“Our Elections Matter to us in our Democracy”
This was the overall theme used for our next set of presentations by the groups. The groups were then assigned sub-topics as follows: Group 1 - Law and Order (Protest/Rallies) and Education, Group 2 - Healthcare and Immigration and Group 3 - Racial Divides and the Pandemic. In preparation for this series of presentations as a group leader, I felt that one of the biggest challenges was getting the groups to interact with us and each other during the breakout sessions. I have given much thought to this dilemma. Wondering if this comes from a generational gap or is technology advancing so much that people really just don't talk to each other much anymore. Whatever the reason may be, I honestly thought that this being a speech and communication class we all come into it with the understanding that we will be speaking. I guess the change in format from being in a classroom to being virtual gives students the ability to avoid having to speak.
We began with group one, although there were some challenges the day of the presentation, like connectivity issues for the presenter and also the fact that their group size was dramatically reduced since the previous presentation. They came together and presented well. One of the highlights for me was when Arlettis was speaking it was very natural and did not seem scripted. Also, Justin's interpretation of language and oral style and comparing that to Dr. King was a great example.
Group two also had difficulty on the day of their presentation, but just like group one they overcame the fact that their audio wasn't playing on their videos. Most of the groups knew that if they ran into problems the group leaders Marilyn and I would be there to help, and we did. They quickly sent the slide show presentations to us so that we could assist them. A very good representation of what a visual aid can do to help your presentation came from Yorzana. Her video which was a Ted talk of a young lady telling her immigration story brought tears to my eyes. It really made me remember her part of the presentation.
I feel like everyone did well with their presentations, but when it came to Group three I felt like they were spectacular. The cohesiveness and thoughtful planning by this group was obvious during their presentation. The way they divided their topics and the chronological presentation of the information just made it all flow perfectly. They gave us a lot of information on both topics the Pandemic and Racial Divides in very little time. They used videos, pictures and gave us statistical information which was just beautifully presented. This was my favorite presentation so far in this class. I am honestly looking forward to see if any of the groups manage to persuade me during their upcoming presentations.
As Always with you...fabulous!! You both are just great!!
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