The Pretender

     I thought I'd do a short wrap-up of the three English club meetings that I led. Basically some things I learned as well as general observations for the future.

     So, what did I learn? A few things actually. First, as the title suggests, if you're feeling nervous or unsure about what to say, pretend. Except on those rare occasions, people don't bite when you stand up and then don't know what to say. If you pretend to not be nervous, somehow that confidence helps you and things feel like they go a lot smoother. Or at least, the opening and closing announcements did. During the games, it was a little less clear on what to do and when. I had a script of sorts but not to-the-minute directions. There, I had to draw on my previous experience for what to do next.
     Second, you can pretend less when you practice more. By the time the second Sunday rolled around, I felt a lot more comfortable about when to get things started. Also, thinking on my feet and figuring out what to say on the spot was a lot easier.
     Third, it's OK to improvise a little. Things will never go exactly according to plan. Papers will be lost, someone will forget to bring something, or someone will come up with a better plan. Be prepared to roll with those changes and adjust on-the-fly.
     Obviously you can't go into the evening thinking you'll make up everything from beginning to end. You do need a plan. It's even better to follow that plan. Prepare ahead of time. Don't walk in five minutes before the event starts to set up. You'll inevitably run into something else that needs doing or someone who wants to talk. By the second Sunday, I knew what I needed to set out and where so that by the time everything was set up, I had a few minutes to relax and talk. This is always preferable to coming in and starting late. 
     Finally making jokes helps. Not necessarily "Why did the chicken cross the road?" but something off-hand or self-deprecating. It helps to loosen up you and the crowd. Then it doesn't feel so much like an inquisition. These are people, not the heads on Easter Island. They'll laugh if you tell a joke.
     The weirdest thing I learned was that I actually enjoyed the leading a little bit. Yeah. Brian, leading and liking it? Weird. But there's something satisfying about seeing how things operate from the top and seeing it completed successfully.

     And to finish things off, here is today's dose of random, I thought I'd share an idea I woke up with today. Someone needs to do a parody of R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People." Except they need to call it "Tiny Happy People" and be about the antics of children. Yesterday at church, one of the little ones, a five-year-old boy named Roma, spent about three minutes running into me and headbutting me. Since Thursday, he's really taken a liking to me. After the Bible-reading group on Saturday, I found him sitting on top of my dresser playing games on a phone. He also found my spare belt and a balloon to play with.