Self Evaluation #3

Our last speech was a very productive one, and I am glad that it was persuasive. I believe that persuasive speeches are simple and fun because you get to let people know the speaker’s opinions and try to convince people to implement a solution. During this speech, I was surprised that I felt content in front of the audience because I usually get unbelievable stage fright. I put in more practicing time for this speech, so I suppose that’s what made me feel more comfortable. In the beginning, however, it was obvious that I was nervous. I took in a few breaths like our professor mentioned and that really helped my delivery. Because of my comfortableness, my confidence was also boosted. Giving myself extra time to practice allowed me to memorize some of my main points. Although I still had to look at my note cards for several sub points and references, I felt that my confidence was good and the audience noticed that.

I believe I achieved the purpose of my speech very well. In fact, I thought it was better than my other two speeches. My purpose was clear and simple, and I believe the solutions that I made available truly supported my overall purpose of this speech. My purpose was also supported by the five citations that I included. I am glad that I got to incorporate the three informational books that I found from the library into my speech.

I felt that there were a lot of different things that I improved on in this speech. In my last two speeches, I found myself shuffling around because I was overcome with nervousness. However, I was stationary in my last speech, and I only moved when I needed to switch slides. I also noticed that my eye contact was much better, and I received good comments about it from my peers. I would rate my eye contact as a nine in this speech because I only looked at my note cards for references or when I lost my train of thought for a split second. I believe stuttering was not a good thing, especially when I started this habit in the beginning of the speech and near the end. I felt like it was ineffective and the audience might have thought that I was extremely nervous. I think that stuttering near the end of the speech made it seem like I was in a rush to finish.

While watching the video of my last speech, I felt like my facial expressions were a bit distracting. I noticed that I wrinkled my forehead when I wanted people to know that I am truly stressing something, but I believe I could have toned that down. People might have thought it was overly dramatic. I also felt that I had held on to my note cards strongly, which could have detracted from my overall delivery. The audience probably thought that I was extremely nervous because of this “death grip”.

On a scale from A-F, I would give myself an A because I was confident of my solutions. I felt like I thought it through and did extensive research. I also felt like my eye contact was great, and I was not afraid to look at people in the eye. I was able to not look back at my Power Point, so I think that should have boosted my grade. I believe this speech was better than my last speeches because I knew what to expect. I knew exactly what to do and what not to do. Instead of forgetting my visual aid, which was what I did in my first speech, I actually remembered it this time thanks to the convenience of email. Overall, I just felt good about this speech because I gave myself enough time to work on it, which made this one the best one. Although I felt nervous at first, I knew that this was going to be my best speech because I took in the time to practice and do research. If I had to do this speech over again, I would probably change some of my solutions. I felt like most of my solutions were over done for the prevention of teenage pregnancy, and I could have thought of more eccentric solutions. However, these were the solutions that the books provided me with, and I was determined to refer to the books as much as possible to support my claim.

Comm 20 and Future Endeavors

This class has been extremely beneficial because I can speak in front of a classroom with confidence. I realize that the audience is not there to judge me, rather, they want me to succeed as much as I would like for everyone to overcome their endeavors as well. I am going to remember the organizational skills, ethical facts, and confidence that I have gained while taking part in this class. This class has kept me organized because I have never kept up with such a strict schedule about homework. I reminded myself to do weekly postings and kept myself organized in many of my speeches. I know how important it is to be ethical in any class. Being truthful and providing the best evidence is significant to succeeding in any course. Lastly, the confidence that I have gained in Comm 20 is something that I will always carry on with my future endeavors. If you can’t be confident with yourself, how do you expect to achieve?

Favorite Speech

My favorite speech was the persuasive speech because it was actually a bit fun to do research on my topic. The prevention of teenage pregnancy has always been a fascinating topic discussed through out my education. When I started watching the second season of “The Secret Life of The American teenager”, which began in the start of second semester, I really grew an interest in knowing what it would be like to be pregnant at such a young age. It was very interesting to watch the turmoil that the main character had to endure, and I am glad that I had the chance to speak out about this topic. I enjoyed doing the persuasive speech as well because I knew exactly how to prepare and deliver my speech. I believe my first two speeches prepared me for the final speech because they taught me the mistakes that I made before and what I can do to fix them. I believe my mistakes rarely showed up in the persuasive speech, which is what made me proud of my last speech.

