Unexpected Gift
It’s pretty widely known that fear of public speaking ranks right up there on the list of things most people fear. And believe me, I’m not immune from discomfort when faced with speaking to a group of people; whether it be informal or on a stage, feelings of insecurity and questioning if I can provide any value to listeners often arise. So what is it about sharing the experience of sustaining a TBI and recovery with groups of people that is so rewarding? Well, first and foremost, is the incredible feeling that comes from sharing a piece of myself with others with the possibility that it will benefit them.
My introduction to public speaking began at Krempels Center (KC) in their weekly “Community Education” (CE) group. CE is one way that the organization educates groups in the community at large about brain injury; types and causes of, rehabilitation, prevention, and from member’s testimonial, living with. I know I joined KC in November of 2008, but am not sure when it was that I first attended a session of CE. I do, however, vividly remember what I think was the first speaking engagement I participated in. We visited an area Elementary School and spoke to quite a few students with the goal of putting a human face on disability hoping to reduce possible fear of “different” people in the community.
This outing was prior to my beginning driving again after my injury, which I’m sure of because I remember my mom driving me the half hour or so to the school. Although the details of the exact presentation are a bit fuzzy, I’m pretty sure it was facilitated by one of KC’s program coordinators. If I remember correctly, the facilitator Barb, a longtime KC team member and driver of our community outreach; gave a brief introduction of the program followed by a short presentation about brain injuries.
Similar to most of KC’s CE presentations, that day each of the (I recall 3 of us there that day) members on the outing then gave a brief introduction of ourselves: A bit about our lives before the injury followed by what our lives looked-liked at that point. While I wish I could go into great detail about our presentation and the other members who spoke, I don’t really remember many details, but as with all our engagements we ended that day with audience questions. Opening it up to audience questions with elementary school age students can be quite entertaining and a bit scary, but you have to love their honesty and curiosity!
Although I can’t give a verbatim transcript of the presentation that day, I do distinctly remember the ride back to Portsmouth and how I felt. It was a sense of pride and usefulness that was immense, one I couldn’t recall often feeling before my car crash, and certainly not in my life as a TBI survivor. What a blessing that by honestly sharing my experience, others can hopefully be helped. Looking back in reflection, I realize that by shifting from trying to impress and win approval from my audience, to focusing on helping, or at least providing useful information to the listeners relieved all my jitters.