Public Speaking
Nothing makes an 11 hour day more bearable than a public speaking component. I really enjoy it. I wish there was more of it in my job. It’s not the attention but rather that great synergistic energy you get out of the back-and-forth. Dodging curveballs, staying loose on your feet both metaphorically and literally.
It’s a great feeling knowing you’ve taken something dry and turned it into something engaging, informative, and maybe just a little funny. A robot can read a script, any blank face can remind you of the pain of reading out in class when you really didn’t want to.
I think actually being human in the fullest sense of the word is more rewarding for all concerned. The tendency is to lock everything down, bury it where you can’t get hurt or embarrassed. But if you bring your flaws, talents, and ideas they may just see a complete person up there and form an engaging human relationship as a result. Take a risk, because it’s easy to spin failure into self deprecating humour.
Being forgotten on the other hand defeats the whole purpose.
I was thinking about The Qualifying Exam, the part about calming a group of enraged aborigines. I think I’d start with some slapstick. They may think me a fool but they wouldn’t fear or distrust me. Respect is easier to rebuild than fear is to tear down.
But I digress.
Yesterday was unique, despite delivering a bit I’ve done several dozen times before. I actually became the running gag. Specifically groups of people were asked to come up with unique things they had in common. One group decided they all thought I was interesting. They won the contest.
After the whole presentation with several speakers covering a wide variety of topics I was the only one approached with questions, less than half about my topic of discussion. I think this was because I humanized myself to them.
