Arlyn Salcedo- Post 1

    As freshman in college, and not knowing anyone in the class, I think that everyone got together well in order to have the group presentation ready on time. As the first presentation of the semester, I think that everyone did a great job. Everyone got together as a group, with no hesitations, and got the work done. We all got the main points from each chapter and presented them. Another thing that I noticed was that no one had an issue with the due dates given to their group. However, there are some aspects that everyone needs some improvement on, but that will come with time and more practice. 

     Group 1 presented chapter 3: Intercultural Communication. By the looks of their presentation, it caught my attention, but not as much as I would've loved it to. They had a lot of pictures that ties into their topics, but there was also a lot of text on each slide. Most of the members of this group read from their slides and didn't elaborate as much as they should've. It was hard for me to stay concentrated on what they were saying because I read the slides and then they would basically reread them to me. I wasn't able to grasp onto their main concept of the chapter that they presented. For next time, I would like for this group to engage more with the audience and elaborate more on their main points. On their presentation slides, they can put their main point and some visuals, but elaborate more without having to read off of the board since that's something that everyone in the class is able to do. 

    Up next, we had group 2 presenting chapter 9: Communicating in Groups. In my opinion, I think that Group 2 had the best presentation out of the entire class. Each and every one of their slides caught my attention and their visuals were great. All the slides looked the same in the sense that they made all the slides look like one person created the PowerPoint Presentation. Although each slide looked almost the same, each member of the group added their own touches, for example, how Greisy added cats to every slide she created. It wasn't something outrageous because it almost blends into her slides, but the cats show a little bit of her personality. In this group also presented Joseph Gonzalez and I would say that he was the best presenter in the entire class. He elaborated so much and looked at the audience. He also gave us examples and used the visuals added in the group presentation, to explain a concept to us. Joseph has had a lot of experience when it comes to public speaking and from here on out, he can only get better or more comfortable. Public speaking comes to some people naturally and to others it comes with time. Group 2, overall, did such an amazing job and I can’t wait to see their next presentation and what they come up with. 

       Lastly, we had my group to present, Group 3. My group presented chapter 10: Leadership and Problem Solving. In my opinion I feel like my group did everything so last minute and no one was really prepared to present. Everyone read from their slides and didn't elaborate. I didn't feel like they knew what they were talking about, as some stuttered or couldn't say some words. They made it seem like they copied and pasted word for word what the book said. As far as the presentation goes, I am proud that everyone presented and got their parts done, even though it didn't go as I expected. For my part of the presentation, I feel like I could've done better, but I remembered most of what I was going to say without looking at the sheet of paper I had. What affected me the most was how nervous I was. I just need to get more comfortable with the people in the class and then I won't have an issue with speaking aloud or presenting. I myself am a very loud person and I would talk when I need to. I hope that for next time we do things differently and prepare more. We can meet at the library in one of the study rooms, put the presentation together as a group after we have all got our information, practice presenting so that we look like we know what we are talking about, and lastly have fun with the work and as a group. 

    In conclusion, we all did the best that we could, but we need some work with elaborating. I feel like if every group met up in person and had a plan set in place, every group would look like professionals presenting. Having meetings and making a plan together as a group goes a long way. In every meeting we need to come up with an objective or goal to reach, that will slowly get us to our main goal. We also need to keep in mind the deadlines given to us or the deadlines we gave ourselves for every meeting. Everyone needs to have the right mindset and focus on what they are supposed to be doing. Like Benjamin Franklin once said, "You can do anything you set your mind to." Another important aspect of working with groups is who you are working with and if the members of your group will actually do the work or wait for you to do the work for them. 

    Everything will become easier with more practice and more time. We can't let the project/presentations intimidate us because since we are working with a group, the task will be easier. Everyone has their own part to work on and if any of us hit a wall, we will have so many people that are willing to help us. I am excited to keep working with my group to see what we come up with next.