Speech Eval

If I were to grade myself on how well I achieved the purpose of my speech, I would give myself a 7 out of ten. My purpose was clear but I didn’t feel persuasive enough. This could be because I didn’t give that powerful of a plan of action at the end of my speech. But from practice I was able to have a tone that was persuasive and enthusiastic. Practicing took a lot of work but paid off because I fell between the 6 and 7 minute mark as well as having great eye contact with the audience. I did well, but if I had to do it over again, I would practice more so I wouldn’t have to use my note cards. I would love to give a speech that I know so well that I don’t have to worry about note cards because I feel that they help guide but are also my back up if I forget what I am talking about. I would hope to also change my speech to be more persuasive as I feel it was my only down fall in my delivery.
This speech was different from my last speech because I did better over all. My last speech had a poor attention getter which didn’t apply the majority of the audience. My intro was organized with a good structure and there was a preview of main points but it wasn’t very clear. I researched but didn’t have enough research to back up all my points. The topic related to the audience because college drinking is normal for us. Organization over all was good and the transitions were clear and effective for the information following. Throughout the speech I clearly stated my sources to help support my points. My visual aid was effective but I sent the wrong power point which threw off my speech a bit because I felt unorganized and embarrassed because of my lack of preparation. Eye contact in the second speech would have been better if I was more prepared. I felt nervous during the speech and read more from my note cards then I had wanted. This is something that I want to overcome and it comes down to just practicing more so I feel comfortable with the presentation of information.
In the persuasive speech delivery, I remember moving a bit when speaking. This may be distracting for some audience members as I know I was thinking it was distracting for myself as well. I improved from the second speech because I knew the material better and had great eye contact with the audience, but I feel my eye contact was speedy and I would look all over the room. When watching the video, it looked as if I was making eye contact but it was too brief. Over all, the persuasive speech and outline was a huge improvement from the last speech. I received a better grade on the outline which helped feed into getting a better speech grade. My introduction was more powerful with a great attention getter which was a sound clip that the audience could connect with. I loved this topic because I have credibility by being Greek for 3 years now. My main points were very clear and this was made easy by using the problem solution organization pattern. My conclusion was an improvement from the last speech, but it was not as good as I had hoped for it to be. I did review the points but did not have a solid plan of action which in turn made my speech less persuasive. Two other improvements were my tone and eye contact. I believe my tone was better because I knew the material as well as being passionate about being Greek. Eye contact simply came from being prepared and I would rate myself an 8 out of 10 because I did read a little from my cards and I would rather not have cards at all. According to the audience, my volume, voice projection and variety was an improvement from my last speech.
Based on my performance, reviewing the video and teacher evaluation, and the student evaluations, I would give myself an A. Well, I was hoping for an A, 95%. I was not perfect, but I believe I should have gotten this grade because I was well prepared, my power point was a great visual aid, and my delivery was a great improvement from the two previous speeches. I would also give myself an A because I have improved a lot from the beginning of the semester and I should be partially graded on that. Besides the positive things I have already mentioned, I had some great sources which I researched and even applied 4 of them in my speech. My persuasive speech by far was the best. I put the most effort into it to ensure I would get the best grade on it. I was more interested in this topic and put the time and energy into for a good grade as well as combating my fear of public speaking.

Concept

I liked the outlines because it has helped me write better speeches and keep my points and sub points on track. It was very helpful for me to get feedback on my outlines to see if I was correctly getting the information across. For my first speech, I had written it like an essay and had no idea that I had to format it another way. But, having my grade on the line for each outline, it made me perfect outlining an essay the third time around. I didn’t do well on the first two outlines and got bad feedback. So, on the third time around I put a lot more effort into it so I could get an A. These outlines will help me later in life when I present information to groups as well as in my career. They will organize my information clearly and get across the correct information.

I am taking away..

This semester was helpful for me because I have finally taken this class after being here in san jose for 5 semesters. I have finally faced my fear full on and have taken every opportunity to speak in public. This class has helped me to write a speech and create great outlines. For other presentations in class, I have made outlines and created speeches to be as professional as possible. In my extra curricular activites I have many opportunities where I have to speak in front of groups and present different information. Whether forced or not, I am becoming more comfortable with public speaking. I can take away the format of speeches and being able to properly present information clearly to different audiences.

favorite speech

My favorite speech was the persuasive speech because I got to write on something that is such a big part of my life. I am passionate about going Greek because it is meant to enhance your college career. Also, I got a better grade on this speech because of my passion for it. I spent a ton of time on the outline because I wanted to perfect this speech as best as I could. Using the Problem Solution format was helpful because it is very straight forward. It kept me on track with my ideas and points. My speech performance overall was better because I have become more comfortable with speaking in public. I was also prepared the most for this speech having a smooth flowing power point and using my note cards as little as possible.