Reflection on Oral Presentation: Life After Graduation - UTAS

This assignment is a reflection on an oral presentation titled "Life After Graduation," delivered by a student as part of their university coursework. The reflection utilizes Gibbs' reflective cycle, a framework that includes stages of description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. The student describes the presentation, discusses their feelings of nervousness and the pace of their speech, evaluates the positive and negative aspects, analyzes the impact of their speech pace on audience engagement, and concludes with insights on how they could have improved the presentation. The action plan focuses on trusting instincts and preparing more thoroughly for future presentations. The reflection highlights the student's self-awareness of their introverted nature and its impact on their presentation style, demonstrating a critical approach to their learning experience and a commitment to personal and academic growth. The assignment provides insights into the student's thought process and how they plan to improve their presentation skills in the future.

Description – What Happened?
My week nine presentation, Life After Graduation, was put together to give the audience a
visual facet where they could follow me along with my prepared work. This enabled them to
get a better knowledge and to ask questions at the end. Overall, it was dicey as the
presentation was delivered right on the least possible time period but within the guidelines.
Feelings – What were you thinking or feeling?
Just a couple of days before my presentation, I kept questioning myself about the decisions I
made in regard of my project as to if the points mentioned in the slides were enough or not
and whether I will be able to present in the given time frame or not. This feeling lasted right
up to the presentation actually began and when the first member of my group presented. I
only felt at ease after I heard him and understood that each one has a different style to present
themselves. When my time came, I was nervous but I believe that I delivered my part well.
Evaluation – What was good or / bad about the situation
During the beginning phase of my presentation, the audience was involved and that gave me
the courage to continue. However, I quickly realised that my talking pace had increased and
that made my presentation end quite fast when compared to others.
Analysis – What sense can you make of the situation?
By increasing my pace of speech, the audience lost their interest and I recognised that I
should have practiced my speed beforehand to deliver my part well. Also, to prepare notes in
advance to be able to deliver my part better as delivering at the minimum time frame was
risky. Having identified myself as an introvert from Belbin’s Team Roles, I should have
recognised my errors earlier.
Conclusion – What else could you have done?
To conclude, I believe that if I had to change something about my presentation, it would be
adding more information into my slides.
Action Plan – If the situation arose again, what would you do?
One thing that I have understood from this presentation is that in the future, I will always
trust my instincts and go ahead and present myself without continuously questioning myself.