since you asked
At this very moment, I'm wearing heels (black) and a suit (also black) as I marshal my thoughts and attempt to focus on an interesting, yet tricky, work presentation that I'll be making this afternoon. Admittedly, this would be a whole lot easier if all our summer interns weren't planning to attend.
Cross your fingers that it goes well. And how do you feel about public speaking -- do you love it and seek it out, hate it and avoid it whenever possible, or just lack strong feelings on the subject one way or the other?
eta: It was fine. Totally, absolutely fine. I don't have any special aptitude for public speaking (in fact, quite the opposite), but it's part of my job, so I've learned to do it and even, most of the time, to enjoy it. This particular talk was a bit more challenging than usual for a whole bunch of different reasons, so I'm mostly just glad it's over.
22 comments:
Hm, late afternoon here, dinner's ready. I hate-hate-hate to speak in front of strangers, yet I've done it many times. It required a lot of self discipline. Speaking in a foreign language doesn't help.
Good luck! I hate it and avoid it whenever possible. I once had to speak in front of 350 people - it was terrifying. I know that one of these days my work is going to try to get me to speak at something and I am already trying to plan my way out of it.
Oddly, I love to speak in front of people.
It's needles I'm crazy-afraid of.
Good luck to you! Imagine those interns in their underwear. And imagine it's all Homer Simpson underwear.
Birkenstocks, jeans, T-shirt, and trying to finish my project (as usual). Public speaking makes me nervous, too nervous -- I'm hoping it will get better with experience, but I'm not so sure.
Wow - what a question for today of all days. I am in the middle of our biggest sales week and have made about 30 sales presentations in front of customers so far. I've done it for years, and must be good enough at it to still be asked to do it - but I dread it. Not so much the speaking part, but the small talk before and after. I'm just not a people person. (So how in the world did I end up on the team showing our biggest customers???) I guess you eventually get used to doing it and it.
I love public speaking. I'll get up in front of a crowd of any size and do a prepared presentation or speak extemporaneously on a topic with or without information.
Oddly, if you put me in a quiet room with a small group of people holding private conversations, it is then that I clam up and become a shy wallflower.
Good luck with your presentation!
de-lurking, and can't believe that this is the post I choose to comment on. I love public speaking--still get a bit nervous before-hand, but am actually seeking it out as I advance in my career....good luck this afternoon.
Crossing my fingers for you...
I certainly don't love it (one exception below), but I don't completely hate it either. I'm usually rather nervous when I first start any presentation, but after a few minutes I usually start to relax and fall into some sort of groove.
However, I absolutely loved the acting and improv classes I took in college. But then I got to pretend I was someone else.
I definitely don't seek it out but I am damned good at it when I do it.
Hate it. Quite good at it but would never seek it out.
I am exactly like Kymberli.
I used to have to do a lot of presentations, including press interviews, and I miss doing them. Someday I will get back into a more public position. Cause even though it's demanding, it's a ton of fun.
I love public speaking. I will pretty much talk to anyone and in front of anyone. This tendency is probably what led me to be a teacher.
If you have not already given your presentation, I wish you good luck!
I'm just trying to picture you in a suit and heels. No offense at all (really) but it just doesn't seem very you :)
I used to hate it, but then I had to do it all the time for a job (large college lectures), and you really get used to it. I wouldn't say I love it the way my husband does -- he LOVES being on a stage of any kind -- but I know I can do it. Also, having done it so much made me appreciate when others do it well, so I try to improve a little bit each time.
As an aside, the first time I taught a class, it was a smaller seminar, and so I was sitting down for about the first half of the class. It was summer, and the room was hot, and when I finally stood up to use the blackboard there were sweat marks in the hip/crotch crease of my blue pants. If you can survive that, you can deal with the rest of the anxiety that goes with public speaking. And now I always wear black pants or a black skirt in such situations.
Interns are freaking you out? They'll be putty in your hands.
I nearly never do any "public" speaking, but I think I don't like it. I like to be background instead.
I love it. I also regularly lecture to 150+ students twice a week, and I do think you get used to it.
I assume you don't like public speaking? Or do you?
Absolutely hate it. Hate it! I don't like to be the center of attention at all. Yep, I have no self-esteem.
I'm good at it, but get nervous all the same - heart thudding, white roaring in my ears nervous.
I can do it for politics, but not for every situation. It's like for politics, I have this really great armour and public face that helps me keep my speech together.
But for other things? Eh, not so much...
I like it. In some scenarios I love it. I don't like the moments right before the presentation when I am all nerves, but I enjoy it during and after.
I presented for Making It Count for awhile and they were a great way to get training. The pay was poor, but in the right area of the country it could be a nice part time job. Where I am at, I often drove for 3-4 (one way) hours to do a presentation that earned me $100.00
Glad it went well for you.
you know, I can get onstage in front of thousands and be less nervous than presenting something personal to a room of 10
(erm... i don't think I was clear about the difference... if I'm a character it's all good. if it's me I'm more likely to get nervous)
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