Monday, April 27, 2009
Crititquing Yourself - Final Critique Post
I was so "wowed" by the presentations. The time, attention and creativity that went into these blogs was outstanding. There were some minor suggestions made by the class for each student. Please comment on the suggestions that students made in class after your presentation. What kinds of things would you change now? What kinds of things did you create that you found reinforcement for your creative thoughts? And, then, post on the second part of this blog comment your own self critique on your speech performances this semester. How did you improve this semester? What strengths have you gained? What will you take away with you regarding your own communication and presentational skills?
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I thought all of the critiques and comments given to me after my presentation were accurate overall. I did make a few changes as well based on these comments. For example, Alyssa said that I should change the words "do big things" in my first blog post so I did that and made it sound a bit more professional and less casual. Also, Prof M gave me a few suggestions such as splitting up my biography and putting the career goals part in the post with my resume. I did that as well and now it flows a little better. I was glad that everyone liked my little creative additions such as the bigger picture of myself that I put in the about me section and the picture at the bottom of my blog.
ReplyDeleteAs for a self critique, I think that my professional speaking skills have definitely grown this semester. I have overall become more comfortable communicating my thoughts even though I am usually very nervous. I was also glad to learn that even though I am usually nervous, that it doesn't come across in my speaking. A few people said that when I speak, I am very calm, collected and confident. I was very happy to hear that because I would have never thought that was true. I also believe that I have learned how to organize my thoughts logically and efficiently while cutting out "fluff."
One thing I feel that I need to work on still is controlling my body while I speak. I tend to be very fidgity and I move my hands and feet alot. This is my goal that I will continue to work towards once this class is over. I want to control my body and use my gestures to increase the sense of confidence and charisma that people see in me verbally. I want to be able to use my gestures and hand movements to better my presentation instead of give off the impression that I'm nervous.
Overall, I feel that I have made great strides in my speaking skills with this course. Before the course, I was pretty much still petrified of public speaking but I have definitely become much more confident in my abilities. This is the main thing that I will take away from this course.
I very much appreciated all the feedback I received from everyone.
ReplyDeleteSome suggestions were:
Change my picture to one a little bit larger where you can see my face and to have only one link to my resume in my letter of intent.
I found a picture that I think truly is a good representation of myself, which I have now included and I did include just one link in the letter of intent.
One suggestion I received from another class was that I include my resume on the side-bar, just so that it would be that much more accessible to those who would like to view it.
As far as self critique goes, I feel there are several things that I improved upon in presenting:
First, I have learned to watch my filler words.
I also used to hide behind my slides, which I now know I should not do. I have learned to cut down the content of my slides and have them be just a tool. My eye contact has also significantly improved.
I am very glad that this class afforded me the opportunity to create an online portfolio. I intend to use it in EVERY job application.
I am glad that I got persuaded to present last Tuesday. I did not want to present at all because I was scared of how my virtual portfolio was going to be perceived. In the end, I was relieved and surprised how much positive feedback I got. The blog turned out to not only be important for class but also for my future career. As I mentioned in class, I was nervous because I didn’t really have any clubs or organizations that I joined and my background is so different from many other students. But you guys totally helped me to not only accept those differences but also appreciate them. I had not realized that I really have gained a lot of experience in the working environment. Also, I guess I realized that it is not ‘ordinary’ to be able to speak several languages. It’s just more usual in Europe. But I realized that I had to sell myself more and better. This assignment and the class in general helped me to find out more about myself and where I want to go in life.
