Not quite.
It was intimidating being in a room full of my peers, many of which I went through recruitment with or occasionally see out and about. Lots of the girls in the room were pharmacy with me before I changed my major. Right in the middle of the room were two Alpha Xi Delta's, Tessa and my lovely niece Macey, and a Sigma Phi Epsilon brother I went to high school in the corner that gave me a focal point for when I got nervous.
But getting up on stage and discussing public relations made me feel like I was proving myself right for changing my major. Believe me, I was scared to death once I saw some of the people in the audience. Some of the people (and I'm not naming names) were people that I felt uncomfortable around and not good enough when we had classes together. But as I looked around the room during my presentation, these were the exact same people that were taking notes and asking questions. They were interested. They cared about the things Lauren and I had to say and didn't discredit or write off our presentation as nonsense that didn't work.
One of the things that excited me most was that there was discussion. There were representatives from almost every Panhellenic or IFC organization on campus and they helped each other. We came up with ways to creatively advertise on campus and even cornered Lauren into finding out what would bring more unaffiliated people to campus.
Seeing people looking like they were taking something away from the presentation made me extremely happy. I was happier yet when I had a few people that weren't in the room for the presentation come up to me and say that they heard I had "killed it". As nervous as I was, I think that the presentation was a success and look forward to see how it changes how events are promoted on our campus.
First, THANK YOU so very much for helping me out. As a public relations peer and a friend, it's a great feeling to know that I can count on you when I get myself into a bind. I'm really proud of you for stepping up to fill in for me, especially considering the audience for the presentation.
ReplyDeleteI always have mixed feelings when presenting in a room full of people I know. At ONU, it's almost impossible to attend or present at an event where you don't know anyone. One one hand, I'm never sure if the people I'm presenting to are judging me for personal traits as opposed to the information I'm discussing. On the other hand, it's comforting to be able to look into an audience and see familiar faces.
I wish I was able to see you present (or even present alongside you and Lauren!), but from what I've heard, you definitely didn't need my help. Add this to your repertoire of public speaking experiences; the more you practice, the better you get!
This sounds like a great experience for you! I know what it's like to feel the accomplishment of standing up in front of people who you don't feel respects you and you show them something new! It was great for Greek Life and I'm sure it made you feel like you made the right choice!!
ReplyDeleteI am so very proud of you! I'm glad that the presentation was a success; although I'm not surprised. You have great interpersonal skills and I think sometimes you sell yourself short of what you are capable of. I had people come up to me, including Macey, and tell me you gave a presentation (which I already knew because you told me) and said that you did a really good job and that it was interesting. I was bummed that I didn't go to the event at all when I heard from everyone that it was one of the few events that have been put on for us that was actually beneficial and successful, even if it was 3 hours long. As I said, I am very proud of you!
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