Dear diary,
06/11/09, Friday (TGIF): Presentation took place. I went up first and I seemed to roll off rather well. However, I feared for the overall timing for our group, since the previous rehearsals showed that Sarah would take around 8 minutes, Xiang Min would take around 4 minutes and I would take 7 minutes for the first two components and around 2 minutes for the conclusion cum video. I took off at normal pace for my introduction and did rather well, but my pace went off the meter once I embarked on the survey findings. Perhaps because of the new added points from the night before, I had to speed up substantially to compensate for the time my teammates would require and guessed I had killed myself for it. Oh well, better for one to die than all to suffer. Shit, I forgot to smile! Luckily, that VISA advertisement parody still managed to tickle my humor senses even though I’ve watched it for like gazillion times. Just when I thought that everything was over, the worst had yet to come. Questions flooded my team from all over the floor and I could sense that my teammates were a little lost. I tried to answer every question to the best of my ability but I’m not sure if the message really gotten across, since most of the people were nice enough to ask simple questions. However, thankfully with the difficult questions, our team was able to show that we know our stuff well and was well-prepared for the Q&A session! Phew! Hopefully everything would go through smoothly for us and our presentation had successfully persuaded the imaginary NUSEU and OSA personnel into carrying out our painstaking proposal! Thank God It’s Friday! Good job from my teammates and team SAY!
Now, where am I supposed to start revising my final exams for the other modules? Crap, too much CCA information, ARGH, got to start dumping them into the recycle bin.
Signed off, Ivan
Hi Ivan,
ReplyDeleteSorry for flooding your team with questions. I guess the topic is something too close to us. During your presentation, your tone reflects your confidence. In fact, I felt it was slightly too much. At some point of time, I felt that your tone was so forceful that I actually felt pressured. Coupled with the increasing pace, I felt as if you were lecturing me for not actively participating in a CCA. Don’t take it too heart though. Maybe I have delicate ears. Haha, in a sense it was effective as you did get the message across to me that I am wrong for not having active participation.
Another thing I noted was that you tend to glance at the laptop while giving your presentation. I am not saying that this is bad but as the laptop was more to your left, you tend to turn your head while glancing. Perhaps you can position the laptop such that you only need to glance downwards instead of turning your head sideways. It will be less distracting.
Other than that, your presentation was very well done. I love the background pictures your team used for the slides. It definitely brought out the “happy and joyful” times of those participating in their CCA. (I am not sure, but most of them are sports related?) And the parody was cool. If only your team was in the video. Haha.
Good luck with your revisions!
Chee Siang
oh one more point. During the Q&A session, your hand gestures looked like it was going to slap Sarah's face. At least from my angle. Her face was partially blocked by your hand.
ReplyDeleteHey Ivan!
ReplyDeleteAt first I felt that you were talking to Brad alone but when you went further into your presentation, your eye contact was "distributed" quite fairly to the audience. I was impressed at how you could establish and maintain your eye contact for a few seconds without losing track of what you were presenting (I really need practice on this!). Like what I commented on Sarah's OP, maybe your group were standing a bit too much to the front that naturally it would be harder to look at people on your side. Anyway, I think you did a great job on giving attention to each of your audience.
I must say the most obvious part of your entire presentation would be your pace. You were fine at first but when you reached the part where you revealed the results of your findings, I was a bit overwhelmed as it was like having slides after slides of figures flashed before our eyes by someone reaching the climax of a story. But I think you noticed the quick pace as you went back to normal speed after that.
During my group discussion, Chee Siang raised the fact that you sounded a bit pressuring with the tone you used. Maybe he was sitting right in front of you (did you accidentally spit on him? :P) and too close for his comfort.I think you just wanted to convince your audience that there is a need to improve participation of CCA among NUS students. Maybe you could look and sound more relaxed to show a more friendly aproach to the problem rather than making the audience feel that the CCA participation in NUS is in a miserable state. But don't worry about it as to me it wasn't really a big problem and maybe to some audience, the tone you used actually reflect your concern and seriouness towards the issue which is a good way to get your message across.
Your team did a great job in Q&A (sorry for the hard time :P). The session showed the depth to which you know your material and research and I am very impressed by how you handled the flood of questions. Bravo, proposal accepted!
p/s: sorry for the twice removal
Thanks, Ivan, for this reflection and for the hard work in the project and for the presentation. You and your team did a fine job. I'll give you more specifics by mail but rest assured that I was impressed.
ReplyDeleteHi Chee Siang! Thanks for your prompt comment on my blog post! I feel that since the audience is people from NUSEU and OSA, perhaps persuasion is of utmost importance to get the proposal accepted. During my presentation, I have pushed away the fact that you are all my classmates, but instead looked upon all of you as the distinguished personnel from NUSEU and OSA. I do not really mean to lecture anyone for not taking part in any CCA (In a matter of fact, I am guilty myself too!); therefore I would like to apologize if I have in any ways offended you during my presentation.
