Self Evaluation Assignment #3

For my third speech which followed the persuasion genre I chose to speak about the need for a public option in the American healthcare system. I think that I achieved the purpose of my speech because I researched well and not only attempted to be persuasive but I wanted to the speech to also be somewhat educational for the students. If they had never ever heard of this plight I wanted them to know something about it after I was done. I felt extremely confident during my speech I had memorized and felt that I could deliver it extemporaneously and with good vocals and clarity. I was not confident however about my slide presentation and it showed. I did not show my last slide and I felt horribly silly and also felt that it took away from my overall presentation. If I had to do it over again I would have practiced more with my slides. For my preparation I would have continued to memorize my speech and would have made the outline on my cards less detailed. I felt that my delivery and organization flowed well. What was different from my last speech was that I felt that I had the chance to educate my speakers and if I could present good facts and testimonies that I could sway some of them to look more into the topic. During my last speech I was more nervous but this time I decided to just put all nervousness out of my head and just give it my all. That was a major improvement for me because my first two speeches went well but I didn’t feel confident during my deliveries because of my nerves. I know that because this time I was more confident I was able to look at my audience more that my eye contact improved. Memorization really allowed me to feel confident about looking away from my note cards and feeling comfortable with the class. Good preparation also allowed me to limit most of my distracting gestures and postures. I wore my hair back so it would not be in my face and I wore comfortable but appropriate clothing. I think I did wave my note cards around somewhat but I don’t know if that can be helped. On a scale from one to ten I would rate my eye contact at a nine. I really felt that I looked at my audience for about ninety percent of the speech and I credit that to good preparation. I would also give my performance a solid “A.” I made sure that my voice projected with confidence and clarity and I made sure that I made solid eye contact. My memorization helped me to let the speech flow clearly and I said everything that I had planned to. I think the only hindrance for me was my slide presentation which I intend to perfect. I really felt that the overall experience I had with this speech from the research and topic preparation to the delivery was excellent for me personally. I realized that I finally knew how to work the speech from beginning to end. I felt very confident about my outline and when our professor reciprocated those feelings I knew that this was going to be a good speech. I think that it was the best presentation I had out of the three. As far as the technical requirements during the speech, I mentioned three source citations during my speech but at the end I forgot to mention the Congressional Budget Office because of my slide snafu. I remember that clearly and was bummed because I know how important the citations are. In reviewing all three speech presentations I would say that this one was the best from my point of view. I received good feedback from my classmates. One even said that they appreciated the reference in the speech that I gave to people who currently have healthcare insurance. I’m glad because I feel that the healthcare debate includes every citizen not just the ones that are currently not covered. Having an audience member notice a point like that made me confident that I did a good presentation. So I think that I performed the best on this third persuasive speech that included Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. I feel that the audience went away thinking about the topic and will look more into in the future.

What are you going are you going to take from this class that you think will be helpful in future endeavors?

The number one thing that I will take away from this class is my learned ability not only to write a speech but be confident in my material and present it. I have moved passes my fear about speech presenting and now feel that I would be able to present material that I have researched in any class that I attend. I will definitely use the positive calming exercises and mental exercises on viewing my experiences as positive and successful. The research concepts that I learned were also invaluable. I am always open to learning knew and correct ways to research assignments and materials. My knew persuasive speaking skills will also lend a great hand the next time I go to a job interview of have to defend my opinions or views. I will also continue to practice with my media presentations and keeping myself calm enough during my speech to keep myself fully aware of slides and media that is part of my presentation

Which speech was your favorite and why?

My favorite speech? That was hard to choose. I felt that many of my classmates did an excellent job. I was persuaded to take action so there is one I would say was my favorite. I was convinces though of the fact that I should give blood regularly. I was informed that there is a blood shortage and because of that If I or family members need blood there is a possibility that we could not receive some. I don’t want to leave the responsibility up to someone else but I want to make a change in someone’s life by donating blood on a regular basis. I also liked the speech about general education requirements in the respect that it is a known fact that American children lag behind the rest of the world in learning. I believe that a overhaul is needed and the American way and schedule throughout out primary and higher learning institutions is needed.

What concept or concepts from the class that you thought was the most helpful in preparing your speeches?

