https://youtu.be/2VreARZEPCg

Preparation:

I finished my outline on Saturday, providing me three days to prepare my speech delivery.  Over this period, I made minor revisions to the outline in order to more smoothly transition between ideas and convey a vision of the future of drone technology.  I practiced by simulating the actual speech.  I stood up, displayed my PowerPoint, and recorded myself so that I could see exactly how the presentation went and made changes accordingly.  Over the course of the three days, I had to prepare, I delivered my presentation several times a day.

I attempted to engage the audience by referencing the recent hurricanes that have devastated parts of the United States and which have dominated news headlines over the past few weeks.  These emotional events were fresh on everyone’s mind and connected drone use in medical situations to an ongoing issue.  Additionally, I attempted to use ethos when I asked the audience to imagine coming upon an accident on the highway and feeling powerless until drone technology assisted.  Such a scenario draws on the common feeling of wanting to help others who are in immediate need and displayed the capabilities of drone technology in easing human suffering.  It would have helped if I practiced delivering the speech in front of other people, as the dynamic is different.

While I cited experts in the field to show the credibility of the information, I did not effectively communicate my personal expertise in speaking of drone technology.  I have extensive experience working with drones and designing aerial technology for common applications, yet I never built this credibility in my talk.  If I did the talk again in the future, I would mention the work I have done in the field at least briefly, to show that even in instances where I am not directly conveying information from researchers with Ph.D.’s, I still am knowledgeable on the subject matter and have firsthand experience.

Delivery:

I could have done a better job of connecting with the audience and conveying my message with more enthusiasm.  I think this was lacking because, with the short timeline for development, I focused primarily on conveying the information on my outline to the audience.  If I had additional time, my speech would have been more effective if I varied my eye contact with the audience more.

During the speech, I think I was primarily focusing on delivering all the content as opposed to focusing on my storytelling and engagement.  Several times throughout the video I turn to face the screen.  This is something I did not realize I was doing during the presentation, and it is frustrating to see as this did not help me with delivering the content.  Rather, each time I turn I am losing the engagement with the audience.  This issue is the largest one I noticed, and I will definitely be mindful to avoid turning to face the screen next time I present.

Now that I have torn myself to shreds… I will say, I am proud that I was able to run through the presentation relatively smoothly and comfortably.  I genuinely think I informed the audience on a topic that they may not have been previously aware of.  Drone technology certainly will touch the lives of everyone in the near future.  I only wish I did a better job of conveying my enthusiasm for the topic, as I plan to be one of the people on the front lines in the future pushing drone technology forward.