1st blog

When I first found out we were having a presentation due on the 2nd day of class I felt pressured. Not only because it was only the start but also because I’ve never been good at public speaking. I had no idea what to write about, where to start, and how I was going to be able to manage my time to work on my presentation. I tried not to procrastinate as I usually do so I started to read the chapter I was assigned to on Saturday. Our project was due Thursday so I started off by reading the chapter and writing down the most important parts I picked up from the chapter. My half of the chapter focused on the engagement of the audience, methods of running questionnaires, and most importantly adapting to your audience and setting. I never really understood the importance of adapting to an audience until reading the chapter. There was a lot I learned from it and from hearing my classmates present their chapters. As I got ready to present, I went over my slides, added some pictures, and went over my speech. I thought of how I’d deliver my message, make it interesting, and also elaborate a little more instead of reading off of my slides. I was quite nervous & anxious to present in front of the class.

 

Working on this presentation as a group made it easier to learn about certain tips & tricks when speaking at an event.  The way my group was able to separate the work equally amongst us made it 10x easier to work on the presentation and learn from each other. In some cases, one person from a group ends up doing more work than the other but I genuinely feel like we were fair and equal. I’m more than sure that if one of us needed extra help we would’ve been there for each other. 

I enjoyed hearing other presentations from my classmates; I think they delivered their information with a lot of enthusiasm. These group presentations consisted of the importance of public speaking, preparing for a presentation and researching. In the beginning of our class presentation, we came across some information that can make a presentation more adequate. Group 3 went over the importance of grabbing the audience’s attention by making a great impression in the beginning and the end. They provided some techniques that benefit the speaker when making a great impression such as tying emotion into the speech. They also provided some techniques on how to manage body language when our nerves take over. 

Group 2 introduced the topic of speech preparation; I think this is something significant that most people have to take into consideration especially having no knowledge of what the topic may be about. If I were to have no idea of what my topic would’ve been addressing, I most likely would’ve brainstormed and improvised which is why researching beforehand is critical. This group went over the basics and importance of researching a topic. Whenever I do my research on a topic I’m not cognizant about, I tend to go for Google as my main source. Adding credibility to your work is highly important in order to prevent plagiarism. Anytime before submit my work, I make sure I scan through it and check for any plagiarism. I think other groups did an amazing work; I really loved their visuals and how they added pictures and details that were eye catching. I think that’s something essential when attempting to grab your audiences attention. 

My group focused on tricks for a great presentation like building confidence and adapting to the audience. I feel like these are two very important points to focus on because a lot of people get nervous before presenting and lack confidence. Having a big audience in front of you is nerve wrecking so we suggested ways on how to cope with this. As I mentioned before. When having an audience its important to make the audience comfortable and build a connection with them. Having a good understanding & relationship with the audience can be effective when becoming confident.

 I was quite nervous and anxious to present in front of the class It wasn’t my first time presenting on Zoom but it felt strange doing it in front of a new crowd. I practiced millions of times before presenting which helped me boost my confidence. “Practice makes perfect”. Looking back at my speech, I think I felt and looked confident more than what I expected. I took some of the information I learned into consideration. I was shy in the beginning and I was worried of how I was projecting myself but I started to ease down as I was speaking. I practiced on my tone and using less hand gestures to ease my nerves. By  the time I checked, I was already done with my speech, this made me get out of my comfort zone with public speaking. One thing i improved on is my voice projection. I usually tend to speak at such a low tone but I practiced beforehand on projecting my voice as I mentioned during my presentation. Even though I feel strongly great about my presentation, one thing I would’ve done was developed a stronger conclusion to wrap up all the points I delivered. I found my conclusion to be very vague as if there was no conclusion at all. I would’ve went back to the beginning of my speech and restated the main points and terms. There’s obviously always room for improvement which us something I’ll keep in mind. 

Generally, I believe my group did very well of presenting the chapters. Everything was well written and we all went with the flow. We took the time to practice beforehand all together as a group when we were separated into breakout rooms. I can’t just give my group its praise; the whole class overall did great. The preparation, the organization, the clarification, etc, was well addressed. The other presenters had great introductions and conclusions of the topics being delivered. I believe this semester will be a great opportunity for me learn new things, to be more comfortable with myself and to be more open. Public speaking is something I never envisioned myself taking but I hope for the best outcomes.