stories that are relevant, and stay on focus!

Good luck!!! :)

Jennie1975

10-25-2010, 09:01 PM

I wish you the best of luck and I can't wait for the update thread!

Ria

10-25-2010, 09:27 PM

You are brave girlfriend... Good for you! Keep in mind, this could make life more difficult for you at your college no matter how great your speech is. Hopefully all your classmates are as open minded and as intelligent as you are.

None of us girls have any knowledge of your learning environment, it's students, its teachers. Only you know this. Just make sure you consider the whole enchilada and the "course of time".
Other than that, you go girl!

If I were you I'd wear something Fall/Autumn- Like black tights and boots with fur along the top cuff. Purr...

Good luck and gods speed.

Butterfly Bill

10-25-2010, 09:42 PM

If the place in KS is KU, isn't that where they have the Brown Bag Lunch Drag every spring? I used to live in Lawrence and I walked around the campus and even used the computer lab in dresses and had no problems at all.

Mikaela_M

10-25-2010, 10:04 PM

You have to make the right choice for yourself. If it were me, I would think about introducing all of the famous actors that have played female roles in movies (i.e. Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemon, etc.) and start with comedy that has long been accepted in our society. Crossdressing has long been a topic in film and comedy and has some level of acceptance and would serve as an ideal ice breaker. Of course I feel you would have to direct the audience/class to the recent issues that have affected our community and the horrible toll of how others beliefs and prejudices impact our lives (sometimes horrifically).

The most important part is that you have to be comfortable and accepting of yourself before considering whether to give the speech dressed or not. I think you have the podium and the opportunity to make a very important speech and possible influence the thoughts of others in a positive manner. I only wish I had the courage you possess to even to tackle the subject in a speech at your age. And while old age may provide some level of wisdom (i.e. I am not sure I would take my advice or not and that assumed fact is totally debatable in my case), courage is knowing that you may walk into that room and not change a single persons mind or attitude but you tried (sorry that was a horribly *******ized version of a Tom Krause quote). I wish you all the best in your endeavor and you never know who many lives a simple speech may impact for the better.

Leilani

10-25-2010, 10:23 PM

Hey there,
If you want to stay in the closet you can still very easily do it while cross dressed. In fact I might do that anyway just to make a point. Part of making a speech is to have a point of view and a message to get out to those that are listening. By appearing dressed as a woman, you are able to start your speech off with humor right away. You can also point out that the perception of crossdressed men in society is almost always played for laughs, Tootsie etc... or as a psycho, Buffalo Bill in Silence of the lambs. Give examples of this in popular culture and ask the listeners to reflect on what they thought when you first stood up wearing what you were. After you have given this point of view then you can ask them to look at the women in your class and see that they are wearing pants, running shoes, t-shirts, high heels etc... all of which started out as male articles. This again would reinforce the challenging of ideas that people may have pre-formed in their minds. Just make sure that your speech is well researched. Also if you want to stay in the closet you should take care to take a change of clothes along for after and you should seek the help of some girls to make sure you are dressed (and made up?) well when you make your speech so you don't look like a charicature. Just my thoughts.

Sarah Doepner

10-25-2010, 10:53 PM

Write a letter to yourself or to someone you care about and use it to explain crossdressing. Include all the things you believe people misunderstand. Use that letter as a source for your speech, it will come from the heart and hit the points you care the most about.

LeslieSD

10-26-2010, 12:09 AM

That's a great opportunity. The most powerful speech is always on some topic that you truly belive in. This would be a perfect topic.

I would not dress for it if it were me. Public speaking makes me nerveous enough. Dressing up while doing that? It is like shooting an arrow while riding a monocycle. I would not make it hard on myself. There are plenty of other chances I can dress.

Make is short, sweet, fun, and tell one thing and only one thing. And make it simple so people can relate to.

Vickie_CDTV

10-26-2010, 02:35 AM

Like others said, this might be your coming out, whether you intend it or not. I understand the desire to be open and honest with everyone, I have been there myself. However, being out can haunt you down the road. If you do not want to be outed, have a good, reasonable excuse as to why you picked this topic; eg. A friend back home is a TS and I wanted to understand their situation better, a family member confided in me they crossdress and I was upset and felt I needed to learn more about it, etc.

