Saturday, July 13, 2013

Public Speaking



On Tuesday I’m giving a 30-minute presentation to my class on ovarian tumors. If we’re being honest, public speaking is one of my least favorite things to do.  I don’t think I’ve ever talked for 30 minutes straight in my whole life.  Cue the sweaty hands, shaky legs, and extremely red face.  It’s actually curious that it scares me because at one point in my life I was really into acting and singing and I have performed in front of way bigger audiences than my 17 classmates.  How could that seem so easy, but school related speeches be so torturous? It’s definitely something I want to work to be better at because I do think it is an essential part of the job and life.

Any advice for giving speeches or calming nerves? Does anyone actually ever do the whole picture the audience in their underwear thing?
Posted by at

5 comments:

  1. Lyuda DidovetsJuly 14, 2013 at 3:06 AM

    Hi Nikki,

    I had a question about WVU's application/admissions process. Do you have an email where I can ask in length?

    Thanks, LD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NikkiScrubsJuly 14, 2013 at 10:06 AM

      Hi Lyuda! Feel free to email me at nwise1@mix.wvu.edu :)

      Delete
  2. CharJuly 15, 2013 at 9:58 PM

    Wow, good luck on this presentation!

    I used to be pretty intimidated at the thought of public speaking as well. Here are a few tips that have helped me out on presentations:
    - Before the presentation, summarize your main point(s) for each slide and write them down - this will help you see the overall progression of your presentation more clearly, and you'll be able to make better transitions to the next slide. Part of the fluster stems from not remembering what's next beyond your current slide.
    - You mastered the materials that you're presenting on - you pretty much own it more than your other classmates. Think of it as a "teaching" opportunity rather than "presenting." This kind of thinking will also help with your word choice/sentences and put some confidence&clarity in your tone.
    - Don't look at any specific individual. I always blankly stare at the back of the room ~2 feet above everyone's heads. You can angle your body in such a way where you can just "shift" your eyes back and forth (to look like you're looking at the audience) as well as quickly glance at your slides (if you want to say something specific shown on there). Shifting/craning your neck around can be quite distracting.
    - Before you talk, find a comfortable standing stance and DON'T lock your knees. You'll end up swaying or flailing your arms around. That's quite distracting as well.

    Hope these tips help you out a bit! =P

    P.S - my application status has been "Reviewed" for a couple weeks now with no interview offer or an outright rejection.. The wait is making me nervous, haha..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NikkiScrubsJuly 17, 2013 at 8:51 AM

      Thanks Char! I saw these tips before I presented and I think it went well! I hope that you hear back soon!

      Delete
    2. CharJuly 17, 2013 at 1:57 PM

      Glad to hear that it went well!! =D I forgot to mention one more tip - make sure each slide has a title that is short, concise, and meaningful. When you glance at your slides, your titles should remind you of your major point(s) of that particular slide. After all, you can only "glance" at your slides for so long without looking as if you haven't prepared for the presentation! The titles should also help your classmates and professors as well, especially if you start getting really technical in your presentation.

      And I hope I hear back soon too haha.. It's like I'm not "good enough" to be offered an interview, yet they don't want to toss out my application either by giving me an outright rejection... =/ We'll see haha.. I'll be sure to keep you updated! =P

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)