I’ve been with TrueTube for almost five months now, and I have no idea where the time has gone! At the start of January the only presentations I had ever done were the odd few in a lecture hall at university. We would all stumble to the front, bursting with nerves as we waited for our turn to present our work. Even though we were always in groups and had gone over our few lines time and time again, I remember feeling terrified of all the potential things that could go horribly wrong: falling over, stuttering on the most simple of sentences and forgetting the most basic of facts. If I could go back a couple of years and talk to the scruffy student that I was, I would never believe that I was capable of all the things I have achieved so far this year.
I have now given presentations about TrueTube at over six universities, six schools and two SACRE meetings. I have plenty more visits lined up this year and can safely say I have got into the swing of things. When I first applied for the role of Marketing and Research Assistant with the company, this was the part of the job I was most intimidated by. Even with my fascination of religion and ethics, the thought of hundreds of eyes on me, waiting to hear me speak, seemed a daunting prospect. Before my first presentation at the my old secondary school, I was a bag of nerves just like I was in my student days. I pushed the fear to the back of my mind, breathed slowly and just focused on the passion I had for what I was talking about. It all went exactly to plan. The immediate interest and thought-provoking discussion between the students, myself and the teacher, encouraged me and I came away from the school full of adrenaline and elated with the work I had done. By the time it came to presenting TrueTube to the University of Oxford last month, the similar voice of an anxious student naturally sneaked back into my mind. Then I tried to remember how successful the last few presentations had been, and how I would feel the same elation I have done all those times before. Having faith in what I was capable of allowed me to go ahead with another successful presentation of what TrueTube’s all about. As the ability to speak confidently grows, the voice of self-doubt is shrinking. A voice that all scruffy students should dismiss.
I have now given presentations about TrueTube at over six universities, six schools and two SACRE meetings. I have plenty more visits lined up this year and can safely say I have got into the swing of things. When I first applied for the role of Marketing and Research Assistant with the company, this was the part of the job I was most intimidated by. Even with my fascination of religion and ethics, the thought of hundreds of eyes on me, waiting to hear me speak, seemed a daunting prospect. Before my first presentation at the my old secondary school, I was a bag of nerves just like I was in my student days. I pushed the fear to the back of my mind, breathed slowly and just focused on the passion I had for what I was talking about. It all went exactly to plan. The immediate interest and thought-provoking discussion between the students, myself and the teacher, encouraged me and I came away from the school full of adrenaline and elated with the work I had done. By the time it came to presenting TrueTube to the University of Oxford last month, the similar voice of an anxious student naturally sneaked back into my mind. Then I tried to remember how successful the last few presentations had been, and how I would feel the same elation I have done all those times before. Having faith in what I was capable of allowed me to go ahead with another successful presentation of what TrueTube’s all about. As the ability to speak confidently grows, the voice of self-doubt is shrinking. A voice that all scruffy students should dismiss.