Alright class, it's time to give your presentations! That's right, if you read this newsletter, you are automatically enrolled in my jump rope 101 class. There is no actual jump roping in the class, it's about the history of jump roping, and all the historic and innovative jump ropers throughout time. You should have received the syllabus after you read your first newsletter. The point is, today is presentation day! Hopefully you had time outside of class to meet up with your teammates and work on your slides.
Why are we talking about presentations? Well, I gave two presentations this week. (They were at the exact same time, in the exact same room. So, I would say one sentence about one topic, and then say the next sentence about the other topic. I do not recommend doing this. It took me three hours to get both of them done.) The presentations I gave this week were to some important people. Am I an important person? Vote now in our poll! I really enjoy giving presentations. I still get a little nervous beforehand, but once I start talking, everything becomes fine. I just get nervous meeting these strangers that I'm presenting to. There should be a dating-like app where you match with someone that would watch you practice your presentation. That way, you could practice the speech in front of someone you've never met before. (Please, no one steal that idea. But if you really want to steal it, that's fine. Just send me an email if you do.)
It would really help to always have a buddy in the audience. A speaker buddy. That sounds like a thing. It would be beneficial to have someone in the audience with a face I recognize. I guess at that point, having a celebrity in the audience would be helpful as well. How many celebrities read this newsletter? Vote now in our poll! If you are a celebrity, make sure to sign up for my exclusive VIP celebrity, super cool, way better, Steven Peeler Newsletter. It only comes out once a month. It's quite exclusive.
I would also really like to have my own cheering section when I give a presentation. Ideally, they would have signs, air horns, and t-shirt cannons. They can all wear shirts that have my speech written on them. Of course, they would also boo me if they did not like what I was talking about. (I wouldn't have it any other way.) I can sell season tickets to all the speeches I give. I could have concession stands, and halftime entertainment. I can really turn this in to a business. I wonder if the Trail Blazers would let me give speeches in their arena? Hey, Portland Trail Blazers, can I use your arena? Thanks.
It's strange, but I'm actually more comfortable giving presentations, than I am when I talk to people individually. Unfortunately, those two ways of interacting are not so easily interchangeable. For example, I could not go up to someone at a bar and say, "Hello. My name is Steven, and today I'm going to talk about what I did this weekend. Please hold all questions until the end. Thank you." It just doesn't work.
Make sure to practice before you present. Preferably, practice your section of the presentation. It is not helpful to practice saying things you are not actually going to say on the day of the presentation. (That's a Steven Peeler guarantee.) If you really want to get the nerves out of your system, go outside and just start giving your speech in front of anyone that walks by. You could also hop onto the public transportation of your choice, and give your speech there. You'll get eight points extra credit if you give your speech on a bus. Each person that gets on is not a stranger, but someone who hasn't heard your speech yet.
Another way to ease your presentation nerves, is to make your presentation interactive. You could have people vote on what you should say next. Draw inspiration from musicians and take requests from the audience. (This is one is a total wildcard, and I'm not even totally sure what it means, but that's what makes it fun.) A meet and greet before the presentation should calm your nerves. (You already know these people, but do you really know them?) You could turn your presentation into an escape room. (Again, I'm not really sure what that means, I mostly just like how it sounds. But let me see if I can figure this out.) You have everyone break off into teams, and their goal is to escape the classroom. And once they do, you won't have to give your presentation to anyone. Problem solved. (Steven Peeler Problem Solving: Solving problems since 1828.)
Here are some quick, wild ideas that I just thought of to make your presentation more fun. Do it blindfolded. Do it with your back turned to the audience. Do it from outside the classroom. (I guarantee you that your professor did not specify that the presentation had to be inside the classroom. Rookie mistake.) Give the entire presentation while doing a handstand. Give the presentation while you go on a date. (I know having a date in front of an entire classroom is a tough sell, but who said presentations can't be romantic? I mean, no one has ever said it, but I'm honored to be the first one.) Do it on while standing on one leg. (This doesn't really accomplish anything, or make it more fun, but it would be interesting to watch.) Cook a meal while you present. (I've read that breakfast is the best meal to cook while presenting.) Get a group of your friends, and have them all stand up there with you while you all pretend you're waiting in line to get into a concert. (This one is very high-concept, but the true presentation-heads will get a kick out of it.) OK, one more. Get to your classroom a few hours ahead of time, and set up the entire room like it's a clothing store. Just grab your clothes from your closet, find some racks to hang them on, and you’re good to go. Bonus points if you can get your hands on a cash register, and name tags. If you really want to go for it, hire some employees. Organize break and lunch schedules. If you have a lot of free time, hire a photographer and get a look-book for your store. You could also build a website, and social media accounts. Next thing you know, you've started a successful small business. And wasn't that the topic of your presentation anyway?
I'm out.
See you next week.
Credits:
Created with images by Teemu Paananen - "Karri Saarinen presenting at Nordic Design" • rawpixel - "untitled image" • Hans - "sudden rush single rope quickly rush kunsstoffseile" • Elliott Stallion - "Polling station sign door" • MICHAEL FRATTAROLI - "always smile" • Ezra Comeau-Jeffrey - "Cheering concertgoers" • Christin Hume - "Coffee Talks" • Matteo Bernardis - "Beach Bus at night" • Tyler Callahan - "Arts United Center - Angled" • 70154 - "mannequin display clothes fashion clothing dummy female" • Larm Rmah - "untitled image"