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Mia Nieves Group 3

     Working with a group on this presentation actually turned out way better than I thought it would. Honestly, I was pretty anxious at first it was my first group project in college, and I’d already heard all the usual horror stories. I had never done or presented a speech to a zoom class before. I was also late to the class so I wasn’t sure what to expect. You know, people not responding, missing deadlines, or just dumping all the work on one unlucky person. I’d braced myself for at least some chaos. But none of that happened. Everyone showed up, pitched in, and actually cared about getting it right. It made everything feel smoother and way less stressful. Everything went down the right path.

  Once we got going, things just clicked. We set up a WhatsApp group, which made it easy to keep track of everything and check in with each other. On top of that we also had eachother’s backs, if we had any questions group 3 was always there to help. Before working on the presentation we split up the chapter into sections and picked who’d handle what. Everyone agreed to make their own slides and write their own script, which worked out great. It meant we each had ownership over our part but were still building toward the same goal. I liked being able to focus on my section I could really dig into the material without worrying about coordinating every little thing.  My part covered the second half of Chapter 12 sections 12.5, 12.6, and 12.7 and 12.8. I used examples that were more relatable then formal just because I wanted people to understand from a personal point of view.These are all about how speakers can use language effectively. Or how we deal with rude audiences. At first, I figured it’d just be memorizing definitions or repeating stuff from the textbook. Honestly, I didn’t think it would be that interesting. But when I started reading more closely, I realized this stuff actually shows up everywhere in daily conversations. It made me think about how much word choice, tone, or phrasing can totally change how a message lands. And how it can make a person feel.

While I worked on my slides, I kept reminding myself not to cram in too much info. In the past, I’ve overloaded slides with every detail, which just confuses people. This time, I tried to keep things clear and simple, just enough to support the main idea. Writing the script at the same time helped me slow down and figure out how I’d actually explain each point out loud.  One of my main topics was audience-centered language. I wanted to make this feel relatable, not stiff. So I used examples of how we change the way we talk depending on who we’re with. Like, the way you greet new club members isn’t how you talk to your close friends. Or how to deal with certain situations or difficult audiences Using examples like that made it easier to explain the idea in a way that felt real. Working on this part made me realize how much we adjust our language without even thinking about it.  I also did a slide on context with talking with an audience with disabilities.

 The chapter really hammered home that speeches always happen in a certain environment, and speakers need to be aware of that. I threw in examples like commenting on the room, picking up on the audience’s mood, or connecting to what someone else said before you. I also explained how it can also be important to talk to the audience in a personal way. Thinking about context made me see public speaking as more of a back-and-forth, not just dumping information. It’s more interactive and, honestly, way more interesting that way.  Personalized language was probably my favorite section. It just felt so practical. I talked about how using words like “we,” “us,” or “you” helps the audience feel included. When I practiced my script, I noticed it sounded way more natural and less robotic when I tried to make it conversational. Even little changes—like using “I” statements or mentioning something we’d already talked about in class made a huge difference in how comfortable the speech felt.  The slide on inclusive language really stuck with me, too. While I was working on it, I realized how easy it is to accidentally leave people out just because of how you phrase things. The concept of person-first language made me think about how much our words can shape how people feel, even if we don’t mean any harm. It’s easy to forget, but choosing words carefully matters not just in presentations, but in everyday life.  I also covered visual and vivid language, which finally explained to me why some speeches are so much more memorable than others. Learning about metaphors, repetition, parallelism, and contrast showed me how you can use language to really boost your message. I picked an example of maybe a mute, deaf, angry, happy person. Everyone is different and it’s important to phrase everything in a good way so everyone understands.Those moments stick with people for a reason.  

My last slides were all about practical language tips, like being clear, concise, and direct. I realized that while context is important the delivery method determines if that context actually sticks. In summary this presentation helped me understand the concept of public speaking and what’s behind it. I am now confident, not just in presenting to a class but how i articulate my thoughts to others in everyday professional and personal settings.I enjoyed everyone’s presentations and how everyone dove into their specific topics with lots of detail and perspectives.Even though my presentation had lots of slides I don’t regret the length. I feel like every single one meant something to fully cover chapter 12 and ensure that no detail was left behind. It was a lot of work but it was worth it at the end.