Blog Post Number 1 - Tyler Matchette

Blog Post Number 1 - Tyler Matchette:  

Every group had to present while on camera about their given chapter from our e books. Each chapter discusses the human nature of communication, whether that is through intercultural communications, social groups, or group leadership and problem solving. My role for each group was to create and present a conclusion of all required chapters, since I was given the role of co-host, which meant, I had to make sure to read every chapter from the e-book, and every presentation each of my groups had made. As tiring as it was, it was not hard and made me understand the functioning of cultures and roles better. 

While we all worked on our group presentation slides together, we have never actually met each other before; so, I had no idea on how good or bad our presenting skills would be. There were also some problems before our presentations were finished, such as my old partner dropping out of our class (which means no group had an intro for our projects), and also the fact that we all forgot the important note from you, which was to send a file of what slides are presented by whom. Nevertheless, we all were able to present online, and share our points throughout each chapter. 

 Me being tired, but still determined. 

Group 1: 

Theming is an important part towards presentations, and as for group 1, their slides always consist of a pale color that oozes either a whitish pink, red, or orange hue. All the texts consist of a clear-bold title, and nicely placed bulletins (which even makes the slides without the pictures look neat, open, and clean). Groups 2 and 3 in comparison do not share this consistency (which I am unfortunately on fault for at times). 

Most people in the presentation had their own scripts while presenting, except for Akire Greene (who was just repeating the words already plastered on the PowerPoint. Two other criticisms to share are Ariba Pervaiz clicking on other slides while her group members were not finished yet with their slides, and because Angeline Sagastume had computer issues, unfortunately broke the flow of the presentation. That is not to put Ariba or Angelie down, because they presented their projects well. Arianna Arcos was my favorite presenter of the group 1, since she was so detailed on her slides for "Sex and Gender", "Sexual Orientation" and "Religion". In fact, she had so much to say for all three of her slides, that Ariba on some occasions skipped some of her sentences (thinking she was done as she switches on to the next slide). 

Ariba Pervaiz: Introduced the group well, had her own lines, presented greatly, but did not do great with transitioning her group members' slides, and also forgot to turn her camera on at first. 

Oscar Gonzalez: Had his own script, presented nice, but seemed a bit bored in stance and tone (only a minor nitpick though, I mean, I get it, who wants to be in school?)

Arianna Arcos: The best presenter of any group. Presented professionally, and not only had a script, but also described everything in detail within her slides. 

Ricardo Roldan: Presented well, and had his own script. 

Dyland Rodriguez Mayea: Managed to describe what each of her slides were about through her script, even to those that were more visual than having words. Sounded good in presentation. 

Akire Greene: Had mic problems, and was the only member of the group to not have his own script. 

Alyssa Barbosa: Presented nicely, calm and professional. Barely had any pauses, and had her own script. 

Ana Luna: Good presenter, summarized her slides in a short and sweet way, without missing anything. 

Angelie Sagastune: Unfortunately due to technology problems, she appeared a bit later before I presented my conclusion, and thus, disrupted the flow of the presentation. This is not entirely her fault, but it did make the presentation a bit awkward in transitioning. However, she presented really well, did have her own script, and since she was group 1's leader, was the most helpful member of group 1. 

I personally found my slide to be very detailed, and I am very proud with its design. I also matched the theme of group 1's presentation, which unfortunately was the only time I ever done that. 

Overall, group 1's presentation were the best at visuals, but had problems sometimes with their transitions. However, since we had 10 presenters, it only makes sense for our flow to not always stay consistent. Outside of some technical difficulties, every person presented with great information and was professional. 

Group 2: 

The theming for the slides seemed to have a split personality; where most of the slides appear generic, and have a green color surrounding the presentations as a brand. However, there are a few outliers where the slides remove the green color, and have more artistic looking visuals. This is not a bad thing, but now the group presentation is a bit inconsistent; and that could only be ok if every slide had an inconsistent theme, and thus, being the theme. 

Most of the group unfortunately did not have their own scripts for their slides, and many of the members had trouble reading; making it seem more like a reading session, instead of a presentation. Amye Salcedo Chaviano, and Cristobal Osorio were the only two people with scripts intact. However, compared to group 1, there were better transitions,  

Kayla Loft: Mostly repeating the same slides, show a bit of shyness (which is understandable). Has slides that are always switching theming. 

Rashel Rubio: Also does not have their own script, but spoke very well (even though she sounded a bit tired, she was clear with her sentences), and has very impressive looking slides.  