ReplyDeleteAnd although, at times, I didn’t understand some assignments like the 30 second commercial, it already turned out to be helpful to me. When I dropped my dad off at an off-site in New York, I got to meet his co-workers. The 30 second commercial came in handy and I was glad I had practiced it before. So over all, the class was practical and helped me apply new knowledge in every day life
The comments I received from the class on my virtual portfolio were very helpful and definitely reinforced the ideas and improvements that I already had in mind for the future. I was glad that German commented on the fact that my blog allowed him to see who I really am as a person since I didn’t have a completely clear professional objective yet. That was my goal for this blog and I am glad that it came across that way to the audience. I am not sure what I want to do education or career wise post graduation so I wanted my blog to allow readers an insight into who I am personally as well as academically. I was also pleased that Kathy commented on the inclusion of my hometown as a positive aspect of my blog. I thought that including information about my hometown might allow me to establish connections with readers or create networking opportunities as I do come from a well-known tourist destination. I always meet people on vacation or when I am travelling if I have something on that says “Pt. Pleasant” and I thought that including that aspect of my life in my blog would interesting and beneficial.
ReplyDeleteIn the future I hope to update my blog with more of my work and academic experiences. Hopefully by next year I will be able to add a clearer objective to my letter of intent as I will most likely be more focused on what I want to do after graduation and I will be looking for specific internships by then.
Overall this class has been one of the most beneficial classes I have taken at TCNJ thus far. I feel that I actually learned life skills that will help me in the real world post graduation. I know that I will continue to utilize the skills I have gained from this class for other TCNJ classes and in the work field. I have seen my public speaking skills improve tremendously over the past few months. I used to be a nervous wreck about speaking in front of a classroom, but after being forced to practice it so much I feel that I have completely overcome that fear. I have really learned how to connect with my audience and establish eye contact as opposed to just speaking at an audience without making any sort of connection. One of the most valuable pieces of information that I learned is how to properly make a power point. I have already utilized this skill in other classes this semester and my professors have commented on the superiority of my presentations. I will never again violate the 6x6 rule! I also learned how to draft a proper speech because I am ashamed to say that before this class I was just working blindly. I think that since I have learned the different parts of all speeches (attention getters, memorable statements, etc.) I will have an edge in interviews, networking, etc. I learned how to sell myself!
This class was a great learning experience for me and I cannot wait to use all of the skills that I have gained outside the classroom. I will definitely be adding the link to my virtual portfolio to my paper resume!
I looked forward and was a bit nervous about presenting my blog to the class. I really wanted to make sure that it looked professional and could actually be utilized for future employment endeavors. The feedback I received was very positive and I'm happy that both my objective and the quality of the work I put into the virtual portfolio was recognized by the professor and my peers. Some constructive feedback included to put a portion of my biography into the resume portion and maybe inserting some fun, non-academic aspects of my life including my photography. I tend to take myself very seriously and can see how the blog might be perceived as a bit cold, especially since so many kids in the class took a more creative approach to the blog emphasizing hobbies and the sort. I am happy with the final product and look forward to see how it might assist me in the future and to what degree will employers utilize it.
ReplyDeleteI took this class to work on the basic skills necessary to be a successful lawyer. I figured that in law school, having a strong communication style and ability would assist me in distinguishing myself from fellow classmates.Though I was confident in my skill sets in this capacity, I felt that there are many things that I could work on. When doing the first speech, I was mostly criticized by my inapproachable and none-conversational style of speaking. I therefore made it my goal to ensure that my style of public speaking would be warmer and friendlier. In a discussion with the professor about how can I improve she noted that I should smile more and that "I'm not a lawyer just yet." I feel as if I did not read my audience well enough to truly apply the communication skills necessary to connect with the audience. Though this is a work in progress, I do feel as if I made leaps and bounds in this capacity. In the last two assignments and in particular when presenting my blog, I made it a point to relax and really allow for my non-serious side to come out. I feel that it is something that i'll continue working on as I improve on both diminishing my hand movements and eye contact.
In the beginning of the class, Professor M. stated communication needs to be practiced. it is a skill that needs to be developed and can't grow unless you put time and effort into this important craft. Accordingly, I will take the lessons learned in this class and continuously work at making public speaking a notable aspect of my skill set.
Blog Critique:
ReplyDeleteI was very happy with the feedback I received from the class about my portfolio. Having never created a blog before, I was very nervous about the prospect of using google docs, embedding presentations, and creating hyperlinks, just to name a few. I discovered very quickly, though, that blogspot is very user-friendly, and I was very happy with the overall result of my virtual portfolio.
