I remember the first time I went to Presentation Day, when I was 10 years old. I sat there on the cold metal chairs atOphir school, waiting for my turn to give my first impromptu speech. I had signed up because I thought it would be easy as you only had 5 minutes with your prompt before giving your speech, but it didn't feel so easy as I sat there watching other youth present before me.

I was in complete awe of the teenage 4-Hers, and how easily they seemed to be able to give incredible speeches! I remember one boy in particular. Despite his five-minute preparation, he told a great story, broke down the prompt in his response, and made it a fascinating listen. I thought to myself: “That's a SUPERPOWER!"

 

When it was my turn, I stumbled through my topic. I repeated myself multiple times, sweat a river, and somehow STILL only talked for 45 seconds! I was so embarrassed, but everyone watching supported me with kind words, and told me how brave I was to go up there and speak. 4-H people gave me the confidence to keep trying, and to not be ashamed when I messed up.

 

I spoke at several Presentation Days, each year growing in confidence and skill. I participated in the public speaking project and even became a Placer County 4-H Ambassador. When I was about 16, I went to Presentation Day and decided to give another impromptu speech. I told a story, broke down the topic into three parts, and made a compelling point… just like my hero had once done. In that moment,  I remembered the day so many years before when my speech had been pretty terrible… and I felt GOOD!

 

Presentation Day can feel scary, and challenging, but everyone in 4-H understands that. We're proud of anyone who participates in County Presentation Day because we all know it takes guts to speak in public. If you mess up? We've been there. As 4-Hers we know that you're going to get better, and better, and then take on the world, so don't be afraid. I think you'll find public speaking is a lot more fun than you realize.