Presentations
We have a presentation coming up in Business writing class. Apparently it can be about anything... it's purpose is just to show our presentation skills with a powerpoint. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty sure I know how to create a good powerpoint for a presentation, but my presentation skills are definitely lacking. What can I say? I'll just never be that person that is comfortable standing up in front talking to a large group. They say the more you do it, the easier it gets. In some ways, that's true... but the nervousness, the hands' sweating, and the shaking are always there.
I've had to give all kinds of presentations and speeches throughout school and work, but there are 3 that I remember as the most terrifying: speaking at graduation, and the final presentations at the end of my 2 internships. At graduation, I had to come up with that speech completely on my own and then speak to a football stadium full of people with no powerpoint to rely on... talk about nerve-racking. At Milliken, I had to present the results of my projects to the rest of the interns and to the high-ranking officers of the company... that kind of thing is never easy. The speeches went well, but I would never want to go through them again. I honestly hate the feeling of a huge audience staring at you listening to and critiquing every word you say, just waiting for you to make a mistake and catch you on it. I thought that taking public speaking at Clemson would help calm those fears, but I was pretty wrong. I suffered through that class and came out with one of my only two B's ever. So, needless to say, I'm not really looking forward to this presentation in class.
Granted, this is just a routine, class powerpoint presentation and there is absolutely no reason to be nervous... but tell that to my shaking hands every time I give one of those routine presentations. Since I can pick whatever topic I want for this, I'm looking for one that I'll actually be excited about giving, so maybe I won't be so nervous. It has to be something I've done, know a lot about, or am just a fan of. I'm thinking about giving a "report" of some sort on my trip to Europe, or maybe just pick one of my favorite cities and tell about that. My study abroad experience was 3 of the best months of my life, and I'm sure I would love to retell part of that. So, hopefully giving this presentation won't be nearly as nerve-racking. If anyone has any ideas on an awesome topic... or just a cure for my fear of public speaking, I would love to hear it! If not, I'll let you know how it goes.
I've had to give all kinds of presentations and speeches throughout school and work, but there are 3 that I remember as the most terrifying: speaking at graduation, and the final presentations at the end of my 2 internships. At graduation, I had to come up with that speech completely on my own and then speak to a football stadium full of people with no powerpoint to rely on... talk about nerve-racking. At Milliken, I had to present the results of my projects to the rest of the interns and to the high-ranking officers of the company... that kind of thing is never easy. The speeches went well, but I would never want to go through them again. I honestly hate the feeling of a huge audience staring at you listening to and critiquing every word you say, just waiting for you to make a mistake and catch you on it. I thought that taking public speaking at Clemson would help calm those fears, but I was pretty wrong. I suffered through that class and came out with one of my only two B's ever. So, needless to say, I'm not really looking forward to this presentation in class.
Granted, this is just a routine, class powerpoint presentation and there is absolutely no reason to be nervous... but tell that to my shaking hands every time I give one of those routine presentations. Since I can pick whatever topic I want for this, I'm looking for one that I'll actually be excited about giving, so maybe I won't be so nervous. It has to be something I've done, know a lot about, or am just a fan of. I'm thinking about giving a "report" of some sort on my trip to Europe, or maybe just pick one of my favorite cities and tell about that. My study abroad experience was 3 of the best months of my life, and I'm sure I would love to retell part of that. So, hopefully giving this presentation won't be nearly as nerve-racking. If anyone has any ideas on an awesome topic... or just a cure for my fear of public speaking, I would love to hear it! If not, I'll let you know how it goes.
posted by Leah B at
9:48 PM
2 Comments:
If it's any consolation, know that I used to be so shy, people would call me, "the quiet one." We moved a lot, so I had a hard time opening up to others when we'd get to a new school. Back then, when I had to speak in front of a group, it would make me so nervous, I'd want to stay out of school. The good news is, it really is true that with practice, it gets easier. I never would have dreamed I'd be talking in front of a group of people for my JOB, but here I am, lol. I feel certain you can do it! =o)
By
Anonymous, At
11:04 AM
Leah!!!!! I'm just as nervous as you.....and I have to present my ideas on a regular basis in architecture. I'm not trying to contradict Angie, but all I know is that the hand shaking and studdering (sp?) hasn't gone away yet. But just look at it this way...we are definitley not the only two people in the class that is nervous. I'm sure we will both do fine, especially if you talk about the best time you have ever had in your life...that should make it easy for you, and very interesting for us! Good Luck!
By
Ryan C, At
9:36 PM
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