Most Helpful Concept

I believe learning how to do the actual outline of a speech along with its different organizational patterns was very helpful. The outline of a speech is the beginning structure for a speaker’s overall delivery. Without the outline, there is no speech. When I did speeches in high school, I never developed an outline. Although my speeches were still very effective and successful, they did not have any structure. Learning how to do a simple outline is very beneficial when creating a speech. When I learned about transitions, my speeches were enhanced because I did not skip around from one random main point to the next. Incorporating transitions into my speech allowed for smooth progress. The different organizational patterns were beneficial as well. My favorite organizational pattern was topical because many of my speech topics fit into this format very well. Our last speech fit into Monroe’s motivated sequence and it was quite simple to use this organizational pattern.

Chapter 15 Videos

The Chapter 15 videos presented a speech on a very controversial topic: home schooling. The first speaker discussed the pros of home schooling by providing plenty of convincing reasoning. I believe her most convincing reasoning was that students who are involved with home schooling are more prepared for college. She claimed that by doing home schooling, students will come to realize that family is very important and they should always keep that in mind while attending college. This is an act of casual reasoning. The second speaker discussed the cons of home schooling, and he also provided plenty of convincing evidence. I believe his strongest reasoning was by saying that parents need to support their children, not be their teachers. I think this was a very sentimental phrase that he incorporated into his speech. I learned that using reasoning is, of course, very significant for the success of a speech and being able to connect with the audience on some sort of emotional level is useful in persuasive speeches.

A Moment Where I Used Persuasion

My friend was conducting a survey on whether or not child labor should be abolished in Africa. She specifically focused on children who worked in unhealthy facilities to collect cocoa beans. I said no to stopping child labor for cocoa by using casual reasoning. I told her that because of child labor, these children are able to support themselves, even if it is inhuman. I also told her to realize what kind of economic situation we are in. Because of the job cuts, people are going to be even stingier and less likely to contribute enough money to charitable organizations. Although people say that they want to stop child labor, it is unlikely that a majority of these people will commit to this because of financial issues. However, I did agree that no one should go through this kind of inhuman labor, but the consequences of stopping child labor would cause a more unstable economy in Africa.

Chapter 15 Topic of Interest

I thought the topic on fallacies in claims was interesting. There are four different types of fallacies in claims, but I thought “begging the question” and “ad ignorantiam” were the most intriguing. Begging the question means something is true because it simply is. When a claim is asserted, the speaker must back it up with reasoning. However, simply saying that it is true without any given reasoning or evidence is unethical. The concept of begging the question reminded me of children arguing. They will usually back up their claims with begging the question type answers because they are more concerned with having their argument being correct rather than logical. Ad ignorantiam means a claim is true because it hasn’t been disproved. I thought that this was very close-minded and no speaker should use this as his or her reason for a claim. It is also unethical and does not let other possibilities be the reasoning for a claim.

My Next Speech

The main points of my persuasive speech are: teenage pregnancy has several causes and continues to rise in many areas, there are many ways to prevent teenage pregnancy, there are many benefits if we choose to do these solutions, and the consequences of not preventing teenage pregnancy are crucial to the lives of teenagers and the people around them. I plan on beginning my speech with a picture of the main character of the popular show “The Secret Life of The American Teenager”. Although this show is not a reality show, it does resemble what many pregnant teenagers must go through and it will make an excellent attention getter. Hopefully I will be able to incorporate my acknowledgment of different perspectives on teenage pregnancy in the beginning as well. I will persuade my audience by using surprising statistics and different narratives. I will attempt to use vivid language in my narratives so that the audience can get a sense of the turmoil that pregnant teenagers must go through.

