Symposium
Did my first serious, public presentation in English today. Eggens Institute (specializes in organizing post-academic legal courses) and my faculty organized a symposium for academics and professionals dealing with consumer protection about the new proposal for a directive on consumer rights.
I was asked to talk about information duties and how they are regulated in the proposal as well as what changes the adoption of the directive would require of Dutch law.
Everyone else beside me who was a speaker today was: a. a professor, b. famous in his field, c. Dutch (-one Belgian), d. spoke Dutch.
I was allowed to give my presentation in English, though after it I was answering questions that were posed to me in Dutch. Wasn't a problem. My colleagues/professors who organized it said they regret I didn't decide to do it in Dutch altogether because now people were impressed by my knowledge of Dutch law but won't know how well I speak it myself. Oh, well.
Went really well according to all my colleagues and a few strangers who approached me afterwords to say how much they enjoyed it and how clear I made everything. My friends say I didn't let it know that I was nervous at all!
Got a bottle of wine as a honorarium... What's more important is that the article I wrote - as a basis for this presentation - will be published in a book! (this year, still)
Needed that confidence boost on the professional level now.
I was asked to talk about information duties and how they are regulated in the proposal as well as what changes the adoption of the directive would require of Dutch law.
Everyone else beside me who was a speaker today was: a. a professor, b. famous in his field, c. Dutch (-one Belgian), d. spoke Dutch.
I was allowed to give my presentation in English, though after it I was answering questions that were posed to me in Dutch. Wasn't a problem. My colleagues/professors who organized it said they regret I didn't decide to do it in Dutch altogether because now people were impressed by my knowledge of Dutch law but won't know how well I speak it myself. Oh, well.
Went really well according to all my colleagues and a few strangers who approached me afterwords to say how much they enjoyed it and how clear I made everything. My friends say I didn't let it know that I was nervous at all!
Got a bottle of wine as a honorarium... What's more important is that the article I wrote - as a basis for this presentation - will be published in a book! (this year, still)
Needed that confidence boost on the professional level now.