Friday, October 31, 2008
One event that I recently attended and even planned was a speech on sex, drugs, and HIV/Aids. The speaker was a HIV survivor and a comedian who spoke about his personal experiences in order to help others. Being a comedian, he was relaxed and even brought humor to the real facts about drugs and sex. He used slides on facts about drugs and sex as well as slides to show the percentages of people who encounter unsafe sex while being under the influence. The media helped to add credibility to the speech as well as enhancing the speech by have clear and concise slides. The media did distract from the speech because his comedy didn’t go hand in hand with the slides. I think that the topic is a serious one and being humorous about such topics is entertaining but not educational. I think if he stepped away from the humor for the end of the speech and talked about the cold hard facts about unsafe sex, drugs and diseases, it would be very effective. He would already have the audiences attention and concluding with seriousness of the issues would really hit home with the audience. The media would come into use because he could have shown the facts during the serious part and not just bring humor to it.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Speech Videos
Watch it 11.1. This will help me in my next speech because I plan on having at least 5 slides. The speaker talks about the slides being simple, use only key ideas, show what you cannot say, use close ups, limit number of images, variety and coherence and large lettering. When using power point, keep the slides simple and do not use too much animation and sounds effects. If the slide has too much information or poor images, it can distract from the information in the speech.
Use it 11.1. To start off, she asked if any one knew the “frat boy”. I take offense to that! The first slide was up for a long time and it had very small print. She had great facts about suicide rates in the nation and comparing it to other forms of death. There were a lot of sources that she used to gain credibility. She covered a lot of information but not much on causes of suicide. Her story and Mike’s story helped bring some emotion from the audience as well as provide credibility.
Watch it 11.2 This video helped to enhance the speech as well as showing when visuals can distract. I can use this information to properly prepare my slides for the persuasive speech. I will have to be careful with keeping the slides simple because I do not want to audience to pay attention to visually distracting slides instead of my speech.
Use it 11.2 I liked these videos because I could see what proper visuals should look like. But, I will use a power point instead of computer paper. All of them spoke very quickly which made it hard to catch all the information.
Use it 11.1. To start off, she asked if any one knew the “frat boy”. I take offense to that! The first slide was up for a long time and it had very small print. She had great facts about suicide rates in the nation and comparing it to other forms of death. There were a lot of sources that she used to gain credibility. She covered a lot of information but not much on causes of suicide. Her story and Mike’s story helped bring some emotion from the audience as well as provide credibility.
Watch it 11.2 This video helped to enhance the speech as well as showing when visuals can distract. I can use this information to properly prepare my slides for the persuasive speech. I will have to be careful with keeping the slides simple because I do not want to audience to pay attention to visually distracting slides instead of my speech.
Use it 11.2 I liked these videos because I could see what proper visuals should look like. But, I will use a power point instead of computer paper. All of them spoke very quickly which made it hard to catch all the information.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The overall purpose of the speech was to inform the class that drinking can lead to excessive weight gain as well as freshmen 15. The point of my speech would have been a bit more clear if my preview of points was introduced better in my introduction. According to the evaluation form from class, the preview could have been more clear and definitive. I feel I tried to have a narrative speech but failed because I couldn’t implement a lot of information while still telling a story. During my speech I did feel more comfortable than last time. I think this comes from the overall culture and environment of the class. We all have a slight fear of speaking but I get the feeling that no one us judging me and I can become a better speaker in the positive environment of the class. I wasn’t too confident because I had a lot of last minute changes to the speech. I had sent the incomplete power point presentation and right off the bat that made me feel a bit uncomfortable because I didn’t have all the visuals I needed. During the speech, I felt as if I was in a daze because I just stood there and gave my speech with out actually acknowledging that I was nervous. I also felt that the speech was very short, but I ended up being with in the time slot.
