I was excited to be able to practise public speaking and determined to make an effort to improve my oral skills after getting feedbacks for peer teaching from Ms Lim and my fellow classmates. On the other hand, I was also worried that I may not perform up to my expectations as I was not sufficiently prepared for the oral presentation (OP).
The day (and night) before the OP, our group was scrambling and rushing to piece up the final powerpoint slides for the OP. There would not have been a need to rush and work into the wee hours if a particular member had put in enough effort and collated our slides by the expected deadline. As a result, I had barely enough rest and energy to sustain me through the next day. In addition, my efforts to turn up early were foiled as there had been a traffic accident along the way to school. As a result, I did not have the chance to rehearse with my team mates. (It was not my day!)
And indeed, the worst thing that could crop up during my presentation actually happened! Halfway through my OP, my mind had blanked out. I was feeling panicky and stuttering as I tried to recall what I wanted to say. During that awkward moment, I remembered what Ms Lim had told us: to relax, as panicking will only make things worse (something along that line). And luckily, as I tried to relax, my thoughts came back. And I also found out that by speaking louder, my confidence level is boosted. Hence, I was able to salvage the awkward moment a little. I see this as my strength as it is important that we pick ourselves up fast when we stumble in front of an audience; instead of having a period of awkward silence. Also, being able to gesture openly and naturally while presenting is another strength of mine. I find that gesturing helps me to relax, connect with the audience as well as to bring my point across.
Overall, although I had underperformed to my expectations, I feel that this OP has been a great learning experience. I learnt that sufficient rehearsing and rest the night before an OP are extremely important. And so, I will definitely learn from my mistakes and not repeat them in my future OPs.
