Self Evaluation #3

Speeches are always stressful in the beginning. For this last speech, the persuasive speech I realized I was lot more nervous than ever before. Although, I was really nervous feel my purpose was achieved. The feed back I received from the audience showed that they were persuaded. I think what could have made the purpose more achieved is if I had put more facts into the speech. The feedback I got from the audience was good though. They said that they liked the solutions and they were persuaded.

During the speech I was not comfortable at all. I was not confident in what I was saying. My mind was caught up in not being about to remember the information. I was even nauseous before I went up to speak to everyone. I think difference of this speech and the others was that I went close to the end and that meant that the more I sat and had to wait, the more anxious I became. The first speeches I went near the beginning so it made it easier to get up there after having practiced on the drive to school and a little before that. My pep talks to myself were still alive in me but having to wait and constantly playing over what might go wrong really hurt my score and deliverance this time.

If I had to do it again, the changes I would make in preparation would be to practice in front of people a couple of times and different groups of people too. I think that is what helped me for the first speech. I had practiced in front of my sister a couple of times and that gave me a chance to see her reaction to what I was saying. It was either she was not paying attention, which meant I was not doing a good job of making it interesting and then the time when she would make eye contact with me with a look of concern , meaning she was listening. So the changes would be in preparation and practice.
For organization, I would do more research on the choices of my solution and for delivery, I would say that would make more eye contact with my audience, smile when talking about the solution and get them excited about it. I remember I had done that for the informative speech, I got really excited about telling how incense were made and I could see that the audience got a little interested as well. So showing the right kind of emotion for each moment in the speech. For example if I were doing the part on facts, I would be more serious but then as I go into solution and action I would smile and speak a little faster with energy.

One of things I found myself doing was moving from side to side a bit and I thought that was distracting to the audience. This was not an improvement from my last speech because I was very nervous going near the end. If I were to rate my eye contact I would say it was about a six or seven. I wish I had looked more at the audience but I was nervous when I would look at someone, I would forget my next line. I was shocked at how nervous I was this time compared to the last two times. If I were to grade myself I would have given myself a B because I done all the information part correctly but I slipped a bit in the delivering part. I did make eye contact, project my voice and have a visual for the audience but just not making enough eye contact took some points away.

Compared to my last two speeches, I would say in deliverance, this speech was not the best of what I could do if I had practiced more. I do think the challenge of the organization might have thrown me off a little but on the contrary I think my outline was fairly better than the rest of my other outlines. In my speech I think I mention three sources which I could have done a better job with too because I did have a lot of facts and reference but I just did not incorporate it in my speech. Looking back on all three speeches I think I did best on the first speech, the informative because I practiced a lot and did everything I could possible to be prepared. I remembered to be enthusiastic about it and have a purpose going in. the last two I practiced but not enough to do an excellent job. I was very proud of the first one and I wish that I could see the improvement. I think the area in which I feel like most improved in was the writing and researching part. I finally understand how to write a proper outline, which am very proud of. This was a gret learning experience and will carry all that I have learned in public speaking and organization to the next level in every opportunity that comes way.

future endeavors

I think ill be taking a lot from this class. First, being that online classes are more tough than one thinks. I thought it would be easy doing the blogs and the assignments but its tough keeping track and when to go on. I started slipping after the third week and it kind of has been downhill after that. Secondly, do research early so that you have time to plan and practice. Thirdly, remember to breathe and do the breathing exercises. Overall, I learned about organization and keeping on track. This semester I tried many new things and learned a lot about myself as a public speaker and as a student.

Favorite Speech. Why?

The Actuative Speech was my favorite one especially because I was given the opportunity to come up with my own solution to the issue. I learned quite a bit on doing background research as well. Another reason why I liked it was because the outline process made sense to me and I was able to turn it in on time. But in delivering the speech, I would have to say my favorite speech was the first one which as the Informative Speech. I was most prepared, I was confident in what I was telling the class and I made the most I contact in that one. I guess I was comfortable with information and what I was saying.

recent discussion

Recently, I have tried to get my sister to go out with me. She has been really stressing about school and hardly ever gives herself anytime to relax and just breath. So I tried to convince her to come with me to Santana Row and walk around a bit. I used deductive reasoning to persuade her. I told her, you have been over worked and that is why you are stressed. Therefore you should go out and wine down a bit. It went over pretty well. I drove her there and we walked for about thirty minutes, sat on a bench, had some frozen yogurt and chatted it up.

concept- ch15

In chapter 15 on Understanding Arguments, I found the sections on claims very interesting and helpful. The book discusses that there are two types of claims: premise and conclusion. Premises are reasons that support the conclusion and the conclusion is the main position on the issue that the speaker stands for. It reminded me of an essay, you have your body paragraphs where you state reasons to support your thesis and in this case the thesis is the conclusion. I found that words the book suggests to be use very helpful as well because it signals the premises. For example, because, on account of, and due to. For the conclusion, the book suggests using words like, thus, therefore, and accordingly. The section on phrasing claims was also useful. The book talks about other words that can help the audience be less defensive like, probably, likely, usually, and often. These words are called qualifiers because they make it more reasonable to the audience. I often have a hard time wording my sentences so that they all link together. I think using most of these words will help better my speeches.

