Elena's Blog on First Presentations

The first presentations in my SPC class covered chapters 3, 9, and 10. The chapters were evenly split amongst 3 groups to present and I think each group did very well, especially considering it was their first speech.

Group 1 took chapter 3 which explored cultures, both in how they relate to one individual and how they interact amongst one another. The group did a good job explaining definitions as well as giving examples of different characteristics of culture. It was extremely fascinating to listen in detail about the differences between nationalities. A few of them I already knew, for example, I had already heard about how people living in the U.S. tend to be more individualistic while Southeast Asians tend to be more collectivist. However, I had never heard of monochromatic vs. polychromatic cultures or about various uncertainty avoidance levels. Hearing the terms made me reevaluate my own experiences interacting with other cultures while traveling and it is so crazy to recognize the patterns in real life. I almost wish the group went more in-depth on the topic but I am happy with the length they spoke at, as they kept it informative but short enough to not lose attention- I’ll definitely be researching more of the topic on my own though.

They weren’t perfect however if they were to do the presentation again, they should probably stay more consistent with their format and review each other’s slides before presenting. The group members all created their own separate slides without consulting one another, and consequently, they sometimes repeated info across slides and the design of each slide was different- making it slightly distracting. Also, since it wasn’t one long PowerPoint, having breaks while each group member pulled up their file, unnecessarily slowed down the presentation.   Fortunately, I know this problem will be fixed in their next speech, as it was a misunderstanding of expectations and not a reflection of anyone’s talents in speech-giving.

Group 2 took chapter 9- it explored personal groups and their dynamics. The group explained all the different types of groups, ranging from families to workgroups to virtual groups. The presentation explained how important each group can be and how to keep said group dynamics healthy. They delved into the stages every group should be going through in order to stay healthy- these include forming, storming, norming, performing, and transforming. Group 2 had the best presentation, in my opinion, they didn’t overlap information (meaning they consulted one another before speaking) and they were very organized with the way they presented their PowerPoint. I wonder if the fact they had the chapter on how to be a well-functioning group influenced the fact that they ended up being the best group of the 3.

 My only criticism is that their PowerPoint- while well designed aesthetically- sometimes had bulleted text overlap with titles or other bullet points. However, this might be a problem with blackboard and not a problem with the group's formatting skills. I had an art history class last semester in which the professor had the same problem of overlapping text in his PowerPoints as Blackboard would randomly change the font size and position of the text without his permission.

(Me when I have technology problems)

Group 3 covered chapter 10 which was about leading groups and how to do so effectively. The group explained the various roles that come in a well-functioning group and the responsibilities each roles carries. They also went detail about meetings amongst groups and gave tips on how to best run them. They really highlighted how vital communication is in group dynamics and between the leaders. Group 3 did a good job summarizing all the information without getting too boring. I did notice they had the same problem of overlapping text that group 2 had- this strengthens my theory that it’s a problem with the website and not the group.

Overall, each group did great and most of my criticism stems from technology errors and minor stumbling as it was everyone’s first try. I learned a lot and I am looking forward to the next presentations!