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\r\n\r\nRemember the presentation I had to get over with last week? Well the results are in and my professor thinks I need to work on being more professional. Obviously, I did not present in a clownsuit...but I intentionally tried very hard to not to be professional. Its just not me to read a script off a paper and project information at people in a stable and firm tone. I speak in fragmented sentences full of excitement; my pitch is comparable to those in ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_mbbyoaBWgp1rxd8rh.gif\")
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\r\n\r\nBut I like the way I am. I embrace my flaws and wear my vulnerabilities on my sleeve because they help me really connect with others. I find that when I sound more like a human and less like a robot, people listen more to what I have to say. I strategically choose to act like myself because it\u2019s the only way I know how to excite others about what I am talking about. And it works most of the time. If\u00a0you've\u00a0ever attended a meeting\u00a0I've\u00a0chaired, or an event I hosted or a tutorial with me, you know I try my very best to present information in an accessible, human and friendly manner. It works with my classmates, my employers and even some of my quirky professors. But quite a few of my profs are just not feelin' it. They tell me I have to lower my pitch to be taken more seriously because the way I talk makes makes me look less intelligent than I really am. I don\u2019t care how smart I look. I\u2019d rather be super smart on the inside and stupid on the outside than vice versa.\r\n\r\nDon\u2019t get me wrong, I love constructive feedback and have improved my public speaking skills.\u00a0I've\u00a0learned to control my nerves, maintain eye-contact, exude confidence in my body language and speak in a slower more stable manner. But I just don\u2019t know how to look professional while staying true to myself. If I was to put a suit on and start speaking like I have authority I would come off even more like\u2026.\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/25.media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_mbed6sRYIi1rqrnlao1_r1_500.gif\")
\r\n\r\nI am having a hard time figuring out how to be both professional and engaging while not coming off as pretentious and authoritative. One time in tutorial, I decided to be \u201cmore professional\u201d and I swear my voice became Arnold Schwarzenegger. SO AWKWARD. But I know that the time to act like a\u00a0grown-up\u00a0is upon me and I need to tweak some aspects of my presence in order \u201cto be taken more seriously.\u201d I don\u2019t want the way I speak to be a hindrance to my ambitions of practising law or becoming an academic (still indecisive).\r\n\r\nI am going to start with body language and the way I construct my sentences. I know there's a way to channel all my excitement and personality in a professional manner. I just haven\u2019t found my rhythm yet. Maybe I should ask my Rotman friends for help in this department. So if you see me around this week in my Hillary Clinton power-dress and hear my voice awkwardly shifting tones, please refrain from giggling.\r\n\r\n-Sarah","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
\nRemember the presentation I had to get over with last week? Well the results are in and my professor thinks I need to work on being more professional. Obviously, I did not present in a clownsuit...but I intentionally tried very…\n<\/div>