Practice Like it's the Real Thing

 Oh, mock interviews, how I have missed you.  It reminds me of role playing as a missionary when my companion and I would practice teaching.  The more real I make it, the better prepared I am for the lesson or interview.  This time, however, I wasn't as mentally prepared as I should have been.  My performance lacked strength in that I didn't have solid answers prepared for certain questions that I was asked; Arlen and Monica had some good ones for me.  Having a PAR story or ten wouldn't hurt in an interview situation; that was my biggest weakness.  

The most fun part of class was being able to interview other students.  It gave a me a good sense of what interviewers are looking for.  I probably would have asked some more critical-thinking questions to the people who were applying for science and laboratory positions, but other than that it went well.  I plan to go over PAR stories thoroughly before my next job interview.  

  

Hopefully no one has to deal with an interview this intense in the future!

The "Nitty Gritty" of Business Relationships

          Class was intense this week.  Had I known how important this lesson was going to be, I would have prepared more for it. Networking, resume building, and interview skills are all so common; yet knowing how to use them effectively can have just the impact it needs to to get us the job we've always wanted.  The take-away message from today was that it doesn't take much to stand out, but it can go a long way in helping people remember who you are.
   
          Knowing what we can do to stand out from the crowd is crucial when interviewing or networking.  Having a business card?  That idea never crossed my mind, but that would certainly make someone stand out.  Telling potential employers something unique that they will remember when I contact them? Awesome.  If we can find out what the employers enjoy doing and what they have accomplished with their work, we will have a more  solid line of conversation ready when opportunities come. No more of the lazy way. When we engage ourselves in these professional situations with a mindset of professionalism, our potential skyrockets. It is amazing how applicable these skills are to everyday interactions with peers and co-workers; it would be wise to work on them now.

Group Presentations

For not meeting with the whole group once before we gave our presentation, it went surprisingly well.  I was nervous to watch the video on react, but after watching it I don't feel like I did terribly during our presentation.  We got to see two groups go before us, which was nice.  Everything they did helped us realize what we had to perform to the best of our abilities.  Class engagement was a plus.  I may have been long-winded with my part of the presentation, but overall I was proud of our team.  I rocked back and forth a bit and relied too much on my slide.  I wish I had prepared more exactly what I was going to say while i was presenting the slides about graphs; I stumbled and used several filler words during this part of the presentation.  Overall, I am pleased with how things went and I feel that we didn't fall into any major pitfalls, though there are several things we can work on collectively to improve our public speaking skills.

Knowing your Audience

It is easy to spot what others are doing wrong when you're not the first one to present.  Count your blessings, right?  The presentations and our discussion about agendas taught me about the importance of being aware of the audience when speaking in public.  The purpose of this blog post is then to (a) explain what I learned from watching our classmates' presentations and (b) explain why agendas are so important.  Now you know exactly what I'm going to talk about--isn't that great? 

    

       I learned from the presentations that it is difficult to teach to your audience.  The main complaint that one student had (forgive me I don't know his name) was that the presentations were not teaching him anything he didn't already know.  The groups may have presented the information well, but it was not presented in the best form for the class.  I felt most engaged when asked a question or when the presenter applied the info to something more tangible for me (like baseball).  

     Agendas are awesome.  I realized in class that almost every interaction and plan I have with people, whether in writing or in person, can be enhanced if I have a clear agenda.  From spending time with friends and family to giving a talk in sacrament meeting, taking a few seconds to explain where I am going will let people know what to expect, rather than zone out from not knowing how long I am going to take!

Saying it without saying it - Body language

I almost couldn't handle the activity we did this last week in class.  It was hard not to be very self-conscious.  We were asked to have a classmate tell us about their weekend plans while imitating their body language.  I did become much more aware of myself when it was my turn to speak.  Looking back now I wish I had just been confident in myself despite being imitated.  Body language isn't wrong in itself, but it can be distracting if used incorrectly by the person speaking.   I was impressed with Professor Middleton; it is apparent that she has practiced and perfected many aspects of public speaking.  The difference between her and other professors is her ability to keep the class engaged.  I am always at the edge of my seat because she brings energy and spontaneity to her lectures.  Honestly, I am scared that at any moment she will ask me to participate or answer a direct question, which is probably what keeps me attentive more than anything. It is highly effective.