Post #5: Reflection on Oral presentation 2

We had our second oral presentation (OP2) on Monday, 22nd March. Being the first group to present is like a double-edged sword. We were able to present without the pressure of needing to better the previous group, but the other groups have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. For example, our classmates were able to brush up their problem statements after seeing the fault in ours.

I felt somewhat more confident being in front of the class. Could it be because I’ve gotten to know my classmates better? Or is because I already had the first oral presentation 1 (OP1) under my belt? Or is my success due to the “handsome” haircut that I got the day before? :)

I think that the past experience of OP1 helped the most. It is much easier to present for the second time. Knowing the audience better and being better groomed contributed to my confidence, but to a lesser extent.

During the presentation, my question to the class didn’t come out right. The class simply looked confused. There was an abrupt transition from me droning on and on to me asking a question. What I should have done is to pause for a little while before asking the question. This would give the audience time to adjust.

My energy level during the presentation was also rather low. This was because I totally forgot about the fact that the audience “feeds” on the energy that I radiate. I will definitely keep this in mind from now on.

While I feel that I’ve improved somewhat compared to the OP1, I acknowledge that I still have plenty of room for improvement. The process of presenting (practice) and then reflecting on what went right and what went wrong would definitely help me improve.

Our group started working on the presentation pretty late. We were told about this presentation way before OP1. We had more than ample time if we had started working then. As a result, we had to squeeze the rehearsals for the presentation on Sunday and Monday morning. Time management could have been much better.

I also think that the group focused too much on the slides. We spent a lot of time touching up the slides and trying to do cool stuff and have thus neglected perfecting our speeches. After all, we are the ones doing the talking, not the slides.

All in all, I really enjoyed working with this team. Everyone pulled his own weight and was willing to put in the extra effort to help the team excel.