Blog #1: Yamilet De leon - Post #6

 What I Learned From the Presentations

Yamilet De Leon

Hi everyone! My name is Yamilet De Leon, and I am a student at Miami Dade College. Before taking this public speaking class, I honestly thought public speaking was mostly about standing in front of people and talking about a topic. I knew that I could get nervous when I had to speak in front of other people, and when I get nervous I usually start talking really fast because I just want to finish and get it over with. After watching all four presentations, I realized that there is actually a lot more that goes into giving a good presentation. Each presentation taught me something different, and I feel like I can use some of these things in my own speeches.

The first presentation was about the basics of public speaking and understanding your audience. One thing that stood out to me was learning that you are not going to be perfect the first time you give a speech. I think this is something I needed to hear because I can sometimes worry too much about messing up or saying something wrong. The presentation showed that practicing is important because the more you practice, the more comfortable you can become. I also liked learning about how important the audience is. When you are giving a speech, you should think about who is listening to you and what would keep their attention. I feel like sometimes people focus so much on what they want to say that they forget they are actually talking to an audience. This presentation helped me understand that a good speech is not only about the speaker but also about the people listening.

The Second group presentation was about preparing for a successful presentation. I found this one helpful because I feel like preparing can make me less nervous. The presentation talked about choosing a topic, doing research, and making an outline. I learned that when choosing a topic, you should think of different ideas instead of just choosing the first thing that comes to your mind. You also have to think about your audience and what would make sense for the situation. Another thing I learned was that research is important because you want to make sure the information you are giving people is actually reliable. I also liked the part about making an outline because having your ideas in order can make everything easier. Personally, I think having an outline will help me because sometimes I know what I want to say, but when I am nervous I can forget what comes next. Having everything organized can help me stay on track instead of rushing through my speech.

The third group presentation talked about credibility, memorable language, and using images and other visuals. I liked this presentation because I think visuals can make a presentation more interesting. At the same time, I learned that you don’t want to put too much information on your slides. If there are too many words or too much going on, the audience might be focused on reading instead of listening to you. I definitely don’t want that to happen during one of my presentations. I think using pictures, charts, or a few important words can help people understand what you are talking about without distracting them. I also learned that you want your presentation to be something people remember. You don’t want to give your speech and then have everyone forget about it five minutes later. Using examples or saying things in a way that people can relate to can make your presentation more memorable. 

The fourth group presentation was about different types of presentations, arguments, appeals, and reasoning. This presentation taught me that there are different ways to connect with an audience. I learned about ethos, pathos, and logos and how they can be used when giving a presentation or making an argument. I also learned that if you are making an argument, you need more than just your opinion. You need a claim, evidence, and reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim. I thought this was important because if I am trying to convince people of something, I need to be able to explain why I feel that way instead of just saying that I believe it. Since this was also a group presentation, I learned that everyone needs to be prepared. If one person is not ready, it can affect the whole group. Having good transitions between people can also make the presentation feel more organized just like my group kept transitioning to the next person thats presentating.

Overall, I actually learned a lot from these presentations. Each group talked about something different, but all of them connected to becoming a better public speaker. I know I will have more presentations in college, so I can use what I learned from these groups in the future. I might still get nervous because that’s just me lol, but at least now I know what I can do to prepare myself and feel more comfortable when it is my turn to speak.