Future Endeavors

From this class I will take a little bit of experience speech writing and talking in front of an audience, and a whole lot of confidence. I cant believe the difference in my confidence level from the beginning of class until now. I really like how we started with topics that were more comfortable to us that allowed us to work on our speaking confience. By the time we got to the informative and persuasive speeches I felt like I could tackle more complex topics. I am a talker and have learned in this class how to organize my speech to make it more effective and have time control. The outlines helped me to develop my speech pattern to deliver the most pertinent information and not get sidetracked, which could confuse my audience and cause me to run out of time. I feel that I am a better speaker, with a lot less ums and fidgeting than when I started, which will help me be successful in my future endeavors.

Concepts for preparing my speeches

The concepts I  found to be most helpful in preparing my speeches were getting to know your audience, finding a common ground, and the importance of thorough research. Knowing your audience was particularly helpful because it really makes you think about who your speaking to. By doing this I can customize my speech and the wording I use to have a more successful speech. Not everyone receives information the same so this concept was very helpful to me. Finding common ground was a very helpful concept for me that works with all types of speeches, not just persuasive. With my informative speech I also needed to establish common ground for the people who might not believe in global warming or climate change. If common ground is established then my audience might be more open to listen to the information I am speaking about. The importance of being thorough in my research, especially making sure I have the most up to date statistics, was very helpful. This is particularly true for my persuasive speech because it involved laws that change and vary from state to state, as well as numbers.

My favorite speech

My favorite speech would probably be the demo speech. Although the informational and persuasive speeches were topics I was more passionate about, I had fun with the demo speech. I like teaching people how to do things, so this was right up my alley. Additionally I have an extensive amount of personal experience with the topic I chose for the demo so I was very comfortable. I think when you really feel like the expert on the topic the comfort level increases greatly. For me, I know that I have so much knowledge and experience on my topic that it was easier to speak comfortable and fluidly. I fully researched my other topics as well but the topics were a little more on the serious side. I actually enjoyed all of the speeches once they were over. I liked researching the topics and putting together the presentations. The worst part was the anxiety at the beginning of the speeches and the pressure to stay on time with such a short time limit.

Evidence

The topic I chose to focus on this week was evidence. Evidence is something I think is very important, especially in persuasive and informative speeches; it is also something I seem to fail to incorporate fully into my speeches. I do the research making sure to find the most currant and relevant information from credible sources and try to use a variety of  diverse sources. I may have five or six sources, but once I start speaking I'm lucky if I verbally site one or two of them. I think I get caught up trying to deliver all of the information and forget just how important evidence is to the audience in supporting my claims. With out siting my sources, the audience has to take my word for it. If I use my evidence properly I will appear more credible and have a more successful speech. This is something I intend to really work on for my persuasive speech.

Speech Buddies - Homeschool

The speech buddy videos this week were helpful to identifying some successful ways of being persuasive and some not so successful methods. By paying attention to not only what is being said, but also how it is being said, I notice a difference in the impact it has on my as an audience member. Both Dixie and Robert seemed to be well informed. In my opinion Robert seemed a bit more credible than Dixie due to the methods he used. Some of the tactics Dixie used actually had an opposite effect. When Dixie was trying to prove her point by bashing public schools it turned me off some because you can't discredit all public schools in blanket statements like that  and not expect to alienate some people. Many people, such as my self, had great experiences with public school and turned out just fine. When trying to be persuasive it is important not to bash the other side, but to focus on why your opinions are valid and a better choice.

Reflection

Reflecting on a recent discussion I have had in which I tried to persuade my teenage son that it is unsafe for him to be driving around at night. I used example reasoning along with statistics to try to prove my point logically. I used a presentation media to support my point of view in the form of a state farm video that had stories from other teens regarding he dangers of driving at night, with friends, speeding etc. One of the main points was that teens are far more likely to have fatal accidents at night and when other friends are riding along. I think the examples and real life stories had a deeper impact on both his logical and emotional reasoning than if I were just nagging him as Moms tend to do. Over all I think my persuasive conversation was successful. Although I can't expect that he wont be out driving at night, my point was to make him aware so he will be more cautious of not only his driving but others as well. He also understands why I want him in before the bars and clubs close when people are more likely to be out drinking and driving or riding with friends that might cause distractions.

Understanding How to Reach Your Audience Effectively

Of the five common audience types discussed in this weeks reading, I think a negative or a divided audience would be the most difficult to deliver a successful persuasive speech to. With a negative audience a speaker would need to be extremely prepared, having done their research in depth on both sides of the issue. In order for a negative audience to even hear what they speaker has to say, he or she would need to establish credibility and find common ground quickly. If a negative audience does not view the speaker as being credible, they will not only not listen, but it will reinforce their position on the opposing side of the issue. In addition to being credible, the best way to get someone who opposes your position to be open enough to be persuaded is to find a common ground and build on it. With a divided audience, both of these points are still a must, however you have to be more aware and careful not to alienate either side.