Critical Reflection

In the beginning of this module, I had set a main goal for myself, which was to improve my ability to speak more confidently in front of a crowd. With the help of Prof. Brad’s lessons and tips and also my peers, I was able to deliver my thoughts to an audience comfortably, or at least more comfortably than I could remember. There are a few key public speaking techniques that stood out to me. One is to be passionate about my content or material. When I am passionate about my idea or project, I realize that my thoughts are delivered more smoothly and reduce the possibility of losing my train of thought. Another key aspect in public speaking was body language. Not only is it important to portray the correct body language to my audience, but it also helps me feel more confident in my presentation. When I consciously force myself to stand proud and not fidget, I find myself being less nervous when delivering my ideas. However, with all that being said, I feel that I am still not fully comfortable in giving a presentation to an audience. I understand that it comes with practice, and I hope to be able to exercise what I have learned from this module in my future projects, be it in school or in the workforce.

In the beginning of the research project, my team had trouble settling on our design idea. We had to rethink our idea on various occasions. This caused us to waste quite a significant amount of time, and set us back a couple of weeks. The fact that our thought processes did not align made the whole process much worse. However, after several team meetings, we finally found our groove and was able to communicate our ideas effectively. As soon as we settled on our final idea, the project started to sail more smoothly.

We did not have a presentation showcase due to the current pandemic. However, during the formal class presentation, I had the chance to give feedback on the other teams’ project proposals. I took this opportunity to learn from them, as many of the individuals had great presentation skills. Not only that, but I could also learn from their mistakes to improve on my own skills. Similarly, I received feedback on my own presentation, which highlighted my mistakes which I can learn from.

In conclusion, I understand the importance of the skills that this module provides. I also value the feedback given by my instructor and peers. Lastly, even though it was tough stepping out of my comfort zone, I thoroughly enjoyed the unique teaching format of Prof. Brad, frequently requiring us to understand a concept and explain it to my peers which was a refreshing break from the monotonous engineering lectures.