When I was around thirteen, the absolute worst thing in the world that I could imagine doing ever was getting up in front of a group of people and presenting. It figures that around this time my mom would decide to sign me up for RI HOPE, a public speaking class run by Mrs. Clarkin where, you guessed it, I would have to get up in front of a group of people and present a speech. Quite a few speeches in fact. At the end of the first day, I was ready to hightail it home and never come back. It’s now quite a few years later and am I ever grateful I didn’t decide to call it quits that first day.
As you can probably imagine, in the beginning, it wasn’t very pretty. I had a rocky start. It took time, a lot of patience and the helpful critiquing from my peers and chapter leaders, but eventually, I got better. I still remember that one time I was backed up against the wall, trying to get my words out between gasps. As it turned out, I wasn’t the lost cause I imagined myself to be and I was able to move on and learn from that disaster, eventually getting to the point where I could present my ideas with confidence and clarity.
Now try to imagine getting up and presenting to a group of people voluntarily because you want to. This year I joined Mystic Aquarium through the volunteer program, becoming a member of the F&I (Fish and Invertebrates) team. For the most part, I work behind the scenes. I help prep food for Mystic’s collection of marine and freshwater species, I do tank maintenance and I assist with animal feeds. All of these are tasks that I enjoy, but they don’t really require you to do much interacting with the guests. There is, however, one delightful attraction that puts you front and center. This would be the shark touch tank.
The truth is, public speaking is terrifying at first. It’s something that you have to work on, but, thankfully, it gets easier every time you try. What a lot of people told me back when I joined RI HOPE was that public speaking was a skill I would come to appreciate in the years to come because it would help me later on in life. I couldn’t imagine how this could be true. I had never needed to speak in public before. No one I knew had ever needed to speak in public. The only use for it that I could see was if you happened to be a politician or a preacher! Certainly, neither of those were occupations that I planned to get involved with.
The skills I learned during high school in RI HOPE have helped me in ways I never imagined. A lot of times, someone from guest services is stationed at the exhibit to answer guests’ questions. When they witness a feed they ask: What do the sharks eat? Are they going to eat the rays in there with them? Do sharks sleep with their eyes open? To think that only a few years ago answering even these simple questions in front of a group of strangers would have seemed impossible to me. Now it’s something that I can do with confidence and that I even enjoy!
I have always had a passion for these animals. The difference is that now the communication skills that I possess have enabled me to share my passion with others. The thing is, though, public speaking is going to help you beyond just delivering a speech to a group of strangers or maybe just answering a question. Maybe you don’t plan to be a politician or a preacher, but public speaking is a skill that will help you in your everyday life- even when you least expect it.
When I started working Mystic Aquarium, I never expected to be interacting with the public in any way beyond a smile, but here I am.
My message to you is this: maybe public speaking won’t play an integral part in your career choice. Regardless of how far you decide to take this, you will use what you learn in public speaking for the rest of your life.