The feedback I got from the class was very positive. I was happy to see that my specific purpose came across clearly, as it is going in a different direction than most of the other students. I was also glad when students responded positively to the samples of work that I had selected. I was afraid the blog would be too boring, but the class said they felt there was a good balance. They noted that they were impressed by the breadth of work I had selected, but also that the extra pictures and gadgets were able to give them a holistic view of my personality and life outside of school. That was the exact balance I was trying to strike, and I was very relieved when viewers perceived it that way.
I agreed with most of the suggestions students had for changes to the portfolio. In the future, I plan to create a separate post for my resume, so it is more easily distinguished from the biography. I also know that the biography section itself is a little bit long, so I might break that into two sections; one for academics and one for extra-curricular activities. Overall, I was excited to see that the hard work I had put into the blog was noticed and appreciated by the class, and I hope graduate schools view it the same way.
Course Critique:
This class has felt like a roller coaster ride for me! After the first impromptu presentation we gave about an admired speaker, I was so terrified that I seriously considered dropping the course. I have always felt comfortable giving presentations and speaking in public, and I have received good grades in the past, but the prospect of being so pointedly and openly critiqued terrified me. The first time we spoke about an admired speaker, I was so nervous about doing something wrong that I completely stifled every natural tendency I had, making the presentation feel totally unnatural for me, and I think that showed. After that first experience, I knew that if I was going to succeed in this class, I had to go with what felt natural and build from there.
I think the first informative speech was a real turning point for me. I worked very hard to prepare, but in the end, I had to just relax and go with my instincts. The positive feedback I received on that speech gave me the reassurance and confidence I needed to continue with the course. Although I had to continue to work hard throughout the rest of the semester, knowing that I had overcome that first barrier was a big help in preparing for the next two speeches. Instead of being afraid of the critiques I received, I tried to use them to enhance my next performance.
Going into the class, I knew my real weakness with public speaking was rambling. I usually have so much to say that I over-elaborate and often end up talking in circles. My main goal of the class was to work on choosing my words my carefully and being more concise. Writing outlines and having to speak within a firm time limit really helped me to do this. Now I feel like I have better control over what I am saying, which will make my presentations stronger.
This class has also helped me to work on my hand gestures. This is still something I have to work on, as I use my hands too often to try to get my point across. I do not want to get rid of this habit completely, because when used a little bit more sparingly, I believe gestures are a positive thing, but I do need to learn how to use them specifically for emphasis.
Looking back, I am so glad I decided to stay enrolled in this class. I have learned how to properly outline a speech, verbally cite sources, and connect better with an audience, and these are all things I can apply to public presentations in other classes. I believe this will not only help me with courses in Communications, but also in the professional world.
Well, I went last and I wish I was able to leave a better impression. Sorry! I was happy to finally be able to present my blog since I was nervous of the outcome and had worked on it for several weeks already, but I was so embarrassed my slideshow couldn't be presented properly and my last updates weren't linked properly especially since I checked on everything last night. I apologize it wasn't as smooth as everyone else's presentations but I re-linked the items that didn't work this morning, changed the things Prof McM talked about, and all seems to be working now. Yeah!
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the comments I received from my fellow students because I was worried of the direction of my blog. I had additional information because of my work experiences and I needed to make sure that info was incorporated along with my current objections. Thanks German for the encouraging feedback. No one but Prof McM really offered any suggestions for me to change, but if anyone has anything else, please let me know. I'm all ears!
I totally agree with what Prof McM said this morning about this class. I think as a class we grew together and the honesty that was able to be addressed in the critiquing of ourselves helped tremendously in us all getting to know eachother and work in our groups together. I'm a good receiver of constuctive criticism but hate to offer it, and I think we all, as a group, felt comfortable with eachother to highlight the good with the maybe I'd change that... Kudos to all..
