Journal #1 – The first thing that stuck out to me right away as I started reading chapter 1 is realizing how important public speaking is. Public speaking is in the top 5 of the list of skills employers rate as most important, coming before leadership and initiative. Public speaking is an integral part of my major. Not only will it teach me how to give an effective speech but also to prepare me for what’s to come in my career. Another reason that public speaking is so important is it allows us to give our opinions on real-life problems. Being able to produce an effective and informative speech is an essential part of increasing out civil engagement.
Journal #2 – Practice makes perfect. That’s the motto I lived by growing up playing three sports year-round. Sports has always been a big part of my life ever since I was little. Practicing is a big part of what it takes to be successful, but also studying and learning how the game is played. Building your I.Q. of the game is vital if a player wishes to be great. Realizing that there is more than one factor that goes into being successful became apparent to me my junior year of high school. During the Fall season, I played field hockey for all four years, and my team made it to the State Championship game in 2017. Although we ended up losing, the experience made me reflect on all of the hard work and time that went into every moment leading up to the game. If my team and I had not practiced every day and studied our opponents, we would’ve never made it to the final game. Not only did we outwork the other teams we faced, but we also outperformed ourselves.
Journal #3 – One thing that went well during my speech was the delivery itself. My voice was loud enough to be heard all the way in the back of the room, and I also didn’t rush. Also, in the past whenever I had to give a speech or presentation, I would always find myself playing with my hair or rocking back and forth throughout the speech. But, during speech one I did a better job of staying still and not fidgeting so much. The last thing that I did well was made my speech engaging to the audience. Most of my speech was about my own experiences which I think made it more relatable to others in the room.
The biggest thing that I need to improve for the next speech is making eye contact. I read off of my paper much more than I intended to which was due to nerves. I practiced my speech and thought I had it down pact, but when I got up there I couldn’t remember what I was going to say. Since we got the first speech out of the way my nerves will calm down for the next one and I will hopefully be able to improve this skill.
Journal #4 – One of the big takeaways from chapter 11 is a speech portrays a very similar form to an essay. It only consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion. Also an outline, there are two types of points – main and supporting. The main points are the key ideas of the speech and usually the most important. Restricting the number of main points is also crucial when delivering a speech. This helps to keep the focus on the topic of your speech rather than just rambling on. Main points should be expressed as a claim or statement. The supporting points of your speech should be used to justify the main points. Transitions are also an important part of a speech used to tie the ideas in your speech together. These transition words such as “similarly, next, we now turn, etc.” should be used between speech points.
In chapter 12, the book talks about the different organizational patterns of speeches. For example, there is a chronological pattern, spatial pattern, casual pattern, etc. When writing a speech, it is okay to use different patterns within the speech itself when talking about the subpoints. There are specific ways to arrange your speech when using different patterns. For example, when using a computer casual (cause-effect) pattern, you should start with your thesis which is usually the cause of the problem, and then the main points will be the effects of what you stated in your thesis.
Journal #5 – So far I have a pretty good grasp on speech number two. I have typed up my outline and made revisions where they were needed. My next step is to practice. In order to be successful, I am going to need to time myself, and possibly record myself saying my speech so that I can see where things need improvements. From there, I will be able to go back to my outline and make more changes where I think they are needed, either adding or taking parts of my outline out to make it as well thought out as it can be. Also, when I am timing myself, I need to be cautious of the fact that I am most likely going to go through my speech at a much faster rate when I am standing up in front of the class versus when I’m alone. In addition to practicing my speech, I need to make sure that my “prop” is incorporated smoothly and effectively. My goal is to make a slideshow that has pictures which will help the audience further grasp the skill that I am trying to teach. My hope is to connect with the audience and make sure they understand what they are trying to teach and I think having a visual will help with this goal. All in all, my next steps are to definitely practice not only by myself but in front of other people as well which will help me in the delivery of my speech.
