I'll Take the Casket

Today, I had to complete an exercise that sent my heart pounding and made my hands shake. We had to do a public speaking exercise. Now, I am not the only one who hates public speaking. In fact, it is the number one fear in America. It is even more feared than death. Basically, the average person would rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy.
So, how did I do? I did not use a single filler. Not a single um or so, like floated from my lips. I spoke clearly and tried not to speak too fast. I did speed up in the middle, but I think I slowed it down to a tolerable pace.
I compared my object to a candle and described it as wax and color, items that the audience definately knew of. I didn't speak over their heads, but I don't think I dumbed it down too much either.
As for my body language, that's a completely new category. I am certaintly one to gestulate. Whether it is at home on my couch or in front of a room of people, my hands talk with me. Although hand gestures can sometimes actually make an audience feel at ease, my hand gestures are a bit excesive and can therefore be a distraction. My body language suggests relaxed, but I do fidget and shift side to side. Even though I constantly shift my weight, I do stick to my invisible box. I was definately inside the box. The one thing I liked is that I made eye contact. Even if I looked at my talking points, my eyes immediatly came back up. I did not look at the floor. I did not stare at one spot on the wall. I did not stare Emily down to avoid eye contact with others. I looked around.
I did have notes for my presentation, but I do not feel I used them excessively. They only time my notes gave me pause was when I looked for the creators' names.
Towards the end, I began to fear I'd run out of things to say. I did have the last resort of naming colors in a desperate attempt to fill time if need be.
Overall, I don't think I was boring. I believe the speech was effective, and I spoke in a way the audience could understand.
If I could go back in time, I would use less hand gestures, I would use a visual, and I would give a greater detailed description of the product. I could go into how evolved and different the crayon had become. I could have given the crayon to everyone in the audience to try. I could have been more engaging.
In the end, I hate public speaking. There's a reason I like email and staying in my seat. However, I am not the only one.