I learned alot from this class and I'm happy I registered for it; from the simple outline and speech criteria to how very much body language is interpreted. I'm so very happy I now know the proper way to put together an outline and effective speech techniques. And you can use these techniques for any speech or to ask your boss for a raise! Perfect time to learn how to be persuasive without being obvious, especially in this economy. It's nice to be reminded that everyone is nervous to stand in front of people they don't know and present a subject. I think my nervousness actually decreased from my admired speaker and informative speech as I grew more comfortable and confident in class. It's nice to know that some of the things I do out of my nervousness can be distracting. I wiggle my feet alot & vary my stance and I wouldn't want someone to feel I was not interested in them or my subject matter. When I get nervous energy sometimes I don't realize it's there, until the presentation is over or close to over, & by then it's too late. I think for the future, whether it be a job interview or grad school interview, I will be reminded of my legs & feet moving and my hands gesturing and I'll know to rehearse before & make sure these things don't happen. At the very least, I'll know to stop them sooner since they are now in my conscious level.
I don't want to end this posting without a special thank you to Jaime. She is very knowledgable and the practice sessions she held were always very helpful. She responded quickly
to emails and she meet me 2 times to help me with my blog. I really appreciate your help Jaime. You are a great TA.
It was really nice meeting you all & good luck to eveyone.
I thought I did a pretty decent job on presenting my blog. I worked very hard on it throughout the semester and I was very proud of it. I felt myself becoming more and more comfortable throughout the semester speaking in front of the class. I am glad that this assignment was assigned because it will be a fabulous tool to use in the job interviewing process. I had never created a blog before so I am happy that I was able to make it without much difficulty. I wish I had gotten some critiques because it would have been helpful, but I guess it is a good thing I did not because it means I did a decent job.
ReplyDeleteI really, really enjoyed this class. I was comfortable with my public speaking skills going into this class but it just solidified everything from before. I also felt that I grew as a public speaker and really became much more comfortable in speaking in front of a large group. I loved this class not only because of the skills that I obtained but because of the amazing people that I met along the way. The group speech was such a great experience. I loved the people that I worked with and am so happy that I got to know the people in my group. Jaime did such an awesome job as our TA too!! I really valued her opinion and her help was so essential to my success in this class. Good luck to everyone in the future!!
I was very pleased with the way that my virtual portfolio came together. However, it came to my attention that I did not insert the hyperlinks correctly, and Jamie helped me with that. Now, everyone can see my links without having me signed in. Some suggestions that I noted were to change my title of "Dynamic Dave" to just my first and middle name, and now it looks like my compcard-perfect for a potential employer (pharm rep). I also tweaked a few gramatical errors, and took out my name in the "Welcome" as well-what prof M told me to do. I plan on narrowing down my biography a little more and will put more of my work as a senior at TCNJ next year to show my academic skills.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot this year about my public speaking abilities. Coming into this class, speaking in public has always been a strongpoint for me. In this class, I was critiqued more than any of the previous classes that I took- which helped me a lot. For example, I was not aware of my "nervous energy" - I mistook it for enthusiasm which I thought was a good thing. I realize now that I need to work out my energy beforehand to help me relax and everything will flow better. I also need to work on my "ums"- I didnt' realize how many times that I used that word as a transition.
I really enjoyed the class. I really looked forward to coming, and enjoyed meeting everyone. I thought- as a class- that we all made great strides. I feel that this class is a MUST take for all students- it is very valuable. Everyone will speak in public at some point in their lives. I feel much more confident after taking this class and learning about my nervous energy problem, and just concentrating on relaxing. I already know that I connect with the audience, but now I know if I just relax, everything will just flow better. I wish everyone in the class good luck!
I meant age, not name in the first paragraph- I took out my age, sorry.
ReplyDeletePart I
ReplyDeleteI am very happy with the outcome of my personal blog. I spent a lot of time working on it and I really think it shows. The comments I received on my blog were very good, and I’m very proud of that. At first some were a little not sure about if my background choice of color was professional, but with the information I gave, they said it went perfectly, showing my sweet personality. One suggestion made that I think was very helpful was about the text color. My background is pink and text was like a burgundy color. One of my peers suggested that I change the color maybe to black or navy blue and that would make it stand out even more. I agreed, and I actually tried to change the text color. But since I imported a design template I had trouble changing the text colors. But that is something that I am still currently working on. Also, another suggestion that I plan to take it is put captions under my profile pictures. Each of these pictures has a very special story behind them, and I should talk about that, since they both highlight my academic success.
