A couple of months ago, I have decided that I would convert my Masters project to a PhD. It wasn't what I had in mind when I started out doing the Masters but somehow things just panned out differently - I was supposed to develop a suitable sensor for measuring performance in wheelchair sports and after that was done, it led on to the possibility of using non-linear methods for performance analysis (that's where the PhD will come in). Anyway, in order for me to do that, I need to convince a school panel that I know what I am doing and what I am hoping to achieve has real value and contributions to science and engineering.
A day was set for me to present to the school panel. I presented the work and findings that I did in the first 2 years; how those were published in various conferences and journals, and a summary of what I am planning to achieve if allowed to do the PhD. Following that were tonnes of questions about what I am trying to achieve and where is the real value of the research. Filled with apprehension and anxiety, I either answered the questions haphazardly or I took too long to come out with an appropriate answer. The outcome was disastrous. The feedback from the panel - I didn't appear to have a clear grasp of my research topic!
So how did I stuff up that presentation? Well firstly, I only put together the power point slides 2 days before the actual presentation, then after I showed it to my primary supervisor, I was given some additional new ideas, which I had not fully internalised, and most importantly, I did not rehearse through the slides. So even though I blurted out everything I had in mind to the panel, it didn't come out the way it should, it didn't make sense to the school panel, and I panicked and fumbled when the questions kept coming. Honestly it was quite embarrassing and disappointing but thank God they decided to let me present my case again a couple of weeks later.
For my second attempt, I made sure I was prepared (and my primary supervisor made sure I did). I re-did my presentation slides - removed as much text as possible, made the graphs bigger and clearer, made sure the slides (and argument) flowed in a clear and concise manner, removed unnecessary details so that I wouldn't lose focus. Then I practised. I gathered most of the peeps from the sports engineering group, went through my presentation with them - not once but twice. Each time I did it, they gave me feedback on what I should be emphasising on and what needs to be improved and I incorporated their input into my presentation. I even made the Missus listen to my presentation several times - I wonder if that caused the early arrival of the Bub (but I will leave that for another post). The result - the school panel were finally convinced after my second presentation and gave me the go ahead with the PhD.
Fractal dimensions, here I come!
On hindsight, I realised that I stuffed up the first time not because I didn't know what I was doing nor that I do not have enough knowledge on the subject matter. Rather I was simply not prepared adequately to argue my case, I became intimidated by the professors, and appeared unsure of my work. On my second attempt, I was much more prepared and more confident and any doubts that the school panel had were all cleared.
This incident led me to think about how prepared am I when it comes to sharing the gospel with friends or acquaintances or even strangers. I do know about the gospel, I have read and studied the bible for a big part of my life, but am I always prepared to share it with someone who hasn't heard about it? It might be a good idea to practise sharing the gospel so that I can share it more effectively; and I should probably start soon because unlike school presentations that have a specific date, opportunities to share the gospel can come at any time.
A day was set for me to present to the school panel. I presented the work and findings that I did in the first 2 years; how those were published in various conferences and journals, and a summary of what I am planning to achieve if allowed to do the PhD. Following that were tonnes of questions about what I am trying to achieve and where is the real value of the research. Filled with apprehension and anxiety, I either answered the questions haphazardly or I took too long to come out with an appropriate answer. The outcome was disastrous. The feedback from the panel - I didn't appear to have a clear grasp of my research topic!
So how did I stuff up that presentation? Well firstly, I only put together the power point slides 2 days before the actual presentation, then after I showed it to my primary supervisor, I was given some additional new ideas, which I had not fully internalised, and most importantly, I did not rehearse through the slides. So even though I blurted out everything I had in mind to the panel, it didn't come out the way it should, it didn't make sense to the school panel, and I panicked and fumbled when the questions kept coming. Honestly it was quite embarrassing and disappointing but thank God they decided to let me present my case again a couple of weeks later.
For my second attempt, I made sure I was prepared (and my primary supervisor made sure I did). I re-did my presentation slides - removed as much text as possible, made the graphs bigger and clearer, made sure the slides (and argument) flowed in a clear and concise manner, removed unnecessary details so that I wouldn't lose focus. Then I practised. I gathered most of the peeps from the sports engineering group, went through my presentation with them - not once but twice. Each time I did it, they gave me feedback on what I should be emphasising on and what needs to be improved and I incorporated their input into my presentation. I even made the Missus listen to my presentation several times - I wonder if that caused the early arrival of the Bub (but I will leave that for another post). The result - the school panel were finally convinced after my second presentation and gave me the go ahead with the PhD.
Fractal dimensions, here I come!
On hindsight, I realised that I stuffed up the first time not because I didn't know what I was doing nor that I do not have enough knowledge on the subject matter. Rather I was simply not prepared adequately to argue my case, I became intimidated by the professors, and appeared unsure of my work. On my second attempt, I was much more prepared and more confident and any doubts that the school panel had were all cleared.
This incident led me to think about how prepared am I when it comes to sharing the gospel with friends or acquaintances or even strangers. I do know about the gospel, I have read and studied the bible for a big part of my life, but am I always prepared to share it with someone who hasn't heard about it? It might be a good idea to practise sharing the gospel so that I can share it more effectively; and I should probably start soon because unlike school presentations that have a specific date, opportunities to share the gospel can come at any time.
