7th April 2011. That was the date that I had my oral presentation. I knew about it all along at the start of the module and I was never nervous about it as I had my fair share of presentations before this. However, while doing the proposal, I realised that there is more to it than just presenting bare facts. I have to capture the audience attention and be persuasive at the same time.
When my team got the first slot on 7th April, we were quite taken aback especially me and Wee Lee, as that was the day that we had to submit our thesis. Bearing that in mind, I quickly got to work in preparing the slides. Looking back, I thought did a great job with it by putting nice, relevant pictures while maintaining simplicity. The statements were also short and simple so as not to appear intimidating.
Delivering the presentation is another thing. I rehearsed many times, with group members as well as in front of the mirror. The verdict? I thought I did much (3X) better than the peer teaching session. For instance, I got my attire appropriate this time around (I wore jeans and sneakers previously!). I believed I spoke louder and use more gestures to relate to the slides. Other than that, I portrayed a more confidence aura and tried my very best to sound as convincing as I can.
However, some minor shortcomings include having to rush through the presentation. The self imposed 5 minutes always played in my mind, which is evident in the occasional fumbling of words. Besides appearing hurried in my presentation, I realised that I smiled only at the start and at the end of the presentation. I guess I have to take lessons on keeping a smiley face throughout. In all, I am proud to say that I have done well even though there is still room for improvement.
Before signing off, I dare say that for once, I think I did better than my good friend, Wee Lee, which he himself admitted to. Haha....=)
Hi Fahmi!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, with regards to the oral presentation, "yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay"! The nerve- wrecking day is over! You were definitely sounding more confident than your peer- teaching assignment, I guess practice really does make perfect eh? Kudos to your team's standardized attire as well. Your self- assessments are accurate indeed; you did speak louder (I remember you as being very soft- spoken!), used more hand gestures, and maintained eye contact with the audience. I liked the fact you did not use cue cards as well.
However, you could still afford to be a bit louder in volume! During your presentation, you used "errrr" quite a number of times before beginning your sentence- sometimes it's hard to get rid of this habit, so maybe you could speak slower and more consciously and catch yourself before the "errr"s come out.
I am glad that this module has helped you speak more confidently in front of an audience! Overall, a job well done. :)
-Doris (dorislin88.wordpress.com)
Hi Fahmi!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the great job for the oral presentation! Wow the date of the presentation coincide with your thesis submission? Must be stressful then. You did a great job - sounding more confident as compared to your peer teaching session although you had the tendency to say 'err'.
I especially like the way that your group handled the Q&A session! Very calmly and logically. Haha I guess that is the most nerve wrecking part of the presentation right? I guess the practice from this module certainly helped and all the best for the rest of your modules!
Cheers,
Xiu Qin
I think Wee Lee did great too. You can't compare your performances like that, because you two have different personalities and personal habits. That's how I feel anyway. Like, I don't like smiling in a presentation, and will not smile ever D:
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