The concepts that I found most helpful from the book were a variety with a few that I depended on for every speech. Learning how to research my topics were helpful because this was my very first speech class. I had a hard time at the beginning of the term choosing my speech topics and was even worried as time went and second guessed my choices. But as I learned to research in the correct manner I realized that the topic does not influence the quality or success of your speech, research does. The second concept that I enjoyed learning was about different types of supporting materials. I had some testimonies and examples in my speeches of people that I has researched and I liked helping people get their stories out. The concept that I relied on the most were the earlier concepts about using positive thinking and calming exercises to make sure that I was mentally prepared to present my speeches.

Reflect on a recent discussion you've had in which you tried to persuade others to accept your point of view

The latest persuasive argument I’ve been having on and off lately is between me and my husbands separate views on discipline. Our son is eighteen months and is beginning to display emotions, frustrations and tantrums. We know he needs some discipline and plan to decide on how to do it but we do not agree. I am leaning more towards time outs. My husband is leaning towards spanking. I am constantly using logos to appeal to his logic and consider the pros and cons of spanking; He on the other hand talks about my experiences with spanking as my parents form of discipline. That’s when I use the pathos and credibility to say that I am opposed to spanking because of that. I appeal to his ethos many times because I know he does not like to see our son cry and does not want to make him cry by spanking him. I am using my best argumentative appeal while we are making considerations and am going to sway him my way no matter what. I have not won yet but plan to soon, because our little one needs some type of rules and discipline soon because he will need stable rules and disciplines in his life to help him as an adult.

Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

The concept from chapter fifteen that I found useful was the re-discussion on types of appeals. There are four types. The first is termed Logos, this type of appeal is used when your have logical proof that accompanies your argument and you are appealing to the audience to use there logic when deciding on your view, you also use facts and statistics as your examples as stated in Coopman & Lull. The second type is termed Ethos and is used when the speaker has credibility with the subject. To sway his or her audience the speaker would use references to there own expertise on the topic. Possibly if you were a victim or have experience of being an advocate for a specific topic you could use Ethos.
Pathos is the third type and uses emotional proof to sway the audience, and as examples provides a humorous quote or story. The last type that is stated along with the latter by Coopman & Lull is Mythos. This appeal uses cultural beliefs and values to bring persuasion to an audience. Well know fables or cultural specific stories are used as examples to provide evidence. For my next speech I will be using Logos to make my appeal. Plenty of facts and statistics will help me to persuade my audience!

Speech Buddy: Review the following Interactive Videos, 15.1, "Schooling: Pro" and "Schooling: Con"

In video 15.1 I learned some integral elements that go into a argumentative speech. It reinforced my correct use of a thesis, claims, evidence and reasoning. I needed also to hear the language and verbiage that was used during this speech so I could use the correct terms when presenting my speech. “Schooling Pro” was an excellent speech, she identified with the audience using children as the common thread. Everyone could relate to wanting children to be safe. She used a pro and con argument and let the audience decide what they would rather have there child experience during their education. Her appeal was based on logos, but also I think some Pathos because it appealed to the emotions of parents. “Schooling Con,” was also a well argued speech. His claims were well thought out and had plenty of supporting materials; he cited books and studies as his evidence so that the audience knew he researched his speech thoroughly. He used Logos in his appeal and stated facts and statistics. These speeches helped me feel more prepared for my upcoming presentation.

Read the discussion on Flickr regarding sexist language

The Flickr article was right on. I don’t think that just because a blogging or tagging information is informal that sexist language is acceptable. I don’t think that many give it any though; they just think that as long as they are not using derogatory language than they are okay. Like the situation of calling a woman a girl, or a man a boy, on of my classmates mentioned that in some places of the U.S calling a man a boy is very derogatory and is meant to be that intentionally. I have experienced this first hand. A coworker was trying to be funny and while joking called me a “senorita” which is Spanish loosely means young girl. I reminded him that if he was going to attempt to speak to me in Spanish then he should have called me a “Senora” because I am a married woman. I think that in everything we do we should maintain respect,and stay away from sexist language, no matter the situation.

Speech Buddy Videos

Video 10.1 was extremely helpful to me. My next speech is on the need for affordable healthcare, by using audience centered language such as; we and us, I will be able to draw them into the subject and help them identify with the effects that the healthcare debate has it has on then personally and not just someone else. Language choices are mention in 10.2 and are extremely impotent so that the speech comes across clear and concise and does not offend anyone as stated in the video. In 12.1 I learned the correct terms for identifying vocal variety in a speech and how to use it. Avoiding long pauses or using the word “umm” are important for me to remember because when I get nervous I start scrambling for things to say. I am glad that in video 12.3 gestures were mentioned. I’ve been told by my peers that my hand gestures are distracting but thankfully it’s now been said that gestures can be used but should remain formal. Now if I could only find out what they mean by formal? I would be okay. Lastly as we have been learning a along video 12.3 stressed the importance of practicing our speeches, writing effective note cards and again… practicing our speeches!!!!

