The final oral presentation I had was a really practical and
good learning experience from me. I vividly recalled my heart pounding anxiously
when xiao wei was giving her presentation. At my seat, I repetitively remind
myself that I have a good bunch of audience and there was really nothing for me
to be afraid of.
This oral presentation was beneficial as it provided me with
relevant and instant feedback of my own oral presentation skills. Being a naturally
fast speaker, this trait of mine was carried forward when I was giving my actual
oral presentation. As a result, some of my audience actually lost me along the
way.
Also, Brad shared with the class that despite me sounding
soothing during my oral presentation, I sounded commanding as well on the other
hand. I did not really get his point at that point of time but I started to
recall on the various aspects of my oral presentation (which includes the intonation,
articulation of words, volume etc). To
my surprise, I realised that in an attempt to sound persuasive, I sounded
commanding instead when I was trying to place greater emphasis on certain
ideas then.
With regards to the visual aids during oral presentation, I
certainly agree that minimal words during a presentation would capture the
maximal attention of the audience. Like what Brad had mentioned, the main aim
of an oral presentation is to successfully engage and capture the audience’s
attention as well as to bring forth the main idea in the simplest way possible.
Those excessive words on my slides actually diverted the
audience’s attention away
from me to the screen instead.
In conclusion, for my future oral presentations, I would
definitely make a conscious effort to speak lower, to be more tactful when
placing emphasis during presentation and to prepare slides with as minimal
words as possible. I am now more mindful of my flaws and would continuously make
an effort to improve them. I felt that this mock school setting oral presentation
provided me with an excellent opportunity to get a taste of what an actual oral
presentation could be like in the working world. I had gained several useful
insights of my own oral presentation and it was definitely a memorable
experience.
Hello Sharlene,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed being an audience for your presentation. It was really engaging, natural and you were really different from your mock presentation. Even though others might think that your presentation speed might be a little too fast, I find the speed just right. Instead, your speed and tone highlighted your main point.I really can see and sense the passion and effort you all have put in for this research project. Thumbs up for your awesome presentation :)
Cheers,
Phyllis
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ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharlene, for the detailed reflection. You bring us readers inside your mind, before and after the presentation. I like the fact that you realized beforehand that your audience would be a non-hostile one. This certainly mellowed you out and perhaps helped your presentation have a very relaxed quality.
ReplyDeleteYou also mention my comment about your talk being smooth but also commanding. Actually, I think you've misunderstood me. By commanding I meant that you had complete content control, and that you asserted that by demonstrating deep knowledge during the presentation.
In fact, my reaction was generally positive (as you know by my comments sent earlier).
I really appreciate the way you've explored the experience in this post.
Thanks Phyllis for being so encouraging.
ReplyDeleteThank you Brad for clearing my doubt about the comment "commanding". :)
Hi Sharlene,
ReplyDeleteYour presentation was really impressive! It was a big improvement from our practice sessions. You are a very convincing speaker and have the ability to capture the audience attention. For me your speed was not a big problem.
But rather, you tend to move on the spot (like me!) that can be a bit distracting. Nevertheless, you will be a great speaker once you are more self aware of your non verbals. It was great working with you.
All the best for finals!
Xiao Wei