Reflection on my PK presentation

 Two weeks ago (October 19th), I presented my PK. Looking back at the video of myself presenting, I found three major problems as well as three good points.

The first problem I noticed was that I was looking at the screen a lot. I believe I was doing this as a way to cope with the stares you get as a presenterーby completely shutting them out of your visibility. By doing this, you not only look unconfident in yourself, but you are also cutting off the connection with the audience, which makes the audience not pay attention to your presentation.

The second problem was that I was using a lot of filler wordsーespesially "um"s. This was something I didn't notice until I watched the video afterward, meaning that I was saying it unconsciously. In addition, I realized I was saying it when I had finished talking for the part and was waiting for the next slide to pop up meaning that I need to work on my pacing skills as well.

The third problem was that I was blinking too much. This is a problem I knew I had from before, but haven't been able to fix. Specifically, I realized I had this problem when I looked back at the video I made with Kotone for the PIE event and had wanted to fix it since. I believe it's especially hard to fix a problem that you do unconsciously and only takes practice, experience, and time to fix.

The first good point I found myself doing, was acting natural even when passing the projector screen. I saw that a lot of the presenters that went before me were walking fast or bending over when walking across the screen. Mr. Paterson also pointed this out numerous times, and so I was sure to keep my confidence on, making the projector my spotlight.

The second good point was that I made sure to use my arms a lot (maybe too much...)? Although it might have been a bit too much at some points, I still think it was better than not using them at all. Furthermore, I was not touching one hand with the other too much, meaning I was not closing off my body. I made sure to open my arms and expose my inner arms, showing I am confident. Talking about exposing the weak points of the body, I fought the urge to wear a turtleneck that day (as it was cold) in case I was to be called on (which I was) and would be able to expose my neck and look confident. (I find that learning about human instincts and using them to your advantage is not only scientifically effective but also interesting?)

Lastly, the third good point was that I correlated at least one thing in my presentation that many people associate me withーjapanese culture. Specifically, I talked about an event called "kimono-sannpo" as one of the points, which is basically an event where people around the city dress in kimonos and sightsee around the place. As I believe many people link me with Japanese culture since many people are fond that I practice Nihonbuyo, I think adding that one talk about Japanese culture really accentuated my presentation. 

Looking back at my presentation now, there are so many other points I regret, from the basics, to some measures I could have taken to make it better. I think I'll keep on coming back to the basics many times until I master them (which probably still won't be perfect).

Overall, I learned that PK presentations especially can either ruin your reputation on presentations or do the opposite. If you don't work hard, then you end up looking like a complete loser, and if you do work hard, then you will look like an absolute elite.