Carolina Gonzalez- Post 1

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel"- Maya Angelou 

Public speaking was always something that was hard for me, it was something i feared to do especially in front of an audience. Ive always been the type to become anxious in a public speaking platform but being in this particular class it has opened my mind to realize that public speaking is an art.

    When joining class for the second time this whole semester, it was nerve wracking to learn that we had to do a group presentation that lasts 40-45 minutes. We got assigned into groups and i am very happy to say that i got assigned to group one, even if it meant being the first group to present, being an example for the rest of the class.  We had to read chapters 1-4, and further our learning about the presentation process and everything that came along with it. While reading these topics, I learned how complex public speaking can be. The presenter has to take in consideration various things, like what type of audience are they presenting to, what topics can they talk about, what setting are they in, is there any type of interference with the channel. 

    Group one, had amazing leaders, Olivia, Gabby and Kelly, they lead us to have a smooth ride and presentation. They always kept in contact with the whole group and made sure that everyone was on track and there was no confusion. The group in a whole was very interactive with each other, we shared our ideas and never held back our opinion towards anything. We all communicated with one another  and made sure everyone was comfortable with what had to be done. When someone in the group couldn't fulfill what they had to, anyone was happy to jump in and help the group to achieve the completion of the powerpoint. 

    When the day of presentation came. everyone in the group was anxious and nervous, since this is something that was new to all of us and we were the first ones to do this. That same morning we all texted each other in the group chat that we had and told each other that we were going to do perfect and to just trust one another in this process. When we started presenting, you can tell that everyone was nervous, the tone of our voices, the way we would fidget with our hands or hair, the way we would look around and stutter but this was okay, this was all new to us. We celebrated everyone as the presentation went on, and by the time we got to end, we were all relieved that we had done so well and managed to save time. When we heard our professor say that we had done a great job, we all realized that all of our anxiousness and nervousness had been over. 

    

    The class after, Group two had to present about chapters 5-9 which were about research topics and what you can add to your presentation to make the speaker more confident. Group two discusses the advantages of research in presentations, which include expanding ones knowledge, stying updated with the latest information, enhancing credibility and exposing oneself fresh ideas. This made me gain understanding on how important it is to maintain organization for a public speaker, this allows a boost of confidence, facilitation the speakers task and points they are trying to achieve and improves audience comprehension. Group 2 also introduced the Extemporaneous Mode, which demands an outline and notes for a more spontaneous presentation. They also mentions how non-verbal communication like eye contact, and body language contribute to the audiences reaction towards the presentation of the public speaker. 

    Lastly, Group 3 had to present, teaching the class methods on how to catch the audiences attention and keeping them engaged into the presentation. They mentioned the importance of always going back to the main point, making sure that the audience is on track with the speech, while also making the topic as relevant as possible towards the audience . Also incorporating humor into the presentation maintains the audience interest. Group 3 included a persuasive techniques of logos, pathos and ethos. Ethics played a substantial role in these presentations, emphasizing the use of other sources, integrity, while showing respect towards the audience. They also included videos as examples of speeches and how to grab the audiences attention even when there is physical or psychological blockage. 

    Overall, every single group proved their point and perfected a part of the art of public speaking. While none of us knew this at the time while we were presenting, this presentation helped us improve ourselves while giving a speech or even presenting towards a class. I feel like this class will help all of my class mates, into enjoying doing presentations more often, getting less nervous and anxious as the time goes by, of even something so simple as speaking up in class. These group presentations have brought us all closer in our groups and have helped us develop a bond with our classmates even if we are talking ot each other on zoom or through text message. This class is going to help us all individually and make us great public speakers.This is only the beginning and we have several more ahead of us. All of our presentations are recorded, allowing us the opportunity to review and make adjustments to anything that may not had worked for us as a group. This will only get better as we grow more accustomed towards this task. I am beyond excited to embark on our future projects, knowing that all of us will have many possibillites ahead of us.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead