Presentation Reflection

My presentation was focused on discussing and describing my project that I am working on with Andrew Ahn and Kiarra Butts. I had to set out to describe the SeaPerch ROV design brief of our team and also of myself. I also had to include all of the information behind my five alternate solutions while also including pictures that expressed and showed what each alternate solution looks like. It was a main focus of mine to make sure I was changing pictures enough to show exactly what I was talking about throughout the presentation.

            Throughout my presentation, I feel that many things went well. The main things that I believe I did a good job in doing was making I covered all the information that needed to be given in the presentation, keeping a projective and confident voice throughout the presentation, I fully understood and was well prepared for the presentation, and I did a relatively good job answering the questions people had for me at the end of the presentation. The reason I can be confident that I did all of this well is because when I went back and looked at the video of my presentation, I noticed that it was very easy to understand what I was saying and I always remained facing the audience. I also sounded confident in what I was saying which made me realize further that I knew what I was talking about. Also when I was reviewing my presentation, I looked at what needed to be covered in the presentation and compared it to what I said. This allowed me to see that I did in fact cover everything that needed to be covered.

            While throughout my presentation I felt that many things went well, one thing that I feel I did the strongest was discussing and explaining my alternate solutions. I noticed in my presentation that I spent most of the time talking about and describing in detail, all of my alternate solutions. In my presentation I also explained the pros and cons of all the alternate solutions I had and why I changed things from one alternate solution to another. This made me feel like I had a good flow and a good way of keeping the audience understanding why the alternate solutions had the appearance to them that they did.

            Overall my presentation was relatively good, but like everything else, improvements can always be made. While watching the video of my presentation, I noticed a few things I could have improved on relating to the content and the images in my presentation. While describing the location that we would be testing this ROV, I should have included pictures of the Neptune aquatic center, as shown below. This would have given the audience a better depiction of what I was talking about and would make it easy for them to relate to what I was describing. Another part of my presentation I could improve on was the amount of detail I put into how exactly the mission would be executed. I did not describe fully who was going to be operating what and how they would be operating it. Adding this will give the audience a better idea of how exactly the task will happen and give them a better visual of the scene that would be played out.

            The weakest part of my presentation, I believe, was my pauses and sometimes stuttered or confused speech. Throughout my presentation I would know what I was trying to say but the words would just not come out. This caused me to say things like “umm” and “uhh” or just pause in general. This really took away the smooth flow of the presentation and could have also caused some of the audience members in my class to be confused to what I was saying. I also had this problem while answering a question that was asked at the end of my presentation. I knew what I was trying to say but the words would not come to me and caused a brief moment during the presentation that made it look like I had no idea what I was talking about.

            After reviewing my presentation and analyzing and reflecting upon it, I see a few things that I know I could do differently in the presentation and to prepare for the presentation. One major aspect that will improve my future presentation would be putting a little more time in to look at my outline and really prepare what I want to say. During this presentation I only looked over my outline once or twice and came up on the spot what I wanted to say during my presentation. In preparing more for the next presentation, this will also help prevent pauses with “umms” and “uhhs” or even thinking about what I am trying to say. I will also look over my blog before the next presentation to make sure I know exactly where I want to scroll to look for the next picture. This will help cut off time where the presentation is not running and where I am not talking. All of this will help me improve upon my future presentation.

            This was the first time that I have ever watched myself present anything. One major thing I noticed that I never knew I did before is that I use and move my arms a lot while I talk. I use them a lot to explain the point that I am trying to get across and my arms also almost seem to work as emphasizing tools when I try to really explain what I’m trying to say in full detail. I also learned that I like to move around a lot while presenting instead of standing in one place and keeping direct eye contact on a few people. The video shows that I stay in the general area but continue to walk back and forth and left and right. I found these things very interesting because I never noticed that I did any of these things before.

            In conclusion, I have gained a lot of knowledge about my presenting skills by watching the video of my presentation. I can use things I learned such as ways to prevent saying “umm” or “uhh” to help my presentation flow more smoothly. This will also help my presentation be easier to understand for the audience that is listening. Another very important thing that this presentation helped me with is presenting in a stressful environment and also just in front of people. This is something that I have always been nervous in doing my whole life, but the more I present, the more it seems like the nervous feeling fades away. One essential thing that I benefited from by reflecting on my presentation was the ability to see how I present and what causes my presentation to not be as good as it could be. This gives me the ability to work on and fix this for the next time that I will be presenting.

Rate the following using 4 as the highest score. Place a check or X in the brackets that best reflects your	4	3	2	1	0
I definitely dressed to impress with business clothing and shoes.	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I started my introduction with an image related to my project. The image was appropriate and beneficial for audience.	[ ]	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I provide my name, yearly status, school, course and project title in a clear commanding voice.	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I used a visual to clarify the problem situation. Visuals were interesting. Visuals were clear and easy to see from a distance.	[ ]	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I clearly describe what will be designed and modeled or prototyped by the team as a whole, what it should do, the operator if applicable, in/under what conditions, when the solution would be used and what constraints are being imposed. I included an image of the testing site of the final team product.	[ ]	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I used a visual to clarify the problem situation. Visuals were interesting. Visuals were clear and easy to see from a distance.	[ ]	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I clearly describe what I will design and model or prototype as my portion of the project, what it should do, the operator if applicable, in/under what conditions, when the solution would be used and what constraints are being imposed. I included an image of the testing site of the final team product.	[ ]	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I used visuals to clarify the problem situation. Visuals were interesting. Visuals were clear and easy to see from a distance.	[ ]	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I identified a number of workable solutions with the use of visuals.  I discussed all options without discussing the selected solutions.	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I summarized my presentation describing me product expectations my solution. (Specifications) I recapped the alternate solutions using a visual for clarity.	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I indicated that I was done speaking. I indicated that I was willing to answer questions.	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I kept a clear and easy-to-understand speaking voice throughout	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I kept a good speaking voice volume throughout.	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I was well-prepared and understood my topic.	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
I planned what I was going to say and my plan was helpful	[ ]	[ ]	[x]	[ ]	[ ]
I followed my notes, but did not have to read my speech word-for-word.	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[x]	[ ]
I answered questions that the audience asked completely and thoroughly.	[x]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]