ch.5 interest

What i found interesting in ch. 5 of the textbook is the section on credibility. On page 119, the book discusses developing credibility with your audience. It said that a speaker's credibility relies on four aspects. These are the people's perception of the speakers trustworthyness, dynamism, socialbility, and competence. So, the first word is trustworthyness. When a speaker is perceived as trust worthy, he or she exhibits traits of sincerity, reliablility, and empathy. Also, the speaker must relate to the audience's needs and wants. The second word is dynamism which refers to the energy and activity level of the speaker. This means that he or she has to look strong, clear, and precise in what they are talking about. The speaker has to have the ability to throw in a dynamic that will make the audience pay attention. The next word is socialbility which means how well the audience connects to the speaker whether it be emotionally, spiritually, or mentally. This also means how well the presenter touches on common ground and ideas that can touch the audience on a personal level. The last word is competence which means the understanding of the topic and information being presented. Competence comes from using supportable evidence that backs up the main points of a topic. Also, it can stem from using knowledge of the audience and environment to benefit the speech.

All in all, I think that knowing your speech and environment, being commited sincerely to your topic, having the energy level to enrich the presentation, and having the ability to connect to your audience at a personal level will tremendous improve your skill set when giving a successful speech.

Audience analysis and adaptation

Finding out information about your audience can significantly improve your presentation. By asking questions through methods such as audience research questionaires, you can find out about the certain aspects of the people you are trying to convey a message to. You can use the information to find out interesting fact and figures to use in your presentation. In addition, you can find out about the dominant values and preferences of a group of people. Also, by knowing more about your audience, you can anticipate possible topics that you might want to cover in more detail. By knowing more about the different people you will be facing, you can better establish connection and rapport with them. What I gained from this is the ability to find out as much information as i can about who im going to be talking to and what they think, so that i can better prepare for my presentation. I can say that this is a vital part when trying to speak to your audience.

In terms of adapting to the audience, by finding out as much as you can, you can anticipate any problems that might arise that might offend or disinterest the audience. Through the questionaires you can find out some of this information. Also, by taking into account the environment in which you present your speech you can plan things to enhance your speech. By knowing as much as you can, you will make sure that you do all you can to be prepared for any disturbances that may show up.

Speech buddy ch.5 and roadmaps!

So, in this speech buddy presentation, there were two speakers mentioned. The first speaker was Matthew Naso who spoke about the dangers of intoxication. He set a clear roadmap on where he was going to direct the audience. He also had a lot of statistics and evidence to support his claims. He put a sense of worry and fear into his audience through all the facts and figures that he mentioned. What i liked the most about his presentation was the visual aids which explained how many beers it takes to incapacitate a person and how the chances of accidents increase immensily with the consumption of a few cans of alcohol beverages. What i didn' t like about his performance, is how boring the tone of his voice was. Even though he had many interesting ideas, I felt like I wanted to sleep in class. Overall, though i was interested in what he had to talk about because of the quality of information he got from his sources.

In the second video, Courtney was giving a presentation of Light Pollution and the effects on Earth. The website featured a very short clip of her presentation. However, what i got from her was the fact that she set a concise road map of the several topics she was going to touch upon in her speech. She made it clear that she wanted to talk about how light pollution affects astronomy, the economy, and our health. I really believe that setting a roadmap is essential because without directing the audience to where you want to go, then how will they be able to keep track of and fully comprehend the information that you are giving them? Good note.

Ch. 6 Speech Researching comment

The most tedious and often most painful part of conjuring up a speech is probably researching and finding sources for your speech. Chapter six gives a huge outline of the different kinds of material that range from the internet to books deep in your public library. It goes in depth with interviewing and how to access internet sources a lot more effectively. I'm going to talk a little more about the certain steps that the book addresses in preparing and conducting a successful interview.

There are six steps in this interview process. The first one is to determine why you want to interview. Will it support your arguments? Does it supplement or go further on any topics you might be covering?? The second step is to select who is going to be interviewed. This is very important. When interviewing about computer technology, you should not ask a farmer. So, select people that you might see as a good fit for your topic. The third is developing questions. By selecting a mix of open/close-ended, neutral and leading questions, you can grab the information you want from the interviewee(s). Next, is to organize the interview. After you set a good time and place to meet, you can proceed to establish some common ground and rapport with the person(s). Then, you can orient them about the interview and proceed to conduct the interview by asking that questions that you have prepared. Make sure that you have gathered the right information and cleared up any vague spots. Allow the interviewee(s) to talk and avoid too many interruptions. After conducting the interview, you can then use the information you've gained to enrich and support your subject in your speech. I believe that interviews are an important part of speech making because it allows your points to be supported by more perspectives other than your own. This will increase your credibility.

My update on my first speech...

Well, so far I've been swamped with a lot of school work (no surprise, really). Trying to keep up with work is tough, but so far I've been able to keep up with this class. For this upcoming speech, my topic is having fun at parties- tips and tricks. Right now, I'm in the process of brainstorming ideas to put in my presentation. There are so many little topics i can cover, but I'm trying to narrow it down to a couple of key points. The truth about this idea is that there are many different kinds of parties that one could go to. They range from the simple house party to major crowd gathering at major concerts or events like on New Year's Eve. So, I was thinking I could cover a little bit of each.

