Valentina Bracho Chourio - Reflection #1

What I Learned About Public Speaking!

 “The Important Tricks for a Great Presentation” by group 1 and “Delivering your Speech” by group 3 were the presentations I helped as a project manager. From my experience as leader, I really liked it, and I had great people to work with. What I first noticed is that everyone was diligent with the part assigned to them, some more than others, but at the end of the day everyone did what was asked of them. However, I did have to be very intentional and engaging when directing to them, because they would not be prompted to talk, which I understand being difficult for me to initiate conversations. I had to leave that aside and overcome it. I liked my role as a leader because I felt I was just serving and helping the groups in anything I could.

*Giving a speech at a social event like a wedding

Speech Skills Are Always Useful

The content of the presentation from group 1 was useful because it was very practical. From the other presentations I saw a more in depth of each topic, more descriptive and analytic, but as the title of the presentation said, there were shown very simple and practical tricks. From chapter 1, I learned that we communicate to cooperate, as we need each other to survive, effective communication is a necessity for us, which shows the importance of learning how to speak publicly. Also, they explained how public speaking an important skill for life is, and that needs to be developed. In classes, with professors and classmates, in workplaces, at community meetings or social events as birthdays we use public speaking, even to initiate a conversation at a party we can use public speaking skills.

Speech Uncertainties 

Another really important thing I liked was how to manage anxiety. Public speaking can become one of the most difficult things to do if our mind is hit with stress and anxiety. They explained how we can avoid uncertainties that might appear when speaking in public. The most crucial thing when speaking in public is preparation, to really understand what I am able to do during a speech, what skills I can use and how I can present my information. Also, anxiety is more manageable when we know our topic. From past experiences, when I had to present, I would write all the information on a work document and learn it by memory, using notes also. However, when I would forget one word because a memorized everything and did not really grasp the topic, I would forget the rest, causing me to rely on notes adding more nervousness to an already difficult moment. After I identified the best way for myself to present which was just really learn, read about the topic and just talk about what I learned, my anxiety levels reduced. Of course, I would have notecards and slides for specific words or citing an expert’s work but otherwise it was just me saying what I knew, which freed me of all the pressure I would put on myself.

    

Moreover, from group 3 we see a more in depth on the topics about the delivery of your speech. Specially the topics that caught my attention, were using language effectively and managing your body:

 

A Great Delivery:

When we want to use language effectively, especially in public speaking is really important to remember to use an audience centered language. We often forget the importance of our audience when we are speaking in public. At the end of the day, our main goal, whether it is to inform, to teach or to persuade, is that the audience understands what we are saying. For example, if I were talking to a group of children the tone of my voice, the words that I would use need to be different from talking to a group of young adults or otherwise I might lose their attention. Also, if I were talking to a group of experts or professors, I might want to use a more formal and professional language than I would use giving a speech at my friend’s birthday party. I learned that I could use humor to engage and connect with the audience but making sure that I am giving a clear message.

Managing Our Voice

When delivering a speech, it is also important the management we have over ourselves and the audience being put in that kind of situation. I learned that for a great delivery it is important to manage my voice, by being clear and engaging. To be clear it is important to avoid vocalized pause, such as saying “ummm,” this might distract the audience, causing them to get confused and misinterpret the information. Also, when using scientific terms or any other difficult words to pronounce, it is really important to articulate words clearly, and make sure to practice before the presentation.

Managing Ourselves

Moreover, to engage your audience, the volume, rate and pitch are crucial. If we speak too slowly people may get bored causing them to lose attention, and talking at a low volume will make it easier for members of the audience that are far from us to disconnect from what we are trying to say. Managing our body shows respect and professionalism. Dressing up for the occasion shows respect for the work that is being presented and the people that are listening to it. Making eye contact shows confidence, that helps manage any nerves makes us seem more credible. When people see someone confident in what they are saying they tend to believe more in what they say.

Managing The Audience

Lastly, knowing how to manage the audience helps us become more confident speakers, how to react in moments that a problem might present, and gives us control which overall takes anxiety from our mind. For future presentations, I know that If people seem bored and distracted, I can try to involve them using rhetorical questions or giving a more personal-experience perspective. Doing this, we address the audience as if you were in a more personal conversation manner. Also, it is important to remember that we will have all kinds of people, with all kinds of opinions in the audience. Especially doing a persuasive speech, people that do not agree may react in a hostile or rude manner therefore, it is important to regulate our emotions and respond calmly, assuring that there are not wrong or right opinions, just different and respectable points of view.

Everyone Did a Good Job!

Overall, all groups did a good job, and I learned from every single one of them, however being group manager and being involved with these two particular groups it was easier for me to really grasp what they explained. I think all this information it is really important for public speaking and are things that we can easily use and apply to our future presentations. All in all, it is important to find what works for us individually, to find ways and tips to make us speaking better but without losing our style and personality. 

via GIPHY