My TR Blog

This is a blog about everything-you-ever-need-to-know-about-TR (+ a little extra about life here and there). Hope you all enjoy it!

Top 10 List

In MCOM this week, I had my last presentation. I really didn't not like presenting- at all. However, I do feel a lot more confident in my presenting skills and hope that I will be able to remember all the things I've learned for future presentations. My top 10 favorite things I learned in this class are:

1. Know your audience.
2. Know what you are presenting on inside and out.
3. Sometimes, you have to adapt.
4. How to make my resume stand out.
5. Read the rubric if you want to get full points.
6. How to work in a group.
7. Remote meetings are and awesome way to get all your group together
8. Filler words are the devil- don't use them.
9. Know when to use your hands and when to not use your hands.
10. You are not just being interviewed- you are interview them as well.

I really did learn a lot this semester. However, my favorite part of this class was the people in it. I loved how I was able to know everyone's name and was able to joke around and ask for help when I needed it. At BYU, that doesn't happen very often. I wish more classes were like this one. So to all my fellow classmates, thanks for a fun semester! You all are awesome!

Another presentation

As we all know, we had our huge presentation this week. I was absolutely terrified. I felt like it was rushed and that we really were not as prepared as we should have been. In order to really rock your presentation, you have to know what you are talking about. I felt like I personally did not know enough to feel solid in the information I was presenting. Really, you just can't rush confidence. You need to prepare for whatever you are going to present and you need to know inside and out.

I also really wished I had read the rubric for all the assignments. I have missed a lot of points in many of my classes this semester simply because I did not read the rubric. Next semester I hope to do a little better in that regard. 

Google+ Remote Meeting

This past week, my group and I did our remote meeting over google+. We also used google docs so we could all make changes on the document. This worked well because we were all able to see what changes were being made. I had never tried to use google docs before so this was a good learning experience.

One thing that would have been helpful would have been if we had had a schedule of what we were going to talk about. The meeting would have been a lot more efficient had we clearly defined what we wanted to get out of the meeting. However, this was a super convenient way to have a meeting. If I ever have to do another group project, I am going to suggest this. 

Here's what our group looked like at the beginning of the call while we were waiting to get things rolling. Haha!

Is It Summer Yet?

I know that this isn't exactly what Professor Middleton wants us to talk about, but they only thing that I really got from tuesday's lecture was how much stuff we have to do between now and the end of the semester. It's kind of crazy. So what I am I going to do about it? I'm going to take it one day at a time. 

I've found that when I get so caught up in EVERYTHING that is due, I just psych myself out. So what is due next? Good question. According to Leticia's email, this is what's due:

Due next Monday, March 31 BEFORE midnight  on Learning Suite are the following:

• Case Analysis Report
• Case Analysis Presentation
• Case Analysis HandouT
• Due next Tuesday, April 1 is the remote meeting memo.
• In class next Tuesday you will present your case analysis project. Please bring your computers so you can give feedback on other teams' presentations. 

I suppose a good place to start would be going to LearningSuite and figuring out exactly what the case analysis report is, what the analysis presentation consists of, and maybe look at the rubric for the handout. I plan on doing that tomorrow. On saturday, I will go to meet with my groups and hopefully we will be able to develop a good presentation.

Well, good luck to everyone! ONLY 3 MORE WEEKS PEOPLE!

Knowing Your Audience

I really love Penguin Posh's presentation they did. It made me think. And I really loved the comment that was made in class which was that they could assume that the audience had read the chapter, so why would you need to present what people just read? It was a good presentation because it showed you how to use what you read. I just thought it was really good :) Good job group! I hope that when I have to do a presentation in the future I take the time to analyze my audience and do something cool like Penguin Posh did :)

I also really loved the video our guest presenter showed us. However, did anyone else notice that he talked a lot about not saying "you know" and all those other things but he kept saying "like"? I know that there were times when he was doing it on purpose but there were times when you could tell that he wasn't meaning to. It's just a good reminder to practice what you preach or else you will lose your credibility... ya know? 

Presentations

I recently watched the video of my group's presentation on the React website. I think what I learned the most from watching myself is that I literally have no idea what to do with my hands. I can't hold them to my sides, or I look like a zombie. I can't hold my own hands because apparently, that's weird. I guess I've always had something to hold on to or a podium to hide behind any time I've had to give a talk or speech. It's really frustrating. You want to be "natural" but when you do what comes naturally, you use improper business etiquette. I don't know, I guess I'll just always request to have a pointer or a podium so I won't have to think about what to do with my hands...

Where in the HBLL are you?

In class we learned about all the different sources the Harold B. Lee Library offered. What I liked the most was the fact that on most of the sites, there was an automatic cite generator. I personally hate trying to figure out how to properly cite a source. Its good to know that the library offers this service. 

I also got a lot of positive feedback from the peer reviews. Peer reviews are a good way to get feedback without feeling pressured. I'm excited to use their feedback to make my persuasive letter better.

So what am I going to take away from class? I am going to try and use the HBLL website while writing my briefing article. I want to use this website so I can figure out how to utilize the website for future papers. I know that it is going to be hard because I am used to using a google search. But I really feel that if I can figure out how to work the site, then it will make my research a lot easier.

Until next time!

