It is over! One of the things I have been dreading most since our return from the Philippines to the central coast; OUR PRESENTATION! Naturally I do not like a lot of attention and am terrible at public speaking. I am the person that becomes red, sweaty, and has a quiver in their voice; where you would think I was crying. Knowing that I was going to have to present my findings in front of a big group of people was incredibly frightening. I prefer to be more behind the scenes; it is nice and comfortable there. All the participants from the trip contributed to the presentation as well. We even had a rehearsal night that was long and taxing, but the use of humor helped us through the evening. It was nice to see the group working together again, helping one another and providing positive reinforcement when someone like myself, became nervous and forgot what they were supposed to say.
I anticipated that the presentation that would be boring. Most academic presentations about research findings can make a person like myself, who already has a short attention span, mind wander and create a mental grocery list. I can say without a doubt that our presentation was anything but boring. In fact it was a bit avant-garde and had a theatrical element to it. It is incredibly challenging to share with a group of people your findings about a conflict, while at the same time not having them fall asleep. How is one able to present the gravity and complexity of a conflict that is happening in Mindanao, is there a right way? We told our story and the stories of others from the field the best we could. I feel the presentation was an overall success.