Immersed in a sea of persuasion

I think everyday we are put in situations where we are trying to be persuaded into doing something or trying to persuade others. It can be in anything and anywhere, at the mall, social outings, school, and media. Some examples of persuasive messages are in book reviews, either persuading readers to buy or not buy the book. It could be mobile phone kiosk reps who try to sell the phones to passing shoppers. Another example would be environmental advertisements encouraging people to recycle. To become a more critical consumer, it is important to know face from inferences; if the sources are reliable; the arguer’s facts and ideas should be sound and have credible evidence. It is said that facts and statistics are important but better persuasion has testimonies, definitions, and narratives.

Concept- ch14

I thought the section on the apathetic audience to be very interesting. For apathetic audiences, the book dicusses the ways you can deal with that kind of audience. This type of audience usually knows of the topic but doesn’t feel it applies to them. So it is important to make a connection between the topic and the audience. There are four things the speaker must do and they are to: get the their attention and make them care about the issue, show how the issue will effect them, the speaker should display passion for the topic with a lot of energy, and lastly emphasize on a main idea that relates to why the audience should be concerned. This section to me is important because when I speak to people about any topic, I think most of the time they will be familiar with it but might not care, so this section helps me understand what I need to do when im in front of this type of audience.

Concept-ch.12

I found a lot of useful and interesting concepts in chapter twelve but the couple ones I found particularly useful and most interesting were “Gender” from Understanding Factors that Influence Delivery and the second was Facial Expressions. For the Gender section, it discussed the difference in delivery for most genders. Women usually speak softly because of the way most are brought up and encouraged to speak quietly, while it was the opposite for men and boys. The chapter points out that when asking a question, our voice pitch goes up, making us sound less confident. The second concept I found amusing was, Facial expression. The chapter discussed that if you are talking about a serious topic, you should try not to smile because it sends off different messages. But it is important to smile when starting the speech because it shows the audience that the speaker is happy to speak to them and be there.

Self Evaluation #2

Speaking in front of an audience has become a lot less stressful for me. For my second speech I felt more at ease in front of the audience. The book gave a lot of suggestions for how to be less nervous and I used the exercises for the last speech and this past one.

For this past speech, I spoke about water pollution in China. Although I was less prepared, I felt comfortable in front of everyone. I had a powerpoint presentation with clear points and images. With the visual aid and my speech, I felt I achieved my purpose to inform students about water pollution. I spoke about the causes, effects, and improvements of the water issue in China. During the speech I felt comfortable because I my goal up in front was to get my message across to the class and that was all I focused on. I also practiced projecting my voice a couple times in my room and in my car before the day of the speech. As far as confidence, I was not as confident this time. I did not know my information as well as the last speech. I read a lot from my cards and looked at my powerpoint. I think that was also another reason, I was comfortable.

Some of the things I found that were distracting in my speech was not looking at the audience because I did not feel connected at all with them. I wanted to look at the audience but if I did, I did not know what to say. I relied on my cards way too much this time and this were I feel I faltered. I was very confident in my information and the organization of it but the presentation lacked a bit much. The part I felt I improved on since the last speech was definitely the sources and information I had. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give myself a 3 because did look up a couple times, my conclusion was the only time I spoke to the audience and it felt really good because I meant what I said at the end about how lucky America is lucky to have the technology to keep our water clean. After all the research and stories I learned about the suffering people have through because of polluted, it made really appreciate the life we have here in the United States. Based on my performance in the class, I would give myself a B grade because I spoke clearly, it was well organized and filled with interesting information with sources. The reason I can not give my performance an A because I did not make eye contact, read a lot off of my cards.

In my speech I mentioned eight source citations. This speech, if I had memorized my information and could have just spoke to the class about it, I think it would have been better than the last speech. But altogether, I do not think it was better especially because of the eye contact. I think in a speech, as a speaker we have to make a connection with the audience and in my case I did not do that, expect for the ending because I related it to the class. If I were to do the speech again I would definitely, prepare my outline earlier, finish my research as soon as possible, practice by myself until I had the timing correct an then practice in front of a couple of friends, and possibly two different times to different groups.

One goal for the content, I think I will continue what I have been doing and keep referencing and keep the flow of the information. One goal for improving delivery is to speak to the class and not the cards or the visual aid. The bad thing about this speech was eye contact and the good was the content and organization. The bad of the last speech was too many distracting hand movements and the good was delivery, visual aid, and organization.

