Luar Reinoso - Post 1

 What to Expect When Presenting

Presenting in class can be nerve wracking at times, especially in front of a group of people you may not really know. You mentally prepare yourself with what you are going to say, however then the time arrives and your anxiety is out the window. You are then nervously thinking whether or not you are going to present well or mess up and say the wrong thing. 

Group presentations, however, can be helpful when you have a collaborative team to ask questions and give each other feedback on anything. Being in a group can help you when you see the support and realize that you are all there for the same context. I personally view teamwork as a great way to collaborate everyone’s ideas efficiently and even gain insight from thoughts from your peers.  

 

The Day of Presenting

 

    On the first day of class, I was eager to finally see my peers in person along with my professor, Sherri Sinkoff. My professor explained that we had to create a presentation among groups, so I began thinking how will we pull this off since I was sure everyone had a busy schedule on a daily. We created groupchats in which we elaborated over the topic and divided the work equally. Anxiousness began creeping on me when the presentation date was getting closer. I felt relieved when I found out our group was the last one presenting however, I wouldn’t have minded anyways whether we were first or not. At times, we can get a little nervous performing in front of a social group especially when you might not know them or its something out of your comfort zone. 

 

Peers presenting

The time had came for Group 1 to present chapter 3, Intercultural Communications. I was sure the group was going to present just fine, still, similar to me, some people were timid when it came to presenting. I truly enjoyed the way most of the group expressed their ideas whilst speaking over the topics. Not only did they give great definitions for the main terms of the chapters, they also gave explicit examples that they may or may not have had a connection with. Their use of examples helped me understand certain terms better than with the definition already given. 

    For example, when one of my peers explained cultural shock, I imagined it had to do with the customs and beliefs of a certain culture, however I was not entirely sure what it meant. After they had read the slide, I understood it a bit better and even had a connection to when I had a cultural shock; when I vacationed in Mexico and saw the difference in traditions, foods, beliefs and everyday life activities.

Another term from the presentation which stood out to me was Chronemics. I was confused with the definition until my classmate later explained that it was the “study of perception of time and how it differs between cultures”. The example given was about how cultures either value punctuality, organized schedules, and tasks completed one at a time with time or, view time as flexible and fluid with one’s plans and schedules. Once again, I related it towards my latest vacation trip and was reminded of how different cultures function and how everyone does their own tasks within their own time frame. 

    It was then time for Group 2 to present Chapter 9, Communicating in Groups. The information was useful towards me since the topic was about being able to communicate amongst each other within groups. As much confidence that I try to accumulate to present, sometimes I end up still getting nervous when my turn is up. So, taking tips from my peers when they presented this chapter was very useful for my future presentations. Learning about the different key terms gave me a better understanding on how to approach certain group situations. For example, hearing about the group development stages and how they slowly build up the interdependence on being able to present their ideas collaboratively, gave me an insight on how to effectively initiate a group collaboration and determine the steps to take when dividing the work and ideas among the group members.  

Another term that stood out for me during this presentation was the conflict section, specifically when it comes to virtual groups and conflict. I can relate to these since I have personally experienced similar scenarios in which miscommunication and the misinterpretation between ideas are shared. When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, school assignments and meetings were all held through apps with the use of technology. There always seem to be issues within group assignments, since some teammates had technological issues or others just simply chose to not work together. As a result, peers always seem to clash with their punctuality of their tasks, generating frustration and confusion amongst the group members. Listening to this section of the chapter presentation truly reminded me of times in which I was held in these positions.   

Finally, it was Group 3 presentation on chapter 10 on group leadership and problem solving. Reading and partaking in the collaboration of this presentation resonated with me since I enjoy problem-solving situations that surround me. Also, reading about leadership skills and how to attain them, has encouraged me to better my skills at organizing plans and directing people effectively when working in a group or left in charge, for example, in my workplace or even when caring for younger siblings. Always keeping an organized plan as a leader, can truly help keep you up to schedule managing things and avoiding any small conflicts. Problem solving is another attainable skill that many may not have practiced and can have trouble with when encountering certain situations. However, with my teammates tips and examples from this presentation, problem solving can be a skill you can try mastering by keeping an open mind on different outcomes of situations and coming up with a solution that best fits the scenario.

                                         Review about Presentations

All three group presentations did a great job in explaining the key terms within the three chapters of Intercultural Communications, Communicating in Groups, and Group Leadership and Problem Solving. Not only did my peers effectively explain with examples, I was able to resonate with some terms and connect them with similar situations that have occurred to me. The use of graphics, images, colors and charts, also made it very enticing to grasp the information from the presentations and have a better understanding overall.