Pick one concept from Chapter 11 that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Because my next speech includes the need to motivate my audience to take action I wanted to find out what the best method would be. Chapter 11 explores some good uses for power point and visual aides. One issue mentioned was the use of whiteboards and chalkboards. If I have to relay any kind of information for the audience to use to take a step further, than writing the information on the board would not be an option, as stated by Coopman & Lull the use for that would be unprofessional. The use of paper handouts would be the best for me. I want to give information so that the audience can write to there congressmen and even the president. I want to give them resources to get their voices heard. I am glad that the topic of handouts was discusses because I will be utilizing them in my next speech.

Post your self-evaluation to your blog in essay format.

I presented my speech on Human Trafficking. I really enjoyed the subject and noticed that the more I studied about it the more it was visible in TV shows, movies, and multiple books. I guess it is always there but because I was focusing on the subject I was more aware. I was still really nervous leading up to my speech, I’d hoped to get a low number so I could finish early but I ended up with number twenty-one again. So I had the job of getting more nervous as out class went on
Last time I was so nervous I forgot to use any of my slides. This time though I tried to stay more aware of what was going on around me and made sure to keep the laptop in my peripheral vision so that I would remember to show the class my slides and change them at the appropriate time. I was really glad though that the time card this time displayed minutes and seconds rather than a number or interval. It was hard for me to keep track last time with just seeing a number three or four pop up, so I greatly appreciate the minutes and seconds Mrs. Perez!!!!
During my speech I scan the audience but this time I made the mistake of focusing on one of my classmates faces and the student was laughing, It kind of through me off. I don’t think they were laughing at me but I had made a mistake with my verbiage, I know it wasn’t intentional but that was kind of scary and nerve racking.
I looked over a lot of my classmates’ evaluations and I was happy with their critiques. It’s hard for me to read them but everyone is really gracious and encouraging. One good critique that I received from a few of my classmates was that I do a lot of hand gestures. I know I talk with my hands a lot but during the speech I don’t think I realized that I am also doing so, to me is seems like my hands are glued to my note cards. One critique said that it could be distracting which is probably true. I’m not sure if the book lists hand gestures but I will look that up. I do know though that when I am watching other speeches fidgety body movements are distracting so I think I am going to lean with my classmate and try to cut down the hand gestures. Although I do it subconsciously I am going to try and keep my hands still.
Another good critique that I received was implement better transitions in my speeches. I try to have everything memorized but my nervousness tends to wipe my memory clean. Thus I tend to look down at my note cards a lot. Overall I think that because I knew what to expect I was more relaxed during this speech. I am looking forward to improving but am equally nervous to give my speech in front of another group. But I think it will be good practice and will benefit my speech presenting abilities.

What components, according to your book, go into an introduction and conclusion? How are you going to use these ideas in your Informative Speech?

According to Coopman & Lull there are four main ideas that go into your speech; the first being an idea that gets your audience’s attention, the second a good indication of your purpose and thesis statement for your topic, thirdly an establishment of credibility on your part and fourthly the preview of your main points. This is the attention getter that I am using for my speech about human trafficking, (“An estimated 27 million people are held in slavery worldwide, meaning there are more slaves in the world than were taken from Africa during 300 years of trans-Atlantic slave trade.”) Tell me as a reader what you think about my attention getter? As for the conclusion of a good speech it must also contain a review of your main points a reinforcement of your main points and provide closure to your audience as stated in Coopman & Lull. I look forward to hearing what the class thinks of my attention getter and look forward to hearing all of the speeches.

Pick on concepts from either Chapter 9 or Chapter 13 that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

In chapter thirteen there is a paragraph about informative speeches, “Inform to Educate,” and why they are successful. Coopman & Lull state that to be successful ones speech needs to educate your audience in some way, “that after hearing the speech, they should understand the nature and the importance of the topic.” Previously when I thought of informing an audience I basically thought about telling them about something new and hoping that it would catch their interest and that was the end of it, but then after reading this paragraph I realized that I could educate the audience and then they might be compelled to learn more on their own. I know this kind of leans towards the persuasive type of speech, but in a persuasive speech I would think the audience would have to agree with you to take action. That’s why the informative speech is so powerful because I don’t need the audience to agree, I simply need to provide a good amount of education on the subject to peak their interest in the right direction.

