Please tell us about one thing you learned from your readings (about presentations) and how you could have benefited from it in the past…. be specific in your story about the past and in your connection to the reading.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.gillianhayes.com/US10F12/rr3-presentations/
29 comments
Skip to comment form ↓
Joseph Rios
October 25, 2012 at 7:42 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
As much as I’d like to consider myself a great speaker, I always feel like there are always things for me to improve on. For public speaking, I like how the readings talked about little methods to help reduce nervousness before a speech. I felt that the advice for taking deep breaths is a good one because sometimes I feel myself getting quieter as I’m making a speech and its usually because I do not take a deep enough of a breath beforehand. Also I liked the advice it gave on presentations on how one should not write out too much information on the slide and try to keep it to a minimum with bullet points. I know this will help my confidence as a presenter because it is always a confidence killer when the presenter sees that the audience is getting bored. I remember for a class in high school when the topic was dictators and we had to try to summarize their life and make it interesting as well. I decided to use power point to help with my presentation but it worked against me a little bit because my audience was getting bored of reading about my topic on the screen.
Irasema Bueno
October 25, 2012 at 1:56 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Presentations and speaking in public are two things that I just don’t like. In high school I would always just say either one sentence and not talk for the rest of the presentation. I still have some trouble with it, especially when it comes to talking loud. In high school I remember I used to put a lot of information on one slide and it would be too long to read. People just didn’t want to read it and would be too bored to pay attention. I definitely could have benefited putting points instead of a whole paragraph. Another mistake I made was passing out papers, like the author said they stop paying attention to you. Like everyone else I also get nervous before any type of presentation, I have learned that it is good to walk around and keep yourself moving so that you don’t become too nervous.
Yasufumi Mizuno
October 24, 2012 at 12:07 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I learned “show one point at a time”. I could have told everyone my point clearly by myself. When I did my presentation with international students, I put too much information on one slide. And international students combined everyone’s slide and corrected. When they put together, they reduced a lot of part of my presentation. At the time, I was disappointed because a lot of part I thought they were important were reduced. However, I knew my original one was not suitable for presentation. Presentation became very clear and easy to understand for audience. Thus, I think one point one slide is very important.
Danica Hom
October 23, 2012 at 6:44 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
One thing I found very interesting about the readings was the author’s encouragement of a warm-up routine. I never thought about public speaking needing a physical warm up, such as walking around or shaking out my arms, but I realize now that it actually makes a lot of sense. During my senior year of high school, I was the emcee for a large event for about 400 students and before the event I was extremely nervous. I felt the need to move around and walk around a lot, but I tried to contain myself because I didn’t want to show any signs of nervousness. Once I got on stage, I was fine and I had a lot of fun. However, looking back, I realize that moving around and hopping from one foot to the other actually helped to significantly calm my nerves. I wish that I had read this article back then so I would have known that a warm up routine before public speaking was a positive thing to do.
Christina Ong
October 23, 2012 at 4:04 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Throughout high school, I was required to present in front of the class both individually and as a group. During presentations, I would often rely on powerpoints, props, or even other group members to distract the audience from looking at me. Public speaking was never my strong point. In the text, it states the importance of eye contact and maintaining the attention of your audience.
I always though it would be beneficial to my presentation if attention was diverted to something else other than my voice or nervous body language. However, examining the audience and their response to your words through eye contact can help gauge the material in your presentation for clarity and understanding. Many times after presentations, I would realize that I had spoken much too quickly or glossed over key aspects of information, which I could have prevented if I had more of a give and take relationship with the audience by recognizing the way they responded to information presented.
I feel that this text gave important tips on how to be more engaged with your audience and gain confidence when speaking in public. Personally, I think it is important to actively practice presentations in advance. I would sometimes practice speaking in front of the mirror and make myself look at my reflection, as awkward as that might be. Holding eye contact with yourself while speaking can be odd, but it forces you to remain calm when other eyes are on you when you actually present.
