Keethan Whittaker - Post 1

THE GOOD,
THE BAD, &
THE BEAUTY OF IT

We were able to go over all of our first presentations, and I definitely think this was a good way to get our feet in the door when it comes to public speaking. Each group had something different that stood out to me. Group 3 had the most impressive visual presentation, Group 2 was the most interactive, Group 1 was the most informative, and Group 4 was probably the easiest to comprehend. Seeing the different approaches showed me that there really is not just one way to give an effective presentation.

For our presentation, I really liked that I decided to use Kahoot! I felt like it was a good way to mix things up since everyone had already been doing a lot of talking. The Kahoot! gave everyone an opportunity to participate and interact with the information. It also allowed me to freestyle a little bit after each question and explain the information once I understood it myself. I think that helped make my portion feel more like I was teaching instead of simply reading to everyone.

I made some of the questions about the three basic types of speeches a little tricky on purpose. From the sections of the book we covered, I learned that three common types of speeches are special occasion speeches, persuasive speeches, and informative speeches. By making some questions slightly tricky, people had to draw their own conclusions before knowing the answer. Once the correct answer was revealed, I could immediately reinforce why it was correct. I think that is an effective way to learn because you first have to think about the information before being given the answer.

Group 3 probably had the presentation that stood out to me the most visually. I especially liked the design and overall theme they used. The entire thing looked eccentric but professional at the same time. Even now that everyone has finished presenting, theirs is probably the presentation that sticks in my mind the most. I mean, yeah, ours was interactive, so you remember that aspect and hopefully some of what you learned, but you definitely remember Group 3’s colors. No glazing! Their presentation showed me how much the visual side can affect whether people remember a presentation afterward.

Group 4 also did a really good job presenting their information. For a moment, I actually thought we were working on the same chapter because of how easily they made everything digestible. Group 1, on the other hand, provided a lot of information. I was impressed by how smoothly their presentation went considering how much material they had to cover while still finishing within their allotted time.

One recurring theme I noticed, however, was timing. Once Group 2’s presentation continued into a second class, it seemed like every group that followed also started going into another class, with some presentations extending across two class periods. I think that, as a whole, we can work on getting our timing in order so things flow more smoothly and efficiently. It is not necessarily about speeding through the information. It is more about everyone being on one accord and knowing when they are supposed to speak and how the presentation should transition.

That is also one area where I think my own group could have improved. I feel like I could have done better with my interaction, and our group could have been more organized during the actual presentation. There was some jumping around between team members that could have been smoother. At the same time, I noticed that I was able to adapt when parts of the project were modified because our team reverted to an earlier version. Instead of dwelling on the issue, I composed myself, dealt with the challenge, digested the information, and figured out how to teach each of my units in bite-sized chunks.

I believe breaking information into smaller pieces is one of the most effective ways to learn or transmit information to others. If the purpose of the assignment was to teach our classmates material from the book without making them feel like they were simply reading the book all over again, then I definitely feel like I accomplished that with my portion. Going forward, I think it would benefit me to make a rough draft of the overall project first and then add my work once everything is organized. I am more oriented toward finding solutions than dwelling on problems, and I feel like even that was a skill this assignment helped me continue developing.

I also think Hannah and Mia did an amazing job with both their introductions and final recaps. I liked how their reviews were honest and unbiased while still offering constructive criticism. I did find it funny when they said we should make our presentations feel more natural instead of sounding like we were reading from a screen, while the message itself was being read from the screen. Still, the point was valid. Speaking naturally instead of depending completely on what is written on a slide is something all of us can continue working on.

I also understand what the professor means about presenting virtually compared with presenting in person. For me, presenting to a large audience virtually is less intimidating than presenting to the same number of people in person. When everyone is physically in front of you, there is just so much more to take in, including reactions, movements, and expressions. Because of that, I think it would be unfair to fully compare virtual public speaking with speaking in front of a live audience.

All in all, this was a good assignment for two major reasons: learning how to work within a team and learning how to deliver a speech publicly. I do not think there were any bad presentations. There were definitely more than a few long ones, though, and that gives all of us something to work on going forward. We can improve our timing, organization, transitions, and delivery while keeping the things that made each presentation unique. Most importantly, we can take Mia’s advice and work on making our speeches sound more natural and less like we are reading directly from a screen.