After two weeks of putting together a presentation that told "My Story", today was the day that we finally presented it to a live audience. Yesterday, the night before, I worked nonstop trying to make my presentation more engaging and be sure that I am telling the most important key points so that the audience leaves with the message I wanted them to leave with.
Being on the stage and looking at the crowd can be a little bit intimidating and it did make me extremely nervous. I am more of an introverted kind of person, so speaking in public is definitely not in my comfort zone. But, the minute I began speaking I gained that comfort little by little that I needed in order to convey my message.
Some of my feedback when I practiced my presentation to the class was that specially those times when I shared anecdotes and personal experiences were the times that I felt more connected to the audience and explained myself better. I took this into consideration when I was presenting and because I had no paper or notecards in my hands, the fluency of my ideas and they way I spoke was much better because I didn't have to read off of a paper. However, minutes before the presentation I saw that many people were going to have notecards and that made me lose my confidence just a bit. So, I decided to get a post-it and write my key points that would guide me if I get lost. At the beginning of my presentation I saw the post-it about 2 or 3 times but then, it was just all about sharing those experiences that had shaped me to be the person I am today.
Being on the stage and looking at the crowd can be a little bit intimidating and it did make me extremely nervous. I am more of an introverted kind of person, so speaking in public is definitely not in my comfort zone. But, the minute I began speaking I gained that comfort little by little that I needed in order to convey my message.
Some of my feedback when I practiced my presentation to the class was that specially those times when I shared anecdotes and personal experiences were the times that I felt more connected to the audience and explained myself better. I took this into consideration when I was presenting and because I had no paper or notecards in my hands, the fluency of my ideas and they way I spoke was much better because I didn't have to read off of a paper. However, minutes before the presentation I saw that many people were going to have notecards and that made me lose my confidence just a bit. So, I decided to get a post-it and write my key points that would guide me if I get lost. At the beginning of my presentation I saw the post-it about 2 or 3 times but then, it was just all about sharing those experiences that had shaped me to be the person I am today.
I believe the nerves I had helped me in some ways because it made me more excited about what I was saying. For me, the theme I chose to talk about which was gaining and losing perspective was very powerful and I am sure that many people could relate to them one way or another. I really wanted people to learn something and leave the auditorium remembering what I wanted them to learn from my presentation.
When my presentation was over I couldn't believe that after so many practices and staying up late to make the perfect TEDTalk it was finally over. But, this wasn't just a relieve, it was also a feeling of pride and happiness because I never thought I would do a presentation like this, especially not in front of so many people. The only presentations I have done with a live audience were in my classes like english, spanish, or science but the maximum amount of people were approximately twenty.
In my family, especially from my mom's side, all seem to be very extroverted people and express their feeling of love and affection very easily. Sometimes when we were celebrating a birthday or maybe an aniversary they would sometimes get me in the spotlight trying to convince me to say some words. I remember always being very shy and just trying to hide because I didn't want to speak in public especially if I had to say something very sentimental; that just isn't the way I am.
The topic I chose for this presentation was very deep and sentimental and that was one of the reasons why it was so strange and uncomfortable for me to share with others. Also, one of the reasons I was nervous and this I realized at the end is that some of the anecdotes I shared were very personal and sharing those personal events with a small group is so much different than sharing them to fifty people.
Overall, I believe this mission was well accomplished. Before going on stage I wasn't as confident as I would have wanted to be and one my presentation ended I felt proud of what I had done and that I had actually done it.
When my presentation was over I couldn't believe that after so many practices and staying up late to make the perfect TEDTalk it was finally over. But, this wasn't just a relieve, it was also a feeling of pride and happiness because I never thought I would do a presentation like this, especially not in front of so many people. The only presentations I have done with a live audience were in my classes like english, spanish, or science but the maximum amount of people were approximately twenty.
In my family, especially from my mom's side, all seem to be very extroverted people and express their feeling of love and affection very easily. Sometimes when we were celebrating a birthday or maybe an aniversary they would sometimes get me in the spotlight trying to convince me to say some words. I remember always being very shy and just trying to hide because I didn't want to speak in public especially if I had to say something very sentimental; that just isn't the way I am.
The topic I chose for this presentation was very deep and sentimental and that was one of the reasons why it was so strange and uncomfortable for me to share with others. Also, one of the reasons I was nervous and this I realized at the end is that some of the anecdotes I shared were very personal and sharing those personal events with a small group is so much different than sharing them to fifty people.
Overall, I believe this mission was well accomplished. Before going on stage I wasn't as confident as I would have wanted to be and one my presentation ended I felt proud of what I had done and that I had actually done it.