On Tuesday, my group and I presented to our classmates
posing as members of Office and Estate Development (OED) on our proposal
“Enhancing Accessibility of University Town”. For this presentation, the
PowerPoint slides were prepared a week beforehand and our group also managed to
find the time to rehearse a few times before the actual presentation.
I always had problems with formal presentations which is one
of the reasons why I decided to take up this module. While I do have experience
in presenting in a class of secondary school students, I find difficulty in the
transition between that and a formal presentation setting. Though both settings
involve the presentation of ideas, they still differ in many ways. For example,
fillers such as ‘yeah’ which aid me in thinking has to be eliminated in the
formal presentations. Though I managed to cut down on the usage of fillers in
the actual presentation, I was still unable to eliminate it completely. I
believe I have to make a conscious effort during actual presentations to get
rid of this weakness of mine. In addition, I do realise that I tend not to
enunciate my words clearly. This is considered a problem as it will hinder in
the delivery of my ideas to the audience if they have difficulty in
understanding me. I have to start enunciating my words on an everyday basis so
it will come more naturally to me during formal presentations.
While I do have many weaknesses, I do like the fact that I
am able to project my voice. I feel that this is able to show confidence. Also,
I also like our group’s slides. They are not too wordy with many graphics to
illustrate our points. The fact that the slides are colour-coded help to
minimise the distraction for the audience.
All in all, I believe that I have improved significantly in
giving formal presentations since the start of this semester and I am grateful
for having taken this module.
Hello Min Yu,
ReplyDeleteHaving seen you rehearse and present from peer teaching to the recent OP, I can tell that you have improved considerably. Without a doubt, and that too within the short span of a semester. You are taking a conscious effort at least, and thats a great starting point.
The class provided a platform to identify our strengths as well as our individual areas of weaknesses. To truly benefit however, we (applies to all of us) should continue working on these weaknesses even though class may be over. :)
Hi Hiranya,
DeleteThank you for your encouragement! I have learnt lots from you, presentation-wise like how you always look so calm during presentations. Thank you and keep working hard.
Cheers, Min Yu
Hi Min Yu!
ReplyDeleteI do face the same problem transitioning from presenting in a secondary school setting to a professional setting. We really have to be aware of our fillers and use the appropriate tone. But I feel that your strength really lies on the non-verbal factors such as delivering with confidence and enthusiasm, having effective eye contact and displaying appropriate gestures when you bring your points across. And that's why your presentations are usually very engaging (:
Hi Amira!
DeleteThank you for your pointers, especially about being engaging! We do have to keep that in mind when teaching our own students next time!
Thank you and keep working hard!
Cheers
Min Yu
Hello Min Yu,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your presentation a lot as it was very clear, concise and complete. It was clear because the flow of your presentation was very systematic in guiding your audience along, with the help of very appealing and true images. I personally think that the way you spoke was clear and comfortably paced, and in fact, I did not think there was any enunciation problem which you mentioned in your post. To add on, I particularly like the energy you had while presenting. Overall, I really enjoyed your presentation and liked your idea. I always thought moving walkway is a good idea to have within NUS! I did not raise my hand that day, like Amira did, because I was still trying to visualize if the walkway into UTown has enough space for the implementation of your proposed idea. :) GOOD IDEA!
Hi Jieying!
DeleteI am glad I have managed to sell you the idea cos personally I love my group's ideas too! :D
I like your presentation too! and I feel that you will do well for your presentations!
Thank you and keep working hard!
Cheers Min Yu
Hi Min Yu,
ReplyDeleteYou should be proud that you can have a great proposal with only 2 people. I’m sure the workload must be heavy for both of you. I agree that it is very hard to kill our habits and it requires practice. But you managed to draw me in your proposal with your speech and I think that was a very good thing to successfully persuade your audience. I still prefer the bicycle idea though.
Hello Chuong!
DeleteI am glad to know that you liked the bicycle idea! hopefully we can see that implemented in Utown before we graduate. Thank you and keep working hard!
Cheers Min Yu
Hi Min Yu,
ReplyDeleteYour team mate here! Thanks for a great team mate! It was an exciting experience facing the challenge of the research project with you!
Regarding your post, I agree that speaking to young children is very different to giving a presentation in a formal setting. If we confuse the two, we will either make adults sound feel that you are talking down on them, or lose control of students in the class.
I am glad that we made it through the oral presentation. It was heartening to see so many improvements from the rehearsal to the actual presentation. All the best in your future presentations!
Hi Jane Austen,
DeleteYeah! Thank you for your encouragement and I have learnt much from you, presentation wise. Thank you and keep working hard!
Cheers Min Yu