[ENGLISH SPEECH AND COMMUNICATION] Organization Presentation Reflection

What did you learn about presenting through stories?

 

I learned that adding stories to the presentation is much more effective and memorable than merely conveying information. I think this is especially very important in topics such as promoting NGO for donation. I also learned that using real photo taken by me is better that using emojis and animations in the internet.

 

What makes a presentation compelling and engaging?

 

I introduced my own dog Charles. I put Charles' photos and my partner put hers in the ppt slide which is very unique and special. I think doing it was very compelling and engaging to the audiences who have pets. I also told the audience about Charles' story how he ended up being my family. In addition,  I went to ADOGS for a volunteer work. I put photos of me volunteering there. I am sure that this gave the credibility to the speaker and made my presentation more believable.

 

What did you learn about your organization?

 

I was shocked when I learned that 130,000 pets are abandoned every year. While preparing for the presentation, I learned that ADOGS don't euthanize dogs which is different from other stray dog shelter. I also get to know May who is rescued and adopted to loving family by the help of ADOGS. Before I do a research about ADOGS for presentation, I only had vague and abstract ideas about ADOGS and what they do. After I do a research I know all the details what ADOGS did for May. I am glad to know learn that May is happy now. While doing a research, I also learned that since 2018, ADOGS successfully found families for over a thousand dogs, which is an evidence that the organization is running fine and well. I also learned that ADOGS now rescues and finds cats. Somebody abandoned three cats near ADOGS facility the day I volunteered ADOGS. It was last year. The staff of ADOGS was very worried about the cat at that time. Now I found out that they also help cats, too:)  I also learned that ADOGS has a Youtube channel.

 

What did you learn about yourself?

 

-Smile

At the very beginning of the speech, I didn’t smile. I was a little anxious and nervous that I forgot to smile. Thus, I looked a little depressed. Next time I will find a way to deliver the speech in a more bright and casual way every though the message contains stories of poor abandoned dogs. Next time, At least I will smile in the beginning.

 

-Eye contact

During the presentation, actually I made eye contact to only one person. I was very nervous so I unintentionally blurred my focus of my eyes so, I didn’t make eye contact directly to anyone. The only person I made eye contact was professor who was sitting in the back left side of the class. I made eye contact with her like 0.1 second and it was a coincidence. Every time I make eye contact to one of the audience, I forget my lines. I should practice more to not be nervous in the stage and to make more eye contacts to audience. 

 

-Stammer

I stammer a lot, so I deliberately speak very slowly. To make the presentation less boring, I made my script very short. I minimize the script and put related photos in the ppt slide. I have a habit of using ummmm….every time I stumble across my words and every time I feel like stammer. I learned that me using ummmmm all the time is very distracting and annoying. My English pronunciation wasn't that bad. 

 

-Body language

Even though I tried my best to minimize unnecessary movement, I still make some. There was no moderation in my arm shaking gesture. Every time I stammer, I shake my hand and my arm to fight through words. I learned that I should quit this habit of arm shaking because it's distracting.

 

-clothes

I wore neat and clean clothes. I wore tie for the presentation. Even though my mom criticize my fashion all the time, I am confident about my fashion. I learned that I look good with red tie:)

 

-conclusion

I stammer a lot and I talk slow. I realized that I am not cut out for such deep interaction fast-paced dialogue style presentation (or any other style of presentation). I learned that I need more practice.  I learned that I should have matched the slide and script when I was trying to memorize the script.

 

 

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I'm so glad you experienced the power of story in strong presentation. I'm especially glad you experienced how your own stories, photos, and experiences strengthen your credibility with the audience. Your passion for ADOGS came through strong in your presentation, just as it is here in your reflection.

SunHo, you should be so proud of yourself! If you hadn't told me about your stammer, I wouldn't have even noticed. Yes, smiles, eye contact, and more practice will help you improve. But these are the same things everyone in the class can work on. You're not that different. These experiences and insights will certainly help you to grow and improve in giving stories. I look forward to it!

 

p.s. - Yes, you do look great with a red tie (: