November 9th, 2010
Total Distance for today: 0 miles
Total Distance for Tour: approx. 265 miles
LOCATION: Hyattville, MD (just outside Washington, DC)
STATUS: Spoke at Choice Academy and speaking again tomorrow at Coolidge HS
I had the opportunity to speak at the Choice Academy today, which is a high school in DC. It was a fun group. Though I’m certain I inspired a portion of the audience (I could tell from the visual feedback I was getting), I honestly felt as though my presentation was not as focused as I wanted it to be. It needed some structural tweaks. I’m still perfecting my ability to adapt my story and message to any and all audiences. It’s an interesting task we have as speakers: We know the points we want to cover, but that’s not enough. We must also be able to present our ideas in such a way as to ensure that our audience understands us. Every speaker has good and bad speeches. The key is to learn from the bad ones and bounce back to the next. We all have our shining and not so shining moments, but the people who go on to do great things and inspire us are the ones who laugh with the punches and get back up on the stage for another go at it.
Dillon and I were able to explore DC today as well, and it was pretty amazing. I’ve seen pictures of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, but seeing them in person was a different experience all together. It was incredible.
Well, it’s off to bed now; I have another speech at 9:30 tomorrow morning, and I want to rework the structure a little before then. Wish me luck!
