Ashley Dominguez Reflection blog

 Ashley Dominguez Reflection blog 

    To begin with, I must admit that I am a quite timid person. Speaking honestly, I was anxious to engage in a speech class because public speaking is one of my insecurities. I haven't always been a fan of public announcements, presentations, or just public speech in general. However, I had to create a presentation and deliver it in front of the class as part of my second speaking class assignment. Which I didn't particularly enjoy; the very concept of it made me feel uneasy and anxious. Without a doubt, I don't like it. Having to chat to my students and having to turn on my camera made me incredibly anxious. Although some could argue that since the class is online rather than in person, where it is tougher, it shouldn't be that bad, I still get anxious. My peers were equally cooperative and understanding when the assignment was given. It was simpler because my peers and I would collaborate if anyone had any queries or concerns. I did become really nervous when giving this presentation, and I actually started chocking up in the middle of the the presentation. During the presentations I feel a little heated, ,nervous  and embarrassed because of my nervous stutters. When projects were assigned in high school, I was never the one who was willing to stand up and present; I would typically be the last one to speak. I've always wanted to learn how to talk to people and engage with them, but I was never shown how to do it properly. Since there wasn't a lot of information that needed to be included in the presentation, the majority of the information had to be recalled, understood, and spoken off the top of your head. This made the assignment, in all honesty, rather difficult for me. 

        As I studied the book and prepared for my presentation, I noticed a decline in how I felt about giving this presentation (iSpeak Improves Your Speech Credibility by Judy C Pearson). My group read chapters 1-4, which were really eye-opening. These chapters addressed how to cope with anxieties and worries as well as how to improve public speaking. The following are some of the main ideas I took away from the lecture: You must:

• Act confidently 

• Know your subject

• Care about your subject 

• See your classmates as friends

• See yourself successful

• Practice for confidence

The first group, which includes myself, I I.  think everyone put a lot of effort into each of their presentations. I appreciate how my peers kept the presentation basic and achieved great use of graphics. According to what I observed, my peers did a fantastic job of learning and knowing their subjects. I think my classmates did a fantastic job of presenting material in a variety of methods, including by asking questions, showing films, and being really involved. When the presentation began, there were a lot of individuals, and they would quiz the class, which I believe is a great way to loosen up and get people's opinions. My friends talked eloquently and accurately represented each chapter's topic. In my perspective, the group I was in did a good job, despite the fact that it sometimes be challenging to get in touch with some of my classmates. Nevertheless, it makes sense because everyone is busy and not on the same time schedule as one another. Everyone cooperated, completed the task at hand, and did it in a professional manner. 

In addition, Group 2 was given chapters 5–9. I'll admit that I understood more of the information in these chapters. Chapters 5 to 9 covered subjects such

• Why you will benefit from research

• Finding sources of information

• Why is organization important

• What are the principles of Outlining

• What holds a presentation together 

• How can you use your voice effectively 

• How can you use your body to communicate

• How can you improve the clarity of your language use

• What ethical consideration should guide your language use

• How do you keep your focus on the message

  Group 2 was clearly better prepared than Group 1; the data and analytics made available were quite helpful and efficient. I found the illustrations my classmates produced and the way they explained these concepts in their own words to be incredibly helpful. The advice given by my peers that I was able to understand was to prepare an introduction, decide the presentation's purpose, identify problems relating to your topic, do your research to supplement your personal knowledge, and maintain constant eye contact. I can say with certainty that I will learn more in group 2 and that I will incorporate these crucial topics into my upcoming presentation.

The third group, which included chapters 10–12 of the book, was last but not least. This group, in my opinion, did a fantastic job of wrapping up the presentation and closing the group. Chapters 10 to 12 addressed subjects like:

• How Can you help people learn information

• What skills are important for informative speaking 

• What are the ethical principle of informative speaking 

• How are persuasive Presentations unique 

• How can critical thinking and Reasoning improve your message 

• What are Unique Characteristics of Special Occasion Presentations 

• How should you prepare special occasion Presentation

Group 3 did a fantastic job of grabbing our attention and engrossing us in the facts they presented. Overall, I thought this group got along pretty well.

    In conclusion, I believe that this group project was a terrific learning opportunity for everyone in the group and a further means of encouraging interaction, participation, learning cooperation and communication, as well as a further means of supporting one another with any queries or viewpoints. To put it another way, everyone involved in this project gained new insight into public speaking and what goes into it, including how small gestures may impact how we engage with others and how we portray ourselves and communicate a message. I picked up a lot of useful tips and techniques. I can state with certainty that I'll be prepared for the upcoming presentation.