Roberto Fresneda - My Blog

My Blog 

Hi everyone, my name is Roberto Fresneda, and this is my outlook on the Chapters Presentation project!

To start off, when I look back on the presentation I made, I could honestly say with full confidence that I enjoyed the entire process more than I anticipated. At the beginning of class, when the project was being explained, I originally thought I was not going to enjoy creating this project because it didn’t make sense for me to explain the chapters to the class. I thought it was going to be boring… but boy, was I wrong. I didn’t just put slides together and talk for a few minutes - I actually learned something out of it! I realised, halfway through completing the project, that by explaining Chapter Nine to my peers, I was also learning how to perform, use different pitch variations to prevent sounding monotone, and utilize talking points. Personally, I love learning something new. I try to learn a fun fact every day because it brings me joy. It’s like finding a diamond in piles of charcoal!

What stuck out to me the most was discovering the science behind the primacy and recency effects. I never heard of those terms until I read Chapter Nine, and once I learned that there is a reason why individuals tend to remember only the first/last few things they hear or see, it quickly made sense why introductions and conclusions matter so much. It’s not solely about being professional and having them there- it’s also about taking advantage of how the human brain functions. I specifically remember that during the presentation, I used an example of how a struggle it is to remember the ingredients in a shopping list you left at home, because who hasn’t been in that type of situation? You walk into Publix with full confidence that you have your shopping list, only to find out you left it at home, so you try your best to shop without it, but it’s nearly impossible because you can only remember the first few items or the last. What’s more is, it’s sometimes vexatious because there are some ingredients that are in the tip of your tongue, yet you still can’t remember them. 

To add on, I also loved section 9-2a, it’s mainly focused on getting the audience’s attention. Honestly, before taking Introduction to Speech, I never noticed how many ways there are to grab your audience's attention. For instance, telling a short story or asking an intriguing question that would cause the audience to think for themselves. It’s incredible how these techniques can change the ambience in a speech! By learning some of these skills, it made me curious on how I should present this tactic in person, so I watched a YouTube video on my favourite actor, Matthew McConaughey (what’s a better way to learn than from a person whose job is mesmerising scripts?) I believe Matthew McConaughey's Oscar Award speech

did a great job in showcasing how to grab your audience’s attention. In Matthew's speech, he grabbed the audience's attention by acknowledging the crowd while showing humility. He then told a story about his own life, and spoke about his 3 things: something to look up to (god), something to look forward to (family), and someone to chase (himself).

    Moreover, I found myself pondering, and I asked myself, “ If I’m in the audience, what type of speaker would I rather listen to? One that has little to no energy with a very monotone voice or the exact opposite?”  I realised then, I would much rather have a speaker who talks to me like your average Joe, and not a robot. I enjoy it when speakers have enthusiasm; they make me want to interact and laugh with them

. So when it was my turn to present, that’s the mindset I had to have. I wanted my classmates to feel engaged, not bored out of their minds. And for that reason, I felt more confident because I wasn’t just reciting information; I was explaining it with my own words, so that my classmates could grasp the knowledge much faster than if I had read off the PowerPoint. 

Speaking of confidence, I really admired Group 1’s presentation, especially Chapter 2. Confidence isn’t something you gain overnight; it’s something you develop as you grow and practice. Group 1 did a splendid job in demonstrating that. They spoke about how being fascinated by your topic would make it easier for you to be confident, and I, for one, completely concur with them. When you actually care about what you are writing and speaking, it shows. Your voice changes, your personality changes, your spirit changes, and that’s what you want your audience to see! You want your audience to see you’re having fun presenting a presentation, which lightens up the mood as well! Additionally, another great point Group One made was the importance of knowing your audience. If you don’t know who you are speaking with, you won’t be able to adjust the tone and pitch of your voice, nor the vocabulary. You’ll end up speaking to a brick wall rather than an audience. Watching group one explain this chapter helped me realise that it’s not only in speech that I need to know my audience, but in my future profession as well. Which is why it’s important to practice while I’m still in college, so that by the time I finish school, I’ll be a master at it. Lastly, if I haven’t mentioned it constantly before, the biggest takeaway from chapter 2 is that practice matters! I believe practice isn’t something teachers say to make us students work harder, but it’s the thing that turns confusing math problems into easy problems, it turns the Krebs’ cycle into just another biochemical reaction. It’s the thing that turns anxiety into confidence!  The more you practice, the more natural you are with your speech. Repetition is key, and I couldn’t agree more with them.

Overall, I’m glad I had the chance to present my slides and watch my peers present theirs. It wasn’t just a class project; it was something for everyone to get out of their turtle shell. An opportunity to grow (like a tree). Thanks to this assignment, I learned how to construct a speech in a way that works with the brain rather than against it. Now reminiscing, these presentations made me appreciate the art of communication in a way that I didn’t think was possible. And honestly, it’s a great feeling to have. When I look back on my presentation, I can honestly say with full confidence that I enjoyed the entire process more than I expected!