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Arlene Gutierrez November 23, 2010 3801 West Temple Avenue Pomona , California 91768

Dr. Rosemary H. Kim Cal Poly Pomona 3801 West Temple Avenue Pomona , California 91768

Dear Dr. Kim:

As businesses and corporations are reducing their management level and are transforming their companies to a single-level work place, the emphasis on communication skills has heightened. Therefore, communication skills from verbal and nonverbal are now more important and demanded than ever before. Knowing how important communication skills are, it is my responsibility to become comfortable with these skills.

There are many forms of verbal communication skills; however, one that is extremely crucial and important is in the form of oral presentation skills. Oral presentations are done in every work place, regardless of their mission and plan. It is a form in which new information is delivered, training for a new program is conducted, and is typically how information is exchanged.

Understanding how important oral presentation skills are I have had to become aware of the areas in which I struggle in. During presentations I usually become extremely nervous in front of a large audience that it sometimes causes me to have an overly large smile and causes my face to turn red. These are clearly bad habits and at times can become distracting when trying to provide pertinent information to my audience and peers. Also when presenting, I have the tendency to speak at an extremely fast pace, which can be displeasing, considering that my audience will have a difficult time following my train of thought. Speaking quickly is an issue I have; it also usually tends to bring up another weakness of mine, which is stumbling over my words. Even though some of my issues happen to be regarding the actual verbal aspect of presentations, I often have an issue with my nonverbal presenting skills as well. Some of these nonverbal skills include my body posture and hand gestures. There have been times when I have given presentation and become extremely enthusiastic and overly hyper that I start to move my hands as if I were performing a cheerleading routine. This is certainly an issue when trying to convey the importance of a certain topic. And lastly, when presenting I usually try to use all of my “free-space” and not stand in a single location, but in trying to do so I often find myself walking too much and it usually causes more distraction since my audience is than trying to follow me rather than intake the information that I am providing them with. Therefore, I am certainly aware of the issues that I have regarding oral presentations and having these issues only hinders the opportunity for me to connect with my peers and allows more space for distraction and confusion.

Knowing how to present effectively and efficiently is essential and it can allow me to truly become connected with my audience. So in order for me to have that connection with my them it is necessary for me to improve my presentation skills and reduce the number of weakness and areas of improvement that currently exist. I plan to improve such skills by practicing my speeches prior to the actual day of presentation. I also plan to practice these run-throughs in front of a mirror which will allow me to see exactly how I look as I present information, from walking in my free space, my body posture, my hand gestures, and to the pace I express my information, thoughts, and ideas. Besides practicing oral presentations in front of a mirror, if given the opportunity to have my speeches filmed, I will allow them to be recorded. Once the presentations have been recorded I can than review my speech and see how I am being seen by my peers and audience. There is nothing more straight-forward than seeing yourself first handedly, as how your peers see you. And lastly, I will ask my peers and audience as to how I did in the presentation. I will be open to constructive criticism, knowing that it will only help my presentation skills. Therefore, even if I currently have weaknesses and areas that need improvement, I am aware that there are things that can be done in order to improve my presentation skills. I believe that if I continue practicing these skills and allowing myself to receive input from others it will allow me to develop my skills.

Nevertheless, thank you for your time and understanding. I hope to improve my oral presentation skills with your professional help and the help of my peers.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 48pt;">Sincerely,

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 48pt;">Arlene Gutierrez