Baby Steps!

         Out of any speech I have ever given, I would say that I was the most prepared for this persuasive speech. In my initial outline, I failed to prepare a thesis statement and an adequate conclusion, something that my peer editors noted. They also provided a great amount of constructive criticism that was extremely useful in finalizing my outline and resulted in a better finished product. I used these critiques to craft my best COMM 204 speech yet. I believe I used the prefect amount of research: just enough to support my claims, but not too much that it may drown them out. Furthermore, I had more time to prepare and practice my delivery than I did for my Informative speech.

         My delivery significantly improved from the informative speech as well. I wrote less on my cards as I relied heavily on them for the first speech and did not want to allow myself to use them as a crutch. For this speech, I only wrote the order of the speech, transitions, quotes, and my thesis statement. Although I did not use the cards as frequently as I did before, I would like to continue to improve on my usage. In addition, I finally understood how important it is to rehearse your speech in advance. In my first run-through I realized that my speech was well over the time limit and seemed to be choppy. With each practice, I noticed the delivery felt more smooth and natural and fit the time requirement. Another important lesson I gathered from this experience is that speaking about a topic you are interested or passionate about makes the speech more interesting. I stumbled upon my topic of “Celebrity Privacy Rights” after Googling a list of persuasive speech topics. It peaked my interest making finding research more exciting and hopefully my excitement made the speech more stimulating.      

         In my next speech, I would like to refrain from using notecards at all. I have been using them as a crutch. Even though I feel confident and prepared, I have noticed that the presence of the cards causes me to rely them. As for the next speech, I am excited to incorporate a visual aid. Many of my classmates have used them in the first two speeches and they have been extremely effective. I hope to refrain from using too many picture or words as some of my classmates’ presentations have presented an overwhelming amount of information at once. Hopefully, in my class discussion presentation, I can present the “Don’ts” of PowerPoint from the article, “How to Avoid Death By PowerPoint.”

         Overall, I am pleased with how this speech turned out and I look forward to continuing to improve for my Visual Aid Speech!

Taking a Step Back from my Speech

            Last Tuesday night, I sat on my couch and tried to procrastinate writing my Introduction speech. I kept asking myself what my peers would want to know. Would they want to hear about the time I rode my bike into a rose bush or perhaps the time my preschool friend and I gave each other bowl cuts? No, I want something substantial, yet not overly dramatic. After much consideration, I opted to discuss an event that I deem the most influential experience of my life: my close call with a prosthetic foot. With a 90 second time limit, it was important to explain the basics of the story while adding a few central details. To ensure I covered all the information I planned, I wrote a few bullet points on a small index card. Remembering speech techniques from my high school career, I attempted to capture my audience with a funny, yet relatable quote and a follow up question. It felt a bit gimmicky, but I hoped it would be appropriate for the nature of the speech. After telling the light-hearted side of my story, I closed with the same quote from the opening, reminding my audience to “literally, take a step back”, a piece of advice I wish I had followed years ago. In regards to the delivery of the speech, I think I did well. I tried my best to avoid my typical pitfalls: swaying side to side, touching my hair, and speaking too quickly. However, there is still room for improvement. I look forward to hearing some feedback from both my classmates and Cynthia.

           As an audience member, I anticipated some feelings of secondhand embarrassment and anxiety for those with speech apprehension. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I never experienced any of these emotions. Even the most timid student found their confidence when speaking about their passions and hobbies. Shaky voices became strong and clammy hands became tools for gestures. I once dreaded listening to my classmates nervously ramble for 90 seconds but quickly came to realize it wasn’t long enough. These speeches helped me better understand my classmates and future audience. I believe that this exercise will make speaking to the class more relaxed because I now see that we share the same fears and the same intentions. Our class is a safe place where we all deliver the support we crave.