Rafa Garcia paced back and forth across his room, nerves on edge, thinking about how to start working on his history project. Last week, Mrs. Williams, his history teacher, had assigned the class a project to research any historical figure. Rafa chuckled as he remembered thinking, “Easy—I love research.” His joy turned to dread as Mrs. Williams continued to explain that the project is to deliver a ten-minute presentation. “Ugh . . . ,” he thought, “I really don't want to give a presentation.” And as if the class could read his mind, they let out an audible cringe. Everyone except for Taj, Rafa’s best friend. Taj gave a quiet cheer; he had been involved in stage productions since elementary school. He loved being in front of an audience.
“And,” Mrs. Williams said with a big smile, “the student giving the best presentation will be invited to compete in a statewide competition called History’s Heroes.”
Rafa and Taj talked about the project on their way home from school. “Don’t fret, Rafa. Lots of people get nervous speaking in front of people,” Taj said, trying to help Rafa feel better about the assignment. “You’re not unusual. Plus, you are great at doing research. That is half the battle.”
Rafa wasn’t convinced. “That’s easy for you to say, Taj,” he said. “You’ve been acting in plays for years; you’re used to being in front of an audience.”
Taj smiled in agreement and said, “Yes, I’ve had more experience, but the key to a confident delivery is rehearsal.”
Worrying about the project wasn’t getting Rafa anywhere. He focused his attention on the part of the project he knew he was good at: research. Effortlessly, he began researching Nikola Tesla, a pioneer in the area of electricity. Rafa confidently moved through the steps in the research process: identifying a topic, searching for information, evaluating sources, taking notes. Suddenly, caught by a familiar fear, he stopped short of the last step, which was writing the report. “C’mon Rafa,” he said to himself, “just write it.” Tentatively, he continued working on the report for two weeks.
Rafa felt confident that the highlights of Tesla’s career would make for an engaging presentation. The report was cohesive, the research was thorough, and the diagrams were accurate. But when Rafa rehearsed the presentation in front of a mirror, he tripped over his words and gave up before covering all the great research he had prepared. What had Taj said about memorizing words?
Rafa recruited Taj to help with this part of the project. Rafa asked, “How do you remember all of the lines for your plays and recite everything perfectly?”
Taj chuckled. “I don’t. First, I memorize short sections and practice, practice, practice. When I am confident with that section, I move on to the next, and so on. And as for perfect delivery, it only needs to seem perfect to the audience. Deliver with confidence and everyone will think you aced it.”
“Thanks, Taj. I think I know what I have to do.”
Every day after school, Rafa worked on one section of his presentation. When the audience in the mirror looked pleased with that part, he moved on to the next until he had worked on every section of the presentation.
As Rafa walked into the history classroom on the day of the presentations, he said to Taj, “I took your advice, and I am ready.” All his fears seemed to be eased.
“Okay class, you will present in random order,” Mrs. Williams said as she reached into a jar containing slips of paper with everyone’s name on them. “First up . . . Rafa Garcia. C’mon up, Rafa.” In an instant, the confidence he had felt only minutes earlier vanished. His legs felt wobbly as he walked to the front of the room. His hands shook as he gripped his notes, twenty pairs of eyes expectant eyes trained on him. Some of the students gave a nervous smile that Rafa interpreted as encouragement. But their smiles were the smiles of relief that their names hadn’t been called to present first.
“Ah . . . well . . . I, uh, I am going to talk about Nikola Tesla,” Rafa said, beginning his presentation. The script he’d written flooded his brain. “Get yourself together, Rafa,” he told himself. “You’re ready; you can do this.”
“Nikola Tesla was born July 10, 1856,” he continued, and as soon as the words escaped his mouth, they began to flow as if a dam had broken. Whenever he felt his nerves prickle, he turned to the diagrams as a prompt, all the while continuing the presentation. When he turned back to the class, their smiles fueled his confidence. “So the next time you flip on a light, you can thank Nikola Tesla,” he said, finishing his presentation to a round of applause. Taj gave him a thumbs-up from across the room.
“Great job, Rafa,” Mrs. Williams said. “Up next, we will hear from . . .” Rafa’s mind wandered from anything else Mrs. Williams said. Relief and pride washed over him.
Later that week, Mrs. Williams made an announcement to the class. “After much consideration, I have decided which student to invite to the History’s Heroes speech competition. Rafa Garcia! Your preparation was impeccable, and your delivery was confident.”
Feeling both humbled by the honor and elated to be chosen, Rafa felt the familiar bubble of nerves expand in his chest. He mentally burst it and said, “I accept.”