6_RoblesN

Natalie Robles 3966 Campbell Ave. Riverside, Ca 92503

Dear Professor. Kim,

Making a good presentation is essential in the business world. As college students we are repeatedly making presentations in our classes in order to improve. They say practice makes perfect, but after having to make so many presentations a great majority of us will still say that one of our fears and weakness is giving a presentation in front of a room full of people. I would fall under this great majority not because I do not like to speak in front of people, but because of my weaknesses, I feel unfit to make presentations.

One of my weaknesses is getting too nervous before and during a presentation. For the first few minutes into my presentation I feel like everyone is just staring and judging me on how I look, how I talk and anything else they could possibly judge me in. Just looking at everyone gets me even more nervous and I start to forget what to say next. This leads me onto my second weakness which is talking too fast. I get so nervous that I end up speaking very fast to the point where the audience can’t fully understand what I am saying. When I’m up there I just want to hurry up and get it over with so I can go sit down. My third weakness is saying too many “umms” as my transitions. I tend to go blank at times and just say “umm” or “so” as I think about what to say next or as I glance over at my notes. It’s a terrible habit and makes my audience lose interest in what I am saying. My forth weakness is standing completely still during my presentation. I end up just standing in the same position hardly moving at all. I do not use any hand motions, walk around or even walk a little bit, I hide and stand still between a chair or desk or whatever is in front of me. My last weakness is being unprepared for questions at the end of my presentation. I get so nervous when they ask me questions that I either have a hard time understanding what they are trying to ask or I just forget the answer to the questions.

Since I know how important presentations are I want to improve my skills and be able to have more confidence in myself when making presentations. I believe I can improve my first weakness by preparing weeks before a presentation so I feel confident in what I am saying. I also read of certain foods that one could eat to help calm nerves such as, eating lots of carbohydrates or vegetables. Doing this before a presentation could help and calm my nerves so that I do not get so nervous and mess up. By calming my nerves it would also help me improve in talking too fast. I would be calmer, so I wouldn’t feel like I need to hurry up and go sit down. I believe practicing over and over again before giving a presentation could also help me not use so many “umms” and “sos” during my presentation. Furthermore by trying to memorize my speech not completely, but the majority would help me know what to say next without having to stop and look at my notes. In addition, by practicing I could better prepare myself for questions that could be asked during my presentation. I could practice my presentation in front of friends and family members and ask them what questions they have, or what questions they believe other people will have for me. This will help give me an idea of what I will be asked so I can find the answer to the question before I am asked the question in class.

By practicing the things above and by learning from you as my professor and my peers, I believe I can become better at making presentations and improve my weaknesses completely. Thank you for everything you do to help improve our business communication skills. Sincerely, Natalie Robles