Outlines

The concept that I thought was the most helpful was the outline that we were asked to create and submit for corrections and comments. I thought that this was hepful because it forced me to actually write out my speech ahead of time so that I could not wait until the last minute. I also thought the outlines were really helpful because we were able to get feedback on them. This helped me a lot because whenever I submitted an outline I found out if I was on the right track or not. The comments the teacher gave me were always helpful and reassuring. I thought that during the third outline when we were allowed to make corrections and get more points it was a great idea and incentive. I thought that this should have been the case for all of out outlines but oh well. Overall I think the outlines were a great idea and the structure in which we were supposed to compose them was always clear and easy.

Self Evaluation #3

I chose to give my persuasive speech on why people should choose to participate in regular physical activity. This topic was important to me because it is something I feel strongly about, since I have been an athlete all my life. I think that I achieved the purpose of my speech because I do not think many people disagreed with me afterwards. I used different forms of logic to persuade the audience as well as inductive and deductive reasoning. I proved and backed up the points I made with relevant and surprising statistics. I also offered suggestions that the audience could take and use in order to participate in their daily or weekly physical activity. While I was presenting my speech I felt very calm and comfortable. This is because the topic was something that I knew well and felt strongly about. I felt that in a way it was my responsibility to convince my audience that they should participate more thoroughly in physical activity. Therefore, as I was reviewing my tape I could see the good points I made and how I sounded passionate about my topic. I was nervous at first, by as I got through my introduction my nerves went away and I was a fully confident speaker.
If I had to do it all over again I would make very few changes. When it comes to preparation I feel that I always could have done more. I could have practiced my speech a few more times. I felt that because I made adjustments to me speech on the day before I was a little shaky but in the end it all turned out alright. I felt that I was not underprepared at all, because I did practice my speech several times and edited it accordingly. However, what I didn’t do was practice it in front of different audiences and this is something that could have been fixed. When it comes to support I was lacking when I submitted my outline. However, I took advantage of the opportunity to improve my speech (and outline) and inserted the correct amount of sources, providing me with enough support when it came time to present. I included the minimal amount of sources, which was four, and I could have gone beyond that to make my speech more credible. On the topic of organization I thought that my speech was well organized and thought out. As I wrote earlier, I made changes at the last minute and this could have been avoided if I had gotten my organization right the first time. However, I made the necessary changes and therefore came out with a speech I was really happy with. The content of my speech was strong and accurate. I feel that I could have included more facts and statistics in order to give my audience a better idea of how drastically physical activity can benefit them, but it was not necessary. It would have helped but I didn’t include more because I was worried about going over when it came to time.
There were specific changes from my last speech to this speech. This speech has a much more powerful attention getter and I think I engaged the audience from the start. During my last speech my attention getter was a little duller and not as interesting. Also, during this speech I made much more eye contact and looked more calm and comfortable than I did during my informative speech. However during my informative speech I feel that the content of my speech was better. It sounded much better researched and well written. Although I like the performance I gave during my persuasive speech, I feel the overall content of my informative speech sounded more credible. During my persuasive speech I do not feel like I distracted the audience very much at all. My body language was good. This was not the case in my informative speech. I did not glance at my note cards or move my body as much during my persuasive speech, like I did in my informative speech. However, I did touch my hair twice during my persuasive speech and this could have been a slight distraction to the audience. However, overall I think that this speech, the persuasive speech, was better that my informative speech. I came off as a much more confident speaker and I provided the audience with the information and reasoning why they should participate in more physical activity.
I would give myself an A on the speech. This is because I carried out my topic and the information well. I supported what I was saying very strongly and I provided the audience of what they could do to take action. I followed the criteria set before me and did not allow my nerves to get to me. I also cited four sources throughout my speech, and this was the requirement. I fulfilled all the guidelines that I needed to complete and therefore I think I would have given myself and A.
Of all three speeches I gave I think that I performed the best in this one. During my other two previous speeches I felt I was very nervous and this affected my performance greatly. During this speech I was nervous during the introduction then I did not let my nerves get the best of me. I performed confidently and did a good job throughout my speech. I thought that this speech was well researched, as were the other two, but during this one I felt I was the most passionate because I was really trying to persuade my audience to follow what I was saying and take action.

What I Learned

During my time in this class I think I learn a lot abpout public speaking and some of the things I can do to become a better speaker. I thought I learned the most from the last speech we did, the persuasive speech, because I learned different techniques how to persuade someone to change their view on a topic. I really liked the topics I chose for all three of my speeches, so I learned also that if you choose a topic that you like you are more likely to do well on the speech. I also learned a lot from the readings in the books and the reading of other people's blogs. In the future I think that this class really benefitted my abilty to speak confidently in front of others. I think that in the future as long as I plan ahead and create an outline, like in did in Comm20, I will be able to succeed whenever I am faced with a speech.

My Favorite Speech

My favorite speech was the demonstration speech when I taught the class how to shoot a basketball. It was my favorite for a variety of reasons. First is because I got to teach the class something I was passionate about, since I love the game of basketball. Second, it was interesting for me because as I did my research I learned more about a topic that I was truly interested in And finally it was my favorite because it was really fun. I had a good time writing and presenting my speech and it didn't really seem like work at all. I enjoyed this speech also because as I demonstrated I felt a lot less nervous because I was actively presenting and moving around throughout my speech.

Discussion

A recent discussion when I tried to persuade others, was when I was in my literature class. I was trying to prove a point about a book we were reading. I was trying to convince them that the failed relationships the main character experienced affected all of the relationships she encountered throughout the rest of her life. The book was "The God of Small Things" and in it the main character goes through a failed marriage and a strained relationship with her parents and children. The reasoning I used was giving examples from the text. I pointed out several quotes prove my case. The reviwed andfollowed with what I was saying and evenutally the majority agreed with me.

The Sea of Persuasion

I'm am immersed in a sea of persuasion as my friend's try to convince me to stay up late and study (when all I really want to do is go to bed), my mom and dad try to encourage me to save money, and internet pop-ups try to get me to buy their products. When I listen to speeches they are usually trying to persuade me to do something that will make my life "better." The media is constantly trying to persuade me to dress a certain way and buy certain products as television commercials seem to be on all the time. To become a more critical comsumer of persuasive messages I can evaluate the information I am getting by thinking about what the seller is getting out of it. For example, think about why they want me to make the product and how reliable and valid of a source they actually are.

speech progress

The progress of my speech has been slow because I have been very busy lately but I am finally getting a start on it. I am researching why people should play sports. It is a topic I completely agree with so I am hoping the research will not be too difficult. M?y main points will be the social aspect and environment sports provide, as well as the good physical exercise a person gets as they participate in sports. I do not know how I will end my speech but I think I will begin with my personal experience with sports. I plan on persuading my audience by relating the importance of sports into their lives and make them realize that they have time for it; then, show the benefits of sports and how they can "implement" them into their life (as explained in Monroe's Motivated Sequence).