Facility&Operations |
Max Utsler
STMA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
When it’s “Showtime,”
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of 2011 Professional Development articles provided by the Sports Turf Managers Association.
Y
OU HAVEN’T TOUCHED THE CHICKEN CORDON BLUE that is still laminated onto your plate. You drained your ice water glass four times, but your mouth still feels like you used a Q-tip instead of a toothpick. You nervously fidget in your chair as the chairman of the parks district board of trustees starts to introduce you.
“Oh, my God. I’ve got to go to the bath-
room.” “And here to tell you about how your
local Parks and Rec Department is doing fantastic work in preserving the environ- ment . . . let me introduce your director, Mr. Ron Dayvoo. Let’s hear it for Ron.” Your knees buckle as you approach the
podium. Your stomach growls. You gasp for one last breath. Welcome to the world of public speak-
ing. Think that scenario only describes the beginners? Think again. Even the experi- enced pros feel a little of that when it’s “showtime.” Bear in mind, some of that nervousness is a good thing. It will ensure you are awake, alert and ready to perform. Because that’s
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what you are about to do—perform. And how you do in that performance may go a long way in shaping the public perception of how well you do your day job. So keep in mind: public speaking comes with the job. If you follow the steps of brainstorm,
gather, organize, produce, practice and pres- ent you will find proper preparation makes speaking easier. Not easy, just easier.
BRAINSTORM First consider the difference between choosing a topic and being assigned a topic. That can run the range of being invited to “talk to us about the recent changes in pesti- cide use that has led to improvements in run-off” to a more generic, “talk about any- thing you want to talk about.” The first sce-
www.sportsturfonline.com you can’t just show up
In every case, try to build your topic around you and your audience’s common interests. Do remember, a live speech works very well if you want to deliver an emotional message. If you must deliver lots facts, stats and data to your audience, prepare a handout.
By
Image ©istockphoto/Sean_Warren
