Chapters Presentation Blog by Bryan Mora

In my group there were 5 amazing individuals with 1 bad apple, good ratio. I have zero complaints regarding those around me (except 1 lol). Each and every one of them had a crucial role to play in the success of our presentation and each and every one of them executed it perfectly. They all submitted in a timely manner to make room for adequate editing time and carried themselves with highly notable professionalism. In a similar sense, they were also very outspoken and produced an outstandingly fruitful show to be present for. Worth their weight in gold undoubtably.

What I liked most about our presentation was the subject material and more importantly the perspective of my peers. More valuable than just words on a page was the views my classmates had and how it shaped our presentation. I found it very favorable to know that they were equal to me in passion to learn and it peaked my interest to hear out whatever it is that they stated. As the tech, it was a wholesome experience to compile a slideshow filled with the wisdom of youth and the knowledge of the driven. The material at hand also endowed new fronts in the field of public speech for me and according to my peers, them as well. I also liked the slideshow itself. Every aspect of it drew me into the topic more so than the live classes had up to that point already. The research also provided a new source of information that, for me, was able to expand my understanding on something that seemed simple enough on the surface level. The book and our chapters were an excellent read.

The challenges I faced throughout the making of our presentation was ironically mentioned above, our perspectives. While I absolutely agree with the fact that having more than one opinion is a good thing, I also absolutely agree with the fact that its also extremely had to put them together seamlessly when the individuals creating those opinions express themselves so differently. Now while I can’t say that it wasn’t fun, I can say that it was a real pain to try and edit the words without touching the individuality behind them since preserving the perspective and context was the highest priority. Knowing where and when to make a change was both nerve racking and time consuming, this is due to my inability to relax where needed lol.

What I wrote was comprised of both annotations and personal experience. Putting together a slideshow on something that has always been of interest to me was exhilarating in the sense that it provided an opportunity for me to share and speak on what I consider near and dear but it was also petrifying in the sense that one doesn’t want to fail and be considered "that guy" when venting over a topic they have been focused on for a while. I wrote about the structure and organization of what a good speech must have and two of the main points brought up were the order in which information has to be given to a specific audience to be most effective and the other being the importance that supporting arguments have in relation to the core statements since without them it would fall apart. An awesome example put forth by the book is the example of audience characteristics, as stated "North Americans go from most to least important while many East Asians have a warm up period of socialization, to North Americans it may seem as if they're dancing around a topic. Eastern Asians may also suggest rather than directly asking or stating anything." The point the book made was genius because it essentially summarizes the use of characteristics, organization, and awareness needed for a speaker to understand the audience's receptiveness to what is being said.   

What I learned from working with an amazing line up of people and a superb book was how to better myself in the sense of public speaking. From a holistic standpoint, I can say that the opinions provided and the challenges posed by having to stitch them was ultimately a benefiting experience because I was forced to face the music and understand more of everything from another's stand point. The book itself obviously exposed me to the raw material that gave me the freedom to explore and form my own opinion on what the chapters touched upon. Having a figuratively free range to do whatever I wanted with what the material stated unlocked a world of new ideas and being able to express them through the mode of a slideshow enhanced what was great to learn already. I took in much of everything but what stuck most with me was the topic of audience characteristics. It gave insight into a region that I wasn’t aware was able to carry any type of value since culture or age or even sex wasn’t much of a factor to take into account for me beforehand.

What I think had the greatest impact throughout the 4 presentations was the great leadership to guide us to do our best. From the local level being the group leaders up to the class leaders, I can say with certainty that without them the groups and class itself would have been no different than sheep without a shepherd because what good is genius with no direction? My group leader was able to rally us together and really drive home the point of teamwork in order to get the job done all while keeping morale high. Without a doubt she was the biggest cog in the machine and she kept us together in moment where it seemed as if things were going south. Our class leader was also an amazing resource and an even better example to us all. She was selfless in helping those in need and was extremely crucial in the accomplishments of us as a class. If we were a battalion then she would have been our commander.  

Yours truly, Bryan