In doing this over again, I would have chosen a different speech pattern because narrative was difficult to implement all the information in the speech while still being able to tell a story. My power point was great, but I could have explained the slides a bit more. The charts were effective but just pictures with out the proper explanation. All of these problems need to be addressed in the organization of the whole speech. I found myself a bit shot for time during the end of the week. I will plan accordingly next time to ensure that I will have time to prepare all parts of the speech. The delivery was not to great. I didn’t have enough eye contact and I also used my note cards too much. Practicing more would allow me to take my attention off the cards and allow me to deliver with more eye contact and holding the audiences gaze longer. The content of my speech will be better because I will have plenty of time to plan and prepare my speech. My number one goal for my next speech will be to practice it 4 times a day for a week. After doing so 28 times, I should have no problem delivering it. I am shooting for an A!
The difference between this speech and my last was that I was less prepared for this one. In my last speech, I had prepared more because I hadn’t given a speech for over 3 years. I had a better delivery but was more nervous before, during, and after the speech. One good thing is that I am more comfortable of speaking in public! My fear is diminishing and I eventually will be a great public speaker. My power point was an effective visual but I feel that actually demonstrating something like the first speech is more effective. Power points help because I didn’t have anything in my hands to distract. My note cards distracted me a lot and it gave me an excuse to look at something other than the audience. My last speech was better because I couldn’t use my note cards because my demonstration was hands on. I also caught myself swaying back and forth a bit too much and it distracted me from the delivery of the speech. This speech was also better because my fear wasn’t distracting me as much and I felt more natural up there because of it. It may not have been a better delivery, but I did feel less nervous. Because of not being as prepared as I could have been, I rate myself as a 4 out of 10 on eye contact. Having eye contact with the audience is important so they know you are talking to them and not just reciting your speech. My next speech I will be prepared enough that I will not need to hold note cards. My eye contact will be 10 out of 10 by maintaining a better gaze with audience. Over all, I feel that I do deserve the grade I got. I deserve a B because I had a functional intro and conclusion but the body of the speech was a bit unorganized and the purpose was unclear. The introduction had a good attention getter, the credibility was weak as well as the preview. But, the conclusion was good because I did review the points well. The closing phrase was weak because I didn’t go out with a bang. I feel that I had all the right things for a proper speech but I couldn’t put them together in the best way possible. The delivery wasn’t as I had hoped and it is due to lack of being as prepared as needed. I had four source citations in my speech which was good but I feel that they were too close together. Overall, I had a better organized outline and most of the required information. But, the delivery was weaker due to practice and organization of the body and its information. I had a great idea for this speech but it fell apart because I tried to have a narrative speech pattern.
In doing this over again, I would have chosen a different speech pattern because narrative was difficult to implement all the information in the speech while still being able to tell a story. My power point was great, but I could have explained the slides a bit more. The charts were effective but just pictures with out the proper explanation. All of these problems need to be addressed in the organization of the whole speech. I found myself a bit shot for time during the end of the week. I will plan accordingly next time to ensure that I will have time to prepare all parts of the speech. The delivery was not to great. I didn’t have enough eye contact and I also used my note cards too much. Practicing more would allow me to take my attention off the cards and allow me to deliver with more eye contact and holding the audiences gaze longer. The content of my speech will be better because I will have plenty of time to plan and prepare my speech. My number one goal for my next speech will be to practice it 4 times a day for a week. After doing so 28 times, I should have no problem delivering it. I am shooting for an A!
The difference between this speech and my last was that I was less prepared for this one. In my last speech, I had prepared more because I hadn’t given a speech for over 3 years. I had a better delivery but was more nervous before, during, and after the speech. One good thing is that I am more comfortable of speaking in public! My fear is diminishing and I eventually will be a great public speaker. My power point was an effective visual but I feel that actually demonstrating something like the first speech is more effective. Power points help because I didn’t have anything in my hands to distract. My note cards distracted me a lot and it gave me an excuse to look at something other than the audience. My last speech was better because I couldn’t use my note cards because my demonstration was hands on. I also caught myself swaying back and forth a bit too much and it distracted me from the delivery of the speech. This speech was also better because my fear wasn’t distracting me as much and I felt more natural up there because of it. It may not have been a better delivery, but I did feel less nervous. Because of not being as prepared as I could have been, I rate myself as a 4 out of 10 on eye contact. Having eye contact with the audience is important so they know you are talking to them and not just reciting your speech. My next speech I will be prepared enough that I will not need to hold note cards. My eye contact will be 10 out of 10 by maintaining a better gaze with audience. Over all, I feel that I do deserve the grade I got. I deserve a B because I had a functional intro and conclusion but the body of the speech was a bit unorganized and the purpose was unclear. The introduction had a good attention getter, the credibility was weak as well as the preview. But, the conclusion was good because I did review the points well. The closing phrase was weak because I didn’t go out with a bang. I feel that I had all the right things for a proper speech but I couldn’t put them together in the best way possible. The delivery wasn’t as I had hoped and it is due to lack of being as prepared as needed. I had four source citations in my speech which was good but I feel that they were too close together. Overall, I had a better organized outline and most of the required information. But, the delivery was weaker due to practice and organization of the body and its information. I had a great idea for this speech but it fell apart because I tried to have a narrative speech pattern.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
videos
Speech Buddy: Review the following interactive videos - - - 9.1, 9.2, 13.1A, 13.1B and "USE IT" 13.1 on the Interactive Video website. What did you learn that could be helpful in your speech?
9.1 goes into introductions. It says that you need to have a very important attention getter with humor or a fun fact. You also need to establish the purpose and thesis as well as preview your main points. The intro is a great foundation for a great speech. 9.2 talks about conclusions and to review your main points because most people will hear your points at the end instead of during the body. 13.1 A talks about techno music and how it started. The speaker does a great job explaining what techno music is and why people like it. He also gives a brief back ground on the Bellevill 3 who started "detroit techno". I will have an in dept backgroud for my next speech since my last speech wasnt that strong. It was great watching him because he seemed to be so fluid in his speech and didnt choke up at all. His power points gave good visual effects but I feel that his hand were distracting. His conclusion didnt seem that great because it ended so quickly. Overall, it was a great informative speech. 13.1B Her intro was great because it applies to almost everyone. She has a great history on cameras and photography. her flash cards didnt seem to help because she read from them too much. I will try to use them only for citing my sources correctly. I like this topic because she relates it to the audience and kept my attention.
13.1 Use it. Great speech but I feel that she was very rushed. It will be hard to remember her points until she reaches the conclusion. she looks down a little too much in her speech. For my informative speech, I will practice 15 times and really memorize the points so I could improvise if I need to. I loved the visuals and how she flipped the poster board over so the audience wouldnt be distracted. Her conclusion was strong and brief but overall a great speech. From all of these videos, I have learned what to put into the intro, conclusion, and how to properly put them all together in an informative speech.
9.1 goes into introductions. It says that you need to have a very important attention getter with humor or a fun fact. You also need to establish the purpose and thesis as well as preview your main points. The intro is a great foundation for a great speech. 9.2 talks about conclusions and to review your main points because most people will hear your points at the end instead of during the body. 13.1 A talks about techno music and how it started. The speaker does a great job explaining what techno music is and why people like it. He also gives a brief back ground on the Bellevill 3 who started "detroit techno". I will have an in dept backgroud for my next speech since my last speech wasnt that strong. It was great watching him because he seemed to be so fluid in his speech and didnt choke up at all. His power points gave good visual effects but I feel that his hand were distracting. His conclusion didnt seem that great because it ended so quickly. Overall, it was a great informative speech. 13.1B Her intro was great because it applies to almost everyone. She has a great history on cameras and photography. her flash cards didnt seem to help because she read from them too much. I will try to use them only for citing my sources correctly. I like this topic because she relates it to the audience and kept my attention.
13.1 Use it. Great speech but I feel that she was very rushed. It will be hard to remember her points until she reaches the conclusion. she looks down a little too much in her speech. For my informative speech, I will practice 15 times and really memorize the points so I could improvise if I need to. I loved the visuals and how she flipped the poster board over so the audience wouldnt be distracted. Her conclusion was strong and brief but overall a great speech. From all of these videos, I have learned what to put into the intro, conclusion, and how to properly put them all together in an informative speech.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
intro and conclusion
Introductions are very important for the speech. I will start with an attention getter to capture to audience’s interest in my topic. This attention getter should be directly related to the topic and should create a desire to hear more about the topic. I feel that a joke for my speech would prove more effective as well as efficient for myself. This would create a very relaxed environment and help me to feel less anxiety. Next would be a preview of my main points so the audience could see the structure of my speech and what points I will talk about. My thesis, will be my main point and should be a solid thesis to clearly get my message across.
For informative speeches the point is to “deepen understanding, raise awareness, or increase knowledge about a topic”. The book says to ask yourself what you want your audience to learn and what they need to know about the topic.
The conclusion is very powerful because most people remember what is said at the end instead of in the body of the speech. Here I will conclude with reviewing the main points and reiterating the message of the speech.
I have a few topics for my speech but haven’t chosen the most appropriate one yet. I hope to start with a joke but I am not much of a comedian. Then I will brief the class on my main points and then the thesis to clearly state why I am informing the class on the topic. My conclusion will be stronger than my last because I know how to properly conclude. I will sum up the main points and leave the audience with an ever lasting message.
For informative speeches the point is to “deepen understanding, raise awareness, or increase knowledge about a topic”. The book says to ask yourself what you want your audience to learn and what they need to know about the topic.
The conclusion is very powerful because most people remember what is said at the end instead of in the body of the speech. Here I will conclude with reviewing the main points and reiterating the message of the speech.
I have a few topics for my speech but haven’t chosen the most appropriate one yet. I hope to start with a joke but I am not much of a comedian. Then I will brief the class on my main points and then the thesis to clearly state why I am informing the class on the topic. My conclusion will be stronger than my last because I know how to properly conclude. I will sum up the main points and leave the audience with an ever lasting message.
Monday, October 13, 2008
chapters 9 and 13
Chapter 9 and 13
I noticed that many students had a preview of their main points in the beginning of the speech. At first it seemed weird, but it gave structure to the speech and kept the audience on track with the speaker. This technique is described in chapter 9. I will try to use this in my next speech so I can stay on track and specifically state my purpose. My conclusion wasn’t very strong in my last speech but I chapter 9 has shown me that I should have a memorable message to reiterate my thesis and make it unforgettable. Chapter 13 has been a great help in my upcoming informative speech. I found out that there are 5 types of informative speeches. My topic can fall under 3 of the 5 types of speeches. But I will need to choose one type and run with it. My speech will either be in spatial pattern which would help me describe a relationship between physical objects or I could use a narrative pattern and tell a short story while describing the object. Chapter 13 has also provided information on how to keep the attention of the audience as well as keeping the message informative. Both of these chapters have given me useful information and I will try to apply all these techniques for a successful informative speech.
I noticed that many students had a preview of their main points in the beginning of the speech. At first it seemed weird, but it gave structure to the speech and kept the audience on track with the speaker. This technique is described in chapter 9. I will try to use this in my next speech so I can stay on track and specifically state my purpose. My conclusion wasn’t very strong in my last speech but I chapter 9 has shown me that I should have a memorable message to reiterate my thesis and make it unforgettable. Chapter 13 has been a great help in my upcoming informative speech. I found out that there are 5 types of informative speeches. My topic can fall under 3 of the 5 types of speeches. But I will need to choose one type and run with it. My speech will either be in spatial pattern which would help me describe a relationship between physical objects or I could use a narrative pattern and tell a short story while describing the object. Chapter 13 has also provided information on how to keep the attention of the audience as well as keeping the message informative. Both of these chapters have given me useful information and I will try to apply all these techniques for a successful informative speech.
Friday, October 10, 2008
chapter 7/8
Chapter 7 helped me with supporting ideas. A few ideas from Aristotle are pathos, appeal to emotion, logos, appeal to logic, and mythos which is the appeal to cultural beliefs and values. I got some ideas about narrative speech and how it can help me get the point across by using a personal story. Testimonies help when they relate the person to the topic. I don’t plan to use this, but definitely will try to use narrative speech format. The last thing in chapter 7 was media credibility and how to use certain sources to strengthen your speech. Along with media, I will use my own knowledge to help prove certain points. Chapter 8 really helped me because I can improve my outline organization. The last speech I had a horrible outline and need improvements for this next one. My ideas were all over the place but after this chapter I should have an easier time organizing. The writing part is smooth, but when it comes down to the technicalities of the outline, I cannot do it to save my life. I hope both of these chapters help me in the next speech.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
facts and stats
Statistics and facts seem to be appropriate for speeches where the speaker needs to prove a point of back up an opinion. Statistics can give his opinions credibility and help make stronger arguments. One of the videos from chapter 5 had a lot of statistics but I felt that it almost over powered the speaker and his ability to portray the important information. Sometimes statistics can be distracting because I tend to pay attention to the stats instead of the speaker. In speeches that are meant to inform about a certain subject, like alcohol awareness, stats can be great. I think that I will use statistics to help back my opinions instead of just listing off statistics. Using them for credibility is what I hope to do. I think using statistics on a personal experience might not help credibility because you had the experiences and then you try to justify or back up your experience with further knowledge. I will use sparingly and appropriately to have full effect of statistics instead of just confusing the audience. Facts and statistics are great when used throughout the speech and not just listed. They need to be used in certain points in a speech to bring out the full effect.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
videos
I think I could take in a few things from the videos. Theses videos showed me that there are many different organizational patters and transitions that I could potentially implement into my next speech. When reviewing the transitions, I found it very awkward because when stating your points, it felt like listing instead of a speech. I would like to have a more natural rhythm to my speech. Transitions are great and I will use them in my speech but definitely need to do it the way I feel comfortable. They suggested to use slides or power point to show statistics and facts. I live power point and hope I can use it in my next speech. My only worry is that it might distract me and the audience so I might have to tone down the slides. In using facts and statistics, it might take away from the speech. The speech on chapter 5 for alcohol had a lot of facts. I felt that these facts helped the speech but also took away from the speaker because majority of the information was facts. I would have liked to see a more talented speech from the speaker. I look forward to the rest of the semester. I gave a brief speech in front of about 200 people on Monday! Yay for me. It is getting easier to speak publicly, but I still have a long way to go. Good luck to you all!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Speech evaluation
Speech One Evaluation
I felt like a complete mess when I delivered my speech. My overall purpose was to show a different aspect of cooking and marinating steaks. I felt that I did deliver the message but my speech was shaky. My nervousness took over me but I did know my speech which helped me because I didn’t have to fumble around with my note cards. After the speech I felt confident because I received a B. If I got another chance, I would practice another 7 time. The only way I can improve my public speaking is to practice and do it so much that I become comfortable. The outline was very technical and I should have followed it a bit more. For the next speech, I will have the outline done earlier and fix all the small things before my speech instead of improvising during the speech. My one goal overall, is to lower my anxiety so I can have a better delivery. I feel that I fumble with my words, gestures, and demonstration when I am nervous. It is hard to look at the audience because I feel that they are judging me. It is a lot easier for me to just read my speech but I know I will never grow by doing that. After watching my video, I felt embarrassed to see myself because I looked like a mess. It is embarrassing enough to give the speech and to watch was even worse. But it does help to see myself because I can pick at all the small stuff. At first, I looked down at the table too much trying to avoid everyone’s eyes. I was also playing with the props because I was nervous and needed to do something with my hands. This actually took away from my speech because it made it seem that I didn’t know what I was doing. Towards the middle, my speech enthusiasm slowed down a bit as my