Present a speech

For years now, I have fantasised about presenting in front of my colleagues. In our monthly safety meetings, we have a section called "About Me" and what it is is a 5 minutes blurb about oneself. It is a really good platform for us to get to know more about our colleagues.

And yes, I have fantasised about it. About how I would present it. About the supporting visuals. About the information that I would include. I simply love everything about presentations!

The only problem was that the presenters were always people who held more senior roles. Not your average joe blogg of a worker. Like me. But it did not stop me from dreaming.

And then came along Alicia Curtis.

Alicia is the facilitator for the Young Women's Leadership Program. I joined the three month program earlier this year and have since made some profound changes in my life.

One of which was presenting a speech. Alicia posed the challenge to us. To step out of our normal day-to-day routines. To promote what we believe in. To build our professional social profile. To be a leader in our own right.

And so, with the support of the Young Women's Leadership Program behind me, I asked the coordinator of the safety share meetings if I could make an "About Me" presentation. Lo and behold, there was a slot available and it was only weeks away.

And so I prepared.

And presented.

 

And the response was amazing. Quite a number of my workmates said that they really liked my presentation. That it was refreshing to have someone be so genuine about themselves.

Since then, people have started calling me Mon. They stop by my desk and ask me how my day is. They tell me about their lives. About their stories.

We deserve a place in this world. We deserve to be where we are right now. And it is okay if we do not feel like we belong. We cannot pretend to be someone that we are not but we must at least give it a go. Give ourselves a chance to be someone. To step up.

Here's to a gratifying 104.