20.109 Virtual Presentation

I often dreaded giving presentations in high school. I would practice gesturing and altering my intonation in front of anyone who would listen, at times resorting to my weary mirror. It was always helpful to refer to my listeners' facial expressions and body language, which gave me cues about when to insert pauses or take questions. With time, I’ve grown more comfortable with giving presentations, although it can still be difficult.

 

In Module 2 of 20.109, I was particularly nervous about answering questions related to my selected journal article. I felt as though preparing slides and explanations for figures was a clear enough process, but that taking questions was much less predictable. Before presenting, I found it helpful to question every step the researchers took in their paper to build a strong logical understanding. I also mapped out the methods section for better visualization. After my actual presentation, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience answering questions. My peers asked excellent questions that allowed me to think critically and place my answers in the context of the researchers’ goals and knowledge in the field. In fact, engaging directly with my peers and their questions was my favorite part of the presentation!

 

I also found that presenting my Journal Club PPT was less stressful over Zoom. Foremost, rather than standing in front of a room, physically separated from my audience, I felt as though I was a part of it. I was comfortable while giving my presentation, and my main concern was the time limit I had rather than the need for effective body language. In addition, while an in-person presentation requires as much eye-contact with the audience as possible, a Zoom presentation provides greater flexibility for referring to slides while presenting. I found this to be helpful in that I was less worried about forgetting material, as my slides were easily viewable.

 

The virtual format of my presentation did, however, present new challenges. In retrospect, I realize how much more important facial expressions are over Zoom. While presenting, only my head and shoulders were visible to the audience. In a similar way, I also did not have as much access to my audience's facial expressions and body language. Because my screen had both my slides and my audience, I had only a few audience members’ expressions to guage the effectiveness of my communication. I felt as though I had more individual reflection to do while presenting to ensure that my pace and intonation were appropriate. Moving forward, I’m looking forward to using the skill set I developed while completing this portion of the module, especially in future virtual presentations.