Talking Points

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All the way to Maine to present as a speaker at their state recreation conference. I typically don’t write about work stuff, but this was a bit outside my usual role. I’ve sat through tons of educational sessions, some good, some bad, and some so boring I thought I’d rather poke my eyes out, so on a whim, I figured I’d throw my name (and a session write-up) in the hat, confidently thinking… I can do that. I suppose anyone with an hour of something to say can.

So I got my thoughts in order, created a super cool slideshow with the help of a crafty Canva assistant, and off I went. Coming from the Ocean State, my slideshow had an ocean theme, so clearly my dress had to be tropical blue, and I wore a big ocean wave pin just to push it over the top. When I arrived at the room I’d be speaking in, there was a giant ocean painting on the wall, and the windows opposite overlooked the Atlantic Ocean, all quietly reminding me I was meant to be exactly where I was.

I was more excited than nervous, eager to chat with fellow recreation professionals and share what I’ve learned. I had no idea if my session would have 3, 5, 15, or 50 people attend, and I was thrilled as they started rolling in. We had seats set for 50 and still needed to bring in more chairs, a packed room was a good sign that my topic resonated. It’s tough to rate your own performance, but if I had to guess, I’d say I did pretty darn well. Everyone seemed engaged, there were lots of questions, and many people stayed afterward to ask more, all good signs.

I talked to a few attendees who were surprised to hear it had been my first time speaking, another good sign. I was even asked by someone from a regional association for my card so they could reach out and send me a speaker proposal for their conference. I might just like this speaking gig thing. Sweet hotel, great new people, and I’m always game for an adventure. Tim may not have had quite as much fun as my sidekick, but he was a good sport throughout the trip, even sitting through my session as if he actually wanted to learn.

Honestly, for a first go at something new, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Here’s to saying “yes” more often, and stepping out of your daily role. You never know where life might take you next.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” ~ Wayne Gretzky