I would not dress for two reasons; 1) you will out yourself completely 2) less obvious is that it will be a distraction from what you are saying. Instead of the information you are trying to convey, they may spend the time dwelling on your appearance etc.

I spoke in front of a human sexuality class once (I was about 23, close to your age but just out of college and speaking at a different college.) One thing I found helpful was to find some good, accurate information on TV/TS issues online from IFGE, Tri-Ess, etc., printed it out and passed it out during my presentation. It helped them follow along with the presentation, and more importantly it gave them something to take with them just in case they are, or know a TV/TS. It gave them information they could look at afterward privately, and point them to sincere, quality resources they may need.

Patty B.

10-26-2010, 02:59 AM

However you choose to approach this speech, aka michelle posted a good outline for your speech and just remember the actual speech will only take approximately 10% of your total effort, it's all about being prepared. Best wishes of this opportunity, never thought about this topic when I had to do a pick your own topic in public speaking, that sure would have caused a stir. By all means let us know how this turns out, will be waiting.

RachelOKC

10-26-2010, 03:32 AM

I did something similar to this with a creative writing class when I was in college in OK. It was a bit scary, but wound up being a lot of fun.

This'll be a great opportunity for you to teach others and share about yourself. It's hard to tell from your posts how out you are already but this speech will do it for you, dressed or not. Might as well make it personal where appropriate since you need to have a interest in the topic to have chosen it, right? You'd be fooling no one to do a speech like this then be coy about your status - especially if you're in a dress. In fact, if you don't personalize it, you weaken the speech.

Your appearance will speak for you, so think real hard how you want to handle that. If you dress, be sure to leverage it in the speech for impact. Make the audience part of the speech by asking a few rhetorical questions and use some humor on them too. Pick your wardrobe very carefully. And wear sensible shoes.

If you don't dress, open with a bold declarative statement like "I'M A CROSSDRESSER!" to get their attention then a bit of humor to put 'em at ease and dial it back a bit.

Whatever you do, have fun! This isn't about crossdressing, it's about YOU.

Shananigans

10-26-2010, 04:24 AM

How long should your speech be? Just "crossdressing" may be too broad of a subject. You may need to focus on one particular aspect of it. In my speech, I focused mainly on the transgendered spectrum. I did a survey (I think sample size was around 200?) and this gave me some stats, as well as stats from other research studies. Stats are an easy way to draw attention to a certain point that you are trying to make.

But, yeah, mainly with your topic, you need to worry about what exactly you want to address. A typical speech usually has an intro, 2-3 points, and a conclusion.

Figure out what the 2-3 major points of crossdressing are that you want to talk about. Maybe your topic is how CDs are portrayed in the media. Maybe one point could be something as simple as CDs are negatively portrayed in the media (examples, etc). Your second topic could be how this creates strereotypes and intolerance towards the transgendered community (examples of this, stats, etc). For intro, you can give a personal story to gain the audience's attention and establish that you are an authority in the subject. Then, you will give your 2-3 points...be sure to have good introductory sentences in these and be sure to transition the ideas. I always find it really awkward when I am listening to a 3-point speech and there is no transition between the ideas.

