This week we finished our elements of fiction presentations and presented in front of the class. Eric and I had some butterflies prior to the presentation but Andy told us we knocked it out of the park. In nervous situations like this my fight or flight instincts activate. For this presentation, I no doubt fought my very best. I can recall past presentations where I have cracked under the pressure. However, the more I engage in public speaking, the easier it becomes. I felt like we nailed the whole project. Perhaps the biggest challenge was to make elements of fiction interesting for the audience. A strategy we used was really going into depth of the stories rather than just giving a synopsis. We were interactive with the crowd and kept them interested. The one wish I have for future presentations is to wove "what is, and what could be", a little more efficiently.
Even though I was absent for Thursday's presentations, I still got tastes of tour guides A and B. On Thursday, I went on a field trip to Northwood University and I got tour guide A. The tour guide showed us around but nothing more. Occasionally she would ask "Any questions? Okay, moving on." She would walk backwards and frontwards, while her voice would fade in and out. I only received half of the information. Then, on Friday, I drove to Allendale and looked at Grand Valley State University. This time I had tour guide B. She spoke in a clear voice, gave us history lessons about the university, and spoke to us individually during break times. It made the investigation of Grand Valley much more welcoming and memorable. Different attributes of tour guides greatly impact the audience. I saw examples of great and weak tour guides inside and outside the classroom.
Even though I was absent for Thursday's presentations, I still got tastes of tour guides A and B. On Thursday, I went on a field trip to Northwood University and I got tour guide A. The tour guide showed us around but nothing more. Occasionally she would ask "Any questions? Okay, moving on." She would walk backwards and frontwards, while her voice would fade in and out. I only received half of the information. Then, on Friday, I drove to Allendale and looked at Grand Valley State University. This time I had tour guide B. She spoke in a clear voice, gave us history lessons about the university, and spoke to us individually during break times. It made the investigation of Grand Valley much more welcoming and memorable. Different attributes of tour guides greatly impact the audience. I saw examples of great and weak tour guides inside and outside the classroom.