Summarize the following:
When you feel self-conscious it seems like a spotlight has been turned on you. Every aspect of yourself seems to be on display for others, primarily the flaws. Know that this is just a feeling within you. The majority of the time, people are too wrapped up in themselves to be overly concerned about you. When you feel yourself getting very self-conscious about your body, instead of keeping these feelings in, express them. Tell a friend or close sibling how you are feeling. That way you can get a true opinion outside of yourself. In order to make strides against  overcoming self-consciousness, you need to uncover its roots. Were you teased as a child about your weight? Is there a certain person who always makes you feel self-conscious? Does your mom or dad constantly tell you how you need to lose weight? If your self-consciousness stems from the judgments of others, then the solution can take one of two forms. You will have to look deep inside yourself to determine if your relationship with this person is worth the pain they are causing you through judgments or unkind remarks.  If this person is a distant friend or acquaintance whose insults are making you feel bad about yourself, then it may be necessary to sever ties with this person. You deserve to have supporting relationships, not ones that tear you down. If the person casting judgments about your weight is a really close friend or family member, you need to confront them. This person needs to be aware of how their remarks are affecting you. Once you  confront the person, they may recognize the harmfulness of their words and no longer insult or judge you. If you decide to confront the person, you should give them a heads up that you want to talk and choose a neutral location to meet. Use "I" statements and avoid blaming them. Just let out your feelings with facts. A statement might sound like "I feel upset/sad/embarrassed when you make comments about my weight. I would really appreciate it if you could stop doing this." If your attempt to identify the source of your self-consciousness came up empty-handed, it may be because these feelings are more ingrained. Perhaps you lack confidence in your body because of messages expressed in the media. Maybe your body size and shape does not resemble models or TV actresses and it causes you to feel bad about yourself. Maybe you've tried to lose weight and failed in the past, so now you are beating yourself up mentally and emotionally. It's time to get real with yourself about media messages. Both women and men idealize the unattainable bodies that are portrayed on TV and magazines when these bodies have been photo-shopped to look perfect. Tell yourself that real bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Look around you; each day you see a range of beautiful people with all sorts of bodies.

summary: Remind yourself that self-consciousness is a feeling not a fact. Figure out the source of your self-consciousness. Deal with the people who make you self-conscious about your weight. Ask yourself if others are really judging you.


Summarize the following:
Use heavy-duty scissors or an exacto knife to cut loose strands out of your wicker furniture. Carefully snip through damaged strands near the underside of arms, legs, or other parts of the piece. gently pull out the damaged strands to avoid damaging other parts of the wicker. Select the replacement reeds you need to fix your damaged wicker furniture. Place them in a large container full of warm water. Let them sit in the water for 30 minutes. Remove the reeds from the water and place them on a pile of clean paper towels. Gently press on the reeds with another paper towel to drain out excess water. Continue pressing on them with fresh paper towels until no more water comes out. Thread a replacement reed into the furniture, starting from a point near the back that is less visible. Using pliers or your fingers, gently weave the reed in an out of the wicker. Follow the pattern of the wicker for the best results. Once the reed is all the way through, add a drop of wood glue to the ends. Tuck them in to keep them from sticking out. Gently hold the stands in place for several seconds to allow the glue to set. Insert carpet tacks right on the ends of the replacement reeds once the wood glue is dry. Gently push the tacks in to avoid splitting the reed fibers. Use your finger or a small hammer to make sure the tack are securely firmly.

summary: Remove broken strands of wicker. Soak replacement reeds in warm water for 30 minutes to make them flexible. Remove excess water from the reeds. Weave the replacement reeds into the wicker furniture. Glue the strands in place. Secure the ends with carpet tacks after 30 minutes.


Summarize the following:
Some career service advisors recommend keeping your self-introductory speech as short as two or three sentences. Others suggest aiming for five to seven minutes in length. If it is not possible to make your speech this short, or if time permits you to give a longer introduction, you should still trim down your speech to be as concise, yet informative, as possible.  Make sure that if this is an assignment, you stay within the assigned guidelines. If your speech is supposed to be 3-5 minutes, a 7-minute speech and a 2-minute speech are equally inappropriate. If you are giving a brief introductory speech in an interview, be certain that you don't go over the recommended time. Remember that your speech is going to be spoken out loud, and your audience will not be able to go back and re-read your words if something is confusing. Deliver your speech in such a way that no one will be uncertain of what you are trying to say.  Avoid long rambling sentences, and use direct and concise prose as much as possible. Think about your sentence structure carefully. Reading your speech out loud will help you determine when you have overly long sentences that need to be restructured. You should run through your speech out loud well before the actual introduction. Practice different inflections and experiment with how you pace yourself during the speech. You can practice alone by reading at first, but to get some feedback it's a good idea to perform the speech in front of a friend, family member or colleague.  Practicing in front of other people will enable you to gauge whether your speech captures the interest of your listeners. Think about which parts of the speech were successful and which parts weren't. Try to get as much detailed feedback as possible by asking specific as well as general questions after your speech.  As well as saying "how did you like the speech?", ask specifically what parts were the strongest and weakest. Check that you delivered a clear message by asking your practice audience what they took away from the speech. Know what you're going to say, and how you're going to say it, well in advance. Although in some instances it is common practice to read from a piece of paper, try to memorize your speech and read it with minimal prompts. Presenting without reading a paper can create a stronger impression of control, knowledge and confidence. It will also help keep your audience's attention.  If you are staring down at a piece of paper all the time, the audience might struggle to truly engage with what you are saying. You can, however, bring an index card with bullet points, just in case you freeze up. You shouldn't write your whole speech on the card, just the main points you hope to cover. Think of the card as a point of reference, rather than a backup for your speech.
summary: Trim your speech down. Use short, simple sentences. Practice your speech. Memorize your speech.