As a professor, you give speeches, in the form of class lectures, every day. It becomes a kind of second nature. Even though I’m an introvert, I love talking to audiences about things that are important and meaningful to me. That’s also why I loved teaching public speaking–it gave me an opportunity to help college students appreciate the value and power in telling audiences about new and exciting topics.
In addition to class lectures, I have presented nearly 40 times at academic conferences and community organization events. As a UX researcher, I have presented more than 25 readouts on work I’ve done.
To sum it up: I love public speaking!
My Tedx Talk was a pinnacle in my career. I was able to talk to more than 100 people about my passion for social support communication. My presentation has been viewed nearly 4,000 times. It is also posted on Ted.com.
Other Speaking Content
When I worked for Indeed, my manager asked me to create a help document for colleagues who were not confident in public speaking. This five-page document, Tips for Effective Presentations is the result.
I gave a presentation to some UX colleagues about managing my compassion fatigue while working in an industry rooted in compassion and empathy. The presentation used my own experiences and my expertise in social support communication to build practical strategies for managing stress and burnout.
Carla B., advisor to student group I spoke to in 2022:
Dr. Huisman is both an educator and a life-long student of interpersonal communication. When speaking to groups, Dena connects to the audience with engaging stories and personal insight. Her address to our high-achieving college student organization was inspirational and motivational as she shared both successes and challenges from her arsenal of experiences.