I had to give a presentation the other day at work. I'm not really comfortable standing in front of people and presenting information to them and then fielding their questions about it, so I'd been stressing hardcore for like two weeks. It's odd because I'm fairly comfortable getting up on stage and acting out a part in a play in front of an audience full of strangers, but not so in a situation where I have no character to veil myself in. I'm not sure what it implies about me that I'm more at ease in front of a crowd when I can be somebody else rather than myself. I've considered the approach of doing presentations in some kind of character, like pretending that I'm Johnny Corporate Guy, but I'd have to go so Andy Kaufman over the top with something like that, I'm not sure that I'd be able to hold it together. Don't get me wrong, I can bullshit with the best of 'em, but I don't think it'd be wise to incorporate performance art into my office job. So it was just me.
But it came off well. And I'm glad it's over.
And get those Carnival of the Mundane entries in! Yes you! Yes now!
3 comments:
I have to say I share this type of anxiety, though in my case it often manages to carry over to the stage. Especially since I started doing musicals again. For some reason there's nothing that seems to just put you out there like singing in front of a group of people. Combine that with having a show-stopping or well-known song and it's a recipe for serious angst. Yet somehow I end up driven to do it anyway. And I love every second of it.
"...incorporate performance art into my office job."
That conjured an image of a group of people in leotards doing some interpretive dance in front of a bunch of suits.
At the end of which we hear: "As you can see, our sales are up."
So, I will share one of my particular forms of crazy. I used to be like you, where I was fine when acting, but not fine with presentations. It finally dawned on me to play that part of me instead of just being me. It did make me feel a little more comfortable, but not as good as if I could have been someone else.
Yes. I only got 2 hours of sleep last night, and I am home with a sick kid. Does that explain why I keep sharing my nuttiness all over everyone's blogs today in the comments? Seriously. I should know better than to write anything while I am tired!
Post a Comment