nervousness took the best of me. I finished strong in the end but I cannot be satisfied with my speech until I earn and A. I think the most distracting thing was the time cards. They are very helpful but for myself and others, it seemed to distract and sometimes cause them to lose train of thought. When the 5 minute mark was held up, it completely threw me off and I even said out loud that it distracted me. This I will definitely not do again. Many people mentioned that it was a bad point in my speech. My eye contact wasn’t great but I would give myself a 6 because I did have a good amount of eye contact. The beginning of my speech was afraid to look at the audience but soon got a bit more comfortable as the speech went on. Next time I hope to give myself an honest 10 out of 10 for eye contact. I have improved because the last speech I gave was 2 years ago and I read straight from my note cards. Not prepared at all! This next speech will be longer and I will prevent myself from having visual aids that could potentially distract me. I mentioned 3 source citations in the speech which helped me gain credibility with the information I was giving. It seemed weird at first when writing the speech to add citations, but it proved helpful in the end. I would give myself a B based on the video. My introduction was odd and not too strong because it didn’t catch the attention of the audience as I had hoped. My points were not clear and I just dove into the speech. My conclusion wasn’t strong either because I didn’t clearly sum up the ideas of my speech. During my speech, I could improve distracting movements and gestures. The visual aids proved to be great but also distracting for myself. When finished, I was 19 seconds over the 5 minute mark. My grade was deserved and I have a lot to improve on for my next speech. Looking forward to it!
-Nick W
I felt like a complete mess when I delivered my speech. My overall purpose was to show a different aspect of cooking and marinating steaks. I felt that I did deliver the message but my speech was shaky. My nervousness took over me but I did know my speech which helped me because I didn’t have to fumble around with my note cards. After the speech I felt confident because I received a B. If I got another chance, I would practice another 7 time. The only way I can improve my public speaking is to practice and do it so much that I become comfortable. The outline was very technical and I should have followed it a bit more. For the next speech, I will have the outline done earlier and fix all the small things before my speech instead of improvising during the speech. My one goal overall, is to lower my anxiety so I can have a better delivery. I feel that I fumble with my words, gestures, and demonstration when I am nervous. It is hard to look at the audience because I feel that they are judging me. It is a lot easier for me to just read my speech but I know I will never grow by doing that. After watching my video, I felt embarrassed to see myself because I looked like a mess. It is embarrassing enough to give the speech and to watch was even worse. But it does help to see myself because I can pick at all the small stuff. At first, I looked down at the table too much trying to avoid everyone’s eyes. I was also playing with the props because I was nervous and needed to do something with my hands. This actually took away from my speech because it made it seem that I didn’t know what I was doing. Towards the middle, my speech enthusiasm slowed down a bit as my nervousness took the best of me. I finished strong in the end but I cannot be satisfied with my speech until I earn and A. I think the most distracting thing was the time cards. They are very helpful but for myself and others, it seemed to distract and sometimes cause them to lose train of thought. When the 5 minute mark was held up, it completely threw me off and I even said out loud that it distracted me. This I will definitely not do again. Many people mentioned that it was a bad point in my speech. My eye contact wasn’t great but I would give myself a 6 because I did have a good amount of eye contact. The beginning of my speech was afraid to look at the audience but soon got a bit more comfortable as the speech went on. Next time I hope to give myself an honest 10 out of 10 for eye contact. I have improved because the last speech I gave was 2 years ago and I read straight from my note cards. Not prepared at all! This next speech will be longer and I will prevent myself from having visual aids that could potentially distract me. I mentioned 3 source citations in the speech which helped me gain credibility with the information I was giving. It seemed weird at first when writing the speech to add citations, but it proved helpful in the end. I would give myself a B based on the video. My introduction was odd and not too strong because it didn’t catch the attention of the audience as I had hoped. My points were not clear and I just dove into the speech. My conclusion wasn’t strong either because I didn’t clearly sum up the ideas of my speech. During my speech, I could improve distracting movements and gestures. The visual aids proved to be great but also distracting for myself. When finished, I was 19 seconds over the 5 minute mark. My grade was deserved and I have a lot to improve on for my next speech. Looking forward to it!
-Nick W
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