pRESENTing

They call it presenting, but is it really a present to anyone.

The answer is no.

Regardless, we still have to do it. This year, we seem to be doing presentations a bit differently. Instead of presenting in front of the entire class, we're divided into smaller groups and we only present to the people within the group.

This new format is great. Fantastic. No longer makes me want to move to Iceland to be an alpaca farmer.

We've already had to do one of these snazzy new presentations, where we educated the rest of our group about a certain literary theory. I think this is way better for these "I-teach-you-you-teach-me" kind of presentations, since now I can ask the presenter to maybe repeat something if I don't understand, and ask him questions to clarify his meaning, and the same for my audience when I'm the one presenting. It's also such a small group, it doesn't really feel like presenting - it just feels like a discussion.

I, as someone who hates oral presentations, find this new format much more comfortable. I remember panicking before every oral presentation because, "Oh no what if I forget what to say" and, "Oh no there's too much pressure everyone will be staring" and finally, "What if I just run away and never come back".

This, however, is great because there's no longer that pressure. Since it really feels more like a discussion, there's none of that presentation dread that would always be there in past. It's a much more amiable environment too, since there are other people talking at the same time, meaning the room isn't deathly quiet as the entire class stares at you and doesn't listen.

During presentations (at least, those done in front of the entire class), peoples mind often wander off to somewhere that's no the present (ha). But still. The pressure is still there. With this format, I know that everyone is listening to me speak because it's a smaller group. If they don't listen, its really freaking obvious. However, it's still less pressure since there's less people staring.

For the next presentation we have to do like this, I can feel much more secure and less nervous about it, since I now know what it will be like. Instead of panicking about remembering word for word the script I wrote for myself like I would in the past, I think I will focus more on really knowing the material, so that I can just talk freely about it. This way, I won't panic when I miss a sentence, or forget the next word. I think it's easier to do this with this smaller group since, as I said before, there is less pressure to sound smart. Plus, even if you embarrass yourself, it won't be in front of the entire class.

So. In short, this new presentation format is So. Much. Better. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so. As for presentations in front of the entire class, please preSEND it back from whence it came. I don't want to see it ever again (even though I know I will).

Until next time,

A Little Fall of Rain