If you're an ES2007S student from NUS, you would know what I'm referring to. If you're not, then let me give you a brief introduction. I have just finished a presentation for my ES2007S Professional Communication module and am glad it went well. And relieved.
Although I am glad it's over, I will miss working with my group members - Yi Fei, Jing Yuan and Hui Juen. All the Sunday morning meetings and the Wednesday night meeting, though tiring, were enjoyable and productive. Everyone always came prepared for meetings and was focused on matters we had to discuss. And there were the jokes and laughs. Thank you for the good times (:
I was quite nervous before the presentation started. Unlike the peer-teaching presentation, this one was more formal. Also, the content of this presentation was largely based on primary research and self-conceived solutions. So I was worried about the question and answer (Q&A) section. Although my team members and I had prepared for it, I was afraid I would answer in a silly manner. Thinking back, I could have done better in the Q&A session. I was still quite nervous when I was answering questions. So I ended up stumbling over my words and sometimes repeated myself although it was not necessary to do so. I think I should practice answering questions more before presentations next time. Perhaps I could get my group members to ask me questions and then I could practice answering them.
There were times when I thought I was speaking too loudly. Sometimes, I was not sure whether Ms. Lim and my classmates sitting nearer the back of the classroom could hear me. So I tried speaking a little louder. But when I did so, I wondered whether I came across as someone speaking too loudly (and forcefully) in order to sound convincing. Again, I should practice more for this. I don't think I spent enough time for this during my preparation stage. Well, now I know!
Overall, I think my team put up a pretty good presentation. We were focused on our content, mindful of our body language and how we spoke, and were basically on our best presentation behaviour. Our slides and transition between presenters were pretty fluid. And we were dressed smartly (: We also arrived early to setup our presentation slides and finalise our standing positions. I must thank Vanessa, Rina and Shiyun for helping us to check whether the words on our slides could be read easily. It was nice of you (:
In conclusion, I have learnt a lot more about presenting from this experience. I was also able to identify areas for improvement, which will definitely come in handy for future presentations.
There! I have said what I think. Your turn. (:
Hi Puva!
ReplyDeleteAhhh the sweet sweet relief washing over you as the presentation comes to a close. I had the same problem with volume, but no, I did not think you were too loud during your presentation.
Q&A was also the most unnerving part of the presentation for us. Thinking back, I was impressed with your composure when answering questions. Also, repetition may not be a bad thing as it takes a few tries before the message can sink into the questioner, no?
It was very generous of you to volunteer your baby for our video, too! Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the whole process!
Thanks for your sharing, Puva. Thanks also for the effort you and your team put in for the preparation of the oral presentation and for the proposal; your team is possibly one of my most hardworking and dedicated teams of students and I really appreciate all the hard work and the efforts you and your teammates put in.
ReplyDeleteBack to your Oral Presentation, I agree with you that your team did put up a pretty good presentation. You were right when you said that the Q&A session could be better handled. Perfect as a presenter may be, the bitter truth is that presenters do more to sell/persuade/market/inform their audience by responding to questions confidently than by anything they say during their prepared speech. It was good that your team prepared for the Q&A session, though more work probably needs to be put in for future Q&A sessions. I’m sure you are aware that the Q&A session can quickly become a treacherous minefield that can doom even the best presenters if they are unprepared. Your suggestion of asking your teammates to ask you question is a great idea. In fact, I would ask you to take it one step further and engage your most stubborn, annoying, and inquisitive friends to role-play. I can almost guarantee that the benefits reaped will be enormous.
All in all, Puva, you demonstrated to a large extent good use of the following: gestures, enthusiasm, eye-contact, and you also made a winning impression when you spoke naturally and confidently. Good job!