The things that I created to reinforce my creative thoughts were the website template and motivational poster gadget that changes daily. I think they both go along with my personality and were a cute way to incorporate a message about my character. The pink flower background shows that I am very lady- like and sophisticated; and the motivational poster gadget shows that I am a very motivated person, and I included that hoping that I can lift someone’s spirit who visits my page.
Part II
I really enjoyed this class. I thought the assignments were fun, and really helped to strengthen all of our communication skills; both written and oral. Personally, I thought I did pretty well, and I really learned a lot about myself. For one, my no means is public speaking new to me being that I have held so many leadership positions, but I have learned that I still need practice and there is always room for improvement. One thing that I felt like I improved on this semester is the fact that I get extremely nervous before giving any presentation. As the semester progressed, I got a lot better with this. My strengths I have gained was that I have learned to how properly make a speech outline, and learned to always properly cite my source information for PowerPoint images. Also, I got a lot better at verbally citing in an oral presentation. All of these improvements are very important being that I am a Business Marketing Major and I will be giving a lot of presentations in my career field.
I thought that the feedback that I had received from the class was very beneficial. On the day of the presentation I was very sick, but still did my best to make it through the presentation. One of the comments that I had received was that I did not make enough eye contact and that I was playing with my hair. After presenting I realized that I do need to make improvements in those areas. Another suggestion that I received was that I did not have a clear objective in my virtual portfolio. Since it is going to be used for either applying for an internship or law school, I will definitely make those necessary changes. Some positive feedback that I received was that the layout worked well and that it had a clever name. I am going to keep these and hopefully it will catch the viewer's eye. I am planning on continuing to update my virtual blog and use it for applications.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a self critique overall for the semester, I think that I have improved greatly. For the first speech that I gave I was very nervous, and everyone was able to tell. Now, I am much more confident when I give speeches. I speak in a more conversational tone which makes my speech sound better and me less nervous. Also, I now know not to put all of my information on my slides so that it enables me to just speak instead of reading. I used to use many filler words, and I do not think that I do this anymore. This course has definitely helped me grow and become a better speaker.
There are many things I want to change on my blog. After seeing everyone else's wonderful blogs, I have thought of some ideas. For one I want to add the Spanish School Certificate as a link. A suggestion I had gotten was to add in a couple of words in the other languages I speak just to spice the page up a little bit. I also found my blog to be really plain and may potentially find a nicer looking layout. Also considering I am a freshman, there was not a lot of material for me to include on the page. A couple of people said that as I move on through the years I will have more presentations and better written papers to include.
ReplyDeleteThrough this class, I definetely think I am more self-aware of when I am fidgeting. Something I have realized and want to further improve is the lack of eye contact when I am speaking. I am definately going to continue to work on that.
I really am glad that we made these virtual blogs because it will definately give a spice to my resume.
Blog Critique:
ReplyDeleteThough I put much time and effort into creating my blog, when I went up to present it I knew I still hadn't perfected it. The class gave me much valuable feedback to help me better my blog. For one, my biography section is too long- I need to separate my work information and create its own individual post. I'm glad people liked my 'extra' post, though may recommended I change the title. I really liked Sarah's idea to write the word 'travel' in Spanish or Italian- I'll definitely do that! Another problem was that my picture was too big. It distracted viewers from the written content, so I will need to shrink it down. I encountered a few problems with my links, because I copied and pasted the wrong one. That was a silly mistake on my part and next time I will be sure to double check. Lastly, I was recommended to disable comments on my blog. I agree with this idea because being as I cannot control who posts comments, someone can write something unprofessional and an employer could possibly read it before I did- that would be a disaster!