Andrea Fabillaran
October 23, 2012 at 1:45 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
For me, public speaking is a hit or miss. I often walk out after giving a presentation either very confident or with the feeling that the audience can tell that the whole presentation I did was last minute and horrible. I definitely feel that my better presentations are usually given when I can feed off the vibe of the audience and when they are giving me good responses with their attention. In the past, it would have been nice to know how to give good eye contact and to really engage the audience in your presentation with your eyes, that way I could have more confidence in what I am saying and have a good delivery with my words because it’s hard to give a good presentation when you can see people in the audience not paying attention. There was one instance where I participated in an election for my fraternity and had to give a speech. First off, my partner and I were not prepared for our speech and decided to wing it. We had so many ideas and were not sure if the audience liked them or disliked them because their responses were not very apparent. We then became very awkward and talked too much in hopes that we would present something that they would explicitly show their approval for. If I had really prepared and thought about how something as simple, yet crucial as eye contact would engage the audience, instead of us rambling on and on and talking too much, it would have been helpful at the time. But I’ve learned from my experience and speeches after that are more concise and straight to the point and my eye contact has definitely improved. After reading Hoff’s article though, it really helps with techniques on how to make a presentation and although I know I can’t say that I’ll never be nervous, I know I can be more confident with the speeches and presentations I give.
Arshdeep Gill
October 23, 2012 at 1:39 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I wish I had read “I can see you naked” in high school, it would have definitely helped me through the many presentations I did throughout my four years at Golden Valley. I learned many valuable pieces of information from this article, but the single most important thing that I learned is that the audience is there to get something out of the presentation, and it is the presenter’s responsibility to give it to them. In simple words the audience is there to take something away from the presentation, which is why the presenter should “let go” of all their negative thoughts to deliver that message across.
This advice would have been useful this past spring of my senior year. I had been selected as a finalist for the Harvey Hall mayor’s scholarship and one of the requirements of being selected as a finalist is having to present in front of a board what makes you deserving of the scholarship. I knew that I would be competing with some tough competition from other high schools across the city, so I prepared long and hard in advance on what I was going to say in front of the panel. Even though I knew I was not the best presenter, I put a long time into preparing so I would not make a mistake in front of the panel. As the day of the presentation got closer I got more and more nervous, fearing that I would do bad on the presentation. Finally when the day came I went into the presentation with positive hopes, and when my turn came I got more nervous and ended up not doing so well as compared to the other students. Although it is okay to be a little nervous as it said in the article, I let my nervousness pass the “crossover point” which led me to negatively performing on my presentation. Now that I have read this article I will use what I have learned in it for all my future presentations. The most important thing to remember when it comes to presenting, is to “let go” of all your extraneous and negative thoughts in your head and simply give the audience what they are there for.
Ellen Lee
October 23, 2012 at 12:32 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Giving presentations, or public speaking in general was something I have always struggled with. But over the years I became better and better at it, and what I mean by better is I became less nervous each time I went in front of an audience. However, the way I feel about a presentation always depends on the setting and the audience that I am expected to present in front of. I noticed that if I were to present in front of a group of peers at a club meeting, the feeling of nervousness is usually overcome by the feeling of excitement. Whereas if I were to stand in front of a group of classmates and professors, the feeling is a lot different as the moment is usually consumed by fear, anxiety and nervousness. And I think this has a lot to do with being “accepted” and the “need for approval”, as the author had mentioned in the article. When standing presenting at a club meeting, the setting is less formal and mistakes are welcomed, whereas in a more formal setting like a classroom, mistakes are viewed as an offense, a crime committed by you and your teammates for not preparing well enough.
The setting and audience does determine how I feel and therefore the outcome of my presentation. But there are also times when the audience’s feedback is the absolute determining factor. There were several occasions when I was standing in front of a group of students, either sharing a story or passing on information to them, and after I was done with my speech, the group was just sitting there, face blank and no response was given. At that time two things crossed my mind: that I had said something wrong, or that the content of my speech was too boring. And after reading the article, I have come to realized that it is not the material or the content, it was that I did not do a good job of engaging them. The reaction I provide them determines the response I will receive.
Gabriela Manzo
October 23, 2012 at 11:54 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
This reading totally made me remember my high school days when AP teachers would seem to use an excuse to have student presentations. Reading through this made me realize of so many mistakes that could have been the reason I came across as disengaged, unknowledgeable, and unprofessional even though I was probably really ecstatic about the material I was about to present. I know that during high school presentations I would be meticulous about the lighting and audio. I wanted to make sure that the presentation was seamless and would sometimes ask the audience about stuff like this. I realize that according to the reading this is incorrect. I know that whenever I am in a lecture hall or in a presentation and I cannot see or hear the speaker I immediately become disengaged. I reason that if there is no effort to ensure the audience can clearly receive the message the presenter is trying to instill then it must not be so important. I know from now on that I should arrive extra early and do audio, lighting and temperature checks to ensure that this doesn’t distract my presentation. So in sums, preparation is crucial and is endlessly beneficial to have an engaging and educated presentation.
