PUBLICLY COMMUNICATING MY PASSION
Passions may often thrive people to step out of their comfort zone. If it wasn’t for my passion about environmental protection, I may have never used the opportunity to address a large crowd about this topic. I knew that this opportunity was one that I surely did not want to miss and looking back, there are many new skills which I gained out of the experience.
Part of my first year in High School, Year 10, included an Interdisciplinary Learning unit combining ‘Individuals & Societies’ with the arts. For this task, we had to create a piece of art, music or drama addressing one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and present the piece to a large audience consisting of school members including a few other year levels, teachers and parents. The aim of this task was to address one of the goals in a meaningful way, using a powerpoint to guide our presentation and present the piece.
Ever since Year 6, I have had a growing passion for the environment which I decided to present during the final exhibition of elementary school. This is why the Year 10 presentation was a perfect way to once again raise awareness on this issue and addressing an even larger crowd. While this passion has been ongoing, I had not been able to raise awareness on a larger scale level.
The goal which I decided to address was number 15, ‘Life on Land’ and creating an artwork showcasing our loss in biodiversity and ecosystems. My aim was to also learn a new skills to develop as an artist and student. Throughout the unit I learned a lot, however, I realize that it was the presentational aspect which taught me the most. I have decided to showcase my learning from the public communication aspect of this task in a quick video along with evidence of my artwork:
The presentation consisted of a few key aspects which I shared with the audience. I started off with an introduction on the topic, some of the skills which I learned, my target audience (which was the school community, the audience), explaining the piece but then went on to a call for action and my message, which is where I really got to make a point. Although I was very nervous speaking in front of a larger crowd, as soon as I got started, I managed to pull myself together. I strongly believe that my passion for environmental sustainability helped deliver the presentation with enthusiasm and interest. My passion helped me overcome my fear and step outside of my comfort zone. I felt a certain connection with the audience when delivering the call to action, as I was directly addressing them.
Please view my presentation which I used to communicate my ideas and guide me visually:
Looking back on the experience, there are improvements which I could have made. Although using flashcards was more effective than reading off a script, learning the presentation by heart could have helped me make a constant connection with the audience. Additionally, I have been thinking of even more effective presentational strategies to involve each audience member even further, getting them involved in the presentation could have helped spread my message. Although all in all it was a great experience which I hope to develop on further. The way I am doing this is by recently having joined the World Scholar's Club in which different activities take place, one of them being a debate. Through this activity I can develop in my presentational skills and most importantly public speaking. I want to further develop my confidence to make me an even better speaker and manage my stress levels before a presentation. I generally enjoy presenting, therefore I am looking to get better at this skill. This Interdisciplinary Learning unit was one way for me to showcase and develop my public communication.
From the feedback which I got from peers and teachers, it seems that my presentation was quite effective. This I find great because I know that it got my message across and helped spread awareness on the dangers which natural habitats are facing. I am still continuing to improve in public communication as it is something which requires me to step outside of my comfort zone, however, I find that with each new try it is becoming more effective, especially when I am speaking out about something which I am passionate about.
Hannah