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Post Presentation Reflection (500 words)

Overall feelings about my presentation was that is was average. The slideshow and visuals were definitely interesting and directly pertained to my content. However, my overall deliver did not adhere to my standards and expectations. My fellow classmates are so hard to read – in terms of their facial expressions – that is causes me to have anxiety that I didn’t expect going into S4. Because all our interest are widely varied and our intents to actually go fight for change is so unclear (just based on the interactions I’ve had with them), it makes it difficult to feel confident. That is why I felt I was reliant and resorted to my script too much. However, I did find it beneficial that I went first, for my presentation set the tone for advocacy in general as could be related to nearly all the presentations that followed. In class we learned and saw how TED speakers and youtubers seeked to engage the audience or reiterate key points in the beginning and end of their presentations, that is why in this presentation I sought out a different ending. An ending that could be easily repeated due to its rhythmic tones and evocation of emotions. While I did not attempt any sort of varied voice (like a Youtuber) I did seek to use a more vibrant theme and images that could give of main points and intention by just looking at them – especially if my audience was attuned to what I was saying at times.

2 comments on others (posted on their blogs, but also here)

1. Mae – I really enjoyed your S5 presentations. It was so visually engaging and I was able to understand and become curious about your topic. The use of others and voice changers was great. Also it was a side of you we normally don’t have a chance to see in class so I enjoyed it all!
2. Ashley – Your delivery in terms of your voice and overall expressions made your presentations entertaining and easy to follow. Probably one of the more lively presenters of the class. Also, your topic proves to crucial during these times, thanks for the reminder!

3 Videos

Link #1

The first attempt was a little rough just because it was right after writing out my S4 and deciding placement of certain slides and facts. I also was still unsure of what I wanted to include and exclude so my stuttering was very present. However, for this presentation because I know what and how I want to leave an impact with my classmates, I foresee that being my biggest challenge – trying to do to much. Definitely trying to be less broad and more concise.

Link #2

After narrowing down my area of focus and finalizing my slide presentation, I felt more comfortable doing video practice number two. Because of this i decided to attempt to stand up and trying moving around. As seen in the video, I still am unable to decided what to do with my hands when speaking. However, with me directing the presentation and to the audience, i don’t foresee my hand movement necessarily being a bad thing. Overall clarity seemed to improve.

Link #3

For my finally video I decided to do it in front of my friend – this due to me wanting practice making uncomfortable eye contact with classmates during my last presentations, which then make me lose my train of thought. Throughout the eye I consider this to be my biggest hinderance in my delivery. While I did stutter at times, for some reason I still find myself reliant on my notes, even though I’ve done similar presentations on this topic to others and am passionate about this topic.

Speaking Center

I booked my appointment with Claudia Sanchez. I made appointments with her in the past for this class, so I knew what I should work on going into it. Claudia makes me feel comfortable and offers feedback that I subconsciously know should be changed, but don’t unless I have someone (like her) telling me to do something differently.  We weren’t able to meet directly for a full session, but once realizing that with break and the short time we had before presentation day, I spoke to her before our schedule meeting. We were able to discuss how to attract and engage my audience. Referring to them and using evidence and scenarios that allow my classmates to imagine themselves in the situation. After this semester, I definitely foresee myself making appointments with her.

Write- out

Slide 1

I am sure everyone here has one of these *pulls out phone*

Slide 2

The average person between the age 15-25 uses their phone for 3 hours per day, mainly to check their social media feeds. Now guess how many social media accounts the average person has…yup you’re right 3! While yes there seems minimal to many of us, if you’re spending 5+ hours checking and using them, is there a better way to use your time on those sites.

Living in an age where digital communication has been integrated into everyday life, whether that’s through text, call, retweeting, posting, or reacting to something. it has become our way of telling others how we feel.

We’ve become accustomed to a form of communication that while it has its downsides, can truly benefit movements around the world.

Slide 3

Over the last decade we have seen social media platforms ask less and less of their members or subscribers in terms of effort and representing their own ideas. The end result is then the degradation of activism into a series of petition drives that capitalise on current events. Bay Area clicktivist organisations are finding it increasingly difficult to motivate their members to any action whatsoever. The unfortunate trend of clicktivism as struct those on social media between the ages 12-30. Those who never go beyond just retweeting or reacting to a stance versus actively engaging through technology for change. Between 80% to 90%, of so-called members rarely even open campaign emails anymore, in large part due to many seeing political engagement becomes a matter of clicking a few links. There is an unfortunate trend of clicktivism amongst those 15-30.

Activism v Advocate (3)

Activism and advocacy are terms that are proven crucial when discussing public communication and intentions towards social change and movements. Because they are so often used interchangeably, because they do overlap, they also have distinctly differences – which reflect in your actions towards or as apart of movements.

An activist is a person who makes an intentional action to bring about social or political change. This action is in support of, or opposition to, one side of an often controversial argument.

An advocate is one who speaks on behalf of another person or group. (lobby/legislation)

Egyptian Revolution – Slides 4 & 5

For any of you who were attuned to current events back in 2012, would remember the egyptians uprising by civilians. Twitter was used to bring face to the movement and create global awareness and divulge surrounding those issues. For months to the streets of Cairo in January and February 2011. What has shocked most observers of the current Egyptian scene is the sheer speed with which the regime fell — 18 days.

Facebook helped to organize the activists inside the country, he said, while Twitter functioned to help get the message out to the broader world

However, this movement and revolution went beyond just awareness, but sparked and forced conversations seeking to vote immediate change. You so often see friends and family members retweet or react to a post about a hot social issue, however become complacent when they meet an opportunity to react in person. While marching in rallies or speaking to various boards is not for everyone. I’m telling you now is the time where hiding behind a screen and instigating is okay. Now in no way am go out and troll or cyber bully those with differing opinions than you, but instead seek out social media avenue in which allow for uncomfortable or controversial conversations to be had through a median that is comfortable for both parties.

Twitter Power Hours – Slide 6-7

Back in late october there was a “Twitter Power hour” around an elected school board bill in Illinois. The concept around it is that some sort of organization or group of people come up with the consensus that for an hour on Twitter they talk through their issue in hopes to suade those who are skeptics. It also is a demonstration of support. As seen here …trend…. The great thing about them is that its an open forum that creates dialogue and a respectable form of communication between those with differing views

Slide 8

These are two great people to follow if you are interested in seeking out social media oriented talks. Melinda Anderson is a writer for The Atlantic.  Xian is a teacher back in Chicago whose work with students revolves around social justice and education equity for students of color. And even is racial or educational forums don’t interest you both are still great to peak around their follows cause you are sure to find others like them but with different interest.

Slide 9

So the next you go out and retweet or react, I ask that you click with intention. Click with passion. And click with hope.

I was initially impressed with the way the open house was set up. In Chicago, you rarely hear of open houses for proposed city project, but instead community forums that are are filled with only public comments. The overall flow made it simple for anyone to really learn and understand the two proposals. Having a person at various posters along the room made it easy to engage and question certain things. In general though the space did seem confining at times, perhaps due to the size of some unused tables. For a proposal like this, it was important to have boards and diagrams to truly contrast the two ideas. This personally made it clear which proposal seemed best – the two way waterside proposal. Whenever visiting the stretch in front of the piers, all the traffic signals do become overwhelming and confusing. That is why with the two-way system would minimize confusion and also for a better flow. I was overhearing a women speak to one of the presenters/informers and she really wanted to have her public comment heard…but listening to more of her opinion, it was clear her views aligned more with the two-way option, so they should have made it clear that she just had to vote on her desired proposal. The audience was definitely more geared towards people who are impacted and have advocated for/against change for a while. That is why the sense of formality was more present, just because it more for people with previous knowledge on it.

For S4 I am attempting to use both visual and personal aids to help convey my idea topic. Because my proposal revolves around social media and its use, it makes sense to showcase ways and methods people are currently using it and can use it. So the “pattern” attempting to form within my audience would be how to properly and effectively use their social media platforms.

Final Video:

Video Drafts: I put all the takes into one video, because there were so many takes. This allows most takes to be seen.

Writing:

Outline:

How bike thief can be dangerous -> Intro: statistics and real thieves -> Reintroduction of cousin (stand-in thief) -> Personal Experience -> Cousins (transition) -> Satire Video of a robbery -> Closing remarks: stats and common sense -> Closing (cousins)

Transcript: *improv included in video*

Mateo:

Hello, are you scared of me?

Well you should be!

I’m one of the one million bike thieves who want your bike.

Im dangerous.

Matthew:

Over 1 million bikes are stolen annually.

About 5% are recovered annually.

With over 45% of bike thefts occurs during the nighttime, most victims do not have a chance to confront their bike thief or avoid doing so because they are usually armed and potentially dangerous.

Take Igor Kent. Wouldd you want to try to fight him?

Mateo:

What about me?

Matthew:

Last week i became another statistic in San Francisco. Having my bike stolen outside of Hayes Healy, I found myself questioning what would I do if i encountered the bike thief. Ironically, this weekend I was able to see an attempted bike theft on my way home.

Gaby & Mateo:

What would you do:

Video:

We always here statistics and news coverage around bike fatalities and crashes. However, we so rarely are reminded about the unsung danger of owning a bicycle. Nearly 12% of people are injured attempting to fight off a thief. Because you are in possession of a valuable whose vulnerability is so high, it si crucial that one takes the necessary precautions to ensure both your and your bikes safety.

This video is satire

Never approach a bike thief alone.

Audience:

The intended audience for S3 is decision makers. And because of that the ‘decision makers’ I’m hoping to reach out to, are bicyclist themselves and also those in charge of bike advocacy groups. Advocacy groups so often educate cyclist around bike safety and needed precautions. The classes they offer around these subject matters often overlook a certain safety measure that correlates with an ever-growing statistic – encountering a bike thief correlating with the rising number of bike thefts. Amongst advocacy groups they spree out rhetoric around self awareness, however only in terms of cars. However, when decision makers come upon bicycle expansion, they must factor in bicycle crime and the potential negative social and economical risk it brings. In no way am I insinuating that more bike usage directly leads to more crime, however, I do believe it can contribute to the vulnerability of a certain community.

Credibility:

The credibility is demonstrated in the video by my personal experience. An experience that allowed me to question myself and that I know exist amongst those beyond just the bicycle community. I attempt to reestablish my credibility by merging both fact and fiction – scenarios versus actual events and stats. In your attempt to convince others, it is beneficial to present them with situational humor to make your point more relatable in hopes that they will further explore your topic (presentation). Furthermore, Tseng and Fogg discuss how credibility and trust are not interchangeable. Because my video merges statistics, personal experience, and humor, it allows it to be more believable (credible). This then allows the audience to trust both my advice and information presented to them. Through my personal experience that led me to question myself, the “user understanding and user need for information” Tseng and Fogg mention, both become relevant.

Post Presentation Reflection & 2 commentaries:

I personally view my S3 presentation as a failure. For some failure is viewed and considered to a negative thing, however I perceive it as an attempt whose full potential was not showcased, but will on the next attempt. In creating my S3 presentations into a video, there were various components to me that were not necessarily foreign to me, but obstacles that I knew would delay or change the outcome. A desired outcome that was constructed in my mind, but not necessarily one that came into fruition. Not everyone has a ‘YouTube’ voice, and I knew going into it that I necessarily did not have it. However, I banked on the usage of visuals and cousins to captivate the audiences as I hoped it would. My cousins were used to add comedic relief and help tell a story that in video format can become boring for the audience. Now was it successful, I am not sure because I was not able to see my classmates’ reactions, however it definitely made me laugh and made this topic more appealing and captivating for myself.

I would also like to critic my video in terms of the prompt. I am not sure if I fully was able to answer the prompt in my video. I was not sure if this was due to my intended audience being so broad which added to the informality of the video, or the overall evidence presented.

For my S4 I will resort to the traditional format, because in terms of public speaking, I feel I’m able to offer more to my audience through that. Also, my level of effectiveness and efficiency seems to be more aligned with a traditional format.

Of the presentations I was able to see in class, Victoria’s seemed to be the most prompt-oriented and effective in terms of giving the audience information and reasons to abide by her demands.

 

Hey J –

I enjoyed your presentation. I’ve never heard of honeycomb tires until your presentation. Based on what you explained, they seemed the most logical wheel that everyone should be using.

 

Hey Victoria –

Great presentation. Really informative and I like how you transformed it into a proposition. It really embodied the prompt and made me agree with your position.

I watched both 20 Emojis That Need To Exist and Teach Your Kid How To Ride A Bike, in hopes of finding the an ideal Youtube Voice. Tyler Oakley’s voice was meant for a Youtube platform. His voice was definitely able to captivate me, but it only lasted so long. After reaching the third minute, his over zealousness fazed me. Because of this, it is uncommon to find this sort of voice in formal presentations. However, it is ideal for Youtube because the wide range of pitch and tones are able to discern viewers from existing out. The speaker in “Teaching Your Kid How to Ride A Bike,” was a great contrast to the first video. Her voice did have monotone tendencies, it was attractable enough to garner attention of a longer period of time. I found myself being able to focus more on her advice – despite running out one. While this may not be the ideal Youtube voice,  for the viewer who is less interested in her substance versus performance can easily click out, it definitely is more fluid for a formal informational.