italianprincess9878

10-26-2010, 06:01 AM

jjjjohanne

10-26-2010, 06:10 AM

I don't know if dressing up for the speech is a good idea. That is something you will have to decide. You will have to dress in your room/dorm, travel to the building, go and possibly sit in the class, and get back to undress. There might be other events that you are forced to include in that list (and some you might choose). Furthermore, consider if dressing for the speech is going to distract from your content. If you want to out yourself, you could show a picture and keep your standing a mystery until then. If you show a picture, you can decide during your presentation whether you still want to show it. Concerning topics, consider the topics that come up here a lot. There is frequently discussions about certain things like "why do we crossdress?", "what do you like to wear?", "when did you start?", "how does your SO respond?", "How did you tell your (family, SO, children)", "Where do you go crossdressed?" Topics we repeat and debate about are probably significant. I think that outsiders do not know about the inner struggles we face. Being macho and craving to wear pantyhose is tough on a guy. The concern of "Are you/Am I gay?" The fear of being found out. The relationship of CDing and fetishism/masturbation. The fear of being a crossdresser. A big thing that non-CDs have no idea of is purging. You could discuss the spectrum of tastes CD's have. Some people only wear specific garments/fabrics, others want to have surgery to actually change their physical gender. If you frame your speech as an activist trying to defend crossdressing, you might come across like a politician on TV. If you approach it from an information/truth (pretty and ugly) perspective, you might keep more listeners engaged. Consider doing something near the end of your speech like having everyone close their eyes and then do something very subtle like open their eyes very briefly to say whether they are a CD. Of course you would have to promise complete secrecy. You couldn't do this unless you outed yourself, of course. Who would trust you otherwise! Finally, if you choose to, you could come to the next class en femme if it all goes well.

Kaitlyn Michele

10-26-2010, 06:25 AM

Very cool!!

in my opinion, once you give this talk, you are out... i guess there is a chance that you are not, but I think it will be quite obvious to at least some people.

I have no idea what the implications of that are, except to say that many people come out at all different times..

I have given a number of speeches regarding my gender issues, but I didnt start doing it until I came out at a transwoman..I identified as a crossdresser for many many years tho...

If you DONT dress, and you don't want everyone to know..I'd take a very clinical approach. And i would keep it very simple and start out by saying Crossdressing is a very misunderstood phenomena, and then just talk about what you know, and focus them on how we come from all walks of life, how there are many reasons for it, and how society puts a stigma on it that causes all kinds of mental health issues...its a great feeling to talk about what's in your heart....

If you DO dress, consider that you are basically totally out, and you can then speak from the heart even more...kind of like, here is my story...

btw, as an experienced speaker, SIX minutes is an incredibly short time....if you don't beleive me....write and practice a six minute speech...its almost impossible to have a start middle and end..

NicoleScott

10-26-2010, 08:51 AM

I would advise against dressing for the speech. This speech is for a public speaking class where you will be evaluated on your ability to prepare and deliver a speech. Dressing would be a distraction and may be viewed as a stunt.
I would be curious why a non-crossdresser would choose crossdressing as a topic, so you will be outing yourself and that's OK if you want to do that. The audience might be wondering why you didn't dress for the occasion. Besides the distraction, you might mention the ongoing stigma attached to all transgender behaviors.
I would suggest researching ALL forms of crossdressing, and not present just your point of view. For example, if you dress because your gender identity is feminine, don't forget the fetish dressers and performers (who may dress for reasons other than fetish or identity). Cover it all.
A little humor usually works (what's the difference between a crossdresser and a transsexual? About two years. ha ha)

TiffanyTgirl

10-26-2010, 11:06 AM

As everyone here has said, you may be outing yourself the rest of the way. There have been enough tings in the news lately that have painted us in a bad light, so you could use the negative things as an into and then explain why 99% of us are normal people.I am on the fence about dressing the part. do you have any friends who would pose as your visual aid? This is an opportunity to educate and I applaud you for doing it. Good Luck!!

Rhonda Jean

10-26-2010, 11:53 AM

I wouldn't do it. It's a small audience at a small college, but the implications for you down the road could be huge and unforseeable. Nice thought, but you might not want to become a martyr just for a speech in a speech class.

RachelOKC

10-26-2010, 11:54 AM

Agree with Kaitlyn, six minutes is short. Keep it tight and focused and you can still get a good info out there. You will need a hard and fast opening and closing.

The speech could be on coming out as TG, especially if you dress. "Have you noticed something different about me today?" "So you're all wondering why I wore a dress today!" "Have you seen a boy in a dress?" Poke a bit of fun at yourself and you put 'em at ease.

A speech on coming out will give you personal focus, it's tight, and you can educate. You give 'em a basic explanation of transgender (refer to specific famous people), a basic understanding of coming out (who has famously come out?), issues TG's face when coming out, and benefits of coming out. Think of it like a sales pitch, since you're selling the idea of whatever you're speaking on.