Amanda Jimenez
October 23, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I learned a lot about presentations and nervousness in this week’s reading. I found it very interesting that nervousness is good for a presentation to a certain extent. Positive nervousness activates the adrenaline supply and puts a presenter on edge during the presentation. It is supposed to attract respectful attention. Most of my presentations have been in a high school or college classroom. Where, unfortunately, most students are not respectfully paying any attention. I have always known this, but this reading helped me realize that without response from the audience the presenter is lost and doesn’t know if any information is getting through. This happens to me a lot. As it is I am really nervous when in front of everyone speaking. I don’t know if I should elaborate on certain topics or stop giving so much information on another.
There was a specific moment my junior year of high school where I had to present my community service portfolio to complete my grade in the class. I made it a point to sign up last and try my best to get away with not having to do it. When everyone had gone, my teacher singled me out as the very last presenter and I was terrified. I crept my way to the front of the class and just gave my teacher a wide eyed look of discomfort. He along with my friends encouraged me and told me I would do fine and it’s not as bad as I think it will be. As the confidence slowly came to me with every deep breath a group of girls in the back of the classroom proceeded to yell rude unnecessary comments and I literally sat on the floor and told my teacher there was no way I was going to be able to do this. He understood and let me present to him only after school. Looking back I wish I could have made my own anti-nervousness routine and not have gone through the embarrassment, but since then my presentations have gotten better and I have even presented outside the class room. It helps me when I love what I’m presenting and I practice before hand with friends and family. Deep breath, I think will continue to be my very last step before I present.
Brian Austin
October 23, 2012 at 10:15 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
The one point made in the reading that I could have used earlier in my life was the tip recommending not fighting nervousness during a presentation. Last year, I ran for a board position for my premedical fraternity and I became very nervous trying to convince nearly a hundred students to vote for me. I am used to standing in front of crowds, since I have almost always been in some sort of music performance throughout my life; however speaking is difficult for me. The more I tried to fight my nervousness, the more nervous I became. This led to other problems that the reading mentioned, such as not looking the audience in the eyes, losing my connection with the audience. I believe that if I had learned tips on presenting such as the ones in this book, I would have had an easier time speaking in front of an audience, or at least been more confidence in my nervousness. My favorite part of the reading was the statement that it is not only okay to get nervous, but that it can actually be a positive feeling if used properly. Remembering this during a presentation will help me feel normal when my heart races or my legs begin to shake.
Kristy Ujiiye
October 23, 2012 at 9:39 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Something that I took from the reading is that preparation is key. When I find out in class that I have a presentation approaching in the next few weeks, I usually do my best to prepare as soon as possible. I know that if I am not mentally prepared for what I am supposed to present on, my nerves will take over and as a result, I am not able to put in my best effort. Although I normally do my best to prepare in advance, for me there was a time that I was assigned to do a group presentation and in this particular situation, I did not allow myself enough time to prepare for my section of the presentation. For this reason, I felt my nerves intensify as I did my best to clearly present my ideas to the class. I stumbled over my words and there were brief pauses which made the transitions slightly abrupt. I absolutely hated this feeling because I knew I could not translate my thoughts in a clear manner since I underestimated how difficult it would be to present on my section. In this reading I read about the lady in church who went up to the altar and her nerves totally took over. Although my experience was not to this extreme, my experience was still a struggle for me to push through. This enabled me to realize that public speaking is definitely not one of my strengths so I need to give myself enough time in advance to clearly sort out what ideas I want the audience to take from my presentation.
