In Language Arts this year, one of the final assignments was the Ted-like Talk. This was a project where we( Mrs. Donnelly’s students ) talked about a topic we are passionate about for roughly 5 minutes. My topic was chess, a game I have been playing since kindergarten. I originally was not interested in this project. As it went on though, I realized that I had to put some effort into this project if I wanted to not mess up the end of my year.

The Process:

As I started to make this presentation, one of the things I realized very quickly was how much I needed a script. Making a 5 minute speech without having a script memorized or in front of me would be a recipe for disaster. After a few days of work, I completely pivoted my focus on my slides to my script. This was pivotal *Joke not intended* in my process. I did kind of improvise based on how I was feeling the day of the presentation, but the script kept me concise and on track. The other plus of having a script was testing, as with a script I could accurately test some components, such as the time length of my script. 

The Presentation:

The day had come, I could no longer put it off. On the 22nd of May 2023, I presented my Ted-like Talk. I had barely prepared beyond writing my script. I slowly trudged to the front of the classroom,  and after a deep breath, gave my speech. I was initially disappointed, as there was limited interest from the audience and because I panicked towards the end, and  rushed through, or skipped, or improvised the whole end. I quickly realized though, that I had a lot to be proud of, and that this project improved some skills that can be used in many ways, such as public speaking. Overall, I think this project, even though it came at a busy time in the year, was a good improvement and learning opportunity, if taken.