Blog #1

 Good evening in the evening,

Any normal day I would blog in the morning but I’m currently on a rigorous gym

schedule and diet. Regardless, I’d love to speak about the relevance of communication in

our lives. Not just our lives but its relevance in the world. Communication is an essential

form of expression, you see it when your dog looks at you with puppy eyes, you see it when

you say something incorrectly at dinner and your dad gives you that look, and you definitely

see it when I’m giving my presentations. It’s not up for debate that communication skills are

necessary to be successful in life. Verbal and non-verbal communication is more than just

conversing, it’s the ability to form ideas, express emotions, solve problems, and build

relationships. Communicative skills are not something easily attained, for example, it took

me years to develop the skills to build friendships with people from diverse cultures. Being

that I’m African I find it a bit hard to relate with a lot of Hispanics. Despite this, I built my

skills to improve in my empathy, confidence, and persuasiveness. Luckily, you won’t have

to suffer the same fate as me. The following presentations that were shown in class will

help you develop these skills much quicker than I did. The following presentations focus on

different perspectives on how to approach speaking in public. I’ll also be giving criticism on

what was done well and what could’ve been done better. Just like how Albert Einstein said:

“You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it”. To learn we must change

our mindset, so open your minds!

Group 1 (my favorite) pointed out the connection between mental health and

education. Two very important factors that can affect our way to effectively communicate.

Group 1 interviewed teachers that dealt with mental health and education. The teachers

were experts and provided valid points which we must consider when it comes to

communication. Not only did they speak about how mental health and education affect

speech but how speech affects our emotional well-being and learning experience. The

questions which the first group asked helped the teachers go more into depth and help you

really understand. Aside from the teachers providing great examples, the presenters

themselves gave great examples as well. Sometimes the best way to help someone learn is

to give them relatable examples and group 1 did just that. Although group 1 did great they of

course had areas where they could’ve improved on for sure. I believe some presenters

could’ve presented less (me). Although providing information is great, too much

information could lose the focus of your audience. The term overfeeding is the best way to

explain this. Some slides had too many words as well. Sometimes too many words canovercrowd the reader. Imagine reading an essay that’s 10 paragraphs instead of 5 on limited

time. Aside from that, very examples and amazing attitude.

Group 2’s presentation went well. Group 2 emphasized the importance of social life

and family. Various points were presented, like how communication strengthens

relationships and builds meaningful connections. How do you expect to make friends if you

can’t express yourself in the correct manner? Group 2 had also asked amazing questions

regarding their topic. One of the key details that group 2 did well in had us jealous of was

eye contact. Eye contact is extremely important to hold one’s attention. Group 2 presenters

made everything extremely professional with eye contact. Although eye contact is great, I’ll

tell you what isn’t. Too... Many... Words! Too many words to reiterate: Will cause the reader

to be fed too much information. It’s hard to listen to a presenter and read something at the

same time. It can cause you to lose focus and doze off. Although there were too many

words in the presentation I’ll have to say, group 2’s presentation hit the mark and did

everything excellently. No more complaints from here

Group 3’s presentation explored economy and potential careers. Two topics which

are just like the last topics affected a lot by communication. Financial literacy, job

opportunities, and professional careers are just some of the things that can affect/be

affected by communication. Group 3 did amazing in the fact that they used mostly pictures

instead of text. Using pictures while presenting allows the reader to visualize what you’re

trying to get across. Just seeing a picture makes you imagine yourself in your head. Sadly

what made group 3 less engaging was two things. The lack of eye contact and monotone

attitude. Some presenters could’ve done a better job of setting their notes in front of them

instead of to the side. Learning about the economy and potential careers are affected by

communication is essential to learn since it’s such a complicated topic. Group 3 made

sure to express their points in a way where it wasn’t complicated without overfilling you

with information. Some would say their communication was on point haha.

All groups did amazing and they effectively made me feel like I wasn’t wasting my

time listening to someone. All groups did great when it comes to getting their point across.

You can tell everyone had responsibly practiced and we’re eager to share their points. We

should all look to improve on the slides themselves though. All the groups should’ve

definitely used less words and more pictures to help the listener visualize. Remember, one

of the best ways to get your point across is to make your topic relatable. News articles do it

all the time with the picture they use in the front. It helps you paint a picture in your head of

the tone as well if it affects you.