Amanda Iaali
October 23, 2012 at 2:14 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I get nervous when talking in front of large crowds; or at least, my body thinks I do. I will have total confidence in what I have to say or do, but my knees usually shake and when I try to move my jaw I find I have been clenching it. What I learned from the reading is that there are ways to prepare for this: taking a brisk walk and moving the jaw sideways. I could have benefited from this when I went to a karaoke club with my friends. It is not your typical presentation setting, but singing in front of a large crowd entails a lot of the same skills: the audience needs you (well, kind of – if they’re listening, they need you to sound good) and you need the audience. Anyways, I was nervous and my knees would not stop wobbling. But thinking back, before I went up to present/perform, I was sitting down at a booth, clenching my jaw and staying in my cloud nervousness. I should have walked around, breathed deeply, and loosened my jaw a bit. I now know that creating a not-nervous-routine can be beneficial to the quality of the presentation. I am looking forward to using these tips during our class presentation.
Jared (Jay) Bills
October 23, 2012 at 4:33 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I liked Amanda’s post. I’ve been doing public speaking since I was 5, so I didn’t learn any “new” ideas. However, even though I feel very comfortable speaking in public, I still get the trembles every now and then and need to go through an energy discharge and relaxation routine before speaking. One particularly memorable time of feeling nervous was when I was singing Music of the Night for a voice final. I love to karaoke, but now I was being critiqued on my singing. Yikes! “Why did I pick such a difficult song?”, I was thinking to myself. I could feel my cheeks tingling and I was feeling hot. I wiggled my fingers at my side and my toes inside of my shoes, while I waited for the pianist to get organized. I took 5 deep breaths and let my arms hang pulling my shoulders down with them. I suddenly felt a calm come over me. My body felt light and airy. I began to sing I knew it I was done and the audience burst into applause. It was a great feeling, though I think they were more generous than I was good. (But, I did nail the high notes!)
I have also found that the best cure for nervousness is practice. If you’ve practiced a presentation (10-20 times or more) until it is perfect then you have a lot more confidence and don’t get near that crossover point of nervousness.
Patricia Peirce
October 23, 2012 at 1:59 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I have done several presentations while being at school. However, I never get used to getting in front of a crowd. I get nervous always right before I start speaking. The reading about presentations points out that the speaker has a need of approval. I have found that is true. Wether is the audience’s attention, their laughter after an attempt to a joke, or their support in their eyes when they look at you. It is always nerve wracking to stand up and start speaking. At the end of my speech, wether I accomplished to have a rapport or not with the audience, I am certainly glad I am done. If I fulfilled their need for information I feel great. If I feel that I did not performed as expected I feel awful. That only means that I will do better next time. Contrary to what Mr. Hoff wrote, If I encounter someone that turns his/her head away from me, I don’t bother to look at them any more, I turn to someone else. Perhaps not the best tactic but in a room of 400 people there re plenty other individuals I can put my attention on. Also, when I find someone that looks back at me, I tend to go back at that person, when I now know I just should move on to the next one. Practice makes perfect.
Crystal Polard
October 23, 2012 at 1:14 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Once I had to present in a mock trial at Loyola Law School. I was assigned to be the attorney. Of course, through being put in this position, I would over think things and do my best to present a good opening and closing statement in able for our team to win. Also, I tried to come up with arguments that I predicted the opposing team might bring up and came up with the best response to that question. Overall, I wanted to be the most prepared especially since this was my first trial in front of a real judge. Most of all, I was very nervous. I was so nervous that I always started to doubt myself as soon as the big day got closer and closer because I felt incompetent since I was only in 9th grade and never experienced this kind of presentation before. But, I knew people were counting on me so I could not give up. However, I think I would have benefited from the suggestion to “Let go” during this process. I believe this because my body starts to tense up and get really stiff when I’m nervous. But I think if I took a chance and acted like I was in control then I would believe I could do it.
Therefore, I would not allow my body control me but me having control over it and I think that would avoid my body from tension or at least relieve it to some degree. In other words, by loosening my body that would have allowed me to relax more and possibly be less nervous. Also, my mentor has always told me“ don’t be nervous,” but that led me to become even more nervous. Ironically, when I’m nervous during presentations I tend to get more raving reviews, but I want to stop being so nervous that I wish to run out of the room after the presentation. This is why I like to look at the back wall but I’m still nervous because I know people are looking at me. Nevertheless, I believe that if I show some control over my body will lead me to having more control of how I will be during the presentation.