Self-Critique:
I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class! I believe I gained a lot of knowledge on how to better present in public. That first time we did our impromptu speeches, I nearly fell flat on my face- Dave even said so! But after reviewing the proper tools needed to prepare oneself, I was ready and successful for my next speech. I think the strength I gained the most in this class is preparation. Before, I never knew how to accurately prepare myself for a speech, so I was never comfortable with my material and therefore couldn't speak well. But after writing proper outlines and practicing tremendously, I found the information a lot easier to present, because I was so comfortable. Another aspect that I believe I vastly improved in is eye contact. However, by my last speech I still found myself fidgeting and moving my feet around...although I recognized my behavior as I presented, I somehow couldn't stop myself. With time and practice I know I can overcome this problem too.
This is why I found this class to be so valuable- any problems I didn't improve on, I am now aware of and can fix until they are improved! In all I feel as though not only was this an important scholastic experience, but a lifetime value as well, and I had a fun time bonding with my classmates during the process : )
As far as my virtual portfolio goes, the class was able to provide me with very constructive criticism and tips for improving upon my blog. The first thing I thought was most important was a suggestion by Prof. McManimon that I remove the link to allow comments. Realizing now that what people write could be unprofessional, I thought this was an excellent suggestion. I thought the blog was a fun assignment and it allowed me to express parts of my personality that my resume couldn't. Also, I need to shorten my biography and make a link to the rest of it because it is too long. Also, I received some positive comments about the content on my blog and that made me very happy because I had put a lot of hard work into trying to find things that would be appropriate to post. Overall, the feedback that I received from Prof. McManimon, Jaime, and the class was very helpful and provided me solutions to fix the problems with my blog that I had not noticed.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though throughout the course of this class, we all have improved. I know as I was sitting watching my peers' presentations, I was able to notice improvements from the first speech of the year. I would hope that the same could be said for my presentations as well. During the first speech about an admired speaker, I was very nervous because I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to be talking about. I have always had a problems with babbling about unrelated things when I get nervous and found myself doing a little of that, not only with the admired speaker presentation but with the informative speech as well. However, over the course of this class, the criticisms and encouragement that has been provided by Prof. McManimom, Jaime, and my peers has helped me to improve my public speaking skills. My main area of improvement, I think, is just being more comfortable speaking in front of groups of people. Usually, I am pretty confident when it comes to giving speeches, but I think this class showed me all the little improvements I need to make to ensure that confidence comes across while I am speaking. Little things like eye contact with the class, not looking at the powerpoint or notecards, and controlling the "um's" throughout the speech are slip-ups that most of the time, I did not even notice I was doing. While being openly criticized in class was not something I was necessarily used to, I really found the blunt and honest feedback to be helpful. Also, before this class, I had never really written a speech properly. For all previous presentations, I would just kind of make a few notecards and wing it using the knowledge I had as filler along the way. Learning how to properly outline a speech, make appropriate notecards, and create an effective visual aid, are all skills that I will be able to utilize in the future the make my presentations more credible and effective. I feel as though this class has allowed me a great avenue for improvement. I am truly grateful to all of my classmates for all of the honest feedback they have given me over the course of the semester because it truly has helped me to improve my communication skills. I would also like to wish everyone the best of luck with all of your future endeavors, you guys are awesome!
Self-Critique: How did you improve this semester? What strengths have you gained? What will you take away with you regarding your own communication and presentational skills?
ReplyDeleteThis semester I was able to target my weaknesses as a speaker and root the flaws to those weaknesses. My experience was very odd because my first presentation had a few errors that needed work. During the following presentations I noticed that my nerves during many of my speeches were my handicap as a speaker. After a while I noticed that being nervous would lead me to forgetting points I knew I had to make during the speech. But by being able to grasp my weaknesses I was able to somewhat improve. As an illustration, during the group presentation I tried to keep in mind that I had to include transitions in my speech. By keeping this in mind, I felt that there was a mild improvement with the way I transitioned. The strength I gained, I would have to say is the ability to notice my weaknesses and work towards them. I am also able to work with my nervousness a bit more.