Whatever you do, practice the hell out of it and edit, edit, edit.

ronny0

10-26-2010, 12:40 PM

Not sure if you want to 'come out' w/o first letting your close friends and family know it is going to happen.
If you had the time, and found the helpers, would be a kick to have people on stage or in the audience also willing to stand up and be seen.
Or / and tell the audience that in a group this size this age we should have another 10/15/20? men that also like to dress.
Try to drive home the point that only men are labeled as cross dressing, women are allowed to wear what ever they desire w/o the public giving it a second thought. History has turned around years past woman were restricted / required to dress by the rules. Now women can go out dressed as a man or a woman, hair as a man or a woman anything as male or female. Only men are considered 'strange' if they appear to not look 100% male.

Sarah Doepner

10-26-2010, 01:21 PM

It looks to me like you might just quote the responses to your post and you will have more than enough material. It's even a good format for a very interesting speech with most of the important points; diversity, fear, gender vs. sex, misunderstanding, etc. all covered.

Shananigans

10-26-2010, 03:58 PM

Wow! I was not expecting so many replies! Here's to answer a few questions some of you seemed to have.

@Shananigans: It's supposed to be about 6 minutes long I think. It was just assigned yesterday, so I could be wrong though.

@RachelOKC: I'm...halfway out? lol All my close friends know, and are at least tolerant if not supportive. But I'm not like...publicly out. And this would be a big step, which is part of the issue. My biggest dilemma is that I want this to be an informative and educational speech. I want to clear up misconceptions and stigmas, and just make people realize, "We're normal! We're people!" You know? And I feel like dressing would make a huge impact as far as driving that point home. But I don't want it to be overkill...

@Butterfly Bill: Oh no, it's not. I wish though. Actually, this is for one of my classes at Butler County Community College. :\

Okay, with six minutes you do NOT want to cover too too much. With some speeches, I've tried to cover too much with one topic and I started stumbling through it when I was running out of time.

So, your main topic is that you want to clear up any misconceptions and stigmas and make people realize that CDs are just normal people. You can do this in 2 body points. First will address the misconceptions and stigmas, second will be that you are just normal people and you will have your points and research to back this up. You can't just say, "Look...I'm normal. So, trust me, all CDs are normal." You're going to need some evidence that is going to really hit home with people and make them think.

You can hammer home in the conclusion about intolerance and moving forward as a society. Examples of what happens when intolerance is allowed to flourish (maybe some of the crimes that have been committed towards TG people where they have been beaten to death). End on a strong note that is really going to show that this intolerance and hate needs to stop if we are going to move forward as an accepting society.

Frédérique

10-26-2010, 04:30 PM

For my public speaking class, I'm giving a speech about crossdressing because it's a personal subject for me, obviously, and I find that so many people are misinformed and just don't really understand it. So I want to educate them. The trouble is, I'm not sure how I should do this. Like what direction to take the speech in. I was thinking motives and history. But that's all I have so far. And do I dress up for the class to give the speech? I live in KS so I'm not sure how receptive they'd be... Since you're all like older sisters to me, any ideas? What do I do?

I was just thinking that there are a lot of crossdressers in Kansas! I wonder why that is. Maybe the emptiness has an effect on the proceedings, or perhaps there’s just more room for dreams...
:daydreaming:

I wish you luck with your speech! This takes a lot of courage in this conservative, polarized atmosphere, but it would require courage anywhere, and perhaps anytime. I have a fear of speaking in public, but if I had to talk in front of people about crossdressing, I would do it with humor – not knee-slapping humor, mind you, but gentle humor to put people at ease. I imagine your prospective audience may be queasy about this difficult subject. You could mention history, and then weave in your own personal history for comparison and/or verification. I think it’s important to dispel any notions of crossdressing being “wrong” or of it being a problem that requires correction. Also, mention that any authoritative view of our ‘community” is not necessarily correct, and it’s up to the individuals within (like yourself) to set the record straight. It’s all about the pursuit of happiness, one of the oft-reported tenets of this nation, something inexplicable yet mandatory. Crossdressing is a manifestation of inner feelings – the outer surface only hints at what is going on inside. Also, crossdressers are all the same for being different. You can quote me on that...