Annie Lao
October 23, 2012 at 12:52 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I, like many others, have a fear of public speaking. I tend to get way too nervous and by the time I am up to present, I forget everything I want to say and end up running my presentation with rushed sentences, awkward pauses, and so many um’s and uh’s, that the audience should refer to me as the “um’s and uh’s girl”. The reading was very helpful this week. I have never thought of an Anti-Nervous Routine before. I did not know that walks, loosening your arms, and wiggling your jaw would help reduce the effects of nervousness. I wish I had an Anti-Nervous Routine my freshmen year of college. It was my first time ever presenting at UCI, and I can remember that moment vividly. I did all the things the reading told me NOT to do. I crossed my legs, gritted my teeth, and crossed my arms. I was still scared half to death and I awkwardly stood behind the podium to cover my shaking knees, and read directly from the PowerPoint slides without making any eye contact with the audience. I was really tentative and because of that, it did not convince the audience of the point I was trying to get across. My voice was trembling and I couldn’t stop stuttering. I did not communicate effectively and the professor noticed this immediately gave me a lower grade for the presentation.
I wish I could have read “ I can see you naked” in high school. That would have prepared me for the presentations I would have to do in college. Another tip that was helpful was communicating with the audience at the beginning. Questions like “is it too cold in here?” or “how are you guys feeling today” would show concern and build a connection with the audience. The small talk might help break the ice, and make it more comfortable to present in front of strangers.
Patrick M.
October 23, 2012 at 12:48 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
When it comes to public speaking, I don’t hate it, but it is also not my favorite things to do. One of the reasons why is because I usually am really nervous before the presentation. However,as the presentation goes on I become more comfortable and I find my stride. I can speak comfortably without feeling nervous and I can establish that connection with the audience. One of the things that I found interesting from the reading was the concept of having a warm up routine before you speak. For one of the organizations I’m involved in, we have to make class announcements. During one of the announcements, I was in front of a huge lecture hall and while I was presenting I was so nervous I forgot to mention the time and date of the meeting. Thankfully, I had a partner who was able to catch that mistake and I was able to correct myself in time. But if I had a warm-up routine before my presentation, I feel like my body will become loose and I won’t be as nervous anymore.
Michelle Huang
October 23, 2012 at 12:33 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I have done a fair amount of presentations, but not many that I really cared for, so I don’t remember them. The most important presentation I had to do was for my high school’s “senior project”, in which each senior had to research a profession they might pursue in the future. The project counted for 30% of our grades, so the presentation was a big part of it. So, I rehearsed the presentation over and over again the night before, trying to memorize all the stats and information about civil engineering (which I do not plan to pursue now). I was last to present and there wasn’t much time left so I had to speak quickly to go through all my slides. Because I rehearsed it so much and I was talking fast (partly from nervousness, and from the lack of time), I was pretty confident and maintained eye contact with my peers.
However, after learning from the reading that I must engage with the audience or they become bored, I realize that that presentation must have been pretty boring for my peers. It also didn’t help that I was talking quite fast (but still comprehensible) for a presentation that should be ~10 minutes long. Therefore, in the future, I hope to incorporate a reader-audience interaction so that the audience remains engaged and interested in what I have to say.
Francis
October 23, 2012 at 12:27 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
The last time I gave a presentation was for my AP Lit class back in 12th grade. I wish that I had prepped myself better like the article suggests; warming up would probably be the best option to not get too tense. When I’m nervous, and especially when I like what I am talking about, I will tend to talk quickly. In high school, I gave a presentation on Wuthering Heights and dressed up as Heathcliff. I loved the book and was really into the thematic section of the novel that I was talking about, but when I was done, my teacher told me that she was able to count the number of “um’s” I used. I was tense and excited and hurriedly talking about the ideas I liked. I hope that this time around I can calm myself down, make eye contact with my audience, minimize the nervousness and thereby go through what I am talking about calmly and with confidence. I can really relate to the cartoon showing the presenter looking for approval from the audience. I think what would also help is establishing that relationship with the audience early on–in the first 90 seconds like the article suggests and avoid asking someone to dim the lights for me too.
