The Project Manager POV: Class Presentations

Manny Cordoves

How do you feel about Public Speaking?

    

           I'll be honest with you guys, when I was first told that I needed to take a public speaking class,

           I was a little apprehensive at first. Not because I haven't come out of my shell or that I'm shy, 

           but because I've never really been as invested in a class as I have with this one, and I knew it 

           was going to change how I felt about college. Even though I've just started my journey with

           public speaking, I can say that it's very fulfilling to dedicate time to letting your voice be heard!

           In this blog I'm going to talk about how our first presentations went, how they made me feel, 

           and my first real experience being a leader for a group of college students.

Act 1: The Mark of a Leader

         This actually isn't my first time in a leader-like role for a setting where I need to manage people

         and speak up. Before I took this class, I actually worked as a substitute teacher for Middle School

         and High School for a whole year! It's funny because I was also pretty hesitant to take this job

         for the same reasons that I was this class, I didn't like the idea of committing myself to such an 

         endeavor.

         I was comfortable with my previous job, but I wanted                 something more for myself, more fulfilling and 

         inspiring. Again, when I was given this opportunity

         I was like: "Say whattt?", but even working as a substitute 

         teacher changed my view on a lot of things in life. Being 

         in the role of a leader for the first time made me realize 

         that it was actually super fulfilling to not only lead, but

         to be able to serve people and help them as I did. I'll never

         forget all the lives of the students I changed, not just by 

         being their teacher, but by being a role model and giving

         them advice that they'd keep for the rest of their lives. I 

         saw so many students change as the year went on, they 

         would tell me things like "Mr.Cordoves I started going to

         the gym and stopped doing drugs thanks to you" or 

         "Mr. I started going to bible study and I'm arguing less with my family and my friends!"

         When I realized that just me speaking to someone and being present for them when they                         would talk to me had such a big effect, It blew my brain. I'll never forget the times I shared

         with my students, whether I was helping them, talking about random stuff, or giving them advice.

         That is the reason I decided to step us a project manager, not because of the job title or perks,

         but because I learned that I really enjoy leading and serving others while doing so.

Act 2: Leading & Presenting

This is the council by the way ^

          

            Ok I'll admit it, when I first started talking to my groups and getting our presentations together,

            I felt like we were apart of this special council of individuals that had the fate of our group 

            resting on our shoulders. It felt like we were dealing with a real situation because everyone 

            was trying their hardest to make sure everything looked good and we all took it seriously. 

            My two groups had certain strengths, and I just wanted to write about it down below in detail:

                       Group 1: Heart

Although group 1 may have been a little lost at first, and it took some time for me to get us working on the presentation, I realized that once we got the ball rolling group 1 really put in a good effort. It wasn't just the fact that I saw that they were very intelligent and well spoken once I broke the ice, but the fact that they had heart. They really cared about how the presentations came out and even though some of us struggled with it in the beginning, the effort they put into both writing and presenting came out amazing in the end!

          Group 3: Communication

            What really shocked me about group 3 was their commitment to having transparent and 

            open communication. The moment that our groups were made and I invited them to the group 

            chat, they all immediately joined it and began discussing what to do in the presentation. 

            Throughout the entirety of the building process of the presentation, they were present and 

            available to discuss it which is really commendable. I wasn't expecting for young adults to

            take a college class so seriously but both groups did they really pleasantly surprised me. 

            Truth be told, this is definitely the first college class I've had where all the students are very 

            invested and present in the course material. Even both of the other groups presented very well,

            were very communicative, well spoken, even one of them taking a video for their part of the                    presentation while at work! I'm not only very proud and happy to be in this class, but also

            proud of all my classmates for making this class a memorable experience, not just another 

            credit towards our degree. I found it funny that our first presentation was about how to give

            a good presentation, It was kind of like presentation inception and I liked that. Overall though,

            I've already learned so much about being a leader, and I learned this not from people 

          "under my role", but from my associates and my colleagues! Even if I'm a good leader and I 

            helped them to organize themselves, they're the ones who really made all the work for the                        presentation happen. 

            I wouldn't want to take all the credit because the groups really gave it their all for this.

Act 3: What's to Come

            Honestly, I'm pretty excited for the next steps we'll take in this class. I'm not just taking this 

            class for myself now, but I'm taking it to help everyone else too. If you would've asked

            past Manny: "Was it worth it? Do you regret taking the mantle of the Project Manager?",     

            I'd say of course not, I've already helped out my classmates and felt good just being able to 

            lead and serve them when they need me. Whatever the future holds for this class, I'm here 

            for the ride.