I figured that so many people need to know how to interact in parties to make it an experience worthwhile. So, I say that you can either sit around and relax, or go out there and make yourself an awesome outing. At public parties, more than likely there will most likely be people that you don't know. While I'm at it I could show a couple of little tricks that could impress a bunch of people you are trying to get to know. I say that when you are present in that kind of setting people are trying to accomplish one of two positive actions. The first is they are trying to relax and have some fun. The second part is that people are trying to either meet new people or trying to enhance relationships with people they already know. My focus of the speech will be on those two aspects.

So, that's my update. Right now, It is purely brainstorming ideas and trying to structure and pin point what exactly I can talk about in five minutes of time.

My experience with reasearching via interview...

To be honest, i have not really done many formal interviews but if you are to consider the experience of my entire life, i do remember one interview in 8th grade where i had to interview a teacher on there childhood experiences and where he/she grew up. Well, from what i recall, I set up an appointment with Ms. Coddington about a week in advance. We had a specific time and place to meet. A couple of classmates and I had a date with my 6th grade teacher. She was probably one of the most influential teachers in my grammar school days, and i was very curious in hearing about the days when she was our age. So, on the day we met, i was excited to do this interview. I just couldn't wait. During the interview, i had my pen, paper, and various questions to ask her. I think that our 8th grade teachers gave us the questions but nonetheless it helped us conduct the interview and gave us the information in order to write our papers. My friends and I listened carefully to all the details, and marked down all the important pictures, diagrams, and major events in her life. After we asked her all the questions given to us by our teachers, we asked her other questions pertaining to her lives. She went on to add a ton of information that actually almost put us to sleep. After the interview, we thanked her, and said our goodbyes. Now we had the information to write out our paper.

I think that the inportant factors that helped me conduct the interview was the fact that i was enthused about the experience. I has a certain sense of curiosity that helped me stay focused on the topic at hand. Another inportant step was the method of preparation. We had set a time and place to meet, and we had notes and questions to help us conduct the interview in a concise and effective manner. If I had to improve on anything, it would be the amount of time we spent with Ms. Coddington. I think that we already had all the necessary information, but we stuck around so long that we were asking questions that did not ever pertain to the topic we needed which was only about her childhood to the point where we got sleepy, and couldn't focus on the topic anymore. Hey, we were kids, we had short attention spans!!

Speech buddy...

Managing speaking fears and anxieties has been one of the hardest parts for me to handle. The first video i found to be very helpful as it dictates breathing techniques designed to help you relax in the moments of your speech. As i watched the other videos, using a combination of visualization, breathing, and changing your outlook, i feel these items can greatly improve the effectiveness of speech giving. It will fill you with energy, allow you to collect yourself even if you are feeling the fear. By practicing these skills along with the actual contents of your speech you will find out how to apply them to certain trouble spots during your talk. Talking about a topic that you have a lot of passion for will also help.

Another important part of the speech making process is the actual preparation including researching, structuring, and delivery. The presentations shown by these students in the video could set the standard for how to give a speech properly. By capturing the attention of an audience, and carefully and methodically dishing out researched material, the audience can have a clearer understanding of the topic at hand. I believe that another key to eliminating public speaking anxiety is actually knowing what to say. By practicing over and over until you can say it as easily as you can sing the words to happy birthday, you can effectively shoot down a significant part of the fear.

Building confidence

So, chapter 2 of the textbook describes the parts of the speech making process. I would like to touch upon a very important part in regards to building confidence. Confidence is more than just an attitude that you exude when giving a presentation. Even if you have the necessary energy and attitude, if you are not well prepared for the speech then all of that vibe can go down the drain very quickly. So, some techniques to increase confidence before a speech are to first plan and prepare speeches early. I have had a problem with this in the past, and thus when speech time would come around, I would be so nervous that the words I use would be vague and awkward. This is somethingfor me to work on. Next, you would choose a topic that you care about. I believe that if you choose a topic that you really care about, it will be easier and maybe even fun to talk about. Other techniques include learning all you can about your topic and the audience you are speaking to. By doing this, you can adapt to situations so that your message will be more concise and easier to understand. Last, you should practice, practice, and practice some more. Do not expect to wing a presentation. Not only will it look sloppy, but the audience might not get the message that you are trying to give. That's the most important aspect, getting the people to get what you are saying. So, PRACTICE!!

What's my fear of public speaking?

I think that my biggest fear in regards to public speaking will have to be my fear of being judged by other people. I have taken a lot of critisism in my life, and i have not learned how to turn that into something positive for me to work on or take into account. Instead, I take the comments personally as an attack on my character rather than insights into what i said. I worry that no one will listen to me, or that if i say one wrong phrase, I'm doomed to be thought of as negative and worthless. The reason why I am taking this class is to conquer that fear of being judged, and also at the same time i want to be able to present myself in a confident and sincere way so that people will understand the profound messeges that I put out as a human being.

The second reason why i think that I am apprehensive is due to the fact that i do not prepare my information very well. I am always blanking out or freezing up during important times in the interactions. I have to work on having something to say and presenting it in a timely and methodical manner.

Hi my name is Pat, my friends call me Patty-G

Hi everyone, im so existed to get this class underway. I want to get this part of my life handled. Anyways my name is Pat Gimeno, and currently im a 3rd year student who loves to play basketball, sing, and discover humanity. I'm curious to see what this world has to offer me, and college is another step in my life. I can't wait to meet all of you.