Dennis Nguyen
October 23, 2012 at 12:15 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
When I was in Irvine Valley College I had an Art History class where I would have to present every other week. While I was waiting for my turn I would get nervous and my palms would start to sweat. When it was finally my turn I would feel anxious and I felt like I was speaking way too fast. I thought everybody could see my sweaty palms and that made me very self conscious. I wish I had read this article back then. I would have invented my own anti-nervousness routine. This would mean that I wouldn’t have been so anxious when it was finally my turn and I could have given my presentation in a normal speaking speed. I have always felt the actual waiting process was worse than the speech giving. If i had read this article back then I would have used an anti-nervousness routine every single time before i presented. I might have let my arms dangle while i was in my chair and not be so hunched over with my shoulders. I might have even breathe deeply to help with my raising heartbeat. Well I can’t change the past but i can sure use these tips in the future.
Maggie Wu
October 22, 2012 at 11:50 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Presenting and public speaking wasn’t always my favorite aspect of school, until I was introduced to the world of Speech and Debate. During elementary school, the usual response was to shy away from presentations and to wait to present at a time when the audience was not alert. However, in going to high school, I found a love for public speaking and presenting. I found myself eager and anxious to share my stories or to present for a group project, and that stems from my experience in Speech and Debate. I found that experience and practice were the best teachers in improving my public speaking skills. The more I stood up in front of a crowd, the less anxious I felt. Of course, public speaking still sparks nervousness, but for me, I overcame it with a smile and confidence. I knew that each time I spoke in front of a crowd I wasn’t able to reach out to every single person in the room, but I felt accomplished knowing that I tried.
The art of public speaking requires the power to overcome ones’ insecurities. For me, my nervous reactions were shown through my gestures, hand movements, and the shifting of my eyes. I agree with many of Hoff’s methods and I have massive sympathy for those who are afraid of public speaking. Hoff is quick to point out that making a presentation is not the same as making a speech. Rather, he defines it as “a commitment by the presenter to help the audience do something—and a constant, simultaneous evaluation of the worth of that commitment by the audience.” I also agree with this statement. I feel like majority of the time it’s extremely easy to talk about my own experience, but a challenge to engage the audience to actually participate and interact. However, in reading this, I feel like I have gained a deeper understanding of speaking in front of crowds.
Sam Shaw
October 22, 2012 at 11:05 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I have a love hate relationship with presentations. I love presentations that are backed by my passion and enthusiasm. For example, I spoke last year about an event that occurred welcome week of my sophomore year. It was a big part of my freshmen year and I was very enthused to share my dream to UCI. Comparatively, I once spoke about majors at UCI that I was forced to speak about for a class and had no passion to speak. it was a terrible presentation. Thus I enjoy presentations that I have a connection to and can thoroughly talk about. This article entitled “I can see you naked” states a minor but helpful tip with presentations: “When you ask your audience to get involved with lighting, you’re courting disasters” (pg 5). I was giving a presentation my freshmen year in mesa court student council and midway through my slides I asked my peer closest to the lights to turn them off as I was showing a video. Right after I asked them, the class lost some interest in my powerpoint. Thus this point made in Hoff’s article would have been a huge help for my presentation. I guess we live and we learn.
Angeli Phan
October 23, 2012 at 12:36 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
There has been many times where I have learned presentation tips and practiced my speeches or group projects over and over, but still feel the same anxieties and it probably felt worse after every time I have to present it. All I can think of is the people looking at me and gaining some kind of knowledge I put I just put into their head. What if I am wrong and they are not gaining valuable/ justifiable explanations and I just wasted their time? One thing that stuck out in this reading is eye contact. They say it is important to maintain good eye contact because shows depth and power in your presentation. With eye contact, you can relate to the audience or a few members you are focused on to understand your concerns and truly be on your state of mind. But it is difficult for me to maintain eye contact when I am feeling so much anxiety. Although it is said that nervousness is sometimes a positive thing and is good for your presentation, I still often feel that nervousness really takes away from my message that I want to present because It gets difficult to explain my project. In all, if I could learn one thing from this and apply it to my past actions and presentations are that even the ones that are not nervous, are nervous. Also, I will always have to keep in mind and remember to wrap my ideas and key concepts around my rapport and to generate my concern with authority not tentatively.