Elessar Marin: Had a bright expressive tone in his presentation, but he did not have his own script, and he did not have to apologize for his English skills, he got it :^)

Celeste Castillo: While mostly following the words of her own slide, she did add her own way of describing the topics of her slides, by describing the purpose of each slide of her presentation. While it sounded like she was reading, she was clear in tone and presentation. 

Ayme Salcedo Chaviano: Was the first person to actually have a script for her slides, and thus, had much more to say in the presentation. She did sometimes struggle with her sentences, but I understand it might be due to the fact that because of her accent, English may not be her first language. So, this is very understandable. 

Cristobal Osorio: Much like Ayme, Cristobal had his own script. However, he did not have any words on his slide for "9-3. a Forming". Presented well and casually. 

Glenda Leon Franco: For "9.3.b Storming Stage", she did not have any words for her slide, and did not catch on till the halfway point (which was not her fault, but should of matched that sooner). After the editor fixed the problem, all slides had words.  She did not have her own script. It seemed like Glenda was a bit unprepared with her presentation, since she paused many times. 

Javier Rios: While he did not have his own slides, he did present well, but he did refuse to use his camera until asked. Did not have his own script. 

Emmanuel Sanchez: Another person to not use his camera until asked. Sounded a bit nervous while presenting, but pulled through nicely. Did not have his own script. 

I think while Rashel and Kayla had slides that did not fit with the majority of other slides, I should have not had my slide also stand out. 

Overall, the group could have done better with their words, slides and confidence; however, the few artistic slides, few scripts, and few confident readings did share some light of the presentation. 

Group 3: 

Much like group 2, group 3 were not consistent on an apparent theme of their slides. The title card is an all black box filled with white shape outlines and white texts. Then the majority of slides showed white backgrounds, and black boxes that are above and below the white background. The text was always black for these sections. Then out of nowhere, Yohana added a red background for the black texts, and since I was after her, I followed. Though group 3 did not always share a pattern, all the slides were greatly made, compared to group 2. 

There were some apparent camera shyness, or camera troubles in group 3, such as Jose's room being dark, and Viviana hiding her full face for the majority of time. However, the transitions were smoother than 2's and 1's, making this group the best at flow state. Some people read off scripts, but others still had more to say than what their slides gave off. 

Jose Herrera: Had his room dark for amount, but fixed that problem. Did not have his own script. His slides had cool detail. Could have read better, but due to his accent, I assume English is not his first language, so I understand this. 

Maria Murillo Sanchez: Had her own script, presented great and professional, had beautifully made slides, and her words on her slides even had great fonts. Plus, her fonts made her slides stand out in personality. 

Joslin Fernandez: While read off the slides, she sometimes added on to her topics. Presented good, if she talked a tiny bit more loudly, I think her presentation would had shared brighter emphasis. 

Viviana Rubio: Had her own script, presented well, but was hiding in the camera until her last slide. 

Micheal Navarrete: Had his own script, had a nice presentation, but looked a bit bored, and sometimes his mic picked up some frequencies that took me out of the experience. 

Jenifer Hernandez: Had great looking slides, but did not have her own slide, and was rushing it a bit (did not seem to enjoy the experience. I get it, it is a morning class online, but still). 

Zebadiah Mckenzie: Had a bright personality while presenting (even showing a smile while talking), and had her own script. 

Yohana Perez: Did not show all of her face on camera, changed the entire theme of the presentation (though it never stayed consistent, it did have a consistent theme for a lot of slides in order), and only read off the slides (seemed a bit bored). 

I also sometimes did not show my whole face due to my computer's positioning, but sometimes tried to back away when not reading (in order to be shown more). While I also did not stayed consistent with the themes of the slide, my excuse was that I tried following the color scheme of Yohana (who presented before me). 

Overall, while consistency was not apparent in the slides, all of the visuals were creative, and had effort put into them. The group transitioned nicely, but there were still some bored presentations, and those that did not read with scripts. 

Conclusion: 

No group presentation was perfect, but everybody who presented pulled through 100%, and all the slides showed the idea on the topics given for each chapter. While we never have met each other in public, and thus, got into some technical difficulties, it was great finally seeing our personalities through efforts, talking, and slide styling. Group 1 to me had the best consistency with theming, the most consistency with scripts, and the best presentations. Group 2 had the most artistic slides whenever they did not follow the green slide format. Group 3 had the best transitions, and great slides. I feel like my mess-ups were my lack of slide pattern consistencies, and sometimes not showing my whole face on camera (due to reading). And with that said, I am Tyler Matchette, and now, I am ready to sleep, take care!