You only grow outside of your comfort zone.
I'm a relatively quiet guy, so I've always naturally shied away from the spotlight or public speaking. But when one of my friends asked me whether I wanted to speak at my middle school for their "Career Day" - I knew I had to say yes.
..Just kidding.
I actually said no the first time around - due to me being "busy". But honestly I was just nervous of speaking in front of students. It took me a couple days before I changed my mind, and even then, I was having second thoughts the night before my talk- asking myself why I was doing this. My habit of reading self-help books had reminded me that if I was to grow as a person - I would have to commit to new experiences, experiences that made me uncomfortable. Thanks Tony Robbins!
Just to clarify for those who may not know : Career Day here in Canada is a day where people come in to speak about the education pathways they've taken, their careers, and future career goals. As a recent graduate - I'm very new to the professional world - something that actually benefited me when speaking to the students in grade 6-8.
My presentation - I'm a financial analyst for IBM (2+ years)
Let me just say, this was only of the most rewarding experiences I had ever engaged in. It was fun, nerve racking, and fulfilling all at the same time. I actually asked to come back the next year round - it was that fun. One of my worries going into this event, was that my presentation would be too boring - I always think back to my middle school days when all I cared about was playing games. So I tried to integrate one of the most popular games into my presentation - Fortnite. Honestly, once I mentioned that I played Fortnite - the students were all ears haha.
My personal goal for this presentation was to simplify the process between High School and University for the students - because for my as a student growing up, I was always confused as to what I should pick to start my university career. I presented my presentation 3 times (30 minutes each) - to 3 different group of 25 students. I found significantly more engagement that I had expected - I suspect it's because I was significantly younger than many other speakers, either way after my first presentation, I found myself much more calm for the next 2.
So what did I learn?
Relate to your audience- the students were much more engaged when there was a similarity point between me and them. I was a graduate from the school and I showed pictures of myself at middle school 10 years ago. It's hard to listen to someone who is completely different from who you are.
Be optimistic- I'm getting a day off work - the students are getting a day off of learning. The students would call that a win-win, so just enjoy the positives. This mindset helped me ease off the stress- and is what eventually pushed me to say yes. When you're already "winning" in your head- it really puts you in a position to "win" more.
Take a chance - Step outside your comfort zone. This event really resonated with me because I was able to give back to my school and teachers, and still allowed me to personally grow as a speaker. I sealed in my spot for this event by emailing the teachers involved and confirming my attendance. This stopped me from trying to get out of the event by giving another excuse- I'm very glad I did it.
After my presentations I liked to sit down and talk to those who were more curious on my perspective of future career paths.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Victor.