Over the years, I have done numerous presentations on different occasions. But this is probably my first time writing a self-reflection on my presentation experience.
In comparison to Peer Teaching, the preparation stage for Oral Presentation (OP) was much easier. This was due to the fact most of the presentation content had already been researched previously when preparing the proposal. Furthermore, my teammates helped me identify the key messages for each of my slides to keep my presentation content focused.
Unfortunately, my problem of slurring my words haunted me again during the OP. As Ken Jie commented, I sometimes sounded like Chinese pop star Jay Chow, who is famous for mumbling when singing. I think nervousness had gotten the better of me.
I feel I could have done more to engage the audience. While I observed that most of you were paying attention, I wondered how many of you were really interested about my presentation. I had thought of using humor to balance my dull image, but I was afraid that this would make my presentation slightly informal.
It is now an open fact that I looked laid back during the question and answer session. Actually, I was just too overwhelmed by the quick thinking and persuasive skills of my teammates. Most of the questions really came as a surprise to us. Even if any of the questions were directed specifically at me, I would need at least one or two seconds to properly process and organize my thoughts.
Like many of you, this OP experience has made me more aware of the dos and don’ts of a quality presentation. I will definitely self-reflect on all my future presentations to continuously improve myself.
(P.S. Thank you Sarah and Ivan. Really enjoyed working with you guys. =P)
UCS1001 S21 Tri1 2024-25
3 weeks ago
Hi Xiang Min! Sorry for the Q&A session during the presentation. It seemed that many questions were directed towards Sarah and my parts, and perhaps this might be due to the flawless presentation you had given, such that no questions could possibly be asked with regards to the exisiting implementations and interviews carried out.
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of Sarah, I would like to apologize to you if we had neglected you during the Q&A session, because many of the questions posed were of great surprise. We hoped that this would not affect you much because without you, the presentation would be incomplete and we would never be able to carry out the whole process normally without you.
I would like to thank you for your hard work and effort put into this proposal and presentation. Your inspiration of ideas and great contribution of key points had made everything possible. It has been a great opportunity to work with you and I hope that we could possibly have future collaborations. Good job and no worries, your speech wasn't as bad as you had mentioned!
Regards,
Ivan
Hey Xiang Min!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I did not really think you slurred your words during OP! You presented much better than during peer teaching. At least I did not feel that you were being monotonous in your speech! =)
As for QnA, don't worry too much about it! Perhaps different people have different pace of thoughts. I personally think you are this slow and steady (Bom beep beep! :D) presenter! A lot of questions posed dealt with the recommendation portion and so, you may have found it tougher as your area of concentration is on the other parts of the proposal!
P.S I enjoyed working with you too!
All the best!
Sarah
Hey Xiang Min!
ReplyDeleteI do not think nervousness had got the better of you. Or maybe I should put it this way: you looked calm and steady during your presentation, something that you already showed during your peer teaching (I enjoyed working with you too!) and you did it again this time!
When you spoke, your words came out clearly and I did not notice any slurring. Your pace was fine too. However, when you talked about the National Youth Achievement Award, I felt you sounded a bit robotic but only for that particular part. Your tone for the rest of your presentation was fine and I have no issues about it.
And once again, I think I will touch on the eye contact part. Like I mentioned on Sarah's OP, it was a good thing that your group stood very near the audience when presenting as the light shone on the presenter and made the focus more on the presenter. However, I realised that you tend to look to the back of the class and those of us sitting in front at your right could only see your side view. Anyway, as I said, it could be due to your position that you might not realize that you made less eye contact with the people sitting at your right.
Like you, I tried to include humour but I think I failed miserably. I guess you made the right decision as sometimes what appears funny when you are rehearsing might not be due to some unforeseen circumstances. Anyway, don't be too hard on yourself and you could actually smile more (I did not though) during your presentation to brighten things up when you do not feel like throwing in some jokes which like you said, might sound informal.
As for the Q&A session, cool down people, it wasn't really that serious an offence! (I am actually consoling myself at the same time as I didn't contribute much either...haha). The way your group responded, it was as though your group owed everyone an explanation! I guess the Q&A could be quite tricky and we could sometimes be caught off-guard and ended up feeling totally stunned. Anyway, don't let it bothered you as like what Ivan and Sarah said, the questions posed were probably more directed towards their parts. You presented well and confidently. A pat on the back for you!
Hi Xiang Min,
ReplyDeletePersonally I did not notice much slurring of words. In fact, I could clearly hear and understand what you were trying to present. As for the humor factor, I do not think that an informal presentation is bad as long as the attention of the audience is captured and they can understand the information you are trying to convey. A formal presentation may be too boring at times. Just look at how many times have we been put to sleep by the serious and formal presentation style of our academic lectures. In fact, I think giving a humorous presentation is much harder than a formal one. For one, you have to ensure the humor works for the audience and you have to endure the cold response should the humor fail.
Your presentation was definitely not dull. It was refreshing to hear what the other foreign universities have in place to encourage CCA participation. One point to note is that at the beginning of your presentation, you were “standing on one leg” and tend to sway a little. But I think you might have noticed that and it was much better after a while.
Sorry for the shock that we gave your team during the Q&A session. One suggestion though. Even if the questions may not be exactly relevant to the things you presented, perhaps can look as if you are concerned and thinking about the question too. Actually, I did not think you had an expression of shock or boredom so it was not a major problem.
Good luck with your revisions and exams!
Chee Siang
Thanks, Xiang Min, for this open and honest reflection. Like others who have provided feedback, I think you're a bit hard on your self. I couldn't tell that you were nervous and I didn't note that you slurred your speech.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I'll give you more information on that soon.
Oh dear, you don't have to worry so much, Xiang Min. I think that you did a good job for your presentation :)
ReplyDeleteI was definitely interested in your presentation, as I wanted to know about other people's opinions in the interviews. I think that your presentation was comprehensive and that there was less to clarify on your points so that's why there were less questions directed your way.
Moreover, I'm glad that you brought up the point about the NYAA and included pics of the booklets on your slides. I feel that adapting the NYAA scheme for NUS is very feasible and is a great idea. I also did not know that there are 2 record books for the NYAA (I was only given 1), so your OP was definitely informative and engaging for me.
Furthermore, I think that this time you did a much better job as a speaker than for the peer-teaching. You were loud and clear. I could hear every single word you said, even the softer 'Ok's at the end of some of your sentences! :) You'd have to cut down on that but otherwise, thumbs up!
On that note, cheers for your next OP, whenever it may be!
Abigail
Thank you all for the reaffirming comments.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I sounded a little negative, but I was just noting down the things that I could look out for in my future presentations. Having said so, it is difficult not to feel inferior after seeing so much great presenters in the class. =)
As for the need for more spontaneity during Q&A, this has always been my greatest obstacle. I think I should build more confidence and be more proactive in future.
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