Daniel Gallardo Reflection

Intro: 

Watching the group projects taught me lots about different speaking strategies, at showed me how the little things matter and how they can get you from a being an average speaker to getting to the next level. In this reflection I will talk about what I thought each presentation was like, what I learned from it and how it helped me improve. 

Group 1: 

The first group that presented was group one, which is the group that I was in. Overall my team and I did great. Looking back starting it was pretty hard with each group member being confused and not communicating on our group chat. However, once Christina started dividing the sections and explain the assignment the group really came together to get it done. With teamwork and communication we were able to produce a final product of good quality. WIth both good visuals, and organized slides that gave the clear and easy to read information. During the presentation each group member did their part, with their camera on and clear speaking, it really made our project shine.  Some things I learned from other members of my group was for example when Donavan explained how to build confidence of the day of your speech something that helped me when presenting for another class. I used the strategy that he gave us including preparing notes and organizing what I want to talk about, maintaining eye contact, and making sure to dress for the occasion. One presentation showed me the importance of confidence and presentation atmosphere and how to improve my own speaking traits. 

Group 2: 

Group 2 was the next presentation. At the beginning of the presentation the leader of the group mentioned how responsible the group was. She mentioned how they exchanged videos to pratice and even gave each other feedback. This was something that I think this group did very well, the fact that they used teamwork to improve each other was something that I definitely need to implement to my own group. In their presentation they talked about many useful things including how to carefully develop a purpose for a topic and speech. Their presentation taught me about important factors of a presentation the time and resources that should go into it. They also talked about the main aim of the presentation and what you are trying to achieve. Whether you want to persuade or inform the audience, you need to structure your speech around that fact. To help with this they even talked about how to organize and structure your speech which definitely helped. I thought their visuals were great as well as each members presentation. Overall, their presentation was clear and it helped me with choosing my topic and organizing what I want to tell the audience. 

Group 3: 

Group 3 was another great group, in terms of what the leader said about their group, I like how the group used teamwork. This is also something good, in terms of the material I thought they did a good job of explaining the materials. After discussing with my teammates I also felt like their information was basic and pretty familiar. However, they they compensated for this but making their presentation interactive and adding visuals, as well as each group member having their camera on. Although there was one bad part of the project that I do have to mention this being the video that they put on which was both lengthy and not that informative. The presentation although it could have been better I feel did the job and taught me about not only engaging with the audience but having good engagement with the audience. 

Group 4: 

The final group was group 4 and the mainly talked about the different speaking types. I actually did not know much of this information and I learned alot about distance speaking and about media appearances. I learned about the importance of clear communication especially in a virtual setting since you do not have the advantages of being there physically with the audience. Because you are not there physically you do not have body language or interaction with the audience so clear communication is essential when speaking online. They also touched on the importance of media for public speaking. In terms of their presentation and visuals I feel they did a great job. They were all dressed professionally for the most part and were very professional. They had both their cameras on and used clear vocabulary. Their presentation taught me about how to adapt and have different presentation styles, and how to change it in different contexts. These contexts could be online, in a small group, or larger audience. 

Conclusion: 

When looking at all the presentations I understand now how much group teamwork and communication is important to growing not only as a speaker but also as a audience member. Even when information did not apply to me or I already knew the information seeing it explained and viewing examples were essential to understanding different perspectives. Each presentation was very important and I thought very engaging. Wether it was Group 1 talking about overcoming speaking anxieties or Group 2 telling the audience about the importance of preparation, or Group 3 talking about engagement or finally group 4 helping connect the speaker to a larger audeince each group was able to convey information that will help the audience not only in theclass but in the context of the real world. To sum up, each presentation taught me that public speaking is not about standing up and just talking but rather about planning, practicing, and playing as a team. Today I feel that I have a much better understanding of what the challenges and strategies that I must know in order to be successful when presenting. Specifically for me this means taking the material out of the classroom and taking it to interviews and even when just talking in conversation. This information I will make sure to take forward and even tell some of my friends some of the things that I have learned.