Chapter 14 Topic of Interest

A topic that I found very interesting was persuading different types of audiences. I thought about this topic a lot because I want all of my audience members to know that I have considered each perspective of my topic in great depth. The topic for my next speech is about the prevention of teenage pregnancy. Although I have many reasons and beliefs to discourage teenage pregnancy, I am aware that there are cultures that have fixed marriages and children often become pregnant at a young age. I respect that completely because it is a cultural tradition, and I want my audience to be aware of that. It is important to tell the audience the side that I am taking, but it is also important to stress the different perspectives that other audience members my have on my topic. It is difficult to incorporate these different opinions even though the book says to make it clear in the beginning. Any suggestions?

Immersed in a Sea of Persuasion

In today’s society, a lot of people try to push their opinions or persuasive messages upon me. I am immersed in a sea of persuasion through my peers, public speaking class, and especially around the mass media. My peers have many different opinions on topics that we discuss in class. I am a very open minded person, so I will usually not find myself disagreeing with my peers. This is not to say that I do not have an opinion, but I do take into consideration of everything my peers say. I tend to disagree with my peers when I believe my opinion serves my evidence to be favorable. In Comm20, I am persuaded to change my habits when people give me feed back. I take in what people say about my speeches because it will be beneficial to my next speech. The mass media has convinced me that there are many miscellaneous items sold. I enjoy watching infomercials about kitchen products that I think I need, but are unnecessary. Although I am persuaded to have a liking for these kitchen products, I never actually purchase them. In conclusion, I can become a more critical consumer of persuasive messages by considering their messages and taking time to consider what sort of action I want to take.

Chapter 10 & 12 Videos

The videos in Chapter 10 and 12 have taught me a variety of things to help my speeches. I have learned that it is extremely important to use inclusive language so that no one feels left out. It is important to use pronouns such as “you, us, and I” because it does not exclude anyone. Effective language is helpful because certain words are more influential. An effective voice is probably the most important part of the concept of language because it lets the speaker’s voice be heard. A speaker’s voice should be loud enough so that everyone in the room can hear it, but not so loud that it is overwhelming. The rate of voice is also important because if a speaker talks too fast, it may be a sign of nervousness. Having normal facial expressions and conversational gestures are also significant. Finally, practicing a speech, whether it is in a desk or on the bed, is extremely important. However, the last few practices should be done by standing up and in front of a small audience.

Flickr Discussion

I believe that language used on the web pages such as Flickr should not be taken literally unless the intention of the writing was meant to hurt a specific group of people. I agree with the author of “examples of sexist language” that “girl” and “woman” can be two completely different things. Although they both describe the gender of a person as female, girl and women are often used to describe maturity. Flickr uses the tag “girl” instead of “woman” and this can be viewed in a negative way. However, people should also realize that Flickr uses certain diction that is not meant to offend anyone. It is merely a language that is used online that has indirectly upset some people that are sensitive to word choice.

Chapter 12 Topic of Interest

I found the topic on accommodating for both the speaker’s and audience’s physical impairments very interesting. Although it may seem the physical impairments of some speakers can be distracting, I found it very considerate that these speakers prepare for the speeches before hand. They do this by adjusting their setting in order to make their impairments less of a distraction. For example, speakers that use crutches or wheel chairs will make sure that they have plenty of space to move about and nothing in front of them such as a table or podium to act as a barrier. When I read the section on accommodating for the audience’s physical impairments, I was reminded of a community meeting that I attended. There were several speakers and a large audience. The audience consisted of many different cultures and some had head phones used to translate what the speakers were saying. There were several people in the back with a head set that spoke Spanish and Chinese. It was very intriguing watching them do this job.

Speech #2 Self Evaluation

I believe my second speech was better than my first speech in some aspects. I am glad that I got to use Powerpoint because the content of my speech was emphasized through pictures rather than just words. I moved around less in my second speech, which is an improvement from my first speech because I was less nervous. I did not forget my visual aid this time. :)

My last speech was different from my first speech because of the content. I believe my last speech was easier for me to present because it was on a topic that I understood fairly well. However, my second speech was on something that I had just learned this semester, so it was a little more difficult for me to present because I wanted to gain my audience’s trust in my knowledge of this topic. I noticed that in my second speech I had very good eye contact during the introduction, but that faded because I was tempted to look at my Powerpoint. I believe I moved around less in my second speech, but I moved from different sides of the projection screen, which was distracting for my audience.

