The most important takeaway I received from this class was confidence. Before this class, my experience with college classes was filled with lecture-based classes and little presentation practice. This class taught me how to present in a variety of ways. My prior presentation experience was mostly concerned with teaching the class and selling my ideas. Here, I learned how to present on a topic while it is still in its young and ambiguous and fuzzy stages. I learned how to present in a way to facilitate conversation and feedback instead of just to convince and persuade the audience that I am correct and the best. From the briefcase presentation, to the LP analysis, to the prototyping presentations in class, to the EP Friday presentations, to the final sales presentation, I gained so much experience presenting and learned how to refine my pitch and make the words I say fit with my personality. Especially with this last presentation, I saw just how much I have improved with talking in front of a group of people. I was confident and didn’t stumble over word mistakes that I made. I was smooth and composed.
To my future self, remember that it is okay to make mistakes when presenting. Remember that you do not have to know the answer to every question when presenting. Remember that not every presentation is about selling the audience on your topic. Remember these things and more. Not just for class presentations but especially in the real world. These are skills that will benefit you for the rest of your life.