Public Speaking
John, 7:03 am Monday September 24
Many of you know me as an articulate public speaker. When I stand in front of groups of people, my voice commands attention. My gaze demands respect. My waving hands inspire imaginations.
Oh wait, just kidding. Today must be opposite day! My history of public speaking has been pretty humorous, actually. My first attempts in high school were met with such blatant awkwardness that my presentations soon became anticipated for their finger-pointing merits. Luckily, I am pretty apt at making the best of situations, and I was soon able to laugh at myself with the best of them. Problem with that is, I can't remember the last time the boss of a company was impressed by a lack of presentation skills. Nevertheless, the situation never bettered itself in high school.
In college, I was able to slide by in "behind-the-scenes" roles in group presentations, but again, this just doesn't help my future. Part of the reason why I wanted to be in IEEE was so I could work on my miserable handicap, so that when the real-deal came along, I'd be ready. Well, that hasn't been working either, sadly enough. I was at the first Engineering Council meeting representing IEEE, and all the representatives from the engineering student groups stood up one-by-one and said their bit. I had so much planned to say, so many things to announce, but when I stood up, my heart stayed where it was, and I barely managed to get my name out, and even failed at simply explaining what IEEE stands for. I got another chance a little later on, and I said "this time, I'll do better". It was at IEEE's first general meeting. I actually started of by stuttering, freezing, and then asking the silent group of students what I should talk about. ===> sigh
So now that I've accumulated a grand total of zero successful speaking performances in my portfolio, its time for me to really have a go at it. Tuesday, I was invited to present in front of two-hundred or so high schoolers for the Chemical Engineering Symposium. I'll be talking about how DVD's are made, and I'll be presenting immediately after two fellow students. Nothing better than easy comparisons, thats what I always say... anyway, here's to me not losing my train of thought at any time [raises plastic cup]
Just some thoughts I had early this morning as I pulled a very unhealthy all-nighter.
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