For my next speech, I would like to improve my content by using the Monroe’s pattern of organization to its fullest potential. It is very organized, so I am sure that if I gather the right facts and information, my content will be more understandable for the audience. I would also like to improve the delivery of my next speech by practicing more with Powerpoint. I want to improve on my eye contact by not only staring at my flash cards less, but also staring at my Powerpoint less as well. I would rate my eye contact at about a seven level. I would also like to improve my delivery by not doing anything distracting such as too much movement or hand gestures. I do not think that this has completely improved from my last speech, but hopefully it will improve by our third speech.

I achieved the purpose of my speech well because I presented it in the introduction and conclusion. I also used plenty of evidence to support my purpose such as clear explanations and pictures. I also included four citations in my speech, which made my evidence more trustworthy.

While doing my speech, I was less nervous than my first speech because I felt more prepared. Unlike my last speech in which I wore flats, I was much more comfortable in my sneakers. This made it easier to be stationary, even though I still moved around. I felt like Carol was a little upset because of the number of students that came to class this time, so that made me a bit nervous as well. Over all, my confidence was at an above average level because I practiced many times to understand the content of my speech.

If I got to do this speech all over again, I would definitely work better on time management. The program that I needed to use for my histograms (SPSS) was only available in Dudley Moorhead Hall, which is all the way across campus and only open on certain times and days. I needed more time to use SPSS so I could get more practice in. I would also practice more with Powerpoint to ensure that I would not stare at the screen and focus more on my audience. On a scale from A to F, I would give myself a solid B because I improved from my last speech. In my second speech, I did not forget my visual aid and I actually included four citations this time. I also moved around less, but not enough to make it seem less distracting. Much of my feedback from my peers stated that I spoke a little too quickly, which still did not compensate for my extended time of six minutes and twenty seconds. I am content with whatever grade I get, but I know that I did better than my first speech (enough to get in the A or B range). :)

Presenting to Five People

I presented my second speech again to five and these five people are: Steven Tran, Steven Liao, Alison Huang, Vanessa Alim, and Michael Cronenwett. In my second attempt, I definitely slowed my speech down. I believe this made the content of my speech more understandable I also had more eye contact with my audience rather than with my Powerpoint. I also did less moving of my arms and I stayed more stationary. I am glad that I did not walk around as much. This was probably due to the fact that there was no big project of my Powerpoint behind me. However, I sounded less enthusiastic this time, but I still sounded very knowledgeable of my topic. I believe I improved in some ways because I moved around less. I walk around during my speech because I feel nervous, so I feel like I need to pace around. I also focused on the audience more instead of my visuals. If I got to do the speech again, I would definitely slow down the pace my speech and focus more on the audience rather than my pictures. I would also try to stop walking back and forth or shuffling with my arms and feet. Receiving feed back from my audience helped me improve because they were honest. I noticed that most of everything I improved on made me have fewer improvements in the areas that I was strong in, such as enthusiasm. This exercise was useful, but I was ready to move on from this speech so maybe that was why I felt less enthusiastic.

Chapter 11 Concept

Something that I would really like to incorporate into my next speech is a small video clip. Brief videos in a speech really intrigue me because it is something different to look at and listen to during a long and engaging speech. I agree that videos should not be extremely long because it takes up a lot of time, which can bore and distract audiences. Videos should be perhaps at least fifteen seconds long and get a simple point across. With the availability of Youtube, I can find almost any video. I will definitely embed the video within my Powerpoint presentation because it will make the flow of the speech smoother. I will definitely have to check ahead of time to see if embedding the video will work before the day of the speech. Hopefully I can find a short and decent video on the prevention of teenage pregnancy.

