Self-evaluation #2

My purpose of this speech was to inform my audience about Neuro-linguistic programming. I thought that using my visual aids along with my voice, I was able to convey to my audience the main ideas of this science. I gave a brief definition, a little bit of the history, and some of the basic principles and techniques. During the speech, I actually felt more confident than my first speech. I had a whole bunch of information that I had to cut down to a period of 5-6 minutes. That was a huge challenge. Again, I was passionate about my topic which made the whole experience a lot less stressful. I said to myself that I was just going to trust my preparation. I got much practice in the delivery and emphasizing of main points. If I had to change some aspect of my presentation, I would stop my hands from moving too much. While I was delivering my speech, I noticed that when I got nervous, I would fidget with my hands. This is something that I have to address next time. I’m still dealing with some of the nerves. I’m striving to find ways to deal with it during the speech.

On another note, my power point had a lot of good information and pictures, but I could have limited the amount of worded information as much as possible. After all, I want my audience to focus on my voice rather than solely the power point. In order to improve the content of my speech, I will use more specific examples and support to supplement my main points. I gave a lot of general information in this speech but I could have used one or two specific examples to enhance the message. I could have used a real life situation in which I could apply some of the techniques of neuro-linguistic programming. As for my delivery, I want to slow down and stop the excessive movement with my hands. My hands were the most distracting part of my speech. It was apparent in my first presentation too. I think that I did not really improve in this area, and it will be something that I will keep in mind as I prepare and delivery my final speech. Compared to my last speech, I was more confident this time around. I used more visual aids, and organized my thoughts a bit better. I think that my first speech had a lot more exciting that pertained to the audience so therefore the second speech was a bit more boring. My eye contact was solid. I would give myself an 8 out of 10 because my eyes were focusing on the computer and the back wall a little more than I would have liked.

Based on my performance, I would give myself between an A and a B. I had a lot of preparation in terms of researching. I was passionate about the subject and I perceived myself as an expert of the subject. Looking back at the video, I looked confident and excited to deliver my speech. I used pictures of each of the books that I had looked at and explained their significance. Overall, I verbally cited all six of the sources that I used. My presentation was not perfect because of several distractions in the delivery; however this does not shadow the fact that I presented pertinent relevant information in a clear and concise fashion.

All in all, I think that my second speech was better than my first because I stuttered a little less and I was more confident that I would give a great show. I was more prepared to back up my main points with the varieties of sources, and I practiced a little more intensely than I did the first time. With a little work on my body language, I can be better prepared to control the gestures I make with my hands. Hopefully, with the third and final speech, I can go out with a BANG and give a performance that everyone can remember for a while.