Overall, I think the presentation went well with the fact that I did not get the chance to practice as much as I had hoped to. I really enjoyed researching and learning about my topic and in some way I hope the class took something from the issue of water pollution in China.

Ch. 11 Concept

In chapter 11, I found that the part called “ language enlivens your ideas” very helpful. It discusses the way we use language and words. When we speak to our audience we should try to use a system of words because the people listening can understand it in many different ways because language is ambiguous though culture. We should try to choose our words carefully depending on the audience, tailoring it to culture and gender, so that our purpose is best understood. The book also mentions the we should try to speak in a conversational manner, audience centered language, making it more personal, visual and to help the audience imagine our language.

concept-ch.9

I found the "conclusion development" very useful. The book discusses that as the speaker, I should briefly mention my main points of my presention, encourage my purpose with a memorable message and give some kind of closure with a quote, dramatic statement, or refer to the introduction. The last couple of points that are mentioned in the conclusion are best remembered by the audience than in the body part of the speech, which is also known at recency effect. I found all of this very important so that for my next speech I will put just as much effort in the conclusion as the rest of the speech.

Facts and Statistics

I find facts and statistics are most effective in speeches that need them as a support to prove something like a persuasive speech. But I find that facts are always effective in any speech because they are good for supporting your purpose or main points. For statistics, like the book mentions that statistics are numerical data and too much of them can be boring. Facts and statistics are not effective when a speaker over uses them. As the speaker we have to keep the audience in mind and if it does not keep the audiences attention then that means it is not effective. So I think its important to include just enough facts and statistics to make a point clear to the audience.

Self Evaluation #1

Speaking in front of a crowd of more than five people has always made me nervous. In the past, I have always spoke softly in front of an audience because I was a afraid and never really was prepared for what I had to say. Even if I had practice, I would think negatively about what I had to say and about myself. But for this first speech in Public Speaking, I felt better prepared with all the advice from the blogs and from the book. It was interesting to see myself on the video. I was hesitant to watch it because I thought I did terrible. Before I pressed the play button to watch myself, I remember telling my friends and family a couple hours before that, watching the video of myself is compared to watching a horror movie because I am curious to see how thing turned out but am afraid of it all at the same time.

After watching the video I felt a little better about how everything went. Before going to the class I reminded myself that I should not think about anything but the purpose of why I was going to be there on that day and in that room; that purpose was to inform people about my topic of incense. I felt I achieved this purpose through emphasizing my main points and having visuals to enhancing the presentation. Considering past experiences, I was fairly comfortable and confident in how I delivered my speech. I did notice that my body was a bit tense even though I had a lot of hand movements.

There are a couple of things I would have done differently in the speech if I were to get the opportunity to do I again. First, for preparation I would practice seven times with full sentence outline, another seven times with keyword notecards, and give the speech to three different people to get feedback. Secondly, for delivery I would make sure I would not say “um” and “ugh” so often and try to make more eye contact with the audience. One of the goals I have for improving the content in my next speech and that is to mention my sources briefly when I give proof of something or refer to a point. Another goal I have for the next speech in delivering it is to not say “um” and “ugh” as much.

Some of the things I noticed after watching the video of my speech delivery was that I had a lot of hand movements that became a bit distracting. Also saying “um” and “ugh” repeatedly took a lot away from the information and presentation. Some of the positive things I saw were, I spoke clearly and I was able to touch on the main points. I also noticed that I did not mention any of my sources during the speech. This is something I must remember to do. Making eye contact was also an issue for me and if I were to rate myself on a scale of one to ten, I would have to give myself a 7.5 because I did look at a couple students in the audience, I hardly looked at my note cards, and had very little words to read from the Power Point to force me to look at the audience.

Overall, I enjoyed informing people about incense and I would give myself an A- especially because my purpose was to inform people about incense in a clear way and I feel I was successful in doing that because it was clear in stating them and with the critiques from the classmates, I found that they did understand the main points. Secondly, I put a lot of energy to my voice so that it would not be boring. I was very interested in my topic and I saw through the video that I was excited to tell everyone about it. Thirdly, the Power Point enhanced my presentation because it helped the audience see a visual of what I was speaking about.

Concept- Ch.5

I found the section on “developing credibility with your audience” to be very informative. I learned that what goes under a speakers credibility are competence, socialabilty, dynamism, and trustworthiness. For competence, it means to be knowledgeable about your subject. So that means that a lot of researching should go into talking about the topic. Secondly, is being trustworthy which means the audience wants to feel the sincerity of the speaker and actually cares about them. Thirdly, dynamism is being about to put on a good performance in a way. Lastly, sociability is being able to connect with audience. These are four things I will keep in mind while I practice for my speech. I find that all these dimensions to be very important for the speaker to keep in mind. I want to make sure that know as much as I can about my topic, be lively, sincere, and make people feel that they can relate to what I speak about.

