Last Post!

And so another school year comes to an end. And what a hectic year it’s been. When I wasn’t studying for a midterm or writing a paper, I was making blogposts and tweeting. Through this class, I have been exposed to such a wide range of social media, some I had never even heard about before. I have tweeted on Twitter, posted on my blog, written on Wikipedia, posted on Flickr, created a professional page on Facebook. I learned about the brilliance of Pecha Kucha, discovered resources like the Public Library of Science (PLoS), and learned about the uses Tag Clouds. Aside from the technology, I learned about the traits of a good oral presentation, email etiquettes, and professionalism during an interview. The variety of social media I was presented with in this class really opened my eyes to how much the world had changed. Almost everything can be found on the internet, whether it is from Wikipedia or a tweet someone had made. The extent to which social media has affected the world really surprised me.

Among the many discoveries I have made in this class, the one that interested me the most was the usefulness of Twitter. I had, like many of my peers, maintained a bias towards this mass culture craze; I had thought that it was just a place to be self-centered and to complain. But as I began exploring and following, one interesting organization led me to discover another. Following one person allowed me to see who and what inspires him or her. The organizations and people I followed made me realize just how professional and informing Twitter could be. Yes the ramble and drone of the everyday lives of all the other users is still there, but if you know what and where to look, Twitter can become a very informative place to find concise information. The 140 character limit challenged me every time to critically think about the content of my tweets and be as precise and concise as I can be.

Another very valuable discovery I had made in this class was LinkedIn. This social media allows you to place your resume directly online and accessible by all other LinkedIn users. It facilitates the dissemination of your resume to a much wider community of professionals than handing out paper resumes and allows you receive faster feedback from your potential employers. The ability to allow users to view the events their potential employers are attending is a great way to make connections and increase their odds. But what is personally the most amazing aspect about LinkedIn is the possibility of connecting to potential international employers and organizations that would have otherwise been incredibly difficult. With this tool, I am no longer limited to my resident country; the possibilities have become almost endless!

The many aspects of interpersonal communication. Joy Ying Zhang. Retrieved April 13, 2012 from http://mlt.sv.cmu.edu/joy/research/. 

Apart from Twitter and LinkedIn, the interpersonal and oral communication skills were fairly valuable however not as in-depths as I would have preferred. As important as it is to be aware of the existence of the vast form of social media online, the skills obtained from good interpersonal and oral communication is irreplaceable. These skills require much more extensive training and can only be attained with a great deal of time and practice. While it is one thing to practice tweeting concisely, it is a whole other to prepare and deliver a speech or presentation.

As a whole, ALES 204 has opened my eyes to the immensity and effectiveness of social media in not only facilitating communication informally but also on a professional level. The extensive reach of its capabilities is one I must take advantage of and no longer ignore.

Jenn, a fellow peer in ALES 204, has also blogged about her conclusions about this course. Her experience with CSL was a very enlightening one so please give her post a look!

Here are the 5 blogs I have commented on throughout the course:

Technology Hurts My Head (Jami Frederick) – Introductory post

Adventures of an Aspiring Vet (Jenn Wheeler) – Reflective post

Kendra’s ALES 204 Blog (Kendra Hilsentger) – Professional Facebook Page post

The Bacon Enthusiast (Lauren Bradshaw) – Social Networking and Charities

Becky Bohlender – ALES 204 Winter 2012 (Becky Bohlender) – Choice Blog: ProMED-mail 

All Things Oral

Oral presentations. When I heard those words in elementary school, I would freeze and just start panicking before I had even heard about the subject of the presentation. The idea of standing in front of my whole class and seeing their faces staring at mine was really quite terrifying. 

But situation completely changed in Grade 8. My teacher encouraged me to participate in an 8 minute speech competition held by a national French speech competition within my school. I was terrified and so began practicing every night in front of the mirror until my mouth and throat were dry. When the time came, I stood in front of the judges, presented my speech and answered questions. I had surprisingly enjoyed listening to the other participants (who were also my classmates) but was grateful when it was over. However that was not the end. I would soon be chosen, along with a classmate, to compete in the regional and then the national. 

This is the logo for the Concours D'art Oratoire held by the Canadian Parents for French (CPF) I participated in.

Havergal University (2011). Retrieved April 13, 2012 from URL http://www.havergal.on.ca/page.cfm?p=402&newsid=146

Although cheesy but true, this experience had really changed me as a person. I discovered that preparation was the key to confidence. Practice alone was not enough; you had practice in the same nervous and anxious mindset. Even though I was still extremely nervous in front of the judges and fellow presenters, practicing in front of my teacher and other classmates subconsciously eased my nerves. Practising with an audience also provides you immediate feedback on your performance; your audience can tell you if you spoke too quickly, too quietly or too hesitantly. This immediate feedback allows you to make the required changes to further improve your overall performance. If an audience is unavailable, substitutes such as voice recorders, laptops and social media like Audioboo are great ways to evaluate yourself. By recording your speech, you can assess your own tone, intensity, volume and breathing. In a way, it is like editing your own oral presentation.

As Jami has phrased, oral presentation “is an art”. She was referring to interviewing but the same concepts can be applied to any kind of oral communication. The tone, pitch, volume and pleasantness of your voice are crucial to an engaging presentation. The content of an interviewee’s answers must, like a speech, be insightful, thorough, and involve critical thinking where necessary. In other words, what you present needs to be as appealing as how you present it. A website called Six Minutes also has some very useful tips concerning speaking and presenting skills. The article titled Speech Preparation #8: How to Practice Your Presentation provides insightful and practical tips corresponding with practicing and feedback.