Fernando Mederos - Reflection #1

As the first project to the Intro to Public Speaking class each of the four groups were tasked with delivering a speech based on their assigned chapters. While seeing these groups present, including my very own Group Two, I saw an impressive display of public speaking talent, each with their own unique and informative way of reaching the audience. 

Groups one and two presented on a Thursday, while groups three and four presented on the following Tuesday. Focusing on Group Two, Their slides were properly organized, very good points that helped stand out to a couple other chapters. I appreciate how the main theme was formal, but inviting and soft at the same time. There was not that much text in the slides which helped because too much wording just lets the audience read and it distracts from the presenter. Moving on to the members, Carlos was an absolute powerhouse, not only pointing toward audience members, engaging them in conversation, but effectively catching everyone's attention in the room. I really like how he mentioned that the chapters isn't everyone's cup of tea but if they had something they loved they would immediately work on their presentation.

Sam, another group member, brought a unique visual element with his bold and formal slides to the presentation.  He also had a nice strong tone like the other groups, What set him aside, or at least from the group members, is his hand and body language which did seem a bit anxious but in the end he did great. His creativity with the slides set an interesting atmosphere which helped keep the audience interested.

And the other group members like Melanie, Mari, Joshua, and Haila, with their strong voices and ability to maintain eye contact and somewhat slightly look at their notes and continue speaking added a more personal tone to the presentation. Overall the group did amazing and managed to keep the presentation within my set twenty-minute mark and actually went under it by two minutes, which, in my opinion, is the sweet spot before the audience's attention begins to falter. But even with these amazing things, they did some still did stutter, understandably so for their first time, which brought people somewhat off. Joshua's part also had to be done by me until he could make his own speech the following Thursday (the 12th). I did learn as well in that presentation that when a member is going to be missing day of presentation they can record their part and add it into the slides so that they can get a grade for it. This is something that did scare me since Joshua had his own scare and I made sure to keep checking on him and thankfully he stayed in class!

via GIPHY

Next up I am gonna speak about Group Three, who, despite being first timers like the rest of the groups, delivered an amazing performance. Not only did two of their group mates dress up in formal attire, adding a layer of professionalism to their delivery, but the groups' overall energy did help distract from a couple of the members reading from the board/papers in their hand.

Group Threes' presentation did run a bit over my preferred twenty-minute limit, clocking in at around twenty-five when I timed them. However, as previously mentioned their energy did help from some faults, and most importantly the content they displayed and their delivery of it really made it worthwhile. 

Groups One and Four also put in commendable efforts. Their presentations, however, did have members speak softly making it unable to hear them and follow their points. They also surpassed the twenty-minute mark by a bit, with Group Four hitting twenty-nine minutes while Group One hit twenty-seven. At that length the audience's attention did begin to wane as people were getting on their phones, whispering to friends, etc. Obviously not only is that a lesson for the audience members to try to pay more attention since the presenters deserve that respect but also one for the presenters to not go above the twenty-minute mark so the audience can successfully keep their attention. 

I loved how the two groups did have their own themes for their slides and even though it went above the time mark group four had very good points. The ability to keep most members to have multiple slides while knowing their points very well made it so that they were very knowledgable. What I do want to see change (hopefully) would be the groups and their members having stronger confidence since the lack of confidence and anxiety before they present have made some not only speak softly, like mentioned before, but I did hear a couple of people speed through a couple words, and then a couple others just speak very slowly so that made it confusing and added to a lack of attention for all groups. 

Despite their minor hiccups, the groups performed exceptionally well for the first time, and I couldn't be prouder of the effort that every single one of them put into their work. Their presentations were more than just work, but their very own stepping stones in their journey to becoming adept public speakers. 

And for my fellow Project Managers! Both Nicole and Valentina have done amazing work, Valentina taking the reigns and putting in as much effort as possible for Groups One and Three while Nicole with a stern attitude always wanting to be two steps ahead and always being prepared for the next class. I have enjoyed seeing them work on their respective groups and appreciate the help they have given to not only each other and their group members, but all students in the class as well. 

As we move forward, the experiences learned in this class will serve as a guide, helping us continually improve and shape our public speaking skills. I eagerly look forward to witnessing first hand the growth of each group and individual in future presentations. 

In conclusion, the presentations given a couple classes ago were not only a testament to the learning progress we can make in our class, but the perfect test to see how knowledgeable each individual is and how to help them grow more. Everyone showcased their remarkable preparation skills, teamwork, and courage to face the audience and speak about something most people in class got bored about super quickly (the  book). All of which are important lessons we will carry throughout our public speaking journey and the world beyond.