To be really honest, before the presentation started, I was feeling alright. Not nervous, just chilling and getting myself ready to start with a bang. But when I started speaking, the nervousness started creeping in, and I could feel my hands trembling a little. So I had to put in more hand gestures to mask my trembling hands.
Overall, I felt the entire presentation for my team was really good. For my own personal part, I felt I did much better, as compared to my peer teaching. I believe I spoke louder, had more eye contact, and read less of my notes and the slides. Somehow I felt that I was nearly rushing through my part, because I knew I had a lot to say within the limited amount of time. Berwyn's discovery of using his phone as a slide presenter was one of a kind. It really helped to have that device, instead of having to use the mouse. The question and answer part was relatively good I guess. Calvin's question was rather unexpected, because we did not consider the aspect of funding of the team to come from either the Faculty of Science or the Department of Chemistry. Anyway, I believe we responded well to the questions posed by the class.
Most of what I can remember about the presentation was that my mind was in a whirl when I was presenting. Not exactly looking forward to watch myself on video, but definitely looking forward to the feedback from the class!
Not to worry about the nervousness part, as from my point of view, it was as though you were totally at ease. As the result, the opening was very good.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to the pace, I felt it was quite ok. There was not much indication that you were rushing through.
Also, I want to say thanks for the help and support that you have given me. =)
Hey Jun Xiong,
ReplyDeleteI really think you have improved a lot on formal presentation. I could see that you were a bit nervous at the beginning because you referred to your notes quite several times. I do agree that hand gestures can really help to ease your nervousness. I often do so when I get nervous.
I do agree on your pace of delivery. It was a bit too fast. I was still pondering on your previous points while you were talking about the next. Putting yourself in the audience's shoes may help you to organize your thoughts and manage the flow of content. Also, try not to directly read from the notes because that may unnaturally speed up your pace.
The slides were formal and presentable. However, I do feel that more graphics and flow charts would be better for the audience to grasp the presented ideas.
I particularly like the transition between the presenters in your group. Asking the question "xx, would you like to share with us more about..?" is simply time-saving and effective! And I notice that only your group opted a different transition.
Overall, I think you have done a good job. Though not perfect, I appreciate your effort and I do see your improvement along the way(from self-intro, peer-teaching, mock interview to the oral presentation). I believe you will achieve more in public speaking and formal presentations if you continue to work hard. All the best for your future endeavours!
Xiaoxing
Thanks, Jun Xiong, for your sharing. I have no doubt you put a good amount of effort into your preparation for the oral presentation, and I appreciate your time and work.
ReplyDeleteLet's talk about your oral presentation: you were loud, had good eye-contact, and were very sure about the content you were sharing with the audience – all positive elements in presentations. You were also able to maintain your composure, and if not for your shaky hands (yes, I noticed), I couldn’t tell you were nervous at all – excellent job there I would say.
Using the mobile phone as a wireless presenter was a good idea, and if I were you, I would have moved to the right side of the room. Moving away from your teammates has another benefit – the audience will then not be confused as to who was presenting. Somehow when you stood besides your teammates, you seemed to ‘blend in’, as a result taking away some of the impact of your presentation.
I also suggest freeing up one hand for gestures. During the presentation, your right hand was holding the phone, and your left hand notes. You mainly used your right hand to gesture, but because of the phone, the gestures were restricted and limited. You might like to consider doing away with the notes and using a memory map instead.
Your energy level could also be higher. I remember you mentioned that you were the pacer in your dragon boat team? I’m certain you must need lots of energy and lung power in order to spur your team on? Use that energy and power in your presentation! In the presentation, I found your energy level somewhat low, and you didn’t seem very enthusiastic about what you were sharing (just listen to the video, without watching yourself and see if you agree with me here). Vary your tone, use pauses, and emphasize key points so as to sustain your audience’s interest. A slower pace would also allow your audience to digest the points you wanted to share.
I like the handover to the next speaker – that was a unique and attention-grabbing way to transit, and I thought it was very well done. Good job there!
I can see you working towards becoming a more effective presenter – all the best, Jun Xiong!