Chapter 9 or 13 Concept

Because I did not use a Power Point presentation for my last speech, I am excited to use Power Point for my informative speech along with other visuals such as pictures. I thought about using a picture for my attention getter because audiences are usually attracted to “show” rather than “tell”. I believe adding commentary to the pictures will also capture the audience’s attention because they need guidance as to what the picture represents. I will make sure that the picture for the attention getter is flawless because first impressions are everything. In fact, all the pictures should be flawless to show my audience that I retrieved the pictures from a reliable source.

Introduction and Conclusion

The first part of an introduction begins with the attention getter. The attention getter grabs the audience’s focus towards the speaker. It is important to remember that the attention getter should not be very long because it could lose the audience’s attention towards the actual topic. Stating the purpose of the speech is next and this tells the audience what message the speaker is trying to come across. A purpose can be stated directly, but some speakers are able to incorporate stories that indicate the basic idea that a speaker is trying to convey. Establishing credibility can come before or after the purpose and this allows the audience to trust the information that is being conveyed from the speaker. The thesis is next and this usually consists of a preview of the main points. The thesis explains the argument or point and is supported by a preview of main points.

The last part of a speech is the introduction and it consists of three main parts: review of main points, reinforcement of the purpose, and closure. Reviewing the main points allows the audience to remember what was covered. Restating the purpose reminds the audience of why the speech was implemented and also has an affect on their reaction to the speech. Closure is a sign to the audience that the speech has ended. Closure must be graceful and smooth and must leave a memorable mark upon the audience.

I hope that I am able to incorporate a captivating attention getter in my informative speech. My informative speech is about income analysis and I was thinking about starting with a statistic about the financial income of SJSU students and their families. I hope that I can use a skewed distribution graph to show the audience where they lie upon this graph and give a brief description of the graph before going into bigger details about it. I believe I struggle with the conclusion the most. I believe I struggle with providing closure because I do not think I am good at leaving something memorable for the audience to remember. Perhaps I will figure out a dramatic statement about Bill Gates’s placement on the skewed graph compared to a typical student’s place, which is a very large difference in distance.

Video 9 & 13

In video 9.1, I learned the attention getter is a very important element in any speech because the audience needs to be captivated in order to sustain attention. In video 9.2, I learned that providing closure is very important because it lets the audience know that the speech is coming to an end. Restating the purpose and thesis is also important as a reminder of what kind of effect the speech was suppose to have on the audience. In video 13.1A, Evan’s speech about Techno Music was very informative. It sounded like he did his research very thoroughly because it was surprising to find out that techno music originated in Detroit. However, Evan’s hand gestures were a bit distracting. In video 13.1B, Janine’s speech about the Kodak Camera was also very informative. I really enjoyed her attention getter because she had a very simple and yet intriguing visual that certainly caught my attention. However, I thought she was a bit mono tone and her facial expressions were a bit blank. In video 13.1 “Use It”, I found that Katherine’s speech was fast pace, but very informative as well. I was never fully informed of what “Kosher” was until I heard her speech. From this video, I learned that using different visuals such as transparencies and card board projects can support a speech very well.

Chapter 7 & 8 Topic of Interest

One topic that I found interesting was the complete-sentence outline. In the past, I have always used this type of outline before the working outline because I have many ideas that I want to jot down quickly before I forget it. Writing simple or one worded sentences, like in the working outline, leaves me confused the next time I read it. I believe key words are important because it helps when implementing a speech, but using key words in a working outline confuses me. Although I believe the working outline provides good organization before the complete-sentence outline, but it is not useful for specific content.

Chapter 7 & 8 Videos

Video 7.1 has shown me different uses of support to help my speech. I like to use examples in my speeches because it helps my audience understand a confusing idea that I present. However, I have learned that examples make generalizations from only one point of view. I also like using facts and statistics because it supports my speech with significant information and numbers. Video 7.2 discusses the media credibility of newspapers, journals, and magazines. Although I dislike reading the newspaper on a daily basis, I have realized that newspapers are a very reliable source because it is current and there are also online newspapers. I believe I will use newspapers as a credible source for my next speech because it deals with income analysis. Video 8.1 discusses seven different types of organization patterns. I enjoy using the topical pattern because it simple applies to most speech topics that I have done in the past. However, after watching and reading about the cause-and-effect pattern, I would like to try it in perhaps my next speech. Finally, video 8.2 has shown me the importance of transitions. Using different transition words allows the audience to know that the speaker is moving on to the next main point, sub-point, or conclusion. This is important in a speech because using transition words does not leave the audience confused about where a speaker starts or leaves off from a different idea. Using transition words will benefit me because I do not think I use enough of them.

