Self Assesment Memo

Self-assessment Memo
Chosen leader: Oprah Winfrey

Table of contents: 1.1 Self-assessment of presentation
2.1 Feedback from the group 3.1 Analysis of the presentation 3.1.2 The task 3.1.3 Nonverbal aspects 3.1.4 Verbal aspects 4.1 Personal goals 5.1 Self-improvement strategy

1.1 Self-assessment of presentation
Having a presentation the first day of school was both scary and exciting, but being challenged in different ways than what we are used to, is something I have been looking forward to. I had chosen to speak about talk-show host and personality Oprah Winfrey, who has been an inspiration to me reasoned her strong motivation and drive for what she believes in. After my presentation my thoughts were that it went okay, even tough I had been nervous and a bit stressed in advance. If I were to say my biggest strengths, it would be that my English is good, that I am perceived as sincere and for the most part speak clearly without a script. Speaking to low was my biggest weakness, and I also could have used my nonverbal communication better.
My prepared structure: * Who is Oprah Winfrey and her achievements * Oprah as a leader * Why she inspires me

2.1 Feedback from the group
Getting feedback from the group right after my presentation was something I appreciated, because that allowed me to see if my review of myself matched up with the groups` perspective. When told about my strengths they mentioned that my outline and structure was in a naturally order and that I spoke clearly. Further on they said that my body language was calm and comfortable, and that I had a good pronunciation. Weaknesses that came up was the volume, that i should have spoken a bit louder, and that I could have tried to have more direct eye contact with different people in the room.
3.1 Analysis
3.1.2 The task
When it comes to the time perspective I was within the limit of 3 minutes, speaking for 2.08 minutes. Having 50 seconds to go, I know see that I could have had some more information about her work and achievements for example. While writing my presentation I had in mind that I wanted it to be short and precise, without putting on a dreary list of historical facts. However, it became more brief than expected. A probable reason is that my speed tends to increase when I am nervous, which I was, state to the reason it was a totally new environment. Taken the fact that nobody knew each other well, I think everyone was curious about how each person would perform, how people act in a more formal arena. Establishing credibility with the audience I feel I managed at a medium level, but I had a harder time getting a direct contact with the audience.

3.1.3 Nonverbal aspects
Looking at my presentation video on mute I discover both movements and gestures that I was aware of, and some I was not aware of. Nonverbal matters are by my opinion my weakest area during the presentation. My first thought when watching the video for the first time was my lack of eye contact and my unfocused sight, not having a stop point. Holding my hands together is something I do a lot, and I think I lack a more variety of movements. I think I have a pretty good posture, standing up straight and facing the audience.
My face has a positive expression most of the time and I tend to smile, which I think can be perceived as both friendly and a sign of that I am talking about a subject I am engaged in. One analysis from the video is that my head turning down to the script several times time is making my presentation look less coherent. A possible consequence of looking down is that I can loose the audiences’ attention. You can also see that I sometimes have a hard time finding my next words. Another observation after seeing the video without my voice, is that I actually think I look a bit shy, a trait I don’t have among my friends, rather the opposite. I am aware that I tend to get more shy when performing in front of new acquaintances, and that I am more outgoing and sure off myself when around people I know well and trust. If I where a viewer I think I would say I look somewhat trustable and sincere.

3.1.4 Verbal aspects
After having analyzed my verbal communication I found I was speaking clearly most of the time. I am distracted when I have to look at the script to remember the next line, which you can see makes me a bit unsecure and that’s the times I speak less clearly. I can not hear many discernible grammar errors, but I one time say “of” in a sentence where it should have been “as”. After hearing the video and received feedback from classmates, my volume could have been higher. My pitch is fine but can be improved, making it more interesting to listen to. Another observation is that I tend to say “eeh” before I start the sentence, which doesn’t sound good when listening to it on the video. It would be better if I paused with some seconds of silence before starting the next sentence.
If I look at my nonverbal- and verbal communication together I think they match well. For example that I did not speak that loud and that I was in some extent depending on my script. Another example is that I tend to smile and my voice sounds friendly.
4.1 Personal goals
When it comes to opportunities for improvement, I have several things I don’t think is good enough and that I want to improve. First of all, I want to have a clear goal of being well prepared. That meaning knowing my words by heart, having rehearsed enough and being prepared mentally. When I know exactly what so say I become much more secure, which again shows itself in my body language, posture and gestures. Improving my gestures will be one of my main focuses, such as getting direct eye contact with the audience and using hand movements to emphasize my words. My goals for my verbal communication is that I speak up with an appropriate volume, use my pitch to hold the audiences attention and talk in a suitable speed.

5.1 Self-improvement strategy
When looking at the video I saw a lot of room for improvement before my next presentation. In order to reach my goals, a strategy on how to get there, will help me on the way.
The last couple of years I have not had many opportunities to present in English, something I am going to do a lot this year. To be more sure of myself while presenting i have two activities that I will do before presenting: 1) Rehearse out loud 2) Rehearse in front of a friends, getting feedback on my language and pronunciation
I will improve my nonverbal communication by these activities: 1) Rehearse in front of a mirror, trying to use more of the gestures written up under my goals 2) Rehearse in front of friends trying to use more gestures and than get feedback 3) Look at videos of great speakers, and how they use nonverbal communication
For my verbal communication I will try these activities: 1) Rehearse in front of friends and get feedback on the volume and speed 2) Experiment with different use of pitch, and try to sound more enthusiastic and inspiring 3) Look at videos of great speakers, and how they keep the audiences attention using their voice