Big Project Update

I finally had my presentation. I was a bit nervous as it was my first time in front of council, however I had complete trust in my supervisor. I have learned to trust her and my fellow intern implicitly. When I am organizing or writing something they often have structural comments to change the order of information I present. At first I felt a little uncomfortable changing the form of my writing, but I had to remember that they have been doing this for years.
After several practice sessions and revisions I had a powerpoint presentation that lasted 7 minutes. I video recorded it with my camera so I can study it for corrections and to look back on. The presentation itself went well. There were no technical difficulties and I did not make too many speech errors. It was the questions afterwards that were the tough part.
I gave my presentation in seven minutes; my topic was not finished for another hours and fifteen minutes. I stood for quite a while taking a fair amount of heat. The thing about answering questions from Council is knowing what is a question and what is a statement.
Council members will often say things that sound like questions, but rather are statements for or against the topic for the public and other Council members to hear.
Another aspect to keep in mind is answering the question they ask. If you answer the question in a way that makes them feel like you are talking down to them, god help you. When Council is in session they are in the hot seat. They are being judged by everything they say and do. I respect that, and understanding that it is all part of the system makes it easy to take what feels like heat from them.
The topic I presented had some followers both for and against in the public. Council members were also for and against. Those against had to discuss why my research and results could not be supported. My fellow workers felt for me and I appreciated it. Afterwards a few Council members even came up to me and told me that I did a good job. Even the ones who grilled me were saying that it was nothing personal. So, my trust in my friends paid off and the structure did a good job presenting the information in a clear debatable format. I don’t think I have a project that requires me to present in front of Council again while I am here. I have a feeling that this will not be the last council presentation I do.