Blog Post #1

 

Group 1

For this presentation, Group 1, the group that I am in, had the task of explaining the first four chapters of our textbook, which revolves around preparing one's presentation. We went about this section by dividing the work evenly between the ten of us, with each person getting 1-2 sections to work on from one of the chapters. This allowed for us to effectively understand a specific topic deeply, allowing us to more easily present the information in the way that we wanted to. For me, this also made it so I could break down my information and have it ready the way I wanted it to be, while having the ability to base my part off of what the other members of the group have, and being able to ask them for help if I needed any. Most members of the group worked like this, focusing on their part of the presentation and asking for help from other members of the group when needed, or providing input for other slides.

As for my part specifically, I was tasked with explaining the foundations of public information. The main way I gathered this information was from the chart found in the book, as well as using parts of the individual explanation of each category, being invention, organization, style, understanding, and delivery. In doing this I was able to give a brief summary of each point, making it easier for both me and the audience to get a better understanding of how they work. It also made it easier for me to implement each point in my presentation, helping me see what it was specifically that I needed to improve on before I present. For me this was mostly the memory and delivery segments, as whenever I present I usually struggle with focusing and trying to keep the audience engaged, which is something that this portion of the presentation helped me improve on for the future. It also made it so that I had a sort of visual aid to help me with these, as the video I put for the speech analysis made it so I could come back to it and get a sort of example on how I should be presenting my information.

Group 2

    Next was Group 2, which worked on chapters 5-9 of the book. Here, they went about how to find sufficient and factual information for one's presentation, and different ways to go about organizing it. I feel that they did really well in showing this, providing multiple charts, such as the one seen below here:

These charts gave both information on how to find reliable information, and also how to properly utilize it when preparing a presentation. They also listed the pros and cons of using the internet to do research, which I thought was vital to include, as clearly listing the problems with just doing a quick google search on a topic is something that is extremely important when it comes to researching. Next was formats to
follow when gathering information directly, such as through surveys or data collection through statistics. This portion of the presentation was nice as it included mostly pictures and memes, which helped to keep the audience engaged. It also had little text, making it so that we were able to listen to their presentation, while still being able to understand the information that was directly on the slides. Then came the organization portion, which went more into depth, having mostly text instead of images. This portion included very important details on outlining a presentation, through methods like parallelism, division of parts, and subordination, providing a clear way to go through a presentation for us. The rest of the presentation went to discuss how to deliver a speech utilizing different methods, and more patterns of organization, which were also clear. Overall, Group 2 did an excellent job in providing their information in an effective manner.

Group 3

    Finally was Group 3, who provided information found throughout chapters 10-12 of the book, as well as the appendix. This portion included information on how to present certain topics through a presentation, as well as tips on how to give your audience a better understanding of your presentation, and how to build important speaker skills. They began the presentation by showing the five principles of learning, being using humor and wit, sensory aids, organization, and rewarding listeners. Proper use of these techniques make it so that your listeners become more engaged with what you are presenting to them, making them more likely to understand what you are trying to present, and take away something from it in the end. They then explained the ethical principles needed for presenting something, being making sure that your information is true, exercising caution with your words, be careful of misleading your audience, being sure that the audience truly needs the information being shown to them, and to make sure that the information they receive is in their best interest. They also provided a checklist in this portion of the presentation, which is useful for all of us, as it gives a sort of template that can be used for future presentations. They then go on to show different types of persuasive presentations, and ways to make arguments through use of reasoning, and also how to avoid fallacies of reasoning. This is all done with fair amounts of text, as well as plenty of pictures and videos, making it easier to understand. Then once again they talk more about the ethics of presenting, discussing honesty, respect, transparency, empathy, fairness, and accountability, and then continue with types of group presentations and special occasion presentations.

Conclusion

    Overall, each of the groups did a good job in explaining their topics, and each presentation had its own characteristics that helped portray these well. Group 1 used more text and minimal videos or pictures, Group 2 used the most visuals out of everyone, and Group 3 had a sort of blend of the two. These presentations have allowed us to gain a better understanding of how a public presentation must function, and has also taught us how to properly organize and present them to the audience.