An ability I really wish I had is being able to speak confidently in front of large groups. I'm a twenty-nine-year-old research scientist in Ho Chi Minh City, working on rice diseases, and my job increasingly involves presenting at conferences.
My colleague Duc has this ability naturally. He can stand in front of two hundred people and explain complicated research as if he's chatting with friends over coffee. He makes jokes, looks at the audience and never seems to read his slides. When I watch him, I feel half impressed and half jealous.
I know I could develop it with practice. I've recently joined a public speaking club that meets every Thursday evening, where members give short speeches and get feedback. I'm also recording myself rehearsing presentations, which is painful to watch but useful, because I can see where I speak too fast or look at the floor. Duc has offered to let me co-present with him at a seminar next month.
The reason I want this ability is that good research is wasted if people don't understand it. Our team has found ways to help farmers reduce crop losses, but if I can't explain them clearly to officials or farmers' groups, nothing changes. At the moment, when I present, my heart races, my voice shakes and I rush through everything just to get it over with. People ask fewer questions, and I think they lose interest. I'd also like it for personal reasons. I've always been the quiet one, and I'd love to feel that I can share my ideas without fear, whether it's at work or at a family wedding.