Trying Not to Words Over Your Stumble

… er, wait, uh sorry. I meant, trying not to stumble over your words. This is a challenge I’m still trying to overcome. It seems that no matter how much I practice a presentation, it’s never like the real deal. Even when I practiced in front of other people and a BE Comm Lab fellow, I guess I knew in the back of my mind that the pressure was off.

For some reason standing in front of groups causes me to stumble over words I’ve said over and over again. It’s as if my brain decides that in the presence of a massive group that’s the ideal time to forget how English works. This is even more of an issue with a journal club presentation because you have to explain scientific concepts in a certain amount of time. There’s no time for stuttering or word fumbling. It’s difficult as it is to condense the enormous amount of information provided in a scientific paper into a 10-minute presentation, and having to pick and choose what story you want to tell and how to tell it. The issue of stammering is like the icing on this anxiety-inducing cake.

As I stepped up to the front of the class, I told myself three things:
  1. Don’t forget to breathe. Breathing is kind of important for normal human functioning.
  2. The people in front of you are your classmates. Your colleagues. They are here to support you. They are here to learn more science. Don’t over think it or you’ll start stuttering.
  3. You just forgot to breathe. Go back to the first step.

Following my presentation, I felt a sense of relief as well as the overwhelming desire to crawl under a rock and hide. But hey, I was still alive. In a strange turn of events, I found the question portion somewhat enjoyable. Rather than talking at people about science, it was more like a conversation with classmates. I found I knew more about the paper than I thought, and the questions were interesting and insightful. Perhaps if I imagine a presentation as a conversation rather than a lecture, it would be a little less daunting. I just have to remind my brain not to words up my mess.

Cheers,


~ Nia Myrie

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