Visual Aid Speech Reflection: High heels as the modern day foot binding?

I have had a pleasure presenting and learning with this class. Before taking this class, presentations were something I dreaded (which I mentioned in my introductory speech), but not something that was new to me. I had presented at conferences, but that didn't take away the fear every time I had to present. Out of all the speeches, I struggled with this one the most. It was not because I was not prepared with enough research or that I wasn't interested in the topic. The problem was with what I needed for this speech, my visual aid. I did not use a powerpoint in my previous speeches and that worked out well for me because it made it feel as if I was just conversing with the class, a way of presenting that I was more comfortable with. For this speech, the power point was something extra that I had to think about and since it was behind me, I forgot about it at some point during my presentation. This was evident when I went to show the class some images but forgot about some that I was supposed to show earlier. Thinking back, I should've made a note on my speaking notes about when I was planning on showing an image on the slides so I would remember about it. I could've also opted for an alternative, which was bringing in a physical object for my visual aid (something I could keep an eye on in front of me so I could be reminded of it). I became flustered after that mistake and it made me a bit nervous throughout the rest of the speech. But overall, the mistakes I make during my speeches allow me to reflect on what went wrong and how I can improve in the future. 

I definitely gained more confidence for presenting in front of an audience. Through the feedback after each speech and from the readings, I was able to learn how to better prepare my speeches to be more relevant to the audience. Although I definitely need to work on improving my presentation with a visual aid, overall, I feel like I have made many improvements. Watching everyone else give their presentations with their own unique style was also very helpful in seeing the different ways speeches can be successful. Everyone made improvements and it was a very rewarding and fun class! Thanks, Cynthia, for making this class feel more like a learning environment instead of a lecture class!