Respond to the ideas in the videos/ What did you learn that could be helpful in your speech?

As I prepare my outline the more information I receive about introductions and conclusions the more its helping me to broaden my thought process. In videos; 9.1 and 9.2, I learned that my introduction must have a solid attention getter and preview my main points in a clean and concise manner. A solid introduction is the foundation of my speech, if I can start of well I can finish well. Also that a solid conclusion will leave my audience feeling positive about my speech and they will recognize my close. It is also necessary to reinforce the purpose of my speech to leave a lasting effect. I enjoyed watching the speech about techno music, I noticed that the speaker really new his material and only looked at this note cards once. He also reviewed his speech during his conclusion. I liked Janine’s use of her camera as a prop. It reminded the audience easily about the basis of her speech. Overall I am looking forward to using theses speech tips and examples to better present my next speech.

Pick one concept from the reading, that has not already been discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I wanted to discuss the different uses of Aristotle’s argument styles; pathos, logos, and mythos. Pathos means that you your speech to appeal to your audiences emotions. Logos involves logical appeals as stated by Coopman & Lull. The third is called Mythos and that is an appeal to cultural values and beliefs. I was familiar with pathos and logos but had never heard of mythos. Ingredients for a good speech would involve the use of at least two of these types of argumentative styles. I think that without intentionally knowing the class uses all three of these styles in our first round of speeches. Because we are now learning more about these styles in details they will be easier to identify in the next speeches that the class presents. I have never read a speech by Aristotle but I am interested in researching one and getting to know his personal style to make my knowledge of him broader.

What did you learn that could be helpful in preparing a speech?

I’m learning that the supporting materials that I use in my speech are just as important as practicing the deliver. Because there are advantages and disadvantages, a fact that has been received many times by Coopman & Lull I need to make sure and choose the right narratives, definitions, testimonies, and facts/statistics. I have been thinking a lot about my next speech so these tips are helping me choose the right materials to use. Because my speech will rely on media credibility I will aim towards using credible internet sources for my cited material that my audience can identify with. I don’t know if I had fully understood the uses of the seven basic patters of speech but the 8.1 allowed me to choose which pattern I will use next. In my last speech I wasn’t sure what types of words I should be using in my transitions now I have a better idea of what words to use and when to use them.

When do you find facts and statistics most effective in a speech? When are facts and statistics not as effective?

Statistics are most effective in a speech when as stated by Coopman & Lull, “to support you main points and make transitions from one point to another.” I find statistics to be also effective when you are trying to move an audience or get there attentions. Statistics about loss of life and events that effect many people allow an audience to feel the impact of that event because the magnitude is brought to life with numbers. It also as stated by Coopman & Lull, “Provide good support for a claim and that this problem affects many Americans.” Facts are good to use because they show that you went beyond your personal knowledge of any given subject and are providing concrete evidence that your audience will find credible. Facts are not effective when also stated by Coopman & Lull, “Audiences do not always interpret facts the same way speakers do.” If you are trying to persuade an audience a statistic might be more effective in leading the audience your way. Either way your facts and statistics if used correctly can be effective.