I believe in you, so believe in your transgendered self. You’ll know what to do, and I know you can do it...:battingeyelashes:

Ayame

10-26-2010, 08:35 PM

It's actually open and I picked this specifically because it's so personal to me and I'm so upset with how many people are just misinformed and don't understand us. I just hate how I'm pegged as this horrible person because of it. :\

tl:dr Basically, I just don't know how I should structure the speech as far as content and whether I should use myself as a visual aide dressed up, or if I should make a powerpoint with pictures instead or something.

I took a public speaking class and did pretty well in it. I strongly advise you not to cross dress if you don't already to class. It's not a matter of anyone caring it's more a matter of getting your message out. This may take attention away from your speech and just pin it all on your appearance. I say if anything hand out a pic or two of you to pass around the room and recollect them after a minute so that you can keep attention on you without having the class zone in and out of your speech. However if its not hidden in anyway that you are a cross dresser I say go for it.

italianprincess9878

10-27-2010, 08:10 PM

Okay, so it's update time, sorta. I read everyone's replies and I want to thank everyone for their help! Using all your replies I think I've managed to come up with a 'game plan' and I wanted to run it by all of you to see what you think.

So I plan on opening with a picture of me as Daniella. Now, I've been told that I'm very pretty and convincing, so I'm hoping that's true, because I'm going to engage the class with this question: "What's your first impression of this girl? How would you describe her appearance, or what do you think her mental state is, i.e. happy, sad..." Hopefully, I'll get answers like, "pretty", "attractive", "happy" and "normal". Then without really explaining the picture, but telling them to keep it in mind, I'll move on to point one.

Point one will be a brief history of dressing and some famous people who did, such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Aristotle, and J. Edgar. Hoover. My second point will be about the different types of and reasons for crossdressing, such as drag, entertainment, passability, etc. Then with point 3, I'll attempt to tackle the stigmas and misconceptions surrounding us, such as we're all gay. We all want sex changes. You know. All the really hurtful, common stuff.

Then, in my conclusion, I'll draw them back to the picture of me as Daniella from the beginning, and reveal that it's actually myself, which will hopefully make them realize and think about how a seemingly "cool", "average", and "normal" person and do this and still be cool, average, and normal. And finally, I'll make a call to action for tolerance and understanding, and hopefully to help stop the bullying. Kinda my own "It Gets Better" thing. :P

The speech is due in two weeks and should be about 6-8 minutes. What do you think, girls?

girlygirl152

10-27-2010, 09:00 PM

I must say that your aproach sounds great and I am very intrested to hear how it goes! and as for your passability I think you look beautiful so no problems there. I wish I could be there to see the speach. good luck and please let us know how it goes.

Paula W

10-27-2010, 09:12 PM

I would suggest either not involving the audience as part of your speech or having some backup plans just in case it doesn't go as predicted. Lets say in a class of 30 you fool 29 of them, but the one person who says "thats you in a dress" can really derail the whole speech. It is a risky move but if all goes to plan can really pay off. I remember one time I turned a 5 minute presentation into a 20 minute talk in front of the class including the professor because it was a topic which a lot of people found very relevent. It was kind of cool but it could have gone badly had the questions I posed been answered by crickets chirping. Good luck and I hope to read an update on this once all is said and done.

Sallee

10-27-2010, 09:16 PM

I like the approach with the power point of you dressed and then going on to explain CDing and some of the notable people, Virgina Prince, Eddie Izzard, Dame Edna, etc. Then hitting the reasons for. I really want to hear those because I have been trying to figure it out for almost 50 yrs. Maybe show pictures of CD's famous and not so famous. Some like it Hot comes to mind along with Mrs. Doubtfire.
Then end with how it doesn't mean your gay, or want to transition or eat babies. Then you can go back to the pic of you and get comments that is where you could come out or not. You could just leave them guessing there, which might be kind of fun too.:devil:

Miranda09

10-27-2010, 09:28 PM

I think you've got a good approach to your topic. As everyone else has mentioned, using the pic can either enhance your talk or derail it, but how ever you decide to do it, make sure to add a little levity to it. It will help to get the attention of the audience. And, just to repeat, 6-8 minutes is a very short time. So don't go off on a tangent. Focus on the main points and stick to them. Actually, as for the pic, instead of putting up the pic of you all by itself, maybe include it with a bunch of other TG pics on the same slide. Don't give your audience much time to search you out, then at the end, if you wish, you can point to yourself, OR, ask if anyone recognizes the people in the pics. Good luck and do let us know how it goes. :)

JulieK1980

10-27-2010, 09:50 PM

Sounds like a great approach! I'd keep the pic in the beginning short, don't want to give them too much time to study it before the end reveal.