Speech Buddy: Ch.6

There was a lot of useful tips in the video 6.1. I learned that preparing for research is crucial to having good content for a speech. When I start researching for my topic, I should write out what I do know the topic and what I want to know about the topic. This I find very helpful because what I do know might be what someone else knows in the audience and what I don’t know they might not know either. This gives me a chance to look up what I want to know about the topic and hopefully it appeals to the audience as well. I also learned that gathering multiple perspectives is also key in gathering information. Having valid and different opinions help balance the speech.

Conducting Research Interviews

The last time I conducted a research interview was when I was sophmore in high school and it was for a term paper on World War II. The research was on the experience of people in the United States, and what the families who had son’s in the war went through. I interviewed an old friend of my mothers. The process of getting the questions together was not that difficult. The important thing I remember was to know the purpose of the research, and having some idea of what kind of answer you are expecting. I made observations on other research interviews and used them as models to conduct my own. This was a pretty big paper so the interview took quite some time. I brought with me an audio recorder and a notepad to write with as well. I had a lot of fun doing this especially because the topic was personal to me. I would say the difficult part of this was not the interview but more after the interview and how to gather the information and put it into my research paper.

Concept- Ch.6

In chapter 6, I found the concept of “examining your own experience” very useful. It explains when choosing a topic, you can associate the topic to your own experiences. I find most times it can be hard to think of what to talk about and how to prepare for the research, so the book also suggested to jot down some words that related to the topic or to just make a list of what you do know about the topic. This will help lead me to finding better sources. From what I understood, keywords can really help my research. Also, how I learned it, so from where I learned about the topic. So its original source can assist me know where to look for more information.

Concept- Ch.2

The concept of “Relabeling” in chapter 2 is very useful for me. It explains that replacing a negative word or feeling with a positive word or thought will help ease anxiety. Most of the time when I get nervous, I tend to say to myself, “stop being nervous” which never helps because it makes me even more nervous. So by telling myself when I am nervous that, “im very excited” makes it more of a positive feeling. I understand that it wont instantly go away but hopefully it will help ease the nerves.

I guess it is all in how you think about the experience. This chapter also mentions that if we think public speaking is chore, we most likely will not be excited about it but if we think that public speaking gives us a chance to express our ideas and get feedback from an audience, we will be more enthusiastic about public speaking. Even though its still a challenge for me, I will try replacing negative words for optimistic words.

interactive video ch2

I enjoyed watching the videos because they all gave really good advice. From video 2.1 I learned that the preparation for each speech is crucial to having a successful presentation. I have never tried relabeling a negative feeling before, so I will try that the next time I feel like I have a negative thought. Visiting the location of the speech room, never commenting on being nervous, and visualizing the speech going well are all things I will keep in mind when preparing for the upcoming speech.

I had a hard time choosing a topic for each speech and I wanted to find something I cared about, so I agree with the buddy in 2.2 when she suggested to find a topic we are most interested in. I think that way, I can be more engaged and enthusiastic about what I am talking about.

I also did the ch.2 activity from the video and l learned that if I have a shaky voice I should try increasing my voice and be as loud as I can. I find myself being nervous and I getting all choked up when speaking, so this was really important to me. Also breathing, I guess when I am a little more than anxious I forget to breathe, so the activity suggested that on the top of a note-card, write “Breathe” to remind myself to take a deep breath.

What makes you apprehensive about public speaking?

In the book, it mentions the sources of speech anxiety which are uncertainty about your role as a speaker, your speaking abilities, your ideas, the audience’s response, the setting, technology, and evaluation. There are three of these that make me apprehensive about public speaking. First, is the uncertainty of my speaking abilities mostly because when I get nervous my voice is either really low or really “quivery” which can be very embarrassing. Second, is the uncertainty about my ideas because I worry I don’t know enough about what I am talking about. And lastly, my uncertainty about the audiences response. This goes with the second one for me and the reason that is, is I worry about if I know enough and then it makes me stress about what the audience think about what I am saying and usually what comes to mind are pretty negative, something I am working on. The book also mentions to stay positive, so that is something ill try next time.

About Me

Hi, everyone! I am a junior at SJSU, majoring in Art and Design and working towards getting into the BFA Graphic Design program. I have never taken an online class before so I am excited to learn more about how it all works. Since the class is mostly online, I really hope I can learn just as much online as in a regular class and possibly more. 

In graphic design and I'm sure in other majors, it is required to do a lot of public speaking, therefore I hope this class can help me build my public speaking skills. I'm terrified of public speaking and that is also the reason why I am taking it so late in my college semesters. My goal is to be able to speak with confidence and eloquence. 

Thanks for reading,

hfon27