Project Oral Presentation

One of the greatest challenges to me, is presenting to people in such a way that would make them remember the presentation for more than a day. Throughout my years of education and 2 years in the Army, I have learnt techniques and skills to conduct an effective presentation. That is the easy part. What separates the good from the average presenter is the ability to learn these techniques and skills, and apply them to their presentation, constantly assessing themselves to further improve on presentation.

During the mock presentation, I realised after watching the video of myself presenting, that there are many areas in which I can improve. Eye contact, smiling a little more, moving away from the podium, slowing down my speech a little. Yes, these are tiny bits and pieces, but these tiny bits and pieces are vital pieces that could make a huge difference if dealt with.

I have never done a comparison to myself before. The video recording helped to assess myself, and actually target the points to be improved. It is an essential tool when aiming to improve oneself - self reflection. I am glad I took this module, and that there was a session devoted to mock presentations and recording.

Overall, I feel that I did better and felt more confident during the actual presentation. Given it was a second time doing the same presentation, but this time, I had taken the critique from Dr RJ and my peers and thought about how I could change my presentation based on them. One of the biggest barriers to learning is the inability to take criticism, and I'm glad I am open to it.

I feel a lot more prepared to face the real world. Although I know not what lies out there, I know for sure that what I've learnt so far will always be embedded in me; and it will not be a lesson I would take for granted. Ever.