Aside from
my A’Level oral presentation, I really can’t remember when was the last time I
spoke in front of a small crowd. So I have to say, the peer teaching session
and the oral presentation gave me two great opportunities to brush up on my (rusty)
presentation skills.
Our group
took on the topic of low fertility rate in Singapore. I was really enthusiastic
on the project because it is a current and pertinent issue in Singapore and
most importantly, working on the topic made me think of the plans I have for my
future. My group members were cooperative and we worked well together, making
everything easier.
Through the
presentation I think my group gave a proper summary on our project proposal.
However, I felt a tinge of disappointment on my own performance during the
presentation. I felt extra nervous and because of that, my mind wasn’t as
focused. There were moments where my mind went blank and I could not remember what
was in the next slide. I came up with three reasons for my underperformance.
1.
I
was not familiar with my script.
2.
It
was difficult for me to link my script and my presentation slides.
3.
I
had this ‘premonition’ that I would not do well for the presentation.
For the
first and second reasons, all I can say is that, I did not rehearse enough.
While I crafted the script and slides well beforehand, I started practicing only
a couple days before the presentation. Also, I think my slides were a little
too wordy and thus it was difficult for both the audience and I to fully digest
the information within a limited period of time.
Perhaps I
knew I was unprepared, I had this gut feeling that I would not do well for the
presentation a few days before. The worst thing was that I stuck to the
feeling. Hence, I began the presentation with a wrong end in mind. The law of
attraction worked for me, but it worked in the reverse manner.
I tried
listening to myself during the presentation. I thought I could improve on my
grammar and sentence structure so as to sound more professional. I refrained
from using repeated words and phrases while writing my script, but during the
presentation, I was quite sure that certain words were overused. I think this
is something I should look out for.
I admit,
there were glitches here and there while I was speaking. However, I feel that
on the whole, my speech delivery was smooth, and I had appropriate voice
projection.
The major
takeaway I learnt from the oral presentation was the importance of being yourself.
During the peer teaching, I felt a lot more comfortable and confident. For the
oral presentation, the tone was more formal and in addition to my lack of
practice, I found it difficult to feel comfortable and to maintain the train of
thoughts.
The project
and oral presentation served as good distractions away from my heavy core
modules, but now, I am just glad that we are done with them.
Hello Bernice!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, I felt that your presentation was good as always. And while I could hear that you were nervous in some portions of your presentation, it was clear that you knew your content well and had a good flow to your presentation. Perhaps to someone who is hearing your content for the first time, we would not notice so much as the little things like your grammar and phrasing but more so about the story you are trying to tell to sell your product. And I thought that you did well in that aspect!
I felt that I really learned from your feedback when I read this post, because it was made before my own OP. And that I really took the time out to practice, practice and practice. (:
Thank you for your assurance Bels! :) Nevertheless, there will always be room for improvement and I am working harder to improve my grammar structure so that I can articulate my words better.
DeleteAnyway, I am glad that my post helped you or prompted you to practice. At least we don't make repeated mistakes. :)
Hey Bernice,
ReplyDeleteI have had the privilege of working with you in a team while presenting as well as listening to you as part of the audience. Taking that into account, I think that you were more nervous during the presentation than during the peer teaching. However, you knew your content well, and therefore managed to pull it off, even after losing your train of thoughts.
Aside from the content, I think that your voice has a very good projection - it can be both formal and informal. Thus, people tend to pay attention to you. That is a very good skill to have in the working world.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed working with you, Akaash. Your thoughts and opinions were always constructive and concise during our meetings. :)
Thank you for your encouragement! I will remember your pointers and I will continue to work on my weakness. :)
Hi Bernice,
ReplyDeleteI think the main problem you face was unfamiliarity with the script and slides. One of the factors is the fact that report is written by all of us and inevitably you may feel unnatural to read out another person’s thoughts. There are two ways to fix this; one is to paraphrase the contents in the report to make it your own. Yeah it may not be that “nice sounding” but I realise that spoken languages need not be so flowery. Secondly is to deviate from the report and write something on your own. This way when presenting, you will seem more natural and less memorisation needs to be done (because these thought come from yourself).
Overall, i don't think your last presentation was a good indication on your presentation skills. I think you are a natural speaker, comfortable on stage with good articulation and tone variation. You'll do better next time.
Thank you Ye Chuan!
DeleteWhat you said is true, for I tend to speak like how I write. I will remember your advice and work on the flaws I have when it comes to presentation. :)
Hi Bernice! Akin to your first paragraph, my last formal presentation given was also during my A level days! And that was what 2 years back? Anyways, I’m just wondering. Have you tried to practice listening to your voice while at home, driving, walking? It helps! Maybe instead of focusing on listening to yourself in the presentation, try practicing at home! Oh yes, and one thing I have learnt is this: cup your right hand around your right ear then cup your left hand around your mouth and direct the sound straight into your ear. This helps you to really hear your voice as others hear it. I don’t know how much this would help you but this is really useful! You might wanna try it out!
ReplyDeleteAnd you’re right, the most important thing of all is to be yourself! A lot of times I feel so restricted by the lines and slides I have to remember that I forget to relax and just be myself. Something I have to learn too! Well you keep it up too! See ya soon! (:
Thank you Clarence!
DeleteYups I do practice in front of the mirror and I even listen to my own recordings on the script on the train. That sounded weird but at least it helps me to remember what I need to say. Nonetheless, I will keep your advice/methods in mind and I shall try using them for my next presentation. :)
Hi Bernice!
ReplyDeleteOn a personal level, you're an animated speaker, you are! You probably don't notice, but when you speak, your eyes always shine. You have plenty of facial expression, and you have a really ear catching intonation. I think you were just too nervous on the spot. You just have to let your natural self to shine through.
I agree with you that you probably didn't prepare enough for the presentation. I noticed that you used a script. One thing about scripts I hate is that when you're a nervous, you always try to recall what your speeches were, instead of really communicating with the audience. I think that is why your delivery appeared choppy, you were trying to remember exactly what flowery words you used in your script? Maybe it's just me. Or maybe it's because English is not my first language and I tend to be tongue-tied when I am nervous.
I am sure you will do better if you practiced more beforehand=) But with your busy schedule, I can understand.=)
Thank you for your kind words Ka Yan! I don't usually speak like that unless I am talking to an interesting person. Its always fun talking to you!
DeleteI will definitely work on the script part. I am always relying on a script in fear that I will lose my train of thoughts. Its high time I should be more confident of myself. :)
Hi Bernice!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, like the rest, I thought you were more nervous this time round! However, I felt that you had good voice projection and I liked your style of presenting. You were cheerful and enthusiastic! Even though you were nervous, I could follow you word for word.
As you mentioned, you were distracted by someone whom you thought wasnt interested in your presentation *ahem*. In future, just try your best to ignore the disinterested parties, and maintain eye contact with people who are interested.
Keep up the good work and dont be distracted next time! (: