Back to work

Hi I hope everyone is well.

I have been back in lectures for 3 weeks now and Christmas seems like a distant memory. Unfortunate my Mother in Law was taken into hospital last week, so somethings have had to take a back seat while I have been traveling back and forth to the hospital. Everyone has been very supportive and she should be coming out on Monday.

The work load is beginning to mount up once more and weekly time tables are again coming into play. I have also filled in a time table for my research project with weekly goals leading up to the deadline. I am hoping this will prevent the stressful rush at the end, allowing me the opportunity to gain more marks through having time to look back at it and add in any missing information, such as reasons and examples.

I am still providing digital mentoring for my fellow students and am finding it beneficial not just for the person I am mentoring but for myself to. I have had to look up how to do things which has improved my own knowledge, particularly when it comes to using an apple mac and transferring files onto Microsoft.

This week I presented a power point on NHS reforms between 1979 and 1997. I get very nervous when presenting even in front of small groups of friends. Sometimes it is harder when the people watching are people you know as you cannot pretend to be someone else and the tactic of imagining everyone naked could prove awkward. Some tips that have proved useful are practice, the more you practice your presentation the more confident you become and the less likely you are to make a mistake or lose your place if someone askes a question, engage with those watching, asking questions related to the subject or whether they have had any relevant experiences will help to make them feel more involved with the presentation, where possible set up early and ensure any links needed work and finally observe how other people, such as lecturers present in order to pick up tips. The Warwick University website also has useful information on presentation skills.

I am looking forward to this weekend as my sister is coming to stay and we are having a party for my stepdad as he is going to Australia next month to study. Hopefully any hangover will not affect my plan next week.