I did fucking awesome!

What is surprising, I feel much more confident presenting in English than in my native language.

Maybe it's because of the fact that for a regular guy from Slovakia, my ability to communicate in English on verbal and written level is really pretty good :). So this is kind of a psychological advantage for me towards the other people in the room.

You should use saucy English profanities!!!! Sprinkle them in there!

Well done Slavo!

I haven't written here for quite a long time.

I have another one in one hour's time - please cross your fingers for me.

here's a pretzel. it has crossed fingers, and you can eat it afterwards.



break a leg!

thanks. I did really well yesterday.

Well done to you sir.

I work with two women from Slovakia and their English is impeccable, puts a lot of English people to shame. One of them sells cosmetics in her spare time. She doesn't need the money, she just likes to practice her English by standing in front of a group of English people and presenting to them in English.

That's my "Slovakian person giving a presentation in English" story.

That story made my day, Pookie. Thank you.

By the way, next week I should be given an offer for a job in London. I passed all the interview rounds, so now it's all about terms and conditions.

It's going to be a tough decision, if to go and try a new life in the UK or stay home.

Another one today.

good luck!

Thank you Christoph!

you should end your presentation with a 10 minute free form drone jam!!!

I did very well indeed!

Without drones, unfortunately, but with a self-confident grin on my face.

you should tell them all "I am going to be a father. I have propagated the species. My seed will one day rule the earth."

Another one in one hour.

at this point you're a rockstar though. it's hard to believe you're scared at all.

just go there and dominate that room.

zag eana wo da bartl den most hoit!

I truly did, and I wasn't even scared.

but you know, I might have mentioned this before, but I am a man of habits and this is one of my personal rituals how to avoid stress.
I'd feel like I'm missing something if I didn't post here beforehand.

ha ha, that's great to know! and i mean both things.

habits

Once you become a public speaker, the bigger problem you have is knowing when its better to just shut up! For me, the mic is always on now, I can walk into any room and just take that shit over, BUT, often that is not the best course of action. The key to public speaking is to always know what you are talking about, and treat it like a conversation. Once you have mastered that artform, of essentially being able to carry on a conversation with a room full of people as if you were talking to just one person, than its all cake yo!

What is hilarious is one of my co-workers told me once, "Yeah but this job is easy for you, you are such a people person!" I was like, "Actually no, believe it or not before I started doing this I was almost cripplingly shy!"

College presentations are what broke me in like a good horse, and now again, the bigger problem is not nerves but knowing when to shut up :cool:

you are a lucky guy, suchfriends.

I have another big one today in about 5 hours. Because of that, I even have to travel to Prague in Czech republic, which is a 4hour drive by car. So I better head off now.
Cross your fingers for me please.

Fingers crossed. It's superhard to type with fingers crossed.

I heard the ladies in Prague got the jiggle in their walk.

okay. but i have to ask. even if it's the wrong thread. why don't you guys reunite so you can have a stronger football team? think of the possibilities.

BREAK A LEG.

first of all - I ruled yesterday. It was the first time ever that I had to present a subject matter while standing up in front of the people, as up till now I always presented while sitting at the table. Doesn't sound like much of a difference, but when you suffer from social anxiety, little details like these are very important. But I was surprisingly calm, self confident and talked in a very slow and controlled manner.
I am quite proud of myself.

secondly, well, i think you were partly joking about the reunification, but I will answer seriously - there is no chance for a reunification of Czechoslovakia in the future, ever. We're both parts of the European Union, have our own identities (believe it or not, though our languages are basically the same, we are different than the Czechs), and there are a lot of smaller or bigger differences in the ways we're both taking. For example, the Czechs are natural Euro-sceptics and they're anti-religious, while Slovakia follows the official political line of the EU and we're traditionally a very strong Catholic country (I guess the second after Poland in Eastern Europe). Etc etc.

But, to be honest, at the present moment I believe our football team is better than the Czechs'. They have the ageing but great goalkeeper Peter Cech from Chelsea, but other than that ... meh. We have at least Martin Skrtel from Liverpool FC and Hamsik from Napoli SSC, and fist of all, we have an awesome team coach who can bring the best from the squad. I believe we'll make it to the Euro championships this time.

NicE!

I ran for Staff Council at the University where I work a few months back, and did not win, but I was notified a week ago that the person who had that position left the University and would I be willing to attend the staff council meeting and say a bit about myself, i8n order for them to vote whether I will take the vacant position. I got voted in this afternoon, and not only that, I self-nominated myself and now am the Staff Council Historian (basically a glorified photographer, but that's cool!) so now I am on the Executive Group of the Staff Council! Dang! Shit happens fast!

you're the man, Rob! Congrats to the success story.

Congratulations - I have a feeling you are going to blow the rest of the council away with all you bring to the position.......couldn't happen to a better guy!

Another one today, in Czech republic as well as last time.

Cross your fingers for me please.

sonic crossed

I did great! I was calm as a zenbuddhist.
Thanks Rob for your support.

i forgot to answer to this

thanks for the reply

i wasn't exactly joking but yes a bit playful-- to reunite for football, ha ha

but see, i live in a country with 50 states that can be very different in culture, politics, religion, etc. some dialects i can't understand (well i wasn't born here, but still-- kentucky?). i know you've been to bawlmore but don't know how deep you traveled.

so yes i was curious about your perspective. i know several czech people in real life, but you're the only slovakian i've ever communicated with so yeah.

20 years ago supposedly a lot of people didn't want to

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/01/wo...de-regret.html

things have changed a lot though, it seems

I've been to Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Colorado Springs, Washington DC and Pittsburgh.

It's hard to explain. We're still something like step-brothers with the Czech people. We like each other, understand each other language-wise, like to sit down for a pint with each other and cooperate with each other (i have many Czech colleagues).
But we're just different. Different mentality, different habits, different core values. Anyways, they're still closer to us than the Polish, Hungarians or basically anyone else.

Another one coming up this afternoon, in Prague.
Completely in English language. I'm a bit frightened, yet very excited, as I haven't spoken English in quite a long time. I hope I will be articulate.
Cross your fingers for me please.

knock em dead

thanks, I did indeed! In fact in wasn't in English but in my native language, so it was all good.

*applauses* great news slavoman.