There are many things I will take away, in regards to my communication and presentation skills. The assignments worked as a way to enhance my skills as a speaker. Critiquing others worked as a way to keep in mind things to avoid during a presentation. Not only had that but the course worked to my advantage, in regards to my overall communication skills.
Blog critique: I felt that the suggestions that were given to me by the class were very helpful. It was nice to hear an outside perspective. When you work hard on something and you stare at it for a long time it is hard to catch the little things. The class critique helped me to pinpoint the things that could be changed on my blog or the things that could be altered in order to make it more appealing to a networker. I need to formulate a more concise cover letter addressed to a specific person, depending on where I am trying to apply. I also should add more visual aspects of my schoolwork like brochures, projects, power points and photography that I have created. The title of my blog could also use some work and I am working on finding a quote that I like for the top of my page. I look forward to my next two years at TCNJ where I will now work harder to create networking opportunities that I can advertise on my blog. I will definitely keep this blog going while I begin the process of looking for a life-long career.
ReplyDeleteClass critique: This class has been without a doubt one of the most beneficial courses I have ever taken. Public speaking is such an everyday skill that I struggled with in the beginning of the semester. After taking this course I now feel more comfortable and prepared giving public presentations in front of a class, conversing with networking opportunities, and even my everyday speech seems stronger. I feel so much more relaxed when I am in front of a class or a group because this class has taught me the preparation that I need to deliver an effective public message. Our first speech was to pick a public speaker and analyze his or her speaking skills. We were then instructed to choose one thing about this speaker that we admired and wished to gain throughout the course. I focused on the confidence of my speaker. I always struggled with confidence in front of groups but now I am able to speak in front of a class with a relaxed and conversational tone that gives me the confidence I always wanted. In the beginning of the semester I was nervous to take this class because I was a poor public speaker but I am now convinced that what I have learned will help me succeed in the future.
Blog: Overall, the lack of a clear objective was missing in my blog. Mentally I felt as though I was gearing the virtual blog towards my likes and interest, but because my likes are so diverse the blog came off as being unfocused. I focus could have been brought in very quickly by including the field of study I was most interested in or an internship I would have liked to gain in the near future. Although, the class realized I did not have a main objective the class did mention how my virtual blog was a great addition to my resume.
ReplyDeleteI would have added a main focus to my virtual blog for potential employers. I also, would have added paper assignments to my academic blog section. My full intention was to add papers. For some reason, I could not find final drafts of papers on my computer, which is strange in itself because I know I had to submit the final drafts for grading purposes. Unfortunately, I could not add a select few papers to my blog, which I knew was an important piece to the blog. I have worked on several research papers during my stay at TCNJ, but it was truly unfortunate that I could not post any papers.
I enjoyed creating the blog section just for all of my mission’s trips. Missions’ is truly an important aspect of who I am. I was glad that I could add that to my blog because my resume could not support it. My resume could not have contained or shown how passionate I am for missions. I wanted potential employers my passion to help those in need. It also provided another aspect of my qualities; it showed I had a global perspective. I was also pleased that I could create a blog that held my accomplishments with a program I participated in, during high school. The program was listed on my resume. Clearly, I could not attach or include the article in my resume, but the virtual blog was able to contain it for me.
Self Critique: I truly enjoyed myself this semester for I have learned valuable information and knowledge on the subject of public speaking for business and government. Coming into the course I felt a moderate comfort level in my public speaking style. Leaving the course I feel a higher comfort level in my public speaking style. Thanks to Professor McManimon and the techniques she taught I was able to strengthen my public speaking skills. Coming into the course I struggled with lack of confidence before and during giving presentations. Most of the lack of confidence came from the lack of support coming from the audience. As a freshman last year I gave a presentation, I was completely prepared for it, yet when it was my turn to present I began to doubt all of my information. The blank stares and the lack of participation from the audience ruined the focus of my presentation; it felt like I was a deer in head lights. She simply expressed one must be confident in what they are speaking about, for me that is what I needed to hear. I held onto to the confidence fact every time I presented. Also, I never noticed how much my feet moved during a presentation. A lot of my feet movement came during the PR Rep presentation. The person who critiqued me and Professor M expressed I showed a lot of facial expression but I lacked control of my feet, which would rest on the heel and the toes would be pointed upward. I made a conscience effort to keep my feet grounded the next time I presented and it worked.