Self Evaluation #1 World Trade Center Memorial

My first speech was about the World Trade Center Memorial. I enjoyed researching the topic and felt it was relevant to speak about especially since the eighth anniversary of the attacks had just passed. I enjoyed hearing the speeches presented by my classmates but since I had picked number twenty-one as my slot the nervousness I was feeling grew by the minute. Watching my video tape was even harder than giving my speech I think. It is not easy to look straight at yourself and evaluate the good and bad points of the speech. Overall this was a good experience and I will be highlighting more of the speech in this evaluation.
The purpose I was trying to achieve with my speech was to bring remembrance to the 9/11 attacks and highlight the memorial that is being created in hopes that some students would be inspired to research the memorial on their own or possibly visit. I believe that my “attention getting” opening allowed me to grab the audience from the beginning. As I continued on I noticed the time keepers cards at the back of the room, I couldn’t remember how many cards I was supposed to let pass before I ended, so I began to get nervous. Because of that I think the body of my speech and presentation of my slides suffered, and took attention away from the purpose of my speech but overall the speech went well. Again my nervousness had a big impact on speech day. During the delivery of the speech I kind of blanked out and forgot about my slides I knew I was speaking but wasn’t sure what I was saying. I felt confident with my material and note cards but was not comfortable being in the spotlight; I also had evaluated many of my classmates’ speeches before hand and felt nervous knowing that they were now evaluating me. Realizing now how nervous, and out of place, I felt I will visualize my next speech going well and the experience being good. Applying the concept of relabeling will allow me to look forward to my speech because it will be exciting if I just flow and let go of my emotions. I know that I had a difficult subject matter to present and I noticed that my classmates had fun with their speeches because they had chosen lighthearted subjects. My next speech is about human trafficking which is another heavy subject to present but I think it will be good. I am going to look for more detailed sources, I have already read one book pertaining to the subject of human trafficking and would like to read one more. Because my delivery was good but not excellent I decided that I will be more confident knowing that everyone is also trying to do their best, and that staying calm and positive is the best course of action. For a few days before my speech the nervousness that I references before hand was rising and I just fed into it instead of changing my attitude about my delivery. I will definitely prepare more to achieve these goals in the area of delivery.
I know I keep talking about nervousness but that is the main factor I noticed with my video. I never speak that slow even in formal settings and the swaying back and forth that I did I think was because I didn’t make good use of my hands. A lot of my classmates were very animated but I was so worried about pointing to my visual aids that I cemented my hands to my note cards, which I looked at a lot even though I hadn’t planned to. I had incorporated a lot of statistical numbers in my speech and I wasn’t confident in my memorization of them, so I kept looking at my cards to make sure that I was not citing the wrong information, but this hindered me some. I know my classmates noticed that I had been speaking for a long time and that may have become distracting to them and I could have lost some of their focus and attention. I cited two sources during my speech one from the New York Port Authority but it sounded kind of vague because I didn’t reference them as a source I just said that they were working on the memorial. I also cited “9/11 By the Numbers” which is a statistical website about the world trade center attack. Even though I mentioned two I think that technically because of the delivery I only cited one. Based on my video tape I would grade myself with a letter grade of “B”, it felt like my content and purpose was “A” material but I know that the time lapse and nervousness were a factor.
I am definitely looking ahead to my next speech and am confident that with the first speech behind me I can now look more closely at content, preparation, and delivery. This will allow me to put together a well researched speech and top it off with a smooth delivery.

What Makes me Apprehensive about Public Speaking

When I took the personal report test on public speaking anxiety I didn't feel to wierd but actually really normal about my speech anxiety. I was too scared to add up my score... I will do it soon, hint hint, lots of fives. I enjoyed the breathing exercises that were prescribed. I am going to try and meditate before my next speech. I also am going to stand by the," Strategies for Building your Confidence"Starting speech preparation early will most likley be the key for me. As in life I believe most things that can be started early, in this case school work, should be. I liked the helps to do during my speech. Usually if I am doing a small speech , I feel like time really is going slowly, in my mind I can't hear myself talking and I feel like I am sluring all my words. I get really sweaty and my vision is blurry. I am going to have to confidently focus on the listeners. The illusion of transparency really gets to me. I feel like everyone can see the redness in my face because I am turning beet red. I am also going to remember to tell no one that I am nervouse, especially not myself!!!! But my favorite topic learned from chapter two was "THE SPOTLIGHT EFFECT...."I am confident that people will be observing me during my speech but not as careful as I think. Except for my instructor of course. Thanks for listening!!!!!

Getting started

I hooked onto blackboard, I am sort of aprehensive this technology scares me. But I am sure I will get better. If you want to follow my blog I would be grateful since I will have to communicate with most of you sometime. I have many public speaking fears, I worry about messing up and than I do mess up. I would like to conquer that and learn how to create good speeches. So by for now!!!

Introduce Myself

My name is PR Student aka... wait can I use my real name? Well this may be the first and last time I say it but my name is Mitzi Magos. I have been putting comm 20 off for quite a while. I am not scared of public speaking but I am extremley phobic about others opinions of me. I am married to a wonderful husband and I have the best 16month old in the world. I work here at SJSU in the UHS department. I have a full-time job, am a full-time wife and mother and a part-time student.
One day not to far off into the distance I would like to graduate with a bachelors in public replations and possibly a minor is career writing. I have a disability but most of the time it just slows me down and make me more unsure of myself. I wanted to be the PR princess or PR queen but thought the names were a tad unprofessional. I usually vasilate between being risky and safe but most of the time I choose the high road. So thats me!
PR Student