Facts and Statistics Effectiveness

Facts and statistics can be very beneficial in a speech because it allows the audience to think the speaker is knowledgeable about his or her topic. It shows that a speaker has done his or her research thoroughly if the facts or statistics are from a credible source. However, facts and statistics are usually beneficial for certain types of speeches. For example, facts and statistics come in handy when planning for a persuasive speech. Persuasive speeches call for the audience’s trust and reliability in a speaker. By providing facts and statistics from a reliable source, the audience finds the speaker more believable. In some cases, using facts and statistics in an informative speech can be beneficial. However, the point of an informative speech is, of course, to inform. By providing statistics, the audience may think that the speaker is biased. For example, when conducting a speech about cars, a speaker would not want to provide a dramatic air pollution statistic because it goes off topic and hints that the speaker is trying to persuade the audience to stop air pollution. Thus, facts and statistics should be carefully considered when incorporated in a speech.

Cultural Artifact Self-Evaluation

The Cultural Artifact Speech proceeded better than I had hoped for. I admit that I was nervous, but it was fun explaining about a cultural artifact that has long been a tradition in my family. Overall, I was comfortable in front of the audience. I was a bit nervous in the beginning and I felt very uncomfortable in my flats. However, as I started getting use to staring at everyone, I felt less nervous. I was quite confident with my speech because I enjoyed describing and informing facts to people. Although I forgot to bring up my visual aid, I did not let that mistake break me down and lower my confidence.

I believe I achieved the purpose of my speech very well. I presented the purpose openly with directness and I am sure that it was easy to comprehend. I also provided information such as history, tradition, and benefits to support my purpose. In order to improve the content of my next speech, I will state my sources. I was not aware that I needed to include my sources unless I said a quote. Although I did not mention any of my citations during this speech, I now realize that providing my sources allows for better credibility and makes the audience more confident in what I am telling them. In order to improve the delivery of my next speech, I will practice in front of larger audiences. I believe this will benefit me because it is a better method than just staring at my reflection all day or in front of one or two people.

The first thing that I noticed about my delivery was my confidence in the beginning. I suppose it was because my attention getter was in another language so no one could think negatively about what I said for a few seconds. I built off of this confidence and my delivery was good until I forgot the visual aid. However, I kept talking without looking at my note cards as I went to get my visual aid. I believe that that was good delivery even though it was not recorded on film.
As I watched my video, I noticed that I stuttered and said several vocal fillers such as "uh," or, "um". I felt like my stutters and vocal fillers were rather distracting because I did not even notice them as I was doing the speech. However, I did notice these fillers as I was watching the video. I also said the words "red envelope" too many times and that was quite distracting, not to mention annoying. I noticed that I was doing some odd gestures with my hands as well. I tended to wave my right hand many times in a weird fashion that looked like I wanted money. I did not pace around as much as I did while I practiced, but I did shuffle my legs many times. I also noticed that my eye contact was usually on the note cards. Although I stared at the audience every now and then, I tended to look up and down at frequent intervals. I would rate my eye contact as a six on a scale from one to ten.

On a scale from A-F, I would give myself a C based on what I noticed from my video. Although I felt like I did an adequate job for my first speech, there were some big mistakes that I noticed. The biggest mistake was when I did not incorporate my sources into my speech, which makes me lose credibility. If I could do the speech again, I definitely would have organized my speech with more support from my citations. Forgetting my visual aid was another down fall because that was a significant element to this speech. It was ironic because before I arrived to class, I also forgot my visual aid with only twenty minutes to go to my dorm and back to class. I rushed to get my visual aid from my dorm and I still forgot it as I presented my speech. If I could do the speech again, I would hold the red envelope along with the rest of my note cards so I would not forget it. Lastly, I believe my weird gestures and shuffling gave me my hypothetical grade. It was annoying and distracted the audience. If I could prepare for the speech again, I would set aside more time to stop my nervous habits so that I could get a better grade.