ReplyDeleteAs for the point you have mentioned about the laptop, I actually approached Sarah and Xiang Min, and they both never notice that. Personally, I think I only looked at the laptop once or twice since I’m using the remote control for slide transition and I hope to use occasional glances to ensure the precision of my slide presentation. However, this is a good point that you have pointed out since presenting while looking at the screen is a taboo, I guess the same applies to looking at the laptop.
For the pictures that are used as background pictures for the slides, rest assured that they are all pictures taken from either the sports student clubs or the faculty clubs in NUS. The parody is indeed a good one, and sad to say the three of us is just too small in number to actually present a similar impact as shown by FASS arts camp video.
Nonetheless, thank you for your precious comments and I will keep them in mind so that I will not commit them in future presentations. Thank you so much once again for being a great listener on that day.
Regards,
Ivan
Hello Wan Wei! Thank you for your commentary! I guess I still have much to improve on since no one in this world is a perfect presenter. For the team, I would like to clarify that the standing position that we employed during the presentation was actually pre-planned before the presentation. We realized that if we off the row of lights near the screen, the position where we stood (Near the table) would still allow some lights to be shone onto us and we hoped that this would allow the audience to take a clearer look at us. We believe that the main focus is on us, not really the presentation slides. ;) My pace went overboard but I reverted back to normal pace near the end so that my next presenter, Xiang Min, could take over without having the stress to carry on from a fast pace speech. Nevertheless, thank you for pointing out this problem. I realized that fast paced speech is a major problem of mine. As you might have noticed, I lingered very long on the slide showing 59.3% that signified the portion of students not taking part in CCAs, because that is one of our take home messages! Therefore, the other figures, though important, are of lower priority to the first figure and thus I tried to speed through them. However, I guessed I overshot the speed limit.
ReplyDeleteAs for the pressuring tone, I have mentioned in my reply to Chee Siang’s comment that our team looked upon the panel not as our classmates, but the distinguished representatives from NUSEU and OSA. The firm and strong tone, as what you have mentioned, is to illustrate the seriousness and the need to rectify this problem – Low active participation of CCA in NUS. However, I am not very sure about the close proximity to Chee Siang because I stood rather far from him and Ken Jie was also rather close to me in proximity too! However, I apologize to Chee Siang and Ken Jie just in case my volume was too loud or a little intimidating.
Lastly, no hard feelings for the two erased comments and also our team would like to thank everyone for the hard time given during the Q&A session, because through that session, we were able to better clarify matters and provide detailed information that could not be included in the slides due to the time constraint. Thank you so much for your comments and our team feels that your team’s presentation will result in a guaranteed approval of your proposal! Good job!
Regards,
Ivan
Thank you Brad, for your assurance over my team's presentation! We are glad that things are over and done with, and that we have learnt many presentation skills which will definitely serve us great purposes in future.
ReplyDeleteHi Ivan,
ReplyDeleteNo worries, you have not offended me.
I think you have misunderstood what i am trying to say. I am not saying that glancing at the laptop is bad. Like you say, it is a form or assurance that you are at the right slide (i do that too and i think it is good to check). What i am trying to say is that you were turning your head sideways to glance at the laptop which i felt was slightly distracting (not the glancing, but the turning of the head). If the laptop is directly in front of you, you do not need to turn your head sideways. You can look down (moving only your eyes) without turning your head. But of course, this is just a small issue.
And for the pictures, (and at some point of the presentation) i felt that there was more emphasis on Faculty and Sports club. Maybe you can give a little attention to the other student clubs (non-sports, like photography club, community service club, cultural club). Afterall they are also considered CCAs.
Lastly for the parody, i meant the 3 of you in the video, and not the video has only the 3 of you. Haha.
Hope i have clarified myself.
Cheers,
Chee Siang
Hi Ivan!
ReplyDeleteGreat presentation on Friday, good job! You appeared confident when speaking in front of the audience and there were several appropriate hand gestures and eye contacts too. However, I felt that you may have been rushing through your speech a little and your speech was a little slurred due to the speed that you were going at. Was it due to the time constraint??
The usage of video in your presentation was engaging too and it was definitely an entertaining clip to watch. But maybe your team could have explained how the video relates to your topic better? I noted that the video was made for the ARTS camp, however, the ARTS camp is not exactly a CCA isn't it? Just my 2 cents worth! (:
And you did well for the Q&A session, especially when the floor was bombarding your team with the numerous questions. But I felt that your team-mates should take turns to answer because it seemed like Xiang Min did not get to express much opinions during Q&A ): Remember, it's a team effort!
Cheers,
Yuan Ru
Hello Chee Siang! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification. I thought it wrongly and thought you referred to the negative aspects of referring to the screen. Perhaps due to the fact that I stood in a way such that I was directly facing Aldrich’s group, so that I could easily glance and give eye contact to all of you. However, thanks for the reminder as this small issue if untreated could possibly emerge to something bigger!
In addition, thanks for the concern over the background images. I showed one image about a guy pushing a wheelchair for an old lady, and also another image for the cultural club. I understand that there might not be an equal distribution of image emphasis for all the groups, however our team’s approach was to acquire images of/with: 1) Great resolution 2) CCA related 3) Aesthetically valued 4) Preferably relevant to the topic discussed. Nonetheless, I’ve noted that point down and will pay more attention to it in future.
