A Note on Presentation Habits and Awareness

This page is a quiet side note.

It is not an announcement, not a requirement, and not something you are expected to read. It exists simply as a place to record a few observations and reflections that may be useful to some students, at some point, in their academic or professional journey.

You are free to ignore it.

Why this page exists

In the past year of teaching courses with project presentations, I’ve noticed a recurring pattern during in‑class presentations.

Some students prepare very carefully written scripts and then read them word for word during the presentation, with little eye contact or engagement. This often happens even when the student clearly understands the technical content very well.

I don’t mention this here as a criticism, and this is not about grades or evaluation. In fact, many students who do this perform strongly in other aspects of the course.

What stood out to me was something else: many students seem unaware that they are doing this, or unaware of why they are doing it.

A reflection from teaching (and listening)

Last year, during a faculty panel discussion on women in engineering, one idea shared by a panelist stayed with me. She described what she called the power of acknowledgment.

The idea is simple:

Sometimes a habit persists not because it is a deliberate choice, but because it has never been named.

When a behavior is unnamed, it can feel automatic, inevitable, or even invisible to the person doing it. Once it is acknowledged — gently and without judgment — it becomes something you can notice, reflect on, and decide whether you want to change.

That moment of awareness alone can be powerful.

This is not about “fixing” anyone

I want to be very clear about what this page is not:

• It is not telling you how you should present.
• It is not saying that reading from notes is “wrong.”
• It is not an expectation that everyone must be confident, polished, or performative.

Public speaking, especially in a second language or in front of peers, can be genuinely difficult. Caution, careful preparation, and a desire to avoid mistakes are understandable responses in high-stakes settings.

At the same time, I also want to be transparent about the learning outcomes of this course. As reflected in the presentation rubric, delivery that relies heavily on reading a full script may receive a small deduction. This is not meant as a punishment, but as a gentle incentive to encourage students to practice explaining their work more directly.

The motivation behind this is long-term rather than punitive. While strong presentation skills do not guarantee career success — and different roles value different strengths — being able to clearly explain your thinking, your system design, and your technical trade-offs tends to increase opportunities over time. In an era where many technical tasks can be assisted by AI, this human-facing skill has become even more important.

That said, the presentation component accounts for only a small portion of the overall grade. If you are genuinely uncomfortable presenting without notes, you are not expected to force yourself to do so all at once. Growth in this area can be gradual, and it is reasonable to move at your own pace.

This page exists only to invite awareness, not to impose change.

If this resonates with you

If you find yourself recognizing this habit in your own presentations, you might gently ask yourself:

• What am I trying to protect myself from by reading a script?
• Is it fear of making a mistake? Forgetting a point? Being judged?
• If I were explaining this system to a teammate or colleague, how would I do it differently?

There is no requirement to act on these questions.

Sometimes, simply noticing the pattern is enough to start loosening it.

Optional support

In this course, we offer optional, low‑pressure opportunities for students who would like additional guidance or practice for presentations. These are meant to be supportive, not evaluative, and participation is entirely optional.

You are also very welcome to drop by my office hours if you’d like to talk about presentations, confidence, or any of the questions raised on this page.

I’ll share one small personal note, in case it helps normalize the experience. The first time I taught a class of over 100 students, I remember that during the first three minutes of the lecture, my voice was visibly shaking. I was aware of it, but I couldn’t control it. Over time, simply by teaching more and being in front of students more often, that nervousness gradually eased. Even now, I still feel a moment of tension occasionally — but it is far more manageable than it was at the beginning.

This kind of comfort rarely appears all at once. It tends to grow slowly, through repeated exposure and small, imperfect attempts. There is no expectation that anyone should “arrive” at confidence immediately.

You are allowed to take this at your own pace.

A final note

This page is intentionally quiet.

It is here for students who happen to come across it and find it useful. If it doesn’t speak to you, you can safely move on.

Learning how you want to communicate — what feels authentic, sustainable, and aligned with who you are — is a personal process. You don’t need to rush it, and you don’t owe anyone a particular version of yourself.

Take what is helpful. Leave the rest.