For my S3 presentation want to ask public transportation systems in urban cities – is it time to upgrade and incorporate prepaid methods to our transportation system. Over the last two years Chicago has adopted a ‘ tap & go system” something very similar to here in SF. However, its efficiency is questionable at times. How can overall transportation efficiency be bettered in urban setting where time is money for many Americans.

However, I am not 100% sold on exploring this topic for my S3. I will finalize my topic proposal (and update this post) later today in class.

Working Idea. 

My beliefs most closely aligned with Daniel Duane. His closing paragraph was that of a proposal; something I always try to incorporate and believe adds value to your claim by giving the audience a direct way to react.

The first article’s evidence was compelling at times, however other times it felt mislead. For example, throughout he references New York, but brings up data or examples from Idaho or rural biking communities. Despite his attempt to parallel the two, for me the arguments fails to convince me when there lacks direct modules in which the data correlate to the scenario (setting).

Duane’s article finds success by prompting the responsibility and attempting to guilt (lack of better word) both drivers and cyclist into acting and end certain stigmas surrounding each one. 

Byrne’s writing and experiences reminded me of myself. He clearly observes his surroundings. Throughout his journeys to Apple, to Alcatraz, and the city as a whole as he is listening to people or walking around, not only is he observing, but also questioning. At times it seems he over analyzes the little things in life, but it actually brings forth valid questions many may have. The subtitle ‘Inside and Outside’ is fully explored both literally and figuratively. This way of writing allows there reader to view and understand things without having to seek answers from others. Byrne truly embodies an explorer who not only seeks adventure, but where adventure seeks him. Meaning that he gains and experiences more than a typical person or than he anticipated. The fact that he is also apart of a band and is able to go out where people recognize him only adds to his unique character and way of thinking. Taqueria Cancun is a Mexican restaurant in San Francisco. When Googled, there were multiple locations and or restaurants with the name, so I chose the one the seemed more logical for a Muni ride to Golden Gate.

Going into today’s S2 presentation, I felt fairly confident. Even the minutes leading up to it I felt fine, but for some reason once I was up there my nerves started to act-up. To me I feel like it clearly showed because I felt myself moving my arms a lot and switching leg motions. However, I will admit some of times I touched my face, I did so consciously, in an attempt to ease my nerves. However, I am unsure if that actually helped.

My overall presentation dealt with course material in regards to space, sharing space, bicycle safety, and how to communicate best with others and yourself. Over the past few weeks there has been an emphasize on co-existence across various modes of transportation and improvements one can make. By focusing on two common modes of transport and highlighting their flaws, it allows there to be dialogue as to which is better and can become better.

My time of changing slides were at times off and I should have allowed more time for each slide so that the audience can draw connections. I would credit though that my slides were primarily pictures as appose to facts or evidence that was then just read off the screen.

Despite me believing that my topic was the most unique, it did have its challenges. My evidence was more numerical central, therefore I did have to adhere to my notes frequently to ensure I was giving of correct information. Despite this though, having practice going off script and ensuring eye contact, I do see me being successful in those regards.

I will not name names, however during my presentation there was one person that kept giggling to themselves very discreetly. But not discreet enough, for when I would look out to the class I ,y eyes would easily picked it up. This added to my nerves for my train of thought lost focus from my presentation and started pondering as to why that person was giggling. I knew that nothing i saw was extremely funny. Maybe I was making a weird facial expression or something. But after a while it got pretty annoying…I felt like stepping and said “dude really.”

I enjoyed that peers referred to the presentation of others to further add credibility or new evidence to their presentation. The overall use of powerpoint were also helpful in visualizing what they were saying and veered my eyes to the screen versus the actual person.

In the future my stance and overall body movement has to be improved. If it distracted me, I can only wonder if it distracted the audience. Along with that would be my vocal projection. At times I could barely here myself or too fast. I do however want to continue localizing my speeches because it is then when I feel the most prepared and interest in the topic.

 

Link to video.

This was my third video rehearsal, and this time I felt more familiar with the content. And was able to successfully veer of, but still struggled at times. Overall eye contact and projection I think went fairly well. Not entirely sure if the multi-page format is something I enjoy, but we’ll see how the presentation goes.