As for the parody, I wished that the three of us could be in it, but the video was taken from arts and we could not just alter the contents in it since it does not rightfully belong to us. However, perhaps the participation or including ourselves in this arts video might actually strike a deeper impact onto others.
No worries man, I understand your points and best of luck to your revisions and exams!
Regards,
Ivan
Hello Yuan Ru!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! Thank you for your compliment, however I am ashamed to say that I did speed up my presentation a little due to time constraint because we have rehearsed three times and for all three times, Xiang Min and Sarah are rather consistent with their timings, so I have to adjust the overall timing from either my introduction or the conclusion. Sorry about that if you had a hard time with my speech.
As for the video, I gave an introduction that it is about a particular CCA group having fun and laughter while preparing a camp for orientation. Hope you can remember that after I mentioned that. As for the Q&A session, I am sorry about the part of neglecting Xiang Min, because I realized that he did not answer a single question. As I mentioned in his blog post, I felt that the questions were directed to Sarah and my parts, thus deeming us most fit to answer the questions. I was shocked that no one asked any questions at all regarding to his part, and I sincerely would like to apologize again to Xiang Min regarding the Q&A session.
In future, I would take note of this and be more aware not to commit such a mistake again. Thank you once again for your precious feedback Yuan Ru. All the best for revision and see you in exam hall (For Pharmacology, by the way it will be held in PGP =P)
Regards,
Ivan
Hey Ivan!
ReplyDeleteWahhhhhhh what harsh comments you have on your blog and this is my first time reading your post!
Actually, I really thought you were one of the better presenters in class. (No personal biasness attached as your girlfriend…really)
Yeah I could tell that you speed up your presentation during the middle portion but I understand that as you mentioned to my group before that you will speed up a little if Xiangmin and I still present at 4 minutes and 7 minutes respectively. SORRY! (A little sacrifice on your part… for the better of the team :P)
Thank you for helping the team to insert the pictures in the slides! I thought it was a good mix of sports, arts and volunteer groups CCAs. It did not really create the impression that we are too focused on sports CCAs only. Thank you for helping the team find the video too! The video of the Arts Camp Committee having fun really showed the audience that CCAs are not boring.
On top of that, you had very good eye contact with the audience! I did not see you looking at the laptop or the screen much as you confidently click on the remote control button while speaking. Also, I love it that your tone varies! (i.e. You stress the key messages of our presentation with a loud and forceful voice in order to create an impact)
Hmmm….. Did our team really stand very front? Oh dear… It seems like CheeSiang’s group has issues with that. So sorry about it as I was the one who suggested that we stand closer to the audience so that we can be seen in the light and focus can be on our team and not the slides. >.< Sorry.
Lastly, for the QnA, THANK GOD YOU WERE THERE! You really saved the whole team’s ‘asses’ by attempting to help us answer questions that we were stumped in! Hahaha. Overall, you’ve really been a great asset to Team S.I.X. GAMBETTE! :D:D:D
Haha, sorry for putting so much pressure on your team during the presentation :D
ReplyDeleteThe 'standing at the front' point seems to be quite popular in the comments, so I'll address it here. :) As I was seating furthest from y'all presenters, your standing at the front was alright for me. In fact I noticed that your group had actually adjusted the laptop desk so that y'all could stand nearer the front and easily glance at the laptop during the OP instead of having to turn to the screen. Good job there!
Oops, sorry to disagree with you, Chee Siang and Wan Wei, but to me, there was sufficient eye contact, better than some of the other presenters’. Ivan, I also think that you were very confident, had great voice projection and are easily one of the better speakers.
I think what Chee Siang may have meant by 'you being forceful' is that you spoke a bit too quickly, like you were trying to spit your words out and you were slightly fierce-looking (no friendly look/slight smile). I understand your group's concerns about the time limit but I guess it's about choosing the better of 2 goods/evils - rushing to finish by the limit or having a slower pace so that people can absorb and understand your points better. Difficult, yah!
Here’s a round of applause for your presentation: \ / || \ / || \ /
Au revoir!
Abigail
Hi Abigail! Thank you for your comments. I would like to also thank you for helping to clarify for Chee Siang's mention about my tone of presentation. Perhaps I was not able to draw a thin line between usage of a stern and firm or semi-casual way of formal presentation. However, I will work harder on this aspect, so note taken for both Chee Siang and Abigail. =)
ReplyDeleteAs for the time limit, if only we could have the best of both worlds. The Q&A session did show that this topic on CCA modular credit system is rather heavy in content, thus the number of questions posed and the need for speed in conveying our ideas during the oral presentation. Nonetheless, this is an error on my part and I have to accept it and learn from it. =) Thank you for your applause, every team worked hard for their respective oral presentations and I hope that our group 9 will be able to get GOOD GRADES for our oral presentations! =D *Hint Hint Hint*
Regards,
Ivan