RachelOKC

10-28-2010, 02:27 AM

I'd be real cagey about front loading the speech with your picture unless you are absolutely sure people won't realize it's you or you plan to out yourself right up front. If people start tittering "it's him" and you weren't planning on that till the end, then you've lost it. Informative speeches of a short duration don't usually involve audience participation, so be careful challenging them on that - control the flow. Whatever you do, make the opening dynamic and hook the audience.

You should post your speech text when you're done, I think everyone is eager to see what you do.

Incidentally, although he may have been gay, Hoover probably was not a crossdresser. There's basically one allegation from a very questionable source and most historians don't consider it credible. The red dress business is probably pure fantasy.

LeannL

10-28-2010, 05:44 AM

I would modify one suggestion. Instead of putting up a picture of you, I would put up several pictures with both TGs and GGs in the mix. I know I have seen a couple of sites that ask "boy or girl". It has been a while so I don't remember if they were just head shots or full body shots. I recall that I did just slightly better than 50% right and that, I believe, is what you are getting at. At the end of your talk, I would go through the pictures again and at that point tell the class the correct answers.

Now the risk you run is that there will be some insecure guy in the audience who "falls" for a TG and really gets ticked off. These guys can go off the deep end.

Good luck,

Leann

alyssaenglefield

10-28-2010, 09:15 PM

I would embed you own photo in a set of eight or so photos of TGs and GGs, so when go through them, you can pull the old "Odd one out" trick. (i.e. GG, TG, GG, GG, TG, GG, me, TG.) It would be great to see everyone's reaction.

Otherwise, have fun.

italianprincess9878

11-01-2010, 12:38 AM

I like your idea, Alyssa. So that's what I'm going to do. But I'm going to need some photos. Anyone willing to give me some photos for the presentation?

Patty B.

11-01-2010, 02:43 AM

Having been through the public speaking just remember you've only got a short period of time for the intro, speech and conclusion. Props have the potential to enhance or derail your speech, unless you have some experience speaking in front of groups, or just happen to be one of those individuals who is a natural at it pics or props can be a disaster. But either way preparation is the key, 85% of your speech is preparation, you need to know your material so that it would be similar to having a conversation with some friends or something like that. Its been a while since I took public speaking, but one of the best courses I've ever taken. Just remember practice, practice, practice.

Edwina

11-01-2010, 07:59 AM

You could have a couple of mine if you like. To illustrate that dressing isn't limited to country or age.:D
PM me with an address to which I can send them.

Alberta_Pat

11-01-2010, 11:19 AM

If you wish to use the powerpoint/ graphics, you may wish to select a group of historically known and respected (both male and female) people and ask the question: "What do these people have in common"? (Image #1) You will get a few responses from your audience. Then, (Image #2 - same persons presenting "dressed") you respond: "They all presented as members of the opposite sex"!

Carry on with the idea that they all did 'great things', and that their presentation did not hinder them publicly.

From there, you may chose to disclose your status or not.

Wishing you the very best in this presentation. Hopefully, you are very comfortable with the subject. :)

Pythos

11-01-2010, 11:54 AM

I sooo wish I had such an oportunity. I never did when in school.

Put forward a heeled foot, and kick tail. I hope you succeed.

girlygirl152

11-01-2010, 12:11 PM

Hey, what kind of pics do you need? let me know :)

italianprincess9878

11-03-2010, 02:03 AM

Well, ultimately, I'll need pictures of both TGs and GGs. Most of which I want to throw my audience off balance so that they get some of the TGs confused for GGs and whatnot. Make sense?

