Blog #1

Ruslam Aleman

Working as a group for our presentation honestly ended up way better than I had initially expected it to go. The chapter I focused on, which was the later half of chapter 10, was mainly about using language effectively. It included sections 10-5, 10-6, and 10-7, to be precise. It pushed me to think about communication in a way I hadn’t really done before. Instead of just memorizing definitions, I had to actually understand how language works in real situations and explain it clearly to other people.

When me and my group first started talking through the WhatsApp chat, we talked about the chapters and decided on how to divide the material. Everyone was responsible for creating their own slides and speech. Creating my slides forced me to decide what was important and what could potentially overwhelm the audience. This was actually my first college group presentation, but like my high school ones, I quickly realized that packing in every detail from the textbook would simply not work. Instead, highlighting the most meaningful ideas and explaining them in a way anyone could follow was definitely the way to do it.

While making my slides, I focused on keeping things quite simple and crystal clear. For example, when I worked on the slide about audience-centered language I thought about how people change their language in real life scenarios. That’s why I used the example of welcoming newcomers to a student organization versus greeting friends at home. It is something everyone can relate to, and it helped me explain the concept naturally instead of sounding like I was just reading a generic definition. Writing my script for that slide helped me realize how much it matters how we say things, and not just what we say.

Another part I worked on was putting language into context. This slide made me think a lot about how speeches happen in real places, at real moments, with real people. When I included examples like referencing the room you are in or acknowledging audience reactions, it clicked for me that good speakers do not just talk to the audience but that they talk with them.

Personalizing language was one of my favorite sections to present because it felt very natural. Talking about using words like we, us, and you, made me greatly aware of how powerful pronouns are. While I was practicing my speech, I noticed how much better my message sounded when I said “We’ve raised awareness” instead of saying something more distant and colder. Including examples like referencing a classmate’s speech or using “I” statements helped me connect the textbook ideas to our actual classroom experience, which made the presentation feel more real in my opinion.

Inclusive language was another important part of my presentation. While preparing this slide, I became more aware of how easy it is to use language that unintentionally excludes people. Writing examples like avoiding phrases such as “the disabled actor” and focusing on people first made me reflect on how word choices can affect how comfortable an audience feels. Presenting this slide made me more mindful of my own language not only in speeches but in everyday conversations.

The visual language slide was also quite simple, but it got the message across. Using metaphors, parallelism, rhymes, and antithesis helped me realize why some speeches are so memorable. Examples like the ones I mentioned in the slide such as Emma Gonzalez repeated “We call BS” or Malala’s contrast between guns and books, really show how language can stick with an audience if done right.

Slides six and seven focused on the practical guidelines from section 10-6, and even though they covered multiple ideas, they felt necessary. Talking about spoken language, meaningful words, clarity, conciseness, and respect, tied everything together. When I gave examples of shortening sentences or avoiding overly formal wording, I felt like I was finally understanding how to apply these ideas in real life. These slides helped me see that effective language isn’t solely about sounding smart but about being understood.

The final summary slide helped wrap everything together. Explaining how language is arbitrary, ambiguous, abstract, and active made me realize how complex communication is. Ending the presentation by connecting everything back to real life situations, classrooms, workplaces, and communities made the whole chapter feel useful instead of just theoretical.

Presenting in front of the class was a bit nerve-wracking, but having a clear script helped me a ton. Knowing my slides well and understanding the material made me feel more confident while speaking. I also felt supported by my group, which made the experience less stressful. The only thing I would change is my eye contact, I was reading from my script and kept forgetting to look at the camera occasionally. Moving forward I will plan to be more intentional with eye contact, pacing, and tone so my message comes across as clearly as possible. In the end group presentations can be challenging, but nonetheless, I would say ours worked perfectly because every member contributed and stayed organized.

Listening to the rest of the class presentations was just as educational as presenting myself. Some groups had really strong visuals, while others stood out because of how confident or conversational the speakers were. Watching different presentation styles made me recognize what keeps an audience engaged and what makes it harder to follow along. I noticed that speakers who spoke naturally and did not rely too much on their slides seemed more confident in themselves.

Overall, I would say this presentation experience helped me grow as a communicator. Creating my slides forced me to understand the material, presenting helped build my confidence, and listening to others made me reflect on my strengths and my weak areas in need of improvement. I now feel more comfortable using audience-centered language and more aware of how my word choices affect others. This experience showed me that effective communication is not just a skill for class, but something immensely useful in everyday life.