I was given a wonderful opportunity to present at the Innovative Educators conference in Boulder, Colorado. Sounds cool. Only problem, a fear of public speaking and my theory that high ed folks just don’t get it.
The public speaking thing stems from a bad childhood experience on the playground. I challenged a member of the opposite sex to a foot race, the entire school took timeout from the swings, teeter-totters and witch’s wheel to watch me get smoked. Pointing and laughing ensued, and I was forever cursed with the fear of speaking in public and being chased by fierce animals, who much like females as it turns out, are much faster than me.
The high ed folks thing is just a theory. But, more times than not, it feels like a rule. Come up with a great idea, and wait for people to tell you why it wouldn’t work. Or even worse, have them say it’s a great idea, and do nothing to make it a reality. Is it the fear of failure? Breaking status quo? Making more work? Not sure why, but it seems that creative thinking (I’m talking marketing/communications/web stuff) doesn’t have a place on campus. Or maybe it’s because this Web thing is so new and we’re living in a slow world that was exclusively print just a decade ago.
So, how’d the presentation go? People were laughing when they were supposed to, and asking questions right on cue. To me, it was a success. I had a great time explaining what I was doing, and I think those in the room were getting the message – have fun, do new things, don’t be afraid to fail. I really think some people will take this back to their campuses and implement similar projects. And that’s really cool—they got it!
So while I still have a great fear of public speaking, I have a new found hope that high ed folks aren’t as clueless as I once perceived. No matter what your fear, stepping up and facing it on occasion can be a good thing. The world is your playground, have fun, do new things, don’t be afraid to fail – and if you ever challenge someone to a race, make sure they’re slow.
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