Have you ever had someone say something seemingly small to you, but it made a big impact?
A few weeks ago, I spoke at the Carolina Recycling Association conference. My presentation was in a two person panel during the opening morning plenary. Many of my former colleagues were in attendance. Making them proud means a lot to me, they started me on this career path. It was so uplifting to catch up and hear their positive comments about my work.
I was stopped by strangers several times while walking down the halls of the conference. They told me they enjoyed my presentation and I did a great job. I gave each one of them my sincere thanks - and I am sincerely thankful for their words.
One person stood out. I didn't know her, and I don't even remember her name. She stopped me and told me that I did a great job and my presentation was very interesting. That it's hard, especially for a young woman, to get on a stage and really own it and have command of the audience. That you never know what is going to happen when someone gets on stage. But that I did it. I owned that stage. And it was really great to see.
The truth is, I know I have a knack for public speaking. But I never thought of it in those terms. That I don't just have public speaking skills, but that I own the stage. It's something I've been rolling around in my head for awhile. Are women more timid speakers? How do I explore this strength? How can I help other young women develop this strength, whether it's an audience of 5 or 500 people?
I don't want to be an exception in this. I want to be the rule.