FaceTime Interview

I recently did the online interview and I personally, did not like it. It was hard! It was hard to look at the camera instead of the picture. I also found myself speaking louder then I should have at times- I guess I thought they weren't going to be able to hear me. I know, it doesn't make much sense. It was a really strange experience. I hope I don't have to do an online interview anytime soon. :)

One thing that I learned from doing this assignment is to make sure that you are in a place where you will not be distracted.  Be sure to close your computer and not have anything out that would tempt you to focus on anything other then the interview. Also, I kept getting distracted about my hair. I know, it's a little silly, but true. I kept looking away from the camera to look at that on piece of hair that was out of place. So make sure that nothing about your appearance is distracting to your employer or yourself!

See you all tomorrow!

My "employer" deserved a 5.

Interview Tips

I really enjoyed doing the mock interviews in class on Tuesday. What helped me the most was just gaining more confidence in interviewing. When interviewing, you need to be yourself. I want someone to hire me because they want me as I am; I don't ever want to pretend to be something I'm not. I have just recently applied for a new job and am hoping to get an interview. I am excited to use the confidence that I have gained with my interviewing technique. A big thank you to Corinne and Nathan for being my interview partners!

I have also been able to break my habit of saying "um!" (For the most part anyways.) Since that has been one of my focuses these past couple of weeks, I have noticed it in other people and man, does it annoy me! I realize how distracting it is and how much your credibility diminishes when you use filler words.

I found this video and thought it was helpful. It goes along with our theme of interviews. Enjoy!

Who needs a job? Oh wait, I do.

I really loved today's lecture. For starters, I really loved how Professor Middleton talked about how if we are doing what we are suppose to be doing then Heavenly Father will take care of you. It reminds me of my physiology professor last year. He said, "Sometimes, where we think will really make us happy, won't make us the happiest. And Heavenly Father will get you where you are going to be the happiest. Not happy, not happier, but happiest." We all need a reminder of this sometimes.

I also enjoyed talking about the career fair. At the beginning, my thoughts were, "I don't want to go to the career fair because I'm not good at talking to people and no one would want ME. I'm lame." But then the "duh moment" happened- they are having a career fair because they WANT PEOPLE! They want new people to invest in just as much as I want to have a job. So if I make an effort, people are going to be interested. I'm excited to see what this career fair has in store!

Pre-sent.

What I learned in MCOM this week is about presentation. First, you have to know your material. Knowing our material gives you confidence. If you have confidence, people will listen to what you have to say. Second, you lose A LOT of credibility with filler words. I know that I struggle with saying "like" or "umm". These distract the audience. I have started to try and stop saying those words in my everyday language because if I can kick the habit, it will be a lot easier when it comes time to present.

Finally, if you are presenting as team, you need to be united. Your whole team needs to know what they are doing or YOU lose your credibility because of someone else's mistake. Also, for me personally, I hated having all the team member just standing up there in a line. It sort of made me uncomfortable. I think when we do our presentation, I will try and persuade my teammates to take a seat ;)

I felt like all the presentations were really well-done-- especially for the first try.

Good Job everyone!

Mirror Mirror

      In class this week, I found the activity where we mirrored each other very interesting. It just made me want to stand there and do nothing- but I feel as if that would be just as awkward as some of the hand gestures people were using. The lesson that I learned from this is that there has to be a balance. You can't always to nothing and you can't always do something with your hands. I guess it comes back to all things in moderation, right? (Haha!) But seriously; in order to be an effective presenter you have to know when to use your hands and when to stand still. I think the book hit it spot on when it said, "nothing but practice helps you get better." I'm excited to practice so I can become a more effective speaker.

Test Time

Well, it's test time. In class we had a review. I wish I would have studied a little before class so I could have asked questions. The review would have helped me a lot more. When we went over the practice test, I missed A LOT. So, needless to say, I'm not feeling too confident about going to take the test. One study tip that I got from one of our classmates is to go through the book and do the practice quizzes and analyze every sentence- not just figure out what the right answer is. I think that this will really help me understand the material. Sometimes we study just so we can get all the right answers- to get an A. But I know that when I study to actually understand the material, I always to better on the test.
So, GOOD LUCK everyone! I hope you all do well. ;)

Um..

              My favorite part of Tuesday's lecture were the presentations. I think we were all able to walk away with  something that we could do better when we are giving a presentation. I especially noticed all the "um's" that were said. I noticed it in myself as well as my other classmates. Even though I tried so hard not to say it while I was speaking, I still caught myself saying it. It's going to be a hard habit to break but I am determined to break it. I noticed how distracting it was when other people kept saying it during their presentations and I hope that I can stop saying so it won't be a distraction while I am speaking. I want people to listen to what I have to say- not sit in the back and think to themselves, "Let's start counting how many times she says the word 'um'."
Well, until next time!

What I learned in MCOM is....

As I sat pondering what in the world I was going to write about this week, the only thing that came to my mind was this scene from Spongebob:

      Okay, but seriously. What did I learn?

I learned about: THE COMMA.

        Let me tell you a story. When I was in grade school and learning about how to properly form sentences, I was taught that we should always use a comma to divide all items in a series (i.e. "I asked for M&M's, chocolate chips, and brownies"). So, that is how I grew up writing. Everything was all fine-and-dandy until my high school english teacher told me that you could either use the comma or you could not use the comma (i.e. "I asked for M&M's, chocolate chips, and brownies" OR  "I asked for M&M's, chocolate chips and brownies"). WHHAT? Mind blown. And from then on, I was just a poor, confused little girl.

        In our MCOM class this week, I found out why everyone was telling me different things. Apparently, it depends on your audience. For the business world, you always use the comma. So, because I will most likely be communicating with people that are in the business world, I choose this day, to always use The Comma.