Campus Gallery Walk - Lessons in Standing

Yesterday, ISM held our campus gallery walk. We set up our posters near the front of the school and presented our findings to anyone who walked up. This occurred during the four lunch periods, spanning over two hours.

This serves two purposes: to allow us to practice speaking on our topic and to promote the ISM program. I was conscious to stay high energy and excited while explaining my journey through ISM to those who walked up to me. We want to be honest about the class, but make sure that we're marketing it properly.

Standing for about two and a half hours has given me a newfound appreciation for teachers and businessmen who are up and running for hours on end. Not to mention, I wasn't even wearing heels.

I challenged myself to read the people who I presented to. I watched for signs that they were losing interest and moved to a different topic. Whenever they seemed more engaged, I continued with what I was talking about and made sure to keep the mood light. I may have repeated the same joke a dozen times with the same delivery, but each listener found it equally entertaining. If something didn't land, then I'd scrap the comment for the next person.

This is something I feel I'm much stronger at. It comes naturally to gauge the energy of someone in front of me and reflect it. I had a lot of fun doing this yesterday, even if my feet hurt by the end of it. I may not be the best designer, but I can certainly present to my peers.

Additionally, this gave me an opportunity to appreciate what I've done this year. Seeing peers impressed by my actions this year, when they feel so mundane and expected among other ISM students, reminded me that I have achieved a lot so far. It was a nice reminder. I also loved to hear about what other ISM students have been doing this year. Everyone has such unique and interesting topics and I could listen to them talk about it for hours.

Overall, the gallery walk was certainly a refreshing experience!