CatAttack

11-03-2010, 02:18 AM

Hmm, I don't know if 6 minutes is enough time for such an ambitious endeavor.. Crossdressing/Transgender is obviously a very tough subject with much to be discussed. In my opinion, not trying to shoot you down or anything, I think it would be very hard to deliver a speech that would be able to adequately inform the uninformed in 6 minutes without confusing the confused even more. However, you seem to have a game plan. 3 points, but that means 2 minutes each, thats 120 seconds. But I do wish you good luck! let us know how it all goes :)

BiancaEstrella

11-03-2010, 03:08 PM

Just a couple of things.

You don't want to be your own visual aid. I would ask to use a couple of members' pictures. Often in powerpoint presentations, stock images of people are used. That's another alternate. Smartly choose appropriate images that aid your message.

As far as timing, I've seen entire biographies done on war heroes in 6-7 minutes. I've also seen someone stumble on the history of the Pac-Man franchise, so be careful. You know what matters most to you on this subject. Fortify those things. Wishing you well!

VtVicky

11-03-2010, 11:22 PM

There have been a lot of very good responses to this thread. All have been very supportive. And, several have been realistic about the ramifications.

However, this is a speech class, not group therapy. Yes, you should be interested and informed about your topic. But, you are being graded on your ability to deliver a speech, not change the world. It sounds like you are so invested in the subject that you may lose focus and get so caught up in coming out that you'll screw up the assignment.

Save your coming out for small, intimate, groups of friends and relatives. Use this class to learn how to give presentations. Then when the time and situation is right, you can use these skills to facilitate an appropriate coming out.

One more thing. One of the complaints SO's often have about their own CDer is that he seems to be a "One Trick Pony". In other words, his CDing is all he ever thinks about. It is the main focus of his every breath. Nothing, including her, exists unless it is somehow connected to his CDing. If the only thing in your life that you can think of to speak about is your CDing, than you desperately need to diversify your interests.

italianprincess9878

11-10-2010, 08:47 PM

Okay. Final update time, since today was speech day.

So, I gave my speech today and it went smoothly, at least for the most part. When I first introduced my topic, everyone looked shocked and uncomfortable. But as I went through the information, you could see little lightbulbs going off and people became more and more understanding and comfortable with it. So that was cool.

For those wondering, no, I did not come out. And I'm glad I didn't. Dressing up and/or coming out for this speech would have been a terrible idea. I did, however, have a little class participation "Guess the GG" kind of game at the end. I had 6 pictures on the board. 4 were GGs and 2 were CDs. One of them was me. I was hoping to kinda confuse and surprise them but that didn't happen. Unfortunately they all knew right away which was which. Especially my picture. Suffice it to say, my self-image has taken a big blow. -_-

So that's how that went. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to videotape it, and I'm kinda glad seeing as how it didn't go so well. I can post the transcript if anyone is interested.

arbon

11-10-2010, 09:33 PM

I think it is awesome that you did it, even if it did not go as well as you had hoped. The experience took a deal of courage and I am sure you learned and grew will grow from it.

Maddie22

11-10-2010, 09:36 PM

Oh I'm sorry that it didn't go well. I've been keeping up to date on what you have been planning for your speech, and I thought it was a good plan of attack you had. Did they recognize that it was you in the picture? Did you get a lot of questions asking why you picked your topic. I wanted to give a few speeches myself about the TG subject, but was always nervous. I'm really happy that you went and did it though!

italianprincess9878

11-10-2010, 10:05 PM

If they recognized it was me, they didn't say anything about it. And I told the class I picked this topic cause I have a friend who is a crossdresser and I always get upset when I see people treating "her" hostilely or differently due to ignorance, so no one really asked me why I picked it. But they did know that the picture of me was definitely a guy right from the start. And they did not hesitate to point out the flaws and boy features. -_-,

RachelOKC

11-10-2010, 11:03 PM

Shrug away the negative stuff and pat yourself on the back for doing a tough subject. The choices that didn't work out well are learning experiences just as much as the choices that were good.
I'd be willing to bet that your topic was a lot more interesting than anyone else's and it showed an enormous amount of courage on your part to even speak on the topic.

No matter what, be proud of what you did. We are!