Reflection on Baseline Speech

It's definitely awesome that this baseline speech was not graded.  There were more negatives than positives with this presentation.  Some positive aspects of this speech were that it was informative and well-organized.  I did bring up valid points on both sides of the argument.
 
However, the delivery of the speech was subpar.  It was quite evident after watching this footage that I need to talk to the audience and not to the screen.  I should be having a conversation with the audience and not reading some report.

I also didn't realize just how much I turned back to state what was said on the screen.  When I was preparing for this speech, I did not look back to read the content.  This probably means I ought to prepare harder and focus more during the actual presentation.  For the future, I should try to use less text and speak towards my audience. 

There were other quirks that need to be addressed.  I used the phrase "pretty much", "like", and "umm" way too many times, making it sound very unprofessional.  Both of my arms, especially the left arm, kept flailing back and forth.  My shoulders need to be squared towards the audience.  My posture should be better.  Viewers can tell from my posture that I was not 100% confident.  I need to work on a better, upright posture.  Confidence is key to a great presentation.  Perhaps, I could use the podium to help me for future presentations.  I could start there and introduce a few slides and then gradually move away from it.  This could take some practice as well. 

Another thing to look out for in the future is to make sure I know how to properly use the laser pointer.  When I attempted to use it, I made awkward gestures trying to get it to work.  Next time, if it doesn't work, I should do my best to simply move on or point to whatever region of interest.

It's mind-boggling how much help watching this video has given me.  When you're up there, you don't realize any of these little details.