Today was the big day. All of the hotelies had group presentations on 10 various hotel companies ranging from ones specializing in ownership, management, and/or franchising. Everyone I encountered expressed feelings of anxiety and nervousness -- even the big, tough fellows. That itself sends a message.
Honestly speaking, I was not nervous about the presentation until after I listened to a few of the morning groups deliver their powerpoints. And then it hit me. All of the what-ifs came popping into my head. What if I didn't include the right information for our audience? What if I make a huge mistake during a slide? What if the professors ask tough analytical questions I am unable to answer? What if...
After our group learned that we will be presenting in the afternoon, I felt more relieved yet more anxious. Fortunately, we now have more time to rehearse our delivery to make sure we do not exceed the 10 minute time limit. Unfortunately, I was so nervous that I could not eat lunch at all. I ended up skipping lunch entirely but thanks to Louisa and her kindness, I was able to consume some snacks as well as half of a fajita after class was dismissed.
When it came time for my group to take the floor and present our information on Host Hotels and Resorts, I felt confident. Confidence is key to any presentation. After all, one may be able to memorize 10 pages of research or just understand the basics about the topic, but if one is assertive and believes in oneself, the difference in preparation will not matter much in the actual presentation.
I am proud of my entire group for pulling it together. Sure there were areas we should improve on, but taking into consideration of our limited time for group preparations, we did well! I look forward the seeing how the rest of the week turns out!
Until next time!
~Yueming W.
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Thanks Yueming, a very riveting post. I was able to follow your emotions and feelings in reading each sentence. I am pleased that you executed on your plan.
ReplyDeleteYou also see where team work pays off! You had to rely on others to perform. This is a valuable life lesson and is a percurser to come for you. In working in a job you will have to plan and work with others and now you know how to do it.
However Yueming being disciplined is important, but eating is more important. A way to mess up is not to eat. Make sure that your daily routine is a daily routine. Whether it is exercising, eating or getting proper sleep, you want to maintain consistency.
Glad that you feel empowered and ready to do more. You are one of two sophomores, now rising juniors, in the program and we look forward to working again with you next year at Hercules High School.
Take care.
Charles T. Ramsey, Esq.
School Board Member
West Contra Costa
Unified School District
Yueming,
ReplyDeleteBrava to you. Win, lose or draw, you came out alive and that's always a good thing.
we take lessons from everything we do, Yueming, and this is but one of them. No matter how well your presentation went--from your perspective or from that of your audience, you've learned of the value of confidence.
When we had our dinners some of you were asked to speak. I tried to advise that rather than reading from a prepared speech, the speakers should just come up with some bullet points and speak from the heart. The end result from those that followed that advice was that their level of confidence in themselves was far elevated and their presentations were proof of that.
Charles is right, too, about the need to maintain some order to your routine. What do you suppose might have happened had you risen to make your presentation and your level of blood sugar had dropped to the point where you couldn't see straight or could barely stand? Take care of the body and the mind will take care of itself.