My earliest public speaking memory is in 5th grade where we all had to make these shoe boxes for a book, analyzing different aspects of story elements (characters, plot, setting, etc). For a 5th grader’s shoebox project, what I made was it’s pretty standard. It covered everything the rubric asked for. I had a piece of paper where I was reading of a script in what was pretty much a monotone voice. It was also 15 minutes until recess so every time I looked up at the crowd, their faces were flickering towards the clock.
You might be wondering “Hey Harish, if this is so standard, then how do you remember it so well?”
While I was in the car driving to school on the day of the presentation, my dad and I were discussing why a certain character was put into their difficult situation. Being that 5th grader, I constantly asked “why” over and over again, just the way your three-year-old cousin would keep asking you to annoy you. Why? Probably cause we just learned cause-and-effect in class (See what I did there, heh heh heh).
The thing was, I was able to answer these why questions, going on for a solid minute. My dad said, “you should just say that in the presentation.”
I responded by saying “But that’s not in the rubric,” to which he said, “So what?”
Fast forward to the end of the speech, everyone in the room gave the generic claps they give all the students, waiting for the next person to go to slowly approach the glory outside on the swingsets and slides. However, instead of sitting back down, I awkwardly proclaimed “Here’s another random thing I wanted to mention,” and I proceeded to go on the trail of cause and effect, and saw my teacher’s eyes widen in astonishment, with students averting their gaze from the clock to me. After I concluded, I got some actual applause and a congratulations from my teacher.
Looking back on this moment, I now realize that this inadvertently taught me something huge: don’t be afraid to be extra.
This fascinating cause and effect happened because I had the gaul to do something else that was exciting to me. Sure it wasn’t on the rubric, but I enjoyed it so why should I not present it?
When I say “extra” in this case, it’s not covering all the information and having 10 slides about one topic. It’s about concisely presenting something you enjoy in addition to what you need to cover. By placing these tidbits, you get excited about showing them, and your listeners will then feel that energy.
Think about it this way – when you go to Chipotle, your meal isn’t an entire bowl of guac. It’s alongside the rice, beans, meats, whatever. Having it as a condiment makes the entire meal reach a new level of 5-star fast food, but the guacamole is not the meal itself. That’s why it’s extra.
What that analogy, you see why a little extra is great.
Quasi-Smart 