Coming out of the class, I have come to take away valuable knowledge. The aspect I will take away most will be the time we spent on the networking commercial and the personal stories of networking experienced by Professor M. I enjoyed working on the elevator speech because it allowed me to strategically think about meeting a potential employer on an elevator. It was extremely helpful hearing Professor M’s own stories of networking she has and still is experiencing. Overall, I have learned to be confident in myself and what I am speaking about. I have also learned that the best way to get rid of nerves before a presentation is to prepare and practice in advance. Some nerves are natural but an excessive amount of nerves can really hurt your presentation. I have learned to be more conscience of my body language as an audience member. A supportive audience member who nods and shows interest in the topic can encourage the presenter in a positive way and may even make their presentation more interesting; because of the general interest they are receiving from the audience. I really enjoyed this course and I have already begun using techniques for other classes and even to prepare sermons.
Professor, here are the posts that never made it on to the blog...
ReplyDeletePersuasive Speech Critique (#2)
> Erika,
>
> I lost all the notes I took, but I think I remember most of them...
>
>
>
> Almost everything I wrote down, was something that Professor
> McManimon also noticed. Your speech delivery is almost flawless. You
> utilized your note cards without making them a crutch. Therefore,
> your eye contact was well maintained throughout almost all of the
> speech.
>
>
>
> I like the way you speak clearly and audibly. Even if the subject
> had been about something boring, you would have made it interesting
> with your inflection. You enunciate words well and I don't think I
> heard any "ums" or "likes" (if they were there they certainly did
> not detract from your presentation).
>
>
>
> Your posture was professional and did not distract from your
> presentation. You commanded attention, however, you were not
> aggressive.
>
>
>
> I wish I could remember some sort of constructive criticism, but I
> would just be grasping at nothing.
>
>
>
>
>
> ~Alyssa
HW#5 EQ Blog Post
Your score = 122
I heartily agree with the concept in the article of self management.
In the business world, there is often too much going on to really
consider the personal feelings and emotions of each employee. Yes,
this may dehumanize us a little bit, but it can be prevented by being
self-aware. Those in tune with their emotions are more able to accept
them for what they are, without judgment, and allow them to pass so
that productivity may continue.
My greatest problem in the past has been a complete lack of
mindfulness of my emotions. I am an action oriented person, therefore,
if I experienced uncomfortable emotions, I took action right away to
make sure that the emotions would go away. Though this has helped me
professionally, personally it is not very healthy. It has also made me
a little less sensitive to the emotions of others. I have trouble
empathizing with those in crisis. To me, it is just a matter of taking
action so that the problem is solved.
I have already started work to solve this issue. I engage in
mindfulness practices. When an emotion crops up, I identify it,
experience it, and let it pass without judgment. My goal is to find a
balance between being super productive and sensitive.
I haven't yet decided whether or not working for a corporation is
right for me, however, I know that some sensitivity will be important
in the Peace Corps.
~Alyssa
HW#4 - Networking Blog
Hi Donna! Congratulations on passing the bar exam! I was wondering if
you would be able to put me in contact with someone at Maloney and
Fox. I hear they are hiring and I was interested in submitting my
résumé to them. So much of what I learned from you about PR at MBUSA
could be applicable to a job there. For example, I was really
impressed by the way you handled the situation when Mercedes-Benz
trucks were being boycotted. It was really important to emphasize that
the trucks are an entirely different company separate from Mercedes-
Benz vehicles. I think you really communicated that well to the press.
I want to be able to do things like that so I have been taking writing
and public speaking courses that have honed my communication skills. I
believe my dedication and enthusiasm for learning and applying skills,
as well as my willingness to work with others would fit in perfect
with their atmosphere. Would I be able to e-mail you next week for a
letter of recommendation?