Drinking and Light Pollution Videos

Matthew’s persuasive speech about the prevention of drinking was very informative. Matthew presented lots of facts that seemed very life altering. It made me feel like I could have been one of those many victims of alcohol addiction because the statistics were extremely high. Matthew’s use of the over head was also very persuading because he showed the statistics through transparency sheets. The graph was convincing because it showed as the BAC (blood alcohol content) increased, the likelihood of getting into a car accident also increased. I also liked that Matthew used the students in the classroom as a potential statistic that supported his thesis. Courtney’s persuasive speech about light pollution was very straight forward. Her introduction listed several pollution topics that were already a problem in today’s world, but she emphasized the importance of light pollution so that her audience would understand what her speech was going to be about. She listed how light pollution was capable of affecting us economically and through our health. This made me realize that she structured her persuasive speech as a problem-solution pattern.

Although Matthew was monotone, he still did an excellent job on his speech. Matthew hardly projected any fillers such as “um, uh, a, like”. I have learned that using technology as simple as transparencies and an overhead can be very persuasive to the audience. Courtney has taught me that a problem-solution setup is very organized and allows a speech to flow easily.

Dynamism (Topic of Interest in Chapter 5)

I went to a workshop for Comm80 on February 16, 2009. This was very beneficial because we discussed verbal and physical delivery. I recall the instructor was talking about dynamism, the activity level during a speaker’s presentation. Professor Doyle told us that the audience expects a speaker to be over-the-top and evoke feelings that we usually would not in casual conversation. However, she also told us that we should avoid being too dramatic because the audience will become confused as to why our emotions are so extreme. Dynamism intrigued me because I find it difficult to evoke over-the-top emotions because I am more comfortable being monotone. It is difficult to be lively, confident, and strong while you are also concentrating on the content of your speech. I have tried to make speeches more enjoyable by evoking more emotions, but I felt like I was over doing it.

Audience Analysis and Adaption

Audience analysis is extremely important in the speech making process. Analyzing the audience allows a speaker to understand who he or she is speaking to. Once a speaker understands who the audience is, whether it is youth or adults, he or she is able to adapt to the audience. For example, a speaker discussing air pollution at UC Berkeley will most likely influence students greater than students at San Jose State University. UC Berkeley is notoriously known for having righteous students that are passionate about environmental issues. A speaker will speak with dynamism and sociability towards UC Berkeley students because they are more aware of the effects of air pollution. A speaker speaking towards San Jose State University students, however, will speak with less activity and probably state more facts in order to inform the audience of the effects of air pollution. Because the audiences in this communication class are college students, I can assume that I can speak in terms that a typical college freshman or sophomore will be able to understand. By analyzing my audience, I will be able to use this advantage and adapt my speech to them.

Chapter 6 Videos

The first video of Chapter 6 taught me that utilizing my library resources will be very helpful in my speech making process. Although I realize that other sources such as organizations and the internet are available, asking for a librarian’s help will ensure that I receive excellent information. Books are, after all, a good source for historical projects such as our cultural artifact speech. The second video of Chapter 6 has taught me that finding an appropriate interviewee will support the success of my speech. Dory’s speech about her family’s compassion for one another made me listen closely to details such as the bitterness of her great grandfather. I want to incorporate an actual person’s opinions and knowledge into my speech because I feel that the audience will be able to understand my topic better.

