As I thanked the audience following my research presentation this past week, I can finally see my growth in speech delivery over the months. I recall the first 5-minute speech I gave in ISM last year and how I tell myself affirmations invoking false confidence. Even then, I stumbled my way through the topics and criticisms remained. One positive quality that a classmate mentioned and now sticks with me, however, is that I am always able to keep up my energy in presentations. She gave a perfect analysis claiming that my anxiety tends to transform into excitement through my voice and creates an energetic atmosphere and high engagement.
Over the next several presentations I had, whether it be within ISM or in other classes and presentation opportunities, I was able to grow my confidence and speaking ability while continuing my energy levels and audience engagement. The best skill I've learned through my experiences is that preparation is everything for these presentations. While confidence comes from the experiences themselves, it also comes from knowing you are prepared. For me, that means making sure I have organized slides and that I enjoy everything I plan to say. That may sound silly, but presentations, to me at least, are the epitome of showing how much the speaker enjoys the topic. If the presenter cannot enjoy it then how ought everyone in a room sit down and listen to the same topic?
Stepping away from my philosophical and advisory views, I was able to share all that I brought to the table this past week and I am proud of myself for it. While there is room for growth, I do believe I have a beautiful foundation for presentations.
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