It’s such a great relief to know that I’ve finally gotten over the oral presentation! Having two presentations (the other for an interview…I can imagine some of you already thinking “Interview?! Presentation?! But yes..unfortunately…not?) in one day is definitely some thing I didn’t and will not look forward to anytime soon!But yes, I’m so glad today’s over.
I must say that today’s presentation went better than expected! This is especially so given the very little time we had on our busy schedules to prepare for it. And what could go wrong did go wrong- the wireless mouse that we intended to use had a weak battery so it didn’t work beyond a certain radius from the USB port. Therefore, we could not coordinate the slides as well as we would have wanted it to be. We also forgot to print out a copy of the slides so that the person who was controlling the powerpoint knew what to expect with each click. So lesson learnt: Never, ever, rely on technology! Always prepare a backup (that does not involve technology, of course (: )I guess that was the greatest difficulty we had- technical wise.
Personally, I was surprised at how I felt much calmer than I had expected to be the moment the presentation started. My legs did not start shaking uncontrollably like how it does sometimes even though my mind can be perfectly calm. However, that being said, I am sure there were still areas for improvement. Though I tried to make a conscious effort to speak slower, I’m not sure how much of it translated out that way. I guess people in the audience will be better judges of that (:
I guess another thing I always struggled with and struggled with again is learning to put thoughts together quickly in my mind so that it’ll be translated into coherent speech. As much as I can prepare a speech, write points down on a cue card and rehearse it, I still face the difficulty of forming coherent sentences with those points on the presentation slides and cue cards. And hence the “erm..yes..”, “errr”, “yups”, etc. I hope this is something that can come with practice. And this is the one reason why, as sadistic as it may sound, I look forward to more opportunities to give presentations and talk in front of an audience. I guess the hard way is often also the best way to learn (:
ES2007S Professional Communication 
Bryan Said:
on April 11, 2010 at 12:22 am
Hey Jia Lin!
Congrats on a job well done on the presentation. It is always such a joy to listen you present, as you always appear to come acoss as very sincere! =) Yes, I do agree that technology can do wonders but at the same time let you down when you do not want them to, so I guess having contingencies are a must.
I thought the flow of the presentation was good! I definitely did not need to have a copy of the slides to follow the presentation so don’t worry too much about that. =) You displayed good use of gestures, especially at junctures where you wanted to emphasize a point, well done! I guess the only thing that you perhaps may have to work on will be to speak a little slower, but I definitely saw an improvement from the last time you presented. So yes, practice makes perfect!
Overall I enjoyed your presentation! It’s a pity the semester is coming to a close, but hope there’s a next time!
Cheers,
Bryan
Andrew Said:
on April 11, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Hi Jia Lin,
I felt that your group’s presentation was really great. Except the part where you have mentioned, the technical difficulty met. No wonder I felt that the slides were a bit uncoordinated. Luckily for my group, we pulled the keyboard further out and pressed the ‘enter’ key. But nevertheless, our groups have managed to pull our shows off without any obvious major flaws. And yes, it is all over! Now, allow me to share my two cents worth.
Firstly, you were confident. Although there was a slight nervousness, but you do seemed confident as a whole, with appropriate voice projection and SMILE.
Secondly, you had good eye contact. This was good as it really masks your nervousness and you would not look awkward staring into space or an area.
Thirdly, you had appropriate gestures. This further improved your delivery of speech. Audience would then be paying attention to you.
These are my opinions and hopefully these would be beneficial to you =)!
Jim Koh Said:
on April 11, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Hi Jia Lin,
Congrats to you and your team for completing the presentation!
1. Yes, I agree you look calm and confident. I reckon it must be your eye contact. You dared to look at everyone, not intimidating but sincere and certain of what you are talking about. Kuddos =)
2. I do not find the clicking of slides disruptive. In fact, I think it is coherent and I think you should not worry much about it. Of course, I agree that things might have been tighter if you had your wireless presenter. So lesson learnt for me as well – Check to see if the wireless presenter can work before the presentation and prepare for contingency plan. Make sure everyone in the team is familar with the slides so that even in the event of wireless mouse failure, we can still rely on our team mates 🙂
3. I asked your group a question “I see NIE producing many successful teachers and in this aspect, the current system seemed robust and competent. However, it seemed that your module attempts to complement the NIE module. Do you think this module is neccessary” I am impressed with your reply to my question. Very concise and straight to the point. You quoted from MOE’s stand and I think that’s awesome =)
Overall, good job! All the best for your (upcoming) exams and see ya around in school =)