On the “Pack Career Chats” Podcast to Discuss Public Speaking

I was recently interviewed by Jadyn White, NC State senior majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources, about public speaking.

I loved her intro for our episode –

Sweaty hands, shaky voice, thundering heartbeat, blood rushing to your ears... the room is quiet and all eyes are on you.

Do any of these things sound familiar?

Public speaking is an important skill of leadership development. But don't worry, this podcast will teach you not only to survive while public speaking but to thrive while public speaking.

We talked about how to be a better public speaker, tips for tackling perfectionism and nerves, and ideas for how you can answer audience questions even when you don't know the answer.

Two of my favorite questions that she asked:

@2:46, Jadyn asked: “For me, I know that I struggle with public speaking and just making sure that the actual presentation is perfect and well-liked… watching my voice, watching my body, my body actions and then just wondering how the crowd is going to react to me. So what was your biggest fear when it came to public speaking and how did you overcome it?”

@6:44, Jadyn asked: "Another thing that I have to work on is when I'm creating those presentations—I do not like being caught off guard. I don't like having a question that I can't answer, or just having those weird awkward silences between me and the crowd. So what I always try to do is, as I'm creating my presentations, I will try to figure out what questions to expect so that I can go ahead and have answers to them, or have as much research as I can, so that I can as flawlessly as I can, go through the presentation. But it never fails, I get that wild question, or I get a wild card, and it requires fast thinking or being able to think on your feet. I have not mastered that skill yet, but it's a work in progress. So when this situation happens to you, how do you overcome it? Or how do you think best?”

Join me on an episode of PACK CAREER CHATS, a podcast about career readiness for students that focuses on wellness, professional development, overcoming obstacles, and reaching one's potential.

Enjoy. And go Wolfpack!

(Thank you to Marcy Bullock, host of the Pack Career Chats Podcast. Marcy is Director of the Professional Development Team at the NC State Career Center.)