Good Presentations (Free Write)

I have taken a communication class so it was familiar to me how to effectively keep an audience's attention when giving a presentation. Having an attention getter, and then organizing your speech well with clarity are obvious important factors when speaking to a large group. However, I was not aware of the important elements that should be included when giving a more formal business presentation. I know that everyone should be competent in this area, because even me being an elementary school teacher, odds are I will have to present new information to my authorities or fellow staff members. The power point is such a great tool for giving this sort of information because it keeps you organized and it focuses your audience. Neatness is a quality that everyone should strive for, which is why I think the parallel bullets are so important. Keeping them alligned is commonly used, but I know I have even neglected to keep the lines written in the same fashion and at the same length. Keeping these lines concise with limited text will help the audience stay on track, but will also make what you are saying important becuase not all the information is on the slides. Another quality we discussed in class that a good presentation will have is a handout that the audience can take with them to remind them of your speech. I agree with this, but I do think that it is best to hand this out at the end of your presentation becuase otherwise your audience may turn you off and only rely on the handout to receive the information you are presenting. So, after last class I firmly believe that all the elements of an effective presentation are important and must be focused on before presenting and I feel it will help us in the future.

Direct vs Indirect

I was working at Rockhoppers Restaurant and my boss would only use direct language. I understand that managers are busy and they want to get their point accross without wasting anytime, but I feel bosses should incorporate indirect language as well. He would make threats about being late or having good costumer service, but there was never a mention of positive encouragement. He would post notices about the servers needing to cash out after they cleaned their sections, but never acknowledged when the servers would do this and have their section completely clean. As a result, he was not well liked and the work environment was not a positive one. So, in conclusion both methods (direct/indirect) are useful, but should be balanced.

Interview Articles

Just the thought of an interview is pretty stressful for me, so of course I was drawn to the atricle discussing ways to control stress. I agreed with the article when it stated that you want to be early, but not too early. I never thought about it that way, but I am normally so paranoid I show up 30 minutes early. That actually backfires on me becuase as the article mentioned I just sit around getting more and more nervous. There were a couple of visualization techniques in the article that I don't realistically think I will do, but I see how visualizing success might work for some. There were a few techniques I will keep in mind though, such as, not crossing my legs or arms and then always smiling and having a positive attitude. I know that many may assume to be frienly and smile, but at times I get so wrapped up in stress I forget.
Another article I read was making sure to thank your interviewers. This makes complete sense, but I have never thought to send a thank you note before. Even just an email would be better than nothing, just to thank them for their time. I however would rather hand write it because it is more personal, and my interviewers will be for elementary schools where I think it would be appropriate to be more personal. For large businesses and companies I see how a typed letter on letter head stationary would be more appropriate though. It is also nice to know there is no stress to be extremely creative. Employers enjoy any thank you note and are not too critical when it comes to what it actually said. I just need to remember to write it directly after the interview so they receive it before the decision has been made.

My Life in 10 Years

It is very weird to think about myself in ten years because that will mean I will be thirty years old! Yikes! But I do look forward to things I hope to accomplish in the future. I am currently a junior so hopefully I will graduate on time in about 2 years with my Bachelors Degree. My degree is in Elementary Education so I hope to teach 2nd or 3rd graders. I want to teach in Montgomery County, Maryland because that county has one of the best education programs in the nation. If all goes as plan I hope to get a job in this county right out of college. As far as furthering my education though, I do hope to get my Masters Degree in either Psychology or Counseling. I would love to be an elementary school counselor after I've teached in the public school system for a few years. Who knows, I might even be really ambitious and go for my Ph D in Psychology and be a professor and teach educational psychology. I'm not sure, we will just have to see where life takes me. On a personal level though, I would love to be married in ten years. I do want to be independent for a few years first, but I've always thought I would idealy like to be married between 25 and 30. I want to start having kids around 30, but I know my mom wants her grandkids as soon as possible. Before having kids though I want to travel to as many places as possible becuase I know once I start a family, traveling will be a little more difficult. A few places I'd love to go is Australia, Greece and Rome. This is what I have in mind for my future, but we will have to see where I end up 10 years down the road.