Journal #6 – Chapter 13 is mainly about creating an outline for a speech, and the different kinds of outlines that are possible. A working outline is used to plan out your main points, organize any research that was done, and develop the supporting points. A speaking outline is what should be used when someone is actually presenting the speech. This is a much more condensed form of the working outline and provides an overview of the whole speech. Speeches should typically be outlined in sentences, phrases, or keywords. In the sentence outline format, each main point is stated in a sentence. A phrase outline has partial construction of a sentence to make each point. Lastly, the keyword outline uses the smallest amount of words possible to outline the main and supporting points of the speech. An essential aspect of a successful speech is eye contact. Using a keyword outline will ensure optimal eye contact in a speech. When constructing a speech, start with a working outline first. Once this is done, try to condense your thoughts until you have a keyword outline illustrating your main and supporting points. When preparing your speech, you should have a speaking outline which should include any speaking sue such as transitions, pauses, speaking rate, or presentation aids.
Journal #7 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kQujh41mVY
Journal #8 – Youtube channel with both dry runs for speech 2 –
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7EV97vs9pe2Gm7Xm03nB6A?view_as=subscriber
After watching my two dry runs, I realize that there are two main things I need to focus on. First I noticed that while doing the braid itself, there is a lot of empty space. What I mean by this, is I need to add “fillers” to my outline in order to fill this awkward gap of space. I can add some helpful tips or tricks that I’ve learned to help master this skill. Second, I need to rework my visual. During my first dry run I tried to do the french braid on the spot. When I went back and watched the dry run, it looked too confusing so instead I am going to narrate a silent pre recorded video of me doing the braid.
Journal #9 – I think that speech number 2 went a lot better than speech 1 did. Being able to do the two dry runs in small groups during class, made it a lot less nerve wracking to do the speech in front of the whole class. Personally, I think that speech 2 was a big improvement from speech 1. For this speech I really wanted to focus on not reading from my paper as much, and I think improved upon this skill in speech 2. I practiced until I had the speech memorized and this helped me a lot so I wasn’t relying on my outline the whole time. Also, the content of the speech made it easier to do in front of the class as well. Since the speech was something that was special to us, and we knew how to do, this made it easier to find things to talk about if you didn’t remember everything from your outline. Overall, I think speech 2 was a big improvement from speech 1, and ultimately gives me more confidence to do even better for future speeches.
Journal #10 – Over the last couple of days, the person that I have been observing is my dad. The reason that I chose my dad is because he is the owner of his own business, which means he has to speak in front of various people everyday. While speaking, he always has a relaxed body language, never stiff or uncomfortable. This is important because if someone looks uncomfortable speaking it makes the listener feel uncomfortable as well. Also, my dad does a very good job at putting the listeners at ease. He is always trying to make a joke and engage the listener which makes what he is saying more enjoyable to listen to and most of the time, more relatable.
Journal #11 – The big takeaways from chapter 25 are that a special occasion speech is written and based off of that specific occasion. The function of a special occasion speech is to entertain, celebrate, commemorate, inspire, or set a social agenda. There are also many types of special occasion speeches which include award presentations, toasts, eulogies, etc. An award presentation is supposed to convey the meaning of the award and to explain why the recipient is receiving the award. A toast is an attribute to a person or the event being celebrated. Lastly, a eulogy is meant to praise and remember someone who has passed away, commemorating their life. An example of a special occasion speech is Will Ferrell’s University of Southern California Commencement Address. This speech includes humor, concrete details which allows the audience to visualize, storytelling, and creates a conclusion that has a long lasting impression on his audience.
Journal #12 – So far for speech 3 I have a couple of ideas that I am trying to work with. I have decided to do a toast which will be about my dad for his speech. Right now, I am trying to create my first outline draft which I will then go back and revise at a later time. I think that my outline is going well so far and I intend to make my speech have a story form so that it is easier to follow for the audience. My next steps are to finalize my outline, practice my speech, and make sure I’m hitting all of the requirements for this speech.
Journal #13 – So far for speech 3, I have a pretty solid outline. Unlike other speeches my outline goes more in depth rather than just having a few key words. One of the things that I am most anxious about is not reading from my outline. Since I have a more in depth outline I need to focus on only referencing my outline when I absolutely need it rather than solely relying on it. I am also anxious about the time limit. I want my speech to be straightforward and easy to follow, and have as little rambling as possible. So, since my speech is a commemoration I need to make sure I only include the important details and focus on the big picture.
