Make the Time

Throughout these past couple of weeks in ISM, we have been practice-presenting our Final Presentation Night speech. I presented this past Friday and a realization truly astounded me, as it was something that I had been in denial for awhile: public speaking, no matter how much I practice or prepare, will always be extremely nerve-wracking for me.

Now, I know that this may not come as a shock, considering that public-speaking is a common fear amongst most of society and is almost worse than death, but as much as ISM has groomed me to adapt to the public-speaking event, it is something that continuously frightens me. Although, throughout this realization, I believe the main root of the problem stems from a personal issue, that still persists as a uniting factor amidst most people. That issue is the fear of messing up, possessing that “if I fail, everyone will make fun of me for the rest of my life” mindset.

Thus, this is something that I am constantly attempting to work on. Whether it be talking to people I would not normally talk to (in ISM or outside of the program) or leading a large group of people in a group project, exhibiting this ability to calmly and humorously talk to people is an art that takes time to master. However, I know some people who have no problem whatsoever talking to an enormous audience, and in fact, most of those people enjoy it because they act as if it is entertainment, in a sense.

As a result of all of these realizations and conclusions, one of the items I am working on within myself is building my confidence. Being scared of failure arises from nothing more than my idea that I do not know what I am talking about and so, the audience will surely notice if I mess up. Contrarily, I usually neglect the obvious, which is that the audience maybe knows what a pediatrician is, and that is about it. In order to overcome these negative ideas and inner conflicts, I am going to have to seriously prove to myself that, even if I do mess up, it is not the end of the world and no one else will most likely even notice.

In conclusion, ISM has taught me that no matter how nervous I may get before publicly speaking, I need to have a lot more confidence in myself and belief that I can accomplish whatever I desire with a great amount of effort.