I have always felt rather comfortable speaking in front of a crowd. However, the five minute oral presentation we did on Saturday which discussed our position prompts felt unusually nerve wrecking. I believe there were a couple of reasons for this happening. First, it has been quite some time since I have had to give a talk and be graded on it. Having a “speech” graded isn’t anything new but having it reviewed/evaluated by your peers is. I can say that I really do enjoy getting feedback from my peers and not just the instructors even if it does induce a bit of trepidation at times. Secondly, as I was observing my peers deliver their orals it seemed as if time shifted into warp speed where minutes only lasted 30 seconds. I don’t believe I can recall a time where 5 minutes went so quickly. Nonetheless, this proved to be a valuable lesson on prioritizing key points as people modified their deliveries on the fly. As we move forward in our profession and careers this type of public speaking will become more common I’m sure.
