Public Speaking Is Maybe Not So Bad

            At the beginning of the semester I knew only one thing about public speaking and that was that I hated it. I took AGCM 1200 in order to avoid the regular public speaking class. When Dr. Holt told us that we were going to be learning about public speaking after all, I was pretty bummed. However after each presentation, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it went. I can honestly say I have improved in public speaking since the beginning of the class. In the first project, “Know Your Role,” I was nervous and talked so quickly but today when I presented my poster project, I was calm and conversational. I have learned to always practice more than once and to breath steadily to reduce nerves and mistakes. There are a couple of things I think I now accomplish effectively as a public speaker and they are as follows: tone, passion, and speed. I’m more comfortable with speaking in front of people and so the better tone, passion, and speed just kind of came along with that. There are still a few things I could change and that would be stumbling over thoughts, and shaking hands when nervous. Both things could honestly be fixed with, you guessed it: more practice, something I hope to get more of in the future. There are tons of things I will take away from this class to use in my own public speaking habits. First, visuals are very effective when used appropriately. Secondly, take a deep breath, slow down and focus on something in the distance if you get nervous. Finally and most importantly, always practice more than you should. I’m very glad I took this class because I feel like I learned something that I can really use in the future.

Some Science Stuff That Went Way Over My Head

 
    

     This past Monday I attended a lecture put on by the Entomology department. It was given by Dr. Ping Shen and was entitled, "Central Processing of Olfactory Inputs in a Drosphila Model: How Do Insects Recognize Appetitive Odors?" If you're not already confused by the title, you're off to a better start than I was. I honestly couldn't tell you what the project was about because the information went over my head by about slide 5. He did not do much to explain in Layman's terms but to be fair, I was probably one of the only people in attendance who wasn't fully versed in "olfactory inputs." From Dr. Shen, I learned how different a research presentation is and I understood why most people only attend if they are high up within the field being talked about. It is a lot of field-relevant language coming at you very quickly. That is something to keep in mind when deciding which seminars to go to in the future.

Dr. Shen was a fairly competent public speaker besides a few mishaps. He clearly had not rehearsed with the presentation because many of his slides were formatted in a way that when projected, had the sides partially cut off. He used very little text but sometimes that seemed to hurt him. I was left confused about some of his visuals. Besides these, he was very effective. He didn't use a microphone but spoke loudly enough and slowly enough to be understood clearly. He kept his explanations brief-- he didn't linger on one slide for too long. He also incorporated videos into his slides, which I thought was very cool. He also organized the order of the presentation well. He began with relevant background information and then went into his own research. The thing I took away from his presentation that I will use in my own public speaking endeavors would be to not only practice beforehand, but to practice with the technology beforehand. I can’t say I would go to the seminar again, but the public speaking critique was helpful. 

The Snail Darter and the Dam

    Last Friday I had the chance to attend a lecture put on by the Odum School of Ecology. The lecture was given by Dr. Zygmunt Plater from Boston College Law School. His lecture was all about a case he lost about thirty years ago and all the things he should have done differently to have won the case. He began the lecture by reading quotations critiquing him and his team of law students. They were all extremists that critiqued him, so they were funny. He was extremely conversational-- he talked directly to the audience several times which made him appear very comfortable and confident. His entire presentation proceeded as a story. The powerpoint itself was almost entirely images and maps, but all of the chosen visuals and maps were extremely relevant and only helped his presentation. His posture was also very casual and he used hand gestures appropriately. There were a few things that could have gone better. He admitted to making the presentation on the plane to Atlanta the morning before which seemed pretty unprofessional. He was also a little jumpy with switching between subjects. He sometimes didn't even finish sentences before jumping off on the next subject, which made him seem a bit unorganized. The most important thing I learned from him was actually one of the last things he said. It was his call to action and it was as follows, "Learn to play the game." By that he meant, something like, "learn to effectively manipulate the law in your favor," but it is applicable in most job markets and in public speaking. Watch others and learn to do as they do. The aspect of his presentation that I would like to apply to my own public speaking is his use of almost only visuals and relying more on what I say. He also made his own visuals, which I thought was awesome. Overall, it ended up being informative, interesting, and surprisingly, not a waste of a Friday afternoon!

Teamwork is fun (and V is for VICTORY)

        Over the past semester I've had the opportunity to work with some pretty awesome new people. We were assigned groups at the beginning based on our "personality colors." Mine was gold-- I am all about being in charge and over organized. Through our two group projects, I had the chance to get to know Cole, Christian, Lindsay, and Taylor and can honestly say I enjoyed working with all of them. We had a really great group dynamic and no one was pulling another's weight for them. Best of all, both of our projects went extremely well!

       From the "Know Your Role" project, I learned that doing anything different, even just a little different, goes a long way with keeping the attention of college kids. We turned our presentation into an informational skit and I think that it worked really well to keep everyone focused on what we were saying. Taylor also summarized all of our arguments when she was "deliberating" on what to do with her farm so even if people zoned out, she was there for them. Personally, I think having a skit role worked well for me. I was acting out a worried mother and somehow that was easier for me nerves-wise than getting up and talking about something in front of the class. I did get a little nervous toward the end and started to speed up. Talking too quickly is definitely one of my weaknesses. The most important thing that I took away from this project was the lesson of practice. We practiced more than a few times and I think it made all the difference. Practice is key because it helps you get comfortable with what you're going to say and makes it harder to forget things. I will definitely always practice before speaking in front of people from now on.

      From the Debate project, I learned that preparation is important but definitely not the most important aspect of a debate. To me, the most convincing people weren't necessarily the people with the most accurate facts. The people who were confident, passionate, and who threw in some statistics were the most convincing to me. I was definitely more nervous for this project because I was speaking for a longer period of time and because I was presenting something that I had written. I think I maintained relatively good composure with some shakiness to my voice at points. However I think the points were well written and I did a decent job of acting confident and passionate about the issue at hand. The lesson of practice is definitely what I would take away from the debate project as well. I think I could always practice more when it comes to public speaking.