I chanced upon this video a month ago under the category "TEDtalks under 18". Turns out this girl was only 12 years old. I was very much impressed, firstly about her logic on how learning between generations should be reciprocal but more impressed by her presentation skills and confidence. Though she might have some scripts on her hand, it was amazing for a 12 year old girl to be presenting in front of a thousand adults, getting a standing ovation as she finishes. A usual 12 year old who performs better than average in school might even be only learning pronunciation and meaning of the words Adora Svitak used in her speech.
This brings me to a recent experience I had. I was chosen to give a campaign speech to be elected as a head of the student council. Before that, I literally had butterflies in my stomach, I was worried that there might be jeers, I was worried that people might laugh at me, I was worried that I would stumble, basically, I was super worried.
Even after spending much effort on my powerpoint and rehearsed my speech many times, it still boils down to my confidence. Confidence is the trust you have for yourself relative to your expectations, hence I guess I did expect alot from myself but I was not able to trust myself.
Although I had been outspoken in class and possess initiative in oral participation, my confidence of public speaking is still low. Well, it is quite true that it is the society's number 1 fear. I realised that confidence can be improved in a number of ways, number 1, imagine a situation where you managed to amaze the crowd, by imagining some thing positive, your brain will no longer be congested with negative thoughts. Don't worry about screw-ups, and compare the situation with that when you are in the face of death, that should remove all fears you have.
During the campaigning session, it was rather obvious that I did not amaze the crowd and had not persuaded them fully. It was also clear that I wasn't the one with the best oratorical skills. From now on, I shall train my confidence by exposing myself to public speaking experience and also expressing my ideas and opinions during assemblies.
Notice that the girl did not stumble as she gave her speech and a body language was couldn't be more appropriate, she also manage to apply humor which helped to win audience over. Her intonation when she spoke was amazing and was full of impact and confidence.
I had always been convinced that I am someone who was outspoken and that my confidence and oratorical skills were a cut above my peers. However, when I was preparing for my presentation, I had a constant fear that was affecting my appetite and mood. My complacency brought me to a state of shame when I wasn't even half as good as the girl not to mention that I was acting like a wimp before presenting to just 400 students around my age. What I had learnt is that I have much room for improvement and I should continue improving, both my confidence and speaking skills.
My aim will be to be as good as the girl in 2 years time.
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