Hmm, I thought I was moderately well prepared, but apparently I am not. My thought and presentation flow was not as smooth as I thought. I stumbled on some points and had to refer to my notes at the end. I guess I need more practice to speak more fluently.
I thought I know the slides really well, but when the presentation started, I tend to look at the slides instead of looking at the audience. This became worse as the presentation went on. Did I forget because I was nervous?
For me, I dont like to memorise presentations, so I tend to try to remember just the main points but this results in the presentation not being as smooth as I thought. Any suggestions to make my presentation smooth? Must I really memorise the speech, or perhaps more practice?
Please give me frank but tactful comments. Definitely need to improve my presentation skills.
Hi Fang Yong!!
ReplyDeleteI guess the main reason for you looking more at the screen was that facing the audience makes you more nervous right? I totally understand how you felt!
Referring to notes is alright but try not to look at it too long! A glance at it would be fine. Definitely, not looking at it would be better.
In order to remember what needs to be said, you need to practise more times and treat every practise like it's the real deal. The more you practise, the more you remember. This way of remembering is much better than memorising. Memorising would make your presentation look worse because your eye contact with the audience would be really different as you try to remember what you memorised! Thus, to make the presentation smooth, you just need to keep practising.
To make yourself less nervous, maybe you can try treating the audience as your close friends. I'm sure you would not fumble when you speak to your close friends right? This method might help! But easier said than done! Practise makes perfect!
Overall, I felt that you were pretty calm just that at some points you looked lost! Your speech volume was alright but it would be great if more confidence can be placed in your words! But you still managed to put your point across so great effort!=)
Hey Fang Yong,
ReplyDeleteI need more practice to sound fluent too. I'm thinking that instead of simply reading aloud to ourselves, we should practise presenting to an audience so that we can get used to presenting to someone without referring to our notes.
Good luck with your future presentations!
Hi Fang Yong,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your sharing!
You asked a good question in your reflection - "Did I forget because I was nervous?" I'm pretty sure you have the answer.
And of course you are not alone. I'm glad you weren't 'Mr. Err' in the Oral presentation, so the preparation put in was effective to a certain extent.
Mr Err? Yes, you will be amazed at the number of presenters who are ‘Mr.’ and ‘Miss Err’, as in "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is err..."
Jokes aside, I like the positive impression you created when you first stood in front of the class/audience. You smiled (and you have a really nice smile), thanked Lee Gang, and proceeded to begin your presentation. You were pleasant and approachable - that was important; you were also dressed appropriately, and that built credibility. So I see a number of important elements present.
What you needed to do was simply to carry the positive vibes through to the end.
And yes, I know it's easier said than done.
But yes, I know you can do it.
1) Visualise your success.
2) Practice.
3) More Practice, and
4) Still more practice.
If this were to be a life-changing presentation, I'm sure you would have started a regular rehearsal schedule months before. Treat every presentation as an opportunity to learn, and surpass yourself. I know I seem to be preaching, but really, practice does make perfect. Charmian and Vanessa have also shared with you useful strategies so give them a try.
When you are practicing, you may like to take note of mannerism and non verbal communication. There were a number of 'erms' in your oral presentation, indicating to the audience that you were searching for the right words. Also, you shifted weight from leg to leg somewhat unnaturally, indicating nervousness. Be aware of where you place your hands - at one point in your presentation you had one hand protectively holding onto the elbow of the other hand – as it reveals your tensed state of mind. You will also want to make solid, definite gestures that will suit your strong physique, indicating confidence.
You mentioned you don’t like to memorise presentations – no problem at all. In fact, I don’t recommend memorising speech texts. With plenty of practice, the presentation should be smooth and fluent.
All the best for your future presentations!