My journey as a graduate student continues and we are well into the swing of the fall semester. I continue to prepare for comprehensive exams and have a date set. I am someone who works much better with a deadline, so that helps me focus. In the midst of this preparation, I have also had some opportunities to be a guest lecturer and speak at a couple conferences and events.
I am happy to have these experiences as I want to work on my public speaking skills and I know that practice is essential. I have had a fair bit of experience facilitating and speaking in groups. In my career as a social worker, at Stella’s Circle, I have facilitated numerous therapeutic and psycho-education groups. In group, I am required to present information and encourage participants to join, share or start conversations. In addition, I am often requested to speak to groups about the services we offer at my work place. I have spoken to students here at Memorial, other professionals, as well as some media work. The picture above is from when I spoke on the CBC morning show about an anger management group for women. In addition to my professional experience public speaking, I am also a volunteer spin instructor at the Ches Penney YMCA here in St. John’s. While we may not usually think about fitness instruction as a form of public speaking, it requires getting up in front of a group and leading people through a workout. I have to have good motivation and communication skills and the basic ability to be heard in a large room full of people. So yes, I am loud, and a great playlist also helps my motivation.
So while I am pretty confident to get up in front of a room full of people, academic presentations and lecturing a class still can be pretty intimidating. However, if we want to pursue academia as a student or professionally, it is essential to develop confidence in public speaking. I am grateful that during my course work there were expectations that we do a class presentation. In one of my classes, the professor organized a mock conference panel. Three students spoke for 15 minutes each and this was followed by a moderated discussion. Other faculty also attended who asked questions similar to what we may experience at a conference. This was really helpful to get used to presenting at conferences. In another class, we were challenged to do a presentation in the style of 3MT (3 Minute Thesis). This is an international competition were students are challenged to explain their thesis in three minutes. This was a great exercise to aid in developing concise writing skills, but also to think about how to “hook” an audience. I encourage other students to really take advantage of these opportunities within classes to do presentations. These are great chances to develop your skills, experiment a little, listen to other students, and observe how others present. Go to lectures and take notes not only on what people are saying, but how they say it. Note how presenters use visuals such as power point. What works well, and what is terrible?
Finally, challenge yourself to present. We only get better with practice. The Aldrich Conference will be coming up in the spring. Take advantage of a local opportunity to hone your presentation skills. Use opportunities both academic and non academic to figure out your own style and you will only get better and better. I know that it is scary to think about presenting, however, it is also important to share our work. Looking around this blog and in talking to other grad students, I know that people are engaged in some really cool work. Tell people about it!
Until next time…