Glossophobia, or fear of public speaking, is said to be the number one fear in America. I have all sorts of other phobias, trust me, but not this one. I love public speaking!

I love researching and sharing information on all sorts of subjects. Which is a good thing, given that I make my living as an interpreter. Which is, really, public speaking under another name. 

My style? Conversational. I know from … yawhn … experience that reading a text, no matter how good a reader you may be, puts people to sleep. Also, if the speaker is reading from notes or from a screen, said speaker does not see the audience which means you miss impromptu reactions, i.e. feedback. Although that’s probably a moot point if the audience – as audiences are wont to do these days - is staring at the screen or tapping away on their tablets. 

Of course, extemporaneous, even if practiced, is like flying without a net. Pretty scary if only because you’re bound to make mistakes. When giving a talk in Spanish, I mistakingly used the word 'macumba' (witch doctor) when I meant to use the new-to-me Argentinian word for maid -'mucama', to howls of laughter. Oh oh, what did I say now?  

I’ve given presentations and led workshops on a host of subjects: Interpretation and Translation, Accent Reduction, Training and Coaching, Language Enhancement, Career-Building and Marketing Strategies, and so on and so forth. And I’ve done so at a number of venues, including Hong Kong, Buenos Aires and, closer to home, Portland and Seattle; for organizations ranging from the United Nations to Community Colleges. Even on Zoom. Have mic will travel.

Most recently, starting just before the pandemic, and continuing in both live and virtual formats, I have researched, power-pointed and been sharing the story of my mom, Ada van Dam, who at age 15-17 survived two years of the camps of the Holocaust. This has been an amazing process on so many fronts as stories of the past continue to unfold. Feel free to listen in on one of the earlier versions:

 

 

My secret goal: Attending and Speaking at a Ted Talk.

 

Testimonial:

"Dear Ms. van Dam, 

Thank you for talking to our class about your mother's and father's Holocaust experience…. Something I will remember is how she survived and that no matter what I'm going through it will never even compare to what your mother went through . I really enjoyed you speaking and the reason is because my great grandpa was a Nazi and part of the Holocaust and I really want to know more about people's stories during the war. Having you speak really helped me know more of what the Jews really went through." 

Sincerely,
8th grade student
Twin Falls Middle School
Washington State