Reflect on the Portfolio

Question

Recall your oral presentation and think about these questions. If your Learning Coach recorded your presentation, watch the recording. Write your reflections in your journal.

Was your topic appropriate for your audience? Do you believe that your presentation held the attention of the members of your audience and added to their understanding? If you were to change anything about your claim and findings, what would it be?
In your opinion, did your visuals and multimedia components help your audience, or did they get in the way of your presentation? Explain your thinking.
Dale Carnegie, the author of The Art of Public Speaking, once said, “There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” How does the presentation you gave differ from the one you practiced and the one you wish you gave? Why do you think that is true

Answer 1

During my oral presentation, I believe my topic was appropriate for my audience as it was a group of my peers who were also working on their portfolios. I think my presentation did hold the attention of the audience and added to their understanding of the topic. However, looking back, I feel like I could have made my claim and findings more concise and clear.

I believe that my visuals and multimedia components did help my audience by providing a visual aid to complement my spoken information. They were not distracting and helped to reinforce the key points I was making during the presentation.

Reflecting on Dale Carnegie's quote, I can see how there were indeed three speeches during my presentation. The one I practiced was more polished and structured, while the one I actually gave may have been slightly more spontaneous and less rehearsed. The one I wish I gave would probably have been a perfect combination of the two, with a good balance of confidence and fluency.

Overall, I believe that my presentation was successful in delivering the information I wanted to convey, but there are always areas for improvement. Reflecting on the experience has helped me identify what I would change in the future to make my presentations even more effective.