Blog: Public Speaking, Nightmare Fuel By Nick Weinblad

Public Speaking. Literally the stuff of nightmares for many of us. However, the session about it for E-for-All may actually be just what I needed to hear. So let’s unpack that nightmare fuel into something a little easier to wrap our heads around, shall we?

First, the most important thing that I took out from the session was in the form of a small exercise. We all took a piece of paper and wrote down our fears about public speaking, and interestingly enough, there was essentially the same answers for all of us. “Forgetting what I’m supposed to say”, “stumbling over my words”, and to a somewhat lesser extent: “talking in front of that many people.” The fact that we all have similar worries/fears put a lot of us at ease. There’s still a lot of anxiety that comes with it all, but at least we’re not alone.

The next part of the session was dedicated to the “what to do” and “what not to do” information. Though it seems like it all should have been common sense, there are still things that some people still do that are just straight up no-no’s. Gripping the mic like a rapper? Don’t do that. Waving the hand that has the microphone in it around while you’re talking? Definitely don’t do that, how is anyone going to hear you? Look away from the audience? Psh, don’t even think about it. You don’t have to stare them down, but it shows a lack of confidence if you’re constantly looking at your feet. It doesn’t hurt to watch other people present and pitch either.

The rest of the session was dedicated to going over what our final presentations need to include, a culmination of all our previous sessions. The thought that our cohort is coming to an end, at least as far as the weekly sessions are concerned, is slightly sad. It’s all coming together and we’ve all learned so much!