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.
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.
Dear Russell,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, nice haircut. I was impressed that you actually cut it because of your presentation. It is a good habit to be well-groomed before an important event like OP2. I will try to cultivate this habit of yours.
Secondly, to be able to make an impact on the audience, one has to continuously engage with the audience. The language you used must be soft and friendly to the audience’s ear. This means avoiding using bombastic or uncommon English words. Next you’ll need to radiate the energy, just like you say. When your energy level is reaching the top, it’s a good time make the impact by asking the audience the question. This is the efficient way.
Thirdly, it is true we started working on our projects late. In fact, coupled with nasty tutorials, projects and assignment, it was pretty hard to have better time management for the five of us. However, our bad habit of focusing on slides colour, fonts, and animations must stop. This should be done after our content has been perfected.
Lastly, it was nice working with you. If you have time, please change the picture above as it clearly shows my untidy haircut.
Regards,
Eno
Dear Russell,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I enjoy working in this team too! :)
Speaking of our team’s performance in the presentation, I think being the first team to present, we are probably the team under the greatest pressure. But as you can see, we were able to manage the pressure eventually, isn’t it?
Probably as you have said, we have focused a little bit too much on slides rather than our speeches. That’s why it seems that we haven’t made full use of the advantages of being the first to present. Being the first team to present, we can try as many new and creative delivering methods as possible without worrying that these methods might clash with that of the other teams.
You are right, the experience we gained from OP1 did help a lot in improving our performance in OP2. I think you are not only more confident this time, but you look more knowledgeable and persuasive as well. You see, if we can keep on reflecting every time after a presentation—in the way we are doing—we will get improved pretty quickly.
Regards,
Shiyan
Dear Russell,
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure to work with you all.
We started our project quite late, but what we have done was, I think, a success. All five of us had been working hard.
Being the first team has its own advantages and disadvantages. The most disadvantage must be the lack of time for preparation. Having to rehearse right before the presentation did affect our performance. But, the advantage is that we do not have to worry about our methods might crash with that of other teams, as Shiyan said. For example, I found out that all 3 groups used the same picture when they talked about research.
And lastly, you look handsome with the hair cut!
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ReplyDeleteHi Russell,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you felt more confident in your oral presentation and appreciate how you took Ms Brenda's advice of looking good to feel good.
About the question you posed to the audience, while i agree that pausing before posing a question would help in emphasis, identifying what caused the confusion and perhaps rephrasing would be a better choice.
Injecting more energy into a presentation is always a good choice. Perhaps it would be easier to do if you were able to present without a script allowing you to interact with the audience freely.
Lastly, I agree that more rehearsals is always a good option while preparing for an oral presentation. I liked how you were able to identify the good practices in your presentation as well as provide viable solutions to improve one's presentation.