Linda Huynh
October 22, 2012 at 10:48 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
From the Hoff reading I learned a lot of useful tips to prepare for a presentation. As someone who does not excel at public speaking and gets nervous with every presentation, these new tips will certainly help with future presentations. I have certainly improved at public speaking during my time at UCI with having to present for many classes. The importance of keeping blood circulating and releasing stress are two key points I will keep in mind. I found it interesting to read about warming up before a presentation. I have heard of reviewing note cards but this reading compared presenting as more of a performance. Like any athletic performance there is a warm up as well as a musical performance. This gave me a different perspective on presentations. Hoff also reiterated some ideas that I have learned since basic schooling, when speaking eye contact is crucial to hold attention. In the past, as a nervous speaker, I focused more on what and how I was saying over holding the attention of the audience. With eye contact being key, I could have not used note cards because that distracted me from looking out into the audience often times. As a public health major and education minor, many of the courses require a presentation. They are mostly group presentations and while I wait for fellow group members to present their section, I would fidget and only make myself more nervous. I should relax more and trust that my preparation will pay off. Warming up before a presentation and not being as nervous would help my eye contact level as well.
Emily Sandon
October 22, 2012 at 10:43 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Personally, I like public speaking so in the past I have never had a major issue with presentations. I prepare with enough time to memorize my speech, understand the audience that I am addressing, and make eye contact. But one thing that I do need to work on is my “Perfect Moment”. In Hoff’s reading, “I can see you naked”, the “perfect moment” is when the presenter reveals a piece of information that will be everlasting in the audience’s memory. That moment when you and the audience connect upon the meaning of why everyone is there, is something I need to make more naturally come out of me than recited. I am good at memorizing and reciting, but making inflection in my voice that sounds heartfelt and warm is something that I need to improve on. One speech were this would have been brilliant at was when I was speaking at my high school graduation. I did a decent job, but after I spoke, I felt like there was something that I missed saying that would have made my words more meaningful. Perhaps it was that connection with the audience that the Perfect Moment creates.
Nancy Lu
October 22, 2012 at 10:23 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
One thing I learned from the reading about presentations is that you have to be confident when it comes to public speaking. I have a terrible fear of giving a speech by myself in front of my classmates. I’m always thinking that they are secretly judging me in their minds, which makes me stutter and start to shake. One time in 5th grade, I remember I had to give a presentation on Princess Diana in front of the whole class. I was wearing my favorite purple GAP sweatshirt and at the time, I was sick and had tissues in my pocket. While I was giving my speech, my hands were locked into my pocket. I was so nervous, by the time I finished my presentation the tissues in my pocket were all ripped up and in a million pieces. What I have learned from that experience was that I can’t let my nerves take over me. From the reading, it suggested to make eye contact and practice before hand so your nerves will not appear so much. I think by doing that, giving presentations will not be as difficult as it should be. I must stay calm and not let me nerves get the best of me.
Emily McVey
October 22, 2012 at 9:28 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
When I do a presentation on something I care a lot about, I tend to get very nervous about the reaction I will get from people. I recently went back to my high school to talk to the AP Environmental Science about sustainability and being involved when in college. I did 3 presentations that day and it was a total of about 120 students. I was extremely nervous because sustainability, the environment, and involvement on campus and in the community are all very important to me. I was also very nervous because I was telling people things about myself and what I’m passionate about, and I was expecting judgement. I was hoping that some would connect with me on some level and none would think I’m some crazy environmentalist. All these feelings made me very nervous and I wish I would have had the Anti-Nervous Routine before this. I think it would have helped me a lot and made me seem more legitimate in what I was saying. It would have taken away my shakiness and allowed me to better connect with the students I was talking to. Now I can have a way to calm my nerves and prepare myself to connect with them comfortably.
Stephanie Olvera
October 22, 2012 at 3:27 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
In high school, my Spanish instructor assigned many presentations. But there is one specifically that reminded and made me connect tips to what the text stated. There was one presentation in which I had to retell a textbook story but in a format other than text, so I chose to build a symbolic structure to the story. I built the main character of the story with Styrofoam and made him look just as the text had described him. Then I was to present him in front of the class and thoroughly explain every one of his features. I was quite nervous and so I began by introducing the name of the story. Never did I maintain eye contact with my classmates or with the teacher, as the text strongly suggests. In addition, rather than listening to what I was saying, the audience was very focused on the structure itself (another tip, the presenter is discouraged from giving the audience things that would distract them from what was being said). Although he was the presentation in all forms, I did lose a little bit of attention. Perhaps I should have allowed them to look closely at the structure and then have spoken. This way, they would have listened to me and I would have made eye contact more often, thus reaching more in depth into my audience.