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.