calmness within
"oh happy day..."I just had a presentation this morning, and surprisingly, it went better than I had expected. For those who know me well, I have an established unconscious fear of speaking in public. I say unconscious because I never feel afraid until I stand up and face the crowd for the first time. Then for some strange reason, my heart pumps faster and faster, my hands grow extremely cold and my whole body just becomes immobilised. And because it had happened a few times before, I am now very aware of what my senses are doing - trying to lull me into a sense of false security before whamming me with the sight of an unexpectedly-attentive audience. At least becoming aware of my strange mechanisms has allowed me to psyche myself up for what is to be expected.
Today's presentation required me to comment on Art 20.6.5 of the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. I didn't do much research, and mainly used a lot of my common sense (though some may argue the existence of it), so I was afraid that I may not be able to answer some of the questions my tutor would throw at me. My friend who went before me was a bundle of nerves! One could literally hear it in her voice because she was stammering so hard! Kinda felt bad for her. And it also caused worry in me that I may sound like that too.
When my turn arrived, I gathered my notes and went in front of the class. It helped that I stood behind a table where I could rest my hands and notes (kinda like a pulpit), thereby calming myself down. The minute I opened my mouth, I realised that I was not afraid anymore. The nervousness somehow disappeared. And I just spoke as though I was telling them exactly what I felt about the provision. And because most of them were my own thoughts, it was genuine, resulting in me not even having to look at my speech at times. So yeah, it went well. My tutor gave me good comments, saying that I could speak pretty well, except that she would have liked me to project my voice a little more and speak slower (a common gripe, I suppose).
Praying beforehand did a great deal of good for me. :)
posted by solitude @ 5:52 PM
Comments: 1
