Blog Reflection Jenise Castillo

Getting Ready for a Successful Presentation: Personal Blog

I can't say I'll forget this week anytime soon. Honestly, I was feeling a bit anxious when I heard of the project. Group projects consistently get me really nervous at first, as there is always uncertainty regarding how the collaboration will unfold. Initially, you see one level of engagement from your team; they may not do their part, disagree, and it feels like you're dragging the project along, and nothing gets said or done. There was a lot of content for our project as well, like stories, anecdotes, testimonies, factual stories, and statistics, and I don't mind saying that it was all very daunting at that stage. That day, I was contemplating, "Will we be able to cover all of this material without it seeming like a disorganized collection of ideas?" I was worried about how the project would turn out, so this first stage was the hardest for me.

Even though I was somewhat
nervous at first, but once we actually started the work as a group, I felt a little better. We all seemed to be willing to do our share of the work. That was an improvement because it did not give the impression that I was bearing the responsibility alone, nor did I feel as though I was burdened with unnecessary weight. Rather, we felt more like a team; we were throwing ideas back and forth among one another, etc. That felt satisfying. Group projects can be unpredictable, but having my team step up and take on some of the legwork definitely eased my workload.

One of the things I appreciated most was that we all had our own strengths. Santana was particularly effective during the introduction. I was literally just sitting there and listening to him speak, and he had very good confidence, especially in how he started. He really pulled the audience in right away. Realizing that he started well also calmed my nerves a bit. We have all experienced presentations where we feel nervous, especially at the beginning, fearing that after a couple of minutes no one will pay attention to what we are saying; however, Santana ensured that this did not happen. He set a favorable tone for the rest of us, and I was so happy about that.

When it came to my part, I surely felt nerves. I had the butterfly feeling in my stomach before I started speaking. But once I actually turned on my camera and started speaking, it wasn’t as awful as I thought. I simply reminded myself that all I had to do was explain the topics in a way that I understood. After that it was a little easier. I struggled to incorporate examples and maintain simplicity without overwhelming readers with indisputable facts. For example, when I discussed how stories and statistics can enhance a speech, I provided real-world examples to help the audience visualize my points. I didn’t want to just regurgitate what was in the chapter; I wanted to make something connect. I then felt relieved and a tad proud that I didn’t freeze.

Chasity completed our presentation flawlessly. Her wrap-up was organized and did a terrific job of bringing everything together. It didn’t simply feel like she was repeating things we had said; we had expressed all of our main points in such a way that it all made sense. And honestly, it made me contemplate how introductions and conclusions matter. A powerful introduction draws attention to an audience, and a strong conclusion leaves them with something to remember. 

Looking back, I think one of my biggest challenges was time management (personally). Between school, other assignments, and life in general, it was difficult to make time to sit down and focus on this project. I could see myself feeling overwhelmed and just pushing it back in my mind. But once I started working on my slides and notes, it really wasn’t that awful after all. I learned that I need to quit overthinking and just do everything one step at a time. That has made me feel more confident approaching projects similar to this in the future.

I also learned about myself and how I handle public speaking. I get nervous easily, and before this work, I did not really think I was good at public speaking. But being in a supportive group made a difference. Once I saw my teammates kick things off really well, I felt confident in doing my part. I remembered that it is okay to trust your team. At the end, I realized that I made it through my nerves and did better than I ever gave myself credit for. I also had more confidence for next time.

But, overall, I was really proud of our group. At first, I was stressed out and didn’t know how it would go, but once we got started, I felt relief and even some happiness about what we did together. I realized that having a good team makes a big difference, and it comes down to more than just completing your part but also how it all fits together. 

Actually, the content of the chapter taught me something important as well. I used to think giving a speech was just about being clear and making eye contact. But I now know that what is included in the speech also matters. Supporting materials are relatively important. Stories capture attention, statistics give you evidence, and testimony provides credibility. It is similar to building a house; you need different tools to make it strong.

I saw that in our presentation; using all those elements made our arguments more appealing.

If I had to say, next time I would just want to practice more as a group before the actual presentation. We all knew our parts, but I think if we practiced together a little more, we would’ve sounded a little smoother. I could have added more visuals or examples, as that would’ve definitely added an extra layer of interest. I would also 've liked to have worked on just speaking more confidently without showing that I was nervous on the inside. 

I was just really proud of our group. I was somewhat stressed in the beginning, not totally sure what it was going to be like, but once we started I felt two things: relief and happiness that we were working together on something. I realized it makes a difference if you have a good group because it always comes down to more than just your part but also how the pieces all help form the big picture.

This project taught me more than just the content knowledge specific to that chapter; it taught me self-confidence in trusting and collaborating with others. I will carry that with me to other projects, and I now realize that even when it may seem grueling to begin with (here I am going back to the beginning again!), it is always possible to work through it together with effort and positivity.