Month: May 2021

JOURNAL # 4: After submitting your final version of Speech 2, compose an honest self-reflection journal analyzing Speech 2.  What went well during the speech?  What can be improved?  Consider delivery, content, organization, and audience reaction in your response.    

Based on the response to my first version of Speech #2 I would say that I did rather well with one specific thing being said as something I can (and did) improve for the second version of it. As for the positives that others stated and I agreed with, I think I did a good job at delivering it in a way that showed I was comfortable with public speaking, spoke with emphasis and emotion that enhanced the speech, and avoided common shortcomings of speeches such as the use of filler words. Eye contact was listed as something I could improve upon by others in my group, and after watching back the speech I could agree. It distracted from the message, so for future reference I shall do my best to maintain eye contact with the camera, despite it feeling somewhat awkward.

Outline:

Main Points

• Item is a button
  • Rather plain button and comes in a small, cheap jewelrybox
• It was given to me by my mother
  • She got it from a friend she worked with who was the initial recipient of it
• It’s a button given to winners of a Nobel Prize
  • My mother didn’t win it, but her friend did. She won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in either 2018 or 2017
• I consider it a token of my parent’s willingness to give up things in their own life for me
  • I didn’t understand at first why my mother gave me it considering its value as well as how it was originally meant for her. Later understood she does this kind of thing a lot for me.

What are the big takeaways from chapters 11 and 12?  In a full journal entry, help explain the significance of what you found important and what you connected with in the chapter.  (150 words/chapter).

Chapter 11: This chapter focused on how to properly organize a speech’s body, as the title suggests. It goes in depth about the various parts that make up a speech such as the main points, supporting points, and transitions as well as the ways they should be implemented in an outline. For instance, when talking about the main subjects of a speech, the chapter suggests that you have each major idea you wish to convey in its own bullet point so that the message you share is clear. It also mentions ideas on how to properly use supporting points to strengthen your main ideas, using a mix of coordinating and subordinating points that enhance what you say in different ways. At the end of the chapter it focuses on transitions and how to properly use them, as some can help sequence the speech you are using while others can indicate changes in the subject you’re speaking on.

Chapter 12: This chapter focuses on the various ways that a speech or speech outline can be organized into a pattern that suits the subject. It brings up different kinds of patterns such as chronological, spatial, causal, problem-solution, topical, and narrative while providing examples of each and the contexts where they best perform. The chapter also includes tips to effectively utilize speech patterns, such as blending a combination of different patterns if a given topic could benefit from it. For instance, a causal pattern as well as a chronological pattern might work well together if a speech focuses on an event and the factors that led up to an event occurring. I personally feel like this chapter is particularly important, as the use of patterns is something intrinsic in speech in a day-to-day setting, but it can be mastered in the art of public speaking so it can be used at its full potential.

Prompt: Select a small object from home that means something to you.  In 2-3 paragraph narrative describe it and explain why it is holds meaning for you.  THEN, convert your narrative into an outline (think: points and subpoints).  We will use the outline next week to deliver a 1-2 minute speech describing the object and helping us to understand its significance.   Post both the narrative and the outline.

In my house there is a small jewelry box that contains a button that my mom gifted to me a few years back. The button itself appears rather mundane and I personally wouldn’t wear it as it’d just clash with anything else I’d wear. However that button is very important to me because it’s an incredibly special thing that my mother gave to me. It’s a button that’s given to winners of the Nobel Prize to denote their status.

Now while my mother is definitely quite awesome, she didn’t win the award. But she did work with someone and was friends with them when they won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. That friend gave the button she had earned to my mother as a gift and then she gave it to me, and since then I’ve kept it safe in its box and not taken it out.

Other than its clear value due to it being something special, the button also represents an example of how my parents have throughout their lives been willing to pass on good things that came to them through their own work onto me. This sort of willingness to pass on good things in your life towards others even if you “rightfully earned it” has been something I’ve wanted to and tried my best to adopt and practice regularly, so this button that I feel is a sort of physical representation of that holds a special place in my heart.

Outline:

What is the item?

• Give a brief overview on what the item is

How did I get said item?

• Mention how the item came into my possession

Why is it important?

• Speak about the specifics on why the object is special outside of what it physically is

Prompt: What are the big takeaways from chapter 1?  In a full journal entry, help explain the significance of what you found important and what you connected with in the chapter.

The first chapter spoke very briefly about a variety of things that pertained to public speaking, including a bit of history, the reasons to pick up public speaking as a skill, how you can learn to improve your public speaking skills, some varieties of communication, and the components of a speech.

I personally found the sections that spoke about the different kinds of communication and components of a speech to be the most important sections, as both were relatively new to me. I have taken a public speaking class previously, but it didn’t talk much about the components of speeches or kinds of communications. Instead it focused on giving us lots of practice on how to give a speech in practice without giving us much textbook knowledge on the subject.

As for what I personally connected with, the section that spoke of the benefits of learning public speaking skills really felt true to me. I have found that in both my schooling and the jobs that I have taken, the practice and experience with public speaking I’ve had has helped me significantly. I personally believe it’s an incredibly important skill to learn, and I hope to learn more about it in this class!