Peer Review on Green Washing

Peer Review on Green Washing

Jake started his presentation with confidence and enthusiasm, which gave the audience the sense that he was well versed in the topic of discussion. A self-introduction was made, and a subsequent topic introduction was equally made. Jake’s focus was greenwashing, which refers to the masking of a product or service negative aspects (Watson, 2016). Jake did not only define what greenwashing is but gave examples as well, such as the Volkswagen scandal (Lane, 2016). An audience not familiar with greenwashing, thus better and clearly understood what greenwashing refers to. Jake also discussed the history and background of greenwashing, which most of us were surprised to know that it was not a new concept as it started decades ago (Watson, 2016). I particularly liked the introduction part because Jake was audible and confident. The voice variation and tone were well used to keep the audience captivated. Jake was also very articulate with great pronunciation and excellent use of grammar. Audibility and vocal variation is also a critical presentation aspect (Anthony, 2020). A soft voice and a lack of variation are associated with a lack of confidence.

After the first introduction phase, Jake delved into biased advertising. In the stage, Jake gave a more elaborate and in-depth presentation. It was interesting to note that Jake asked if the audience knew of any companies or products that promote biased advertising. It was clear that Jake understood the essence of audience engagement. He triggered a positive response because he was engaging.

For an audience to be engaged, the presenter must be involving (Cooke, 2018). Audience engagement is essential in capturing and maintaining audience attention. In this regard, I found Jake’s approach very interesting and fun. It is important to note that all through Jake maintained confidence and used superb tonal variation and eloquence while maintaining simplicity. Simplicity is an essential aspect of communication (McFarlin, 2019) as it makes it easier to understand the information being shared. Two examples were given, and Jake went ahead with the presentation focusing on the Volkswagen example he had given earlier in the introduction phase. Jake focused on the method used by Volkswagen to create greenwashing. Manufacturer shortcomings were obscured through software use. The automobile industry features prominently in greenwashing (Khandelwal et al., 2019), hence the reason Jake decided to focus on a vehicle as his example of greenwashing. The fact that Volkswagen previously had a scandal made it the perfect point of reference.

Jake delved a little bit more on the evolution of technology and its impacts on greenwashing. Other issues such as ethical standards, consumer protection, quality assurance and litigation were focused on. Jake seemed well researched on the topic and handled all these factors quite well. It was thus clear that Jake had spent ample time on his research as he supported his information with credible references. Eye contact is essential in presentation scenarios (Guarino, 2020), and Jake maintained eye contact with the audience throughout the presentation. Not only was eye contact kept movement on the stage was also made. It is interesting to note that walking up and down and use of arm gestures during presentation gives the impression of confidence (Gallo, 2019). Jake did this effortlessly throughout the presentation.  It gave the impression that he had practiced public speaking for some time.

Practice breeds competence, which ultimately breeds confidence in public speaking (Lipman, 2016). However, he seemed to lose concentration and repeated himself during the last part of the presentation. The sins of greenwashing were focused on though not much attention was paid to this topic as the others. An overview was quickly given, and as such, the audience did not get the level of understanding the other aspects discussed presented. It was not clear if Jake was running out of time, or he did not possess the same level of knowledge previously showcased. Even though the confidence level, audibility and clarity were maintained, the amount of information was a bit scanty.  The presentation equally lacked any theories of greenwashing as well. Even though the presentation was highly captivating and engaging, it lacked any visual display. Visual aids encourage audience engagement and are thus crucial in a presentation (Richards, 2020). After concluding the presentation, Jake asked if there were any questions that he handled knowledgeably. It was indicative of a well researched topic and preparedness.

In conclusion, understanding the concept of greenwashing was easy, so was understanding biased advertising. The use of practical examples made it easy. Most of the audience, for instance, was aware of goods positively promoted even though they possess adverse effects. In this regard, the audience was aware of the concept of biased advertising, albeit not being aware of the term used to describe it. As Jake made his presentation, a majority of the audience experienced a moment of clarity. I, for example, was well aware of products that have adverse effects even though these effects are not indicated. Jake’s presentation gave me a better understanding from a professional perspective. The realization made from the presentation made a majority of the audience more self-aware when purchasing and using products in the future.

Jake’s presentation received accolades and was deemed as an excellent presentation overall. Most of the people thus took a few pointers on public speaking such as eloquence, tonal variation, use of gestures, confidence and good grammar use. It is also interesting to note that despite the use of any visual aid such as a PowerPoint presentation, Jake was considered fully engaging by the audience and me as well. I was made more consumer aware as regards greenwashing. The cosmetic industry is also a vulnerable sector in green advertising. I will be paying more attention by doing further research about the products I use in the future.

References

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Guarino, J. (2020). The Power of Eye Contact in Public Speaking – Using Eye Contact

Effectively. Institute of Public Speaking. Retrieved 26 March 2020, from https://www.instituteofpublicspeaking.com/the-power-of-eye-contact-in-public-speaking/.

Khandelwal, M., Sharma, A., & Jain, V. (2019). GREENWASHING: A Study on the Effects of

Greenwashing on Consumer Perception and Trust Build-Up. Research Review International Journal Of Multidisciplinary, 4(1). Retrieved 26 March 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331630061_GREENWASHING_A_Study_on_the_Effects_of_Greenwashing_on_Consumer_Perception_and_Trust_Build-Up.

Lane, E. (2016). Volkswagen and the High-tech Greenwash. European Journal Of Risk

Regulation, 7(1), 32-34. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1867299x00005341

Lipman, V. (2016). 5 Powerful Reasons To Have More Confidence In Your Public Speaking.

Forbes. Retrieved 26 March 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2015/09/09/5-powerful-reasons-to-have-more-confidence-in-your-public-speaking/#218e58773fb4.

McFarlin, K. (2019). The Types of Communication Skills and Competencies.

Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 26 March 2020, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-communication-skills-competencies-10651.html.

Richards, L. (2020). The Importance of Creating Effective Visual Aids in the Workplace.

Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 26 March 2020, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-creating-effective-visual-aids-workplace-17432.html.

Watson, B. (2016). The troubling evolution of corporate greenwashing. The Guardian. Retrieved

26 March 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/aug/20/greenwashing-environmentalism-lies-companies.