Group Presentation Blog

Group Presentation Blog 
by Jennie Rodriguez

Our class was divided into 3 groups, all given different chapters to discuss and elaborate the information from. We based all our information from the book iSpeak: Public Speaking for Contemporary Life 2013 Edition which provided the role of a clear foundation of the basics of public speaking.

First and foremost, I really enjoyed this project and I feel that I have ended this project with more knowledge of the subject than before especially now since I feel like i have stepped out of my comfort zone and will now be more relaxed when it comes to speaking publicly. This project was a way for me and all my classmates to learn the basics of public speaking and was a perfect introduction to the class.

Group 1:Personally, I think Group 1 did an exceptional job. I extremely liked how Camille introduced  her group and how she presented everyone's section. Alexandra Blanco was the first up to present and she did such a good job familiarizing me with the topic of being fearful of public speaking and made me in a way feel more comfortable for my own speech and being more calm. She also emphasized the importance of public speaking especially in institutions, universities, jobs, etc. Alejandro Perez broke down and simplified the 7 components of the communication process and also emphasized the importance of public speaking and why it is such a unique form of communicating an idea. His last point was about selecting the topic and how important relevancy is for choosing a topic. Continuing was Amalimar Ferreira who showed us what to stay away from and elaborated on the significance of the appeals to the audience which are Ethos, Pathos, and Logos and how it plays a role in the speakers persuasion. I used this concept in my own presentation because i made sure to include evidence and emotional appeals in order to appeal to the audience and make the speech worth listening. Amanda Morales was next and I felt she simplified speechmaking in such a way that was so simple and easy to understand and I really liked how she elaborated so much on her points really making me pay attention and not get bored since there was such interesting amplification for each concept. I like how Andres Mercado and Ashley Morales explained their topics so smoothly and how organized they made their slides making it easy to look upon if there is any confusion present and easy to take notes from. Bruno Villacrez and Camille Chatellenaz did an amazing job as well projecting their voice and using their ideas to elaborate their topics further which amde it easier for me to understand and apply, but I found myself to be a bit confused with Daimary Selles's presentation since it was all recorded so it did not feel as natural and smooth as everyone else's.

Group 2:I was in Group 2, and I felt like our group did and great job explaining each point. My group partner Jonathan Acosta and I worked amazingly together, in which we reviewed each other's slides and understood each other's information since we shared a chapter. Jonathan did an excellent job with elaborating his points and using my last slide to continue from, i felt like in doing this he kept the audience more engaged since the information flowed so smoothly and he was very knowledgeable about all his topics. He emphasized the importance of word choice which was a concept I didn't even know was significant in speechmaking, so i would take that into consideration for next time. Elizabeth Bracho was next and i feel like she did such a good job with the organization of her slides and how she included videos to simplify and explain the topics further. I also liked the graphic organizer she included which brought everything into perspectives especially for those who are visual learners. Enrique, Idalia, Emmanuel, and Jeffrey used their slides in such a way that was visually appealing and simple to understand which made it easy for me to take notes from and understand, they also were very educated on each of their topics which is something that is always very important because you want your audience to build trust with you, the presenter. Next were Imayaray, Grace, Gavin, and Ivan which has interesting topics that i made sure to take note of because it included important aspects such as language choice, specification of certain topics, different perspectives and their appropriate times, ethical language skills, sensory aids, and so forth. Lastly, we have David Rodriguez who was our group leader, and did a great job in doing so. He took responsibility and was always there whenever someone has a question or needed help, so I'm glad our group leader took initiative and am grateful for it. I would love to work with my group again we worked very well together.Group 3:Last but not least, we have group 3 whose goal was to explain the types of presentations there are. They elaborated on types of presentations such as informative presentations, persuasive presentations, and special occasion presentations and emphasized their significance, especially being conscious of the topic and who the speech is being delivered to. My classmate, Tommy Bernardo, indicated the importance of the concepts of purpose, style, organization, and formality. From his presentation, I now will take into consideration the method of organization he provided which was to start with introduction, then move onto body paragraphs and their points, and then the conclusion of your speech. Lastly, Miguel, Justina, and Jose spoke about working and presenting as a group and how effective it is when people work together towards a common goal when preparing a presentation since it can facilitate communication and make the presenting a smoother process for everyone involved. In addition, my classmate Leo spoke about establishing an emotional tone for a certain speeches that you deliver, keeping in mind to maintain an open connection with the audience especially when writing in situations of eulogies, farewell speeches, retirement letters, and so forth. 
In essence, this presentation assignment was a true eye opener and learning experience for me. It taught me countless things to keep in mind continuing on in this class when writing speeches, and in daily life with improved communication skills. Thank you all so much for this experience and I hope we can continue to have such positive experiences moving forward!