Perspective of the past – a reflection
Oh my gosh! It really wasn’t published. Thanks Prashant for the SMS!
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If reflections are what I would want them to be, it will be full of thanks, appreciation and gratitude. The preparation of the proposal and delivery of the presentation – such fond memories of working together, slaves to time and datelines, bickering and jokes. Who would have thought it is already time to think back, reminisce and write this blog?
The presentation by team “Shoot” was one that has much to desire. After numerous consultations, practices and also self-reviews, we were all gripped by nervousness on the fateful day. The main points were delivered, however the many subtle hints and secret emphasis were lost. Gone, patience hours of reaching for Nirvana – perfection in presentation.
In retrospect, I feel that my part of the presentation was poorly delivered. My tone was fluctuating too much and I sound as if I am wavering. Truth as it is, I forgot the finer points I want to make and I panicked. I was left hysterical, and my mind was whirling. I was desperately trying to focus and get my delivery together again. However, wits failed and my hands were not steady, my pace, my speech was crude and came across probably as being unprepared.
For improvement, I would rest more the night before to keep myself fresh and mind keen. I should have a set of prepared notes on hand even if I had memorised my script to prevent future slips. Also, practice and practice and practice and one day, it will be perfect.
That said, I was rather happy that our findings and proposal was a success. Working in the group was a memorable experience and I have certainly learnt a lot especially from Prashant who has a natural gifted tongue and brains to match it. Chai Yee who is a serious worker and never fails to remind us of our agenda should we wander wayward. Gail for her “madness” which inspires us all: Ecotourism prevails!!
ES2007S 
liews_ryan said,
November 10, 2009 at 8:53 PM
Dear Wai Hong,
I noticed that you have a very good eye contact and excellent gesture. Your English is very good and professional.
If I’m not wrong, i guess your performance was affected by Prashant indirectly, since he presented well and you are the last presenter, simply because the “psychological effect” as well as the “invisible stress” on you (just a wild guess).
If i have Prashant in my group, I’ll definitely feel much more stressful than i had with my dear Team RAGX simply because i have to push myself harder in order not to drag the whole team down.
Well, frankly, I’m not blaming Prashant or everyone.
If I’m correct, I hope you can feel better. If i don’t, well, the presentation is already over and i hope you can learn your mistake and never ever repeat it again.
Last but not least, all the best to you and your team members SH.o.O.T.
Cheers,
Ryan
jprashant1985 said,
November 10, 2009 at 11:13 PM
Dear Wei Hong
I can recall our presentation during the Peer Teaching exercise-which was excellent. You were definitely much comfortable then. Perhaps the occasion made a difference.
I believe on the OP day itself, we were all heavily stressed and nervous, and I was even doubting myself. But you were definitely much calmer and less anxious during the dry-run we had an hour before class on the presentation day. I guess sometimes nerves do get the better of us. It will certainly be good to have a script just in case. But don’t be too hard on yourself. We went in as a team, and I’m glad we were all pleased with ourselves after the OP. You certainly did the best you could, which is the most important thing.
But I must applaud for keeping your cool under pressure. You maintained eye-contact, you reinforced key points, and you SMILED!
And yes, thanks so much for the effort in this project. You write particularly well and I thought you always had great ideas to bring the project up the next level. believe one of the highlights of this proposal was our interview with Singapore Tourism Board. How receptive and hospitable were they to us-undergraduates! It was a really memorable experience.
Do reflect on some of the things you can improve on, and I am so positive the next time you perform a presentation, you will ace it, because you certainly have the potential to do so! Good luck Wei Hong!
Best,
Prashant
Glenda said,
November 10, 2009 at 11:35 PM
Hi Wei Hong,
Even if you have not performed up to your expectations, I guess it’s still a learning process which will help you improve in your future presentations.
I noticed from the past two presentations that you tend to get really nervous when presenting in front of a crowd. You seemed like a totally different person as compared to your usual self in the tutorial class. What I usually do is to imagine that everyone in the audience are my close friends and I’m having a “casual conversation” with them to help myself calm down. Maybe you can try it next time. Also, I do agree that it’ll be good to prepare cue cards in the future to help remind yourself of the key points. You never know when your memory is going to fail you.
I felt that you performed well during the Q&A session. You were calm and composed when answering the questions. However, it might be better if there was someone in your team to coordinate the Q&A session to ensure that everyone had an equal chance to answer the questions.
Glenda
Xin Wei said,
November 11, 2009 at 12:26 AM
Hi Wei Hong,
It is inevitable to feel nervous for such a formal presentation. I believe this oral presentation is a good learning experience for us to improve on our presentation skills and for some of us, including myself, learning to maintain a calm composure.
Nevertheless, I think that on the whole, your presentation is clear. However, in view of the fact the presentation has a time limit, you might consider summarising your parts and go straight to the more important points. Afterall, the audience has limited attention span.
In addition, I notice that there were a number of “erms” in your presentation. Perhaps, you should take note of that in your future presentation.
All in all, I think that you are a good team player who tries to back up your other team mates, as evident from the Q&A session. Frankly speaking, I am impressed with your group’s performance because all of you make competent presentors. However, your presentation might be better if one of you had regulated the Q&A session so that everyone in the group has equal chances of answering the questions posed.
Cheers,
Xin Wei
Huiyi said,
November 11, 2009 at 1:34 AM
Dear Wei Hong,
Your group had done a great job for this whole presentation! The content presented was clear, relevant and well-analysed. However, the slides could be more professional and more audience-friendly. Some of your slides, especially the ones on survey analysis, seemed a bit dark on the screen. I believe these slight improvements to the visual aids would enhance your group’s presentation as a whole.
As for your individual performance, you sounded enthusiastic and it was evident that you put in effort to engage with your audience by making sufficient eye contact with them. However, as you had mentioned, you were slightly nervous during the presentation. I am not sure if you realised, but you were unconsciously repeating the word ‘erm’ during your presentation. I’m sure the presentation would be better if you are more composed. Nevertheless, this was still a presentation well done, so keep up the good work!
Regards,
Huiyi
Yau Pak Ming said,
November 12, 2009 at 3:50 PM
Dear Wei Hong,
I agree, you were too nervous compared to the presentation you did during peer teaching session. Is it because of the formal attire that you are not so used to? However, it was still impressive that you kept going and still managed to smile the whole time.
One thing to note, perhaps your hand gestures were too much at times. Maybe it is because you were too nervous therefore you wave alot more?
Nevertheless, you did well for the Q&A session. You calmed down (I guess) and delivered the answers clearly and concisely. A job well done.
Regards,
Pak Ming
keerth said,
November 13, 2009 at 11:49 PM
Hi Wei Hong,
I really enjoyed your group’s presentation and I think you did well as a speaker provided that you had little rest before hand. It is natural to be nervous, but I believe that the nervousness will go off with more experience.
I agree with Pak Ming that you could have toned down your hand gestures, it seemed a little unprofessional. Nevertheless you presented very well and your answers for the Q&A session were appropriate. All in all, it was a very good presentation 🙂
Cheers,
Keerth ^^