First oral presentation

I made my first oral presentation this morning at the Global Conference on Microbial Contaminants in Drinking Water. It was a nerve-wrecking affair at the start, especially when you think someone sitting next to you may hear the heart racing fast. But when I stepped onto the stage and looked around, the heart slowed down to a serene pace and all I did was to make sure I get my message across. I think I did. It helped that there was only about 30-40 people in the room. Some big shots, but they looked pretty friendly.

It was a satisfying experience when you have delivered what you wanted. At the wrap-up session, one of the panel quoted my presentation and it was rather pleasing to the ears to hear that. Boss gave a "pretty good presentation" remark. That's quite a feat already, considering it is hard to squeeze any compliments from him.