Speaking
I had (and still partly have) a fear of public speaking. Free articulation and confidence in the moment were things that I did not have skill with. Speaking has turned from being my most feared activity to being something extremely satisfying and enjoyable. This took work, however. I was only able to achieve this through the opportunities I had this semester. These included presenting as a team in my BCOM class, taking a public speaking class, presenting at my current place of work, and more.
Teaching at DiscoverSTEM
In January of this year, I started a new job at DiscoverSTEM. Much to my surprise, I interacted on a public speaking basis most of the day. I also have a unique audience of kids from elementary to high school. I was apprehensive at first since speaking is not a born talent of mine. Still, the repeated exposure developed a thirst for growth within me and excited me to level my speaking abilities.
The experience has allowed me to enhance my speaking skills greatly. For about six hours of each work day, I am engaging with the kids or presenting on topics in finance. Most of the time, I have acclimated and learned to be completely comfortable speaking by making it as conversational as possible. Initially, there was a great deal of discomfort, but this allowed me to evolve and develop strategies and methods to handle the pressure and speak confidently and clearly in an intellectual environment.
I am incredibly grateful for the position as Center Director and the leadership that has come with it. Speaking and leadership go hand in hand, and since becoming a more decisive leader each day is a goal of mine, I am incredibly fortunate to have this perfect opportunity.
Supply Chain Competition - Finalist Presentation
I had the amazing opportunity to present to a panel of professional judges as a finalist in the UT Dallas Supply Chain competition. This was the most fun and educational experience I have ever had, and I look forward to competing more in the future.
The competition forced me to work under time pressure to create a top-notch presentation in just a few days. The competition served as a culmination of what I learned in my business communication class and through my job at DiscoverSTEM. I learned to present at the highest possible level, with the added challenge of judges asking questions about weak points they could find.
Although we did not win first place, I am grateful for the invaluable learning opportunity it served as. Incorporating data, displaying critical thinking and creativity, creating persuasive points, and answering pointed questions - the competition gave the full suite of speaking experience.
Class Presentation Reflection
The team presentation was the first speaking experience of my semester. Having this experience early on was incredibly beneficial as I got valuable practice and feedback on how to speak and present information. This became something I would use throughout the rest of the semester. I took what I learned from creating concise, visually appealing slides, and speaking to engage and connect with an audience to enhance my future presentations and speeches.
Overall, I am happy with the improvement I made in this presentation compared to prior speaking opportunities. I am glad I came off as confident as I felt. The gesturing and enunciation were on point. In the future, I would like to improve more of the content of the speech. Using more references and talking more directly to the audience will enhance my future presentations greatly. Overall, I am happy with the concision and confidence I showed and felt in this speech. I am extremely excited to implement my analysis in future speaking opportunities.
I was able to create this presentation with my team through the LinkedIn PowerPoint training. This course gave me incredible insight into creating the most effective presentations possible. I learned the art of balancing words and visuals, complementing speaking, laying out the slide, and more. I am confident in my ability to create presentations that engage and provide relevant information in a dose that pairs with myself and whoever I am presenting to.
Mock Interview - Quinncia
I honed my interview skills this semester the AI interview bot Quinncia. I gained a outside perspective on where my strengths and weaknesses lie and found which areas I had to focus improvement on.
For example, my filler words counted at 4 per minute with 64% eye contact. Simply talking on my own would not have created such in-depth insights. My plan for the future is to continue practicing with Quinncia to get each area into the territory of exceptional. Overall, the activity was extremely eye-opening and highlighted critical areas for improvement.
Reflections
I am extremely happy with the progress I have made in conquering what used to be an overwhelming fear. All the experiences I’ve had have sculpted my mindset and outlook regarding speaking. I now look forward to any opportunity I can get to speak and implement what I have learned. Moreover, I have gained technical skill on top of confidence. And with different audiences (ranging from high school students to industry professionals), I was able to practice my communication with a diverse set of listeners.
I am eager to use the speaking skills I have refined to provide extraordinary value to my next opportunity!