#6: Final reflections

One of the many things that this course has helped me greatly with is my confidence in presentations.  I have always had a fear of public speaking, and over the course of 13 weeks, this fear has decreased.

I think that the reasons for this change boils down to the class setting.  From day 1, Brad had introduced the goal of the module and set the tone of the class right. I knew that I was in an environment where I could learn, make mistakes, and not be embarrassed by it. 

In addition, most of the classes were discussion based. Initially, I found it difficult to voice my opinions in class as I usually have problems articulating my thoughts, or that others would judge me based on what I said. However, as I got used to the style of the lessons, I gradually opened up and was more confident to share my ideas in class.

Having the opportunity to present and watch others present helped me to be more self aware of things to look out for during a presentation. Things like eye contact, stance, filler words were repeated so many times that I would keep these things in mind as I prepared for presentations.  Not being able to use notes was intimidating as first, but I now know that this is possible, and the benefits of it.  Having the opportunity to go through the job interview process was another valuable experience as I realised the need to be self aware and confident in myself and my abilities.

My research team helped me greatly too.  We met up many times to talk through the project discussion, mock and real presentations.  We would give each other suggestions and feedback, and affirm each other’s strengths.

I am glad to say that I am more confident in myself now, especially when giving presentations.  Practice and internalising the content that you are presenting definitely helps!

Thank you Brad and all my lovely classmates for this semester together! Thank you for the reminder through the Bolshoi video that we should never give up on our dreams and passion just because things may get difficult. I wish that for all of us too. Have the courage and determination to follow your heart.

#5: Reflection on Oral Presentation

Note: This is my second draft. I have edited my post from the previous one to make it more personal.

Preparation

Despite not having that much time to prepare for the presentation, I would say that we did relatively well. While preparing the slides, I tried to make them in the clearest way possible for the audience and constantly revised them, adding pictures or changing figures to graphs to emphasise the difference between savings and installation costs. I am glad that the flow chart was clear. Writing down notes for each slide helped me to  remember the links between the different slides as well as the content.  As we were only able to meet once to compile the presentation, I mainly practiced at home starting by looking at the notes that I made for each slide. After I was more familiar, I practiced in front of a mirror and in slide show view.  I consciously tried to use words that were more persuasive.    

Delivery

Being prepared paid off. After the presentation, I was surprised that I did not feel as nervous as I would usually be, a feeling that I have never had before.  Usually, I would just be a bundle of nerves.  I hope that I would be able to replicate this feeling in the future. I tried to consciously leave out my ‘ums’ and intonate my voice more as I am usually monotonous when presenting.  I was surprised when Brad commented that I had good eye contact, as I did not notice that myself. 

Use of slideware

A special mention to Jerick who painstakingly made the slides for his part! 

I tried to have a balance between words and pictures for my slides. Animations were added while explaining the cost benefits, which allowed the audience to better follow my explanations. In addition, I believe that the animation helped to create more impact when the figures appeared.

I am relieved and glad that this is one of the better presentations that I have had, especially in terms of the feeling of nervousness. While watching the video (find it on Jerick's blog), I still had my 'ums'. One thing that I want to improve on is to be more natural, as though I am speaking with each member of the audience and not just presenting.