At the Senior Enlisted Academy (SEA), I was tasked with delivering a speech on the U.S. Navy Heritage of Manning the Rails. The criteria were strict: 7–9 minutes, detailed, and professional. I had a week to prepare, but what I thought was preparation turned out to be misdirected effort. By the time I realized it, I was already behind.
🎤 The Struggle: My Attempts
- Attempt 1 (Thursday night): Reading from paper → 9:23. Over time.
- Attempt 2: Without notes → 13:08. I’M DONE!
- Attempt 3: Highlighted what I knew, marked struggles with asterisks → 9:42. Still shaky.
- Attempt 4: Focused on four weak sections, pushed through → 8:45. Better, but not confident.
- Attempt 5 (in class): With distractions, still shaky → 9:16. Anxiety rising.
I wanted to record a video that night, but the speech consumed me. My initial “prep” wasn’t enough — I had been working hard, but not working smart.
⏰ The Morning Chaos
I woke up at 0530 determined to practice one more time before class. But as I got dressed, my uniform became the enemy:
- My ribbon rack needed fixing after a Marine pointed out my silver star was wrong.
- The replacement broke. The spare broke too.
- I lost all my practice time trying to fix my uniform.
By 0645, I had to leave. My uniform was jacked up, my brief was shaky, and my confidence was shot.
🙏 The Classroom Pressure
In class, everyone was KILLING their briefs. I stalled, nervous and frustrated. Finally, I forced myself to commit: “0800, I’m going.”
When I stood up, so did another—OOPS. I wouldn’t went but he was going before me *I would tell myself anything to get out of it. Next my time was up. Another stall, missed another opportunity to go. Finally, I made myself go — Final Attempt, this time with just four note cards.
I remembered all the failing, learning, self‑assessing, and correcting from the night before. I ignored the ribbons. I leaned on my YouTube experience to manage stage fright.
🎉 The Result
- Final delivery: 7:28 minutes.
- Detailed, confident, and well‑received.
- Faculty advisor praised the brief.
- Peers voted for me to present again in front of over 100 senior enlisted leaders.
- Grade: 94 (points off for one overlooked section and minor articulation).
📚 The Lesson
When the stakes are high:
- Prepare intentionally. Don’t confuse effort with progress.
- Practice relentlessly. Normalize failure so you can correct it.
- Assess honestly. Highlight what you know, mark what you struggle with.
- Pray and center yourself. Mental resilience matters as much as technical skill.
Senior Chief Petty Officer named Mark Kearsing once told me:
“NEVER LET THE FIRST TIME YOU DO SOMETHING BE THE FIRST TIME YOU DO SOMETHING.”
– Mark Kearsing
And as the book Practice Perfect taught me: perfect practice means embracing mistakes, learning from them, and building resilience.
🔗 Watch & Learn
I share stories like this on my youtube Channel, Deckplate Tone — I talk about Navy Life, leadership lessons, and personal growth. Check out the channel here: https://youtube.com/@deckplatetone?si=r4gLS3EgXNeUDDqj
🛒 Tools That Help (Affiliate Link)
Preparation isn’t just about content — it’s about systems. Here are tools I recommend for anyone facing high‑stakes presentations:
- Planner for structured practice sessions → THIS IS WHAT I USE
- Quality pens → THE BEST PENS
- Note cards for speech prep → ESSENTIAL FOR SPEECHES
- Coffee maker for those late‑night rehearsals → UNDER $30. I’LL TAKE IT!
✨ Closing
This week reminded me that leadership isn’t about perfection — it’s about preparation, resilience, and the courage to step up even when you feel unready. Fail, learn, assess, correct… and then deliver.
Deckplate Tone 
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