Presentation Skill Reflection: Zachary Davis

The best public speakers still get nervous when they stand in front of a crowd, eyes on
them, and everyone being so attentive to every last word they say. high schoolers, are a perfect
example of the novice public speaker, and I, am not immune. For presentation, I decided to go
with two pretty major projects, that indubitably go under the topic of presentation. I will tend to
migrate away from presentation projects if given the option. I think of myself as a better writer,
than I am a presenter. I shake, my voice trembles, and I tendto ramble on if given the option.
Therefore, opting out of this project included, definitely wouldve been a choice of mine.
However, my Bosnia-Herzegovina presentation for my human rights class, and my Civil War
Monologue presentation for U.S. History, would require me to put aside my disdain for those
connotations that come with presenting. These skills I would be building, would be necessary for
the rest of my life.
First, Id like to focus on my Bosnia Herzegovina presentation. Because I was a tenth
grader, it wasnt normal to be taking history electives, as they were for juniors and seniors (more
rigorous courses). However, the worry of more rigorous classes didnt stop me from pursuing
my ever-continuing interest and love for history. Human Rights was a class that I had heard of
before. It was with one of the more difficult teachers at my school, Ms. Garcia. This didnt make
me nervous, I knew Ms. Garcia was one of the kindest and most helpful teachers and people
working at the school. One assignment that really stood out to me were genocides that each of us
covered. The genocides ranged from The Rape of Nanking to mine, the Bosnian Genocide. We
each covered the predecessors to the genocides, and all of the critical parts of it. The research
demanded quality, and great quantities of knowledge and information about each of our
genocides. My document for research consisted of over 8 sources, 3 more than the required
amount, and 9 pages of actual notes/research. I had even conducted a strong and extremely
interesting interview with a good friend of my father's. He was on the counsel for the prosecution
trial for the Bosnian Genocide. He helped me immensely with notes, and as a personal reference.
Once it came to the day of presentation I had my notes and I was extremely prepared. I stepped
up as one of the first presenters and presented exactly as I had practiced. I received a great grade
for that rigorous of a course and I truly enjoyed conveying all the work and information I had
received onto my classmates. I received great feedback from my peers which was a great feeling.
I had conquered my worry and nerve of presenting to such a tough grader, and a critical teacher. I

had overcome that worry and succeeded under pressure. This presentation, was a little different
however, compared to my Civil War Monologue.
The Civil War Monologue project to me seemed like a completely different challenge.
However, in the end the two seemed to be much alike. The CWM consisted of a lot of research
about one single person that we were going to have to portray. This was a mandatory project for
my tenth grade US History class. I was not excited for this project, even less than I was for my
first project. This, along with the extensive research that was required, was going to be
presenting and portraying the character in front of many people. In front of the entire grade,
teachers, and any other parents or students who were going to be watching, we would have to
stand on stage and present our character. I was StoneWall Jackson, a confederate leader. I was
speaking just after the First Manassas. I had written and researched my character perfectly. I had
all the information I needed, and it was the day of presenting. I was in the earlier stages of the
presenting. When it was my turn, I didnt feel terribly nervous at all. This was unexpected for
me. I stood up there just wanting to get the project over with. I spoke loud and clearly, and made
sure to portray StoneWall Jackson as best I could. For the research, I had received a 93 and for
the presentation the same. I was extremely proud of this great grade for such a tough project. I
had learned that if I just go up to my fears of presenting head on Ill be able to face them much
easier.
Presentation is not only a big part for school, its a skill that youll need throughout your
life. Whether you have a job that requires it, or just for public speaking, working on presenting
something you know confidently will benefit you greatly. Tenth grade really focuses on
presenting things about ourselves, which isnt always easy. Its a challenge for us young adults,
but it without a doubt will help us immensely later on in life.