Tonight I am composing a PowerPoint presentation for the Benton County Master Gardeners.
This is a lot of fun – which surprises me. Why? Because first of all I’m terrified of public speaking. I accepted the offer to do this presentation because I want to get over that fear.
So I am surprised I am enjoying preparing for it so much. And I’m surprised at how much writing is involved. It is truly a creative process to put this together and it’s a lot of fun.
Ordinarily, I take people out on an herbwalk and it’s a more interactive thing than just me standing in front of a room full of expectant people waiting for me to say something interesting. The *doing* of an herb walk doesn’t make me so nervous. It’s the *talking* about one that does.
As I organize the photos and think of the things I’d like to say about them (and write those things down), I am losing my fear of doing the presentation and am beginning to look more forward to it.
That is the biggest surprise of all.
I’m with you on the public speaking. Not an easy thing to do , but something every writer will be called to do at one time or another. Think of it as practice. Good luck!
LOL. Yes, public speaking is rated as one of the most terrifying things people can do. Been there done that. Done a lot of that when I was in the military. Especially to high ranking officers. Usually it was to deliver bad news which makes it even worse but after a while you get more confident and it becomes easier.
All I can say is go over your presentation several times with people you feel comfortable with and this will give you more confidence and show you you’re weak parts of the presentation. This also makes you familiar with it and makes it a lot easier. If you have a time frame it will show you how short or long it is and you can adjust it accordingly.
Good luck, you’ll be fine.
I think being prepared and organized is one of the best cures for Public Speaking fears. Good luck.
Yes, I’ve heard that writers must be good at presenting or at least talking in public, lol. Figured I’d better get over it now.
Well, at least I’m not having to deliver bad news! Once I get it finished, I’ll practice speaking it to see how long it takes. I have to talk for at least 30 minutes, but have time after for Q&A. The more I work with it, the less nervous about it I am.
I hope that’s the case! We’ll see
Be sure to practice giving the speech in front of a live audience. And practice making eye contact with your group, too. Try not to say ummmmm… that’s my advice for the day.
I’m going to practice it on you and Garrison, if you’re available this weekend, lol.