No matter how prepared I might be, I am usually quite nervous before, during, and after giving a presentation. Thursday was not much of an exception. I was still fairly nervous about it, and that affected my presentation. I had wanted to click on my slides without looking, but I failed to do so. However, I think that being with my group members helped me feel less worried about speaking in front of others. Being in the classroom that I have been spending my whole semester with also helped ease some tension. Plus, we interact with each other in class so much that we feel comfortable talking with each other and sharing our ideas. I think all this helped the presentations go very smoothly and it helped me focus on the material being presented instead of me being too nervous to pay proper attention.
In time of nervousness, effective body language is always the factor that boosts my confidence. I was able to use my hands and facial expressions to spark enthusiasm in the audience. I think body language can play a large role in making an oral presentation good.
In time of nervousness, effective body language is always the factor that boosts my confidence. I was able to use my hands and facial expressions to spark enthusiasm in the audience. I think body language can play a large role in making an oral presentation good.
For the familiarity of the content, I did have a better understanding of the content after constant rehearsals. I would still tend to refer to the slides while presenting. While some of the references were used to enhance my explanation, others were actually not necessary. This cause of behavior may be due to my nervousness in trying to ensure the accuracy of my content.
With the right posture, constant smiling and good eye contact, I believe that the image I showed is a confident one. I had also included some interesting ideas in my slides to constantly arouse the audience’s attention.
With regards to the team, the cohesiveness is good. The team was well dressed for the occasion. We included an interesting video to further enhance our presentation. The transition between teammates was smooth. Lastly, during the Q&A session, the way we address the audience is very polite, and the answers are quite complete.
Overall it was a very good experience, as nerve-wracking as it might have been.
Hi Lynn,
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel you started the presentation very well. You addressed the audience with a great smile, that put us at ease.I dint really feel you were that nervous, probably because you kept smiling at the audience. Maybe a nice smile can just act as a cover-up for all mistakes , who knows !
So if I was a normal audience I would say it was good. However, it can be better. The only thing I realized was that you stumbled on a few words. Avoid that, as stumbling might distract the audience or take their attention off the presentation.
Just keep in mind - Practice leads to perfection. Practice in front of an empty class, in front of your friends. It will definitely help you.
Even I am still learning to master the art of presenting !
Thanks, Linh, for sharing with us such a detailed piece of reflection. You'd asked yourself how you felt, what you have learnt from the experience, and how it will inform your behaviour in the future – and it is this kind of a detailed reflection that will help improve your future presentations. Great job here!
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that you wanted to click on your slides without referencing the screen, and you said that you failed to do so. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, Linh. In reality, that very often is easier said than done. A large number of presenters do have not the luxury of having helpers navigate their slides, nor do they have advanced technology where they can view their notes pages while presenting. In that regards, quick reference to the screen is fine. The key is to not compromise eye-contact when you do that, and frankly, I thought you managed that very well in your oral presentation! Most of the time you turned to the screen, navigated to the next point, and turned back to the audience before you continued sharing. That was excellent audience-awareness I would say. You only really faced the screen and ‘presented to the screen’ once or twice.
Also, I noticed that you made it a point to be close to the audience. Even when you moved backward to reference a point on the screen, you consciously moved forward after that, bringing yourself back to your audience. Excellent job in establishing rapport with your audience.
What would make your presentation a good one would be more rehearsals, working on your command of the (English) language. You seemed to have gone into ‘edit mode’ that day, and what you had clearly originally intended to convey became a series of 'erms' and 'ehs' as you frantically searched for the right words to express yourself. With more practice, you would definitely be able to present fluently and smoothly, emphasising words appropriately, without any glitches. Doing this has another benefit – it will show you as a confident presenter, who knows exactly what to say and how to say it.