Herb Society, Public Speaking, Being In My Head, First World Problems

Dandelions are the herb of discussion tonight for the Cadogan Herb Study Group

Dandelions are the herb of discussion tonight for the Cadogan Herb Study Group




I am going WAY out of my comfort zone tonight, dear reader. Amy, our soap family member from a neighboring community, asked me to speak at her herb society meeting tonight. When I was teaching, public speaking was second nature to me. I felt relatively comfortable in front of students, peers, and colleagues. However, it has been almost twenty years since I have been in front of an audience regularly, and I now have a case of the nerves. Sigh.




My public speaking skills are rusty at best. As a teacher, I created weekly lesson plans but never used note cards for my lessons. I had a list of bullet points to follow, but never a written speech with detailed sentences. I don't trust myself anymore. My mind wanders, I blank out, lose my train of thought, and often sit and wonder exactly where I was going with a story. I have created a very detailed presentation outline to avoid public embarrassment and that deer in the headlights blank stare. I have practiced out loud and in my head, trying to prepare myself for questions, and envisioning how I want my presentation to go. Gone are the days of being confident in my skills, just winging it, and letting the conversation flow organically.




I have decided not to incorporate any type of media. Technology is too unreliable. I made that mistake several years ago and ended up wasting a lot of time on a PowerPoint presentation that I couldn't use. Yes, I would love to have visual aids of our goats, farm, and products, but I know my limitations. If the media doesn't work, it will just send me into a tailspin, and I will really be unfocused. So, I have created a handout, prepared my presentation, and prepared a small display of our products for the evening's event. Fingers crossed, all goes well.




Now, I will spend the day second-guessing my preparedness, information, and relevance and worrying about boring people to death. Sigh. It isn't easy to get out of my head on such occasions. I'm also stressing over what to wear, thinking I really should have bleached my teeth, and worrying about my hair looking brassy. Now that we are getting ready for the market season, live shows, and this presentation, I am also second-guessing my decision to allow my hair to go grey. I know, first world problems.




I have the day to prepare. I will have plenty of quiet time because I continue to paint those God-forsaken kitchen cabinets, and I can figure out my outfit. On this chilly spring day, stay safe, be smart, be prepared, try to get out of your head, and keep washing your hands.

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