Journal #14 – Watching the two dry runs for speech three, I definitely need to work on memorizing my speech. Since this speech has so much content, it will be important for me to not solely rely on my outline and make sure I can deliver it without referencing the outline as well. Also I need to go back and revise my outline. My dry runs were both under the time limit which means I need to add more detail within my speech. Lastly, I will need to make a final draft of my outline, that is in depth enough so I can reference it when I get stuck, but not long enough so that I am only using the outline to read from.
Journal #15 – Overall for speech number three, I think that I did a decent job. One thing that went well for me was the memorization of my speech. Although I had to reference my outline a couple of times, overall I refrained from using it. Also, making my outline so that it only has a couple of words for every bullet point helped me to not rely on my outline. One thing that can be improved was the length of my speech. I don’t know exactly how long my speech was, but it felt shorter than three minutes. Also, at times I held good eye contact with the audience, but after a while it makes me feel uncomfortable so I tend to look down at my outline even if I don’t need to, which sometimes makes me lose my place. Overall, I think that my speech was easy to follow for the audience because it was in the form of a story. A couple of things that I am looking to improve on for the next speech is pacing myself, practicing my speech more (with an audience), and trying to make eye contact with the audience for my whole speech.
Journal #16 – During class last Wednesday, my group and I started to put a very rough outline together for our speech. We decided that we were going to do a talk show and assigned roles to each of the group members. We also came up with a name for out talk shows and some basic questions that the host will be asking. Since that class, out group made a shared google doc so that we can brainstorm ideas with each other, without actually having to be face to face. Our next step is to create a “script” and sort out who says what and when. We will also need to set up a time to film with the greenscreen that works with all of our schedules.
Journal #17 – After watching our dry run from last class, there are a few ways that we can improve. First, we are thinking of adding another segment within our talk show because what we have now might not meet the time requirements. Also, we need to figure out what we are going to do for the background picture and music. We have started looking at the pictures and listening to audio but haven’t found the best fit yet. Along with that we are thinking of adding the sound of applause in a few places and need to find a free audio that works well with our show. Lastly, we need to figure out how everything is going to flow together. So far we have a rough plan of how the talk show will flow but we need to make sure that we do not look robotic.
Journal #18 – After watching the second dry run of speech number four, I feel that our group is in a very good spot. We have a solid script that flowed well and didn’t seem awkward or rocotic while doing our talk show. Also, we hit the time marks and are well within the time requirements of the assignment. One thing that we can improve upon is our game segment. We decided to add a game last minute in order to make the show more interesting. Before the dry run we hadn’t given the idea of the game much thought, but we now know how and when we want to implement it. Another thing that I need to personally work on is finishing my sentences. I noticed that when I was answering questions, I knew what I wanted to say but didn’t exactly know how to finish my thoughts. Before our recording we are going to practice the game and try to get our individual parts down so we can limit the amount of times that we look at our papers.
Journal #19 – I think that overall our group did very well. We were able to work well together as a group and had no trouble collaborating with one another. One thing that went well was we had a solid outline that we were following and I think we did a good job of refraining from looking at our outline the whole time. One thing that I think we can improve on is our editing of the video. For some reason, it looked normal on my laptop, but appeared very saturated when it was projected. Also, there was one point in our video where it just showed the green screen which was an editing mistake made by us.
Final Journal – Throughout the whole semester I have sat next to Zaiab. I would like to thank her because despite the fact that we are friends, she always gives me honest feedback about my speeches. Before delivering most speeches I always ask her if everything sounds okay or makes sense in the order that I have it in. The feedback she has given me before and after delivering my speeches has helped me tremendously because I know that everything she is saying is constructive and I know that she is being truthful. I would also like to thank both Stephanie and Casey for their help with the group project. It’s very easy in a group to have one or two people doing the work but our group meshed very well and they also encouraged my thinking and ideas throughout the project.