Topics of Interest In Chapter 6

Two topics that I found interesting were search engines and the interviewing process. I liked that the Public Speaking book provided us with a list of search engines. I had no idea that there were search engines such as brainboost.com that allows users to do research based on questions asked. I found this particular search engine quite useful because when I type in a question in a search engine such as Google, I end up with nearly no results. Although I have never implemented an interview before, reading about the process made me want to try it. I felt like my speech would become a more positive and rewarding experience if I used an interviewee as one of my resources. I also felt like recording my interviewee would allow my audience to become more fascinated by my speech. Hopefully I will be able to find an appropriate interviewee for all my speeches. :)

Conducting Research Interviews

In the past, I did not have much experience with research interview. My research was done mainly via online resources and occasionally with library books. I suppose it was because I have never considered using an actual person as one of my resources. Not only is it difficult searching for an appropriate interviewee, but it is also difficult to come up with questions. However, I do recall asking my parents for help on some background information for a historical project about Chinese culture. My parents gave me several topics that I could do research upon and specific details about them. The good part about my interviewing process was that it gave me a variety of topics even though I did not actually include my parents in the bibliography. The bad part was probably the language barrier between my parents and me because they were constantly breaking down the topics into simpler terms. My advice to everyone is to follow the book’s way of interviewing because it is sufficient and will ensure an excellent interview. I would also suggest using a person that speaks the same language, or have someone that is able to translate during the interview.

Responding to videos 2.1, 2.2, and Jessica's Intro

These videos have provided me with different techniques that are beneficial to my succees in presenting a speech. I learned that breathing techniques are useful when a person is nervous. Most people receive pre-speech jitters and they become so nervous that their heart rate may speed up. Breathing helps a person relax and slows the heart rate down. I have also learned that visualizing a positive outcome is more beneficial than thinking about a negative outcome. Jessica's introduction has taught me to be natural when presenting an introduction speech. Although it was probably difficult for Jessica to discuss about her brother with down syndrome, she became optimistic of the outcome and she presented her speech with eloquence.

Honesty and Accuracy

While reading Chapter 4, I was quite intrigued with the concept of truthfulness and anything along the lines of plagiarism. I thought plagiarism was interesting because it has always been emphasized in high school. I recall my teachers telling each and every one of us that plagiarism can lead to a failing grade, suspension, expulsion, and even law suits. Reading about plagiarism in the Public Speaking book and University Policy has informed me even more of the potential consequences. Reading Chapter 4 has also influenced me to search for more accurate results through online resources. It is important to be able to distinguish between primary and secondary sources, no matter how difficult searching for primary sources may be. It is a matter of being able to find reliable sources.

My Apprehensiveness Torwards Public Speaking

Public speaking has always been one of my greatest fears ever since I was able to speak. When I was younger, I always feared talking to people that I hardly knew because I did not know what they thought of my physical appearance. Although I have been viewed as social and do roughly well in public speaking, I still fear that people will dock me for my appearance or habits while speaking. I also fear stumbling upon my words and stuttering because I tend to apologize for my mistakes. I have done several speeches in the past that involved doing research, but my teachers were not very strict with the sources that were utilized. I fear that I am unable to correctly include my sources in my speech and sound like an idiot. Like most people, I also hate the feeling of sweat upon my palms and the jitters that I receive right before I speak. I feel like this is natural even for professional speakers, but it is a dreadful feeling none the less.

Introduction to Comm 20

Hello world, my alias name is "Piper" and I am excited to be involved in this online public speaking course :). I like to play volleyball in my spare time and I am currently taking a volleyball course in the morning, it's pretty fun and keeps me feeling productive. Other hobbies that I especially enjoy are playing card games, dominoes, and Rock Band :). I have lived in San Francisco for a majority of my life and I love the environment there. Although San Jose has a different vibe, I have enjoyed my college life here so far as I meet new people and endeavor new experiences.

My past public speaking experience has been minimal. There were several class speeches that I created in high school and I usually received average feedback. One of the courses that I took in Fall 2008 involved a very important speech about my college experience towards the end of the semester and it involved the use of Power Point. I must admit that it was a little difficult to work with Power Point while maintaining eye contact and ensuring that I got my point across to the audience. It was also difficult to move to the next slides because the computer and mouse were located behind me, making it awkward to look back every one or two minutes. I have the tendency to say "um" in between my sentences as I gather my thoughts, so that is one thing that I would like to work on in this class. I would also like to learn how to communicate effectively with people whether it is at meetings or social events because I can be extremely timid and shy. I hope that I gain plenty of beneficial communication skills and have fun viewing and creating videos :).