Back when I used to perform in plays (musicals mostly), I would always feel the nervous butterfly sensation I am feeling now. It is not unpleasant, but still rather irksome and unsettling.

I didn’t matter if I had one line to say, or a whole song to sing, the nerves were always there. It wasn’t about not knowing my lines or the choreography, as I had memorized them both weeks before, but more the stress of not being what the audience expected.

The same is true when you are giving a public talk.

Thanks to my acting experience, I had a lot of exposure to talking, singing and just making a fool of myself in front of a large group. That came in handy back in Grade Six, when I won a public speaking contest at school, and the prize was presenting it to the whole school at an assembly. The topic, of course, was the life and times of Albert Einstein.

I’ve come a long way since then, but the nerves are always there. Whether it is waiting for the curtain to rise in my elementary school gym or walking into a lecture hall to give a talk, you are always nervous.

And that is what I am doing on Monday May 2nd.

I am heading on out to the university where I spent my undergraduate education, and speaking to a room of graduate students and professors on the basics (and how to improve) science communication. If anyone would like the details, please email me, and I will send you all the details.

I would now like to thank each and every person who helped me put this presentation together:

My family and friends for all their support and feedback
Tanya Noel for her boundless support and enthusiasm
Nancy Parmalee for her watchful eye
Carin Bondar for her amazing friendship and attitude
Elisa Tersigni for helping me flush out the idea

And everyone who I spoke to for help and advice, as well as those individuals who were happy to take the time out of their busy day and give their advice. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the following people (all of whom I’ve met through social media):

The infectiously awesome Maryn McKenna
The hilariously scientific Brian Malow
The “yes it is really him and he actually knows who I am,” the amazing Carl Zimmer
The intelligent beauty that is Joanne Monaster
The queen on multi-tasking Arikia Millikan
The Tennille to my Captain, Nancy Parmalee
The incredibly amazing Carin Bondar
And lastly, THE Ed Yong.

And as a little treat to those who have read this long, and suffered through my thank you’s, here is the title card of my presentation (which I designed myself).