What I Will Take From This Class

What I will be taking from this class will actually have less to do with proper speech-giving techniques than how to be a receptive audience member. Although I feel that taking this class will make me more organized and prepared when speaking in public or group settings, I have really learned the importance of the audience from this experience. The reactions of the audience to your speech can have either a negative or a positive impact on your presentation. Likewise, audience feedback can either bolster your confidence or shake it. This is why I feel that it is important to be receptive and open-minded. It is also important to be respectful and do your best to pay attention (or at least do a very good job of pretending to pay attention) when someone is speaking. Public speaking should really be a shared experience. Neither the speaker nor the audience should be shouldering all of the burden. Besides, chances are that if a speaker feels that he or she has a good audience, it will in turn make them a better speaker. A combination of experiences in class and reading the text about audiences has really made me aware of these things. So despite what concepts and frameworks I have learned, I know that it will be this information which I will really try to work in to my “future endeavors”.

Helpful Concepts in Speech Preparation

In preparation for my speeches, a couple concepts that were extremely helpful were starting early and brainstorming. Until the demonstrative speech I hadn’t realized how much time and work really went in to the speeches. It came as somewhat of a shock to me and stressed me out beyond belief! So in learning from my procrastination and the preparation tips from the text, I decided to begin early on my speeches so that I did not overwhelm myself, and I had sufficient preparation time. Also, the concept of brainstorming was helpful  because it made me explore different ideas and narrow them down to figure out which were most appropriate and effective for my specific topics.

            Patterns of organization were very helpful in preparation for my speeches as well. Using the patterns of organization served as an effective guide for the outline and speech, and gave it a sense of order and uniformity. Without having these patterns of organization I feel that it would’ve been much more difficult to put together  an effective and well thought out speech.

My Favorite Speech

If I had to choose my favorite speech I presented it would probably be the tribute speech. This is for totally superficial reasons, of course. Because of all the practice we have had throughout the semester I really felt like I had the hang of things in preparing for that speech. I was comfortable, I finally had effective timing, and I felt like a gave a successful speech. I got 100%! Whew!! Also, it helped that I was presenting

Honestly though, it was a little difficult choosing my favorite speech. I also enjoyed the culture speech because it was super relevant to me, it was fun, and I was able to inject humor in to my speech (which I enjoy). Honestly, the only reasons I didn’t choose this speech as my favorite was because since it was the first I was a little bit more nervous and I didn’t yet have the proper speech structure down yet (like previewing and reviewing main points).

So I guess when it comes right down to it the speeches I most enjoy giving are ones that are particularly interesting and/or relevant to my life. This makes sense of course, and I’m sure most people would feel the same.

Speech Buddies

Dixie gave a speech which was pro homeschooling. I think she had some valid points, but I felt that she   spent too much time and energy talking about school violence. I also felt like she kind-of exaggerated the gravity of that aspect of public schooling.I think this could be harmful because if the audience finds her claims unsubstantiated or exaggerated, they may become disengaged or question the speaker's credibility. During her speech she appealed to emotions and reason. For the most part I feel that she did a pretty good job. I just think more hard evidence would've been beneficial.

Robert gave a speech which was against homeschooling. He appealed heavily to logic and gave more supporting facts than his partner. He used the argument that essentially most parents may not have enough general knowledge to effectively homeschool their children. I think he did a pretty good job with his speech.

From these two videos I was able to see a good example of the four points in a persuasive speech. These points are the thesis, claim, evidence, and reasoning. I think this was what was most helpful for me because I learn better by observing. Also, I evaluated how I perceived each speech based on the amount and type of evidence given. I realized that (for me, at least) I am more interested in speeches that provide more factual evidence (but don't overwhelm). When there is a good amount of supporting evidence it makes both the speaker and topic seem much more credible.

Persuasive Reasoning

Recently I got in to a discussion on facebook about how scantily women dress on Halloween. My brother actually began the whole conversation by posting a status basically saying that he didn’t understand why women felt that it was ok to go out wearing practically nothing on Halloween, and that it gives off the wrong impression. He added that if you go out dressed in such a way, you aren’t likely to end up meeting a nice guy. SO if your motivations in dressing that way are to meet someone, then know that you will most likely end up with some perverted bar fly who when he looks at you, sees nothing but all of the skin you are showing.

Now usually I try to stay away from confrontational conversations on facebook (regardless of if I agree or not), but after seeing this silly feminist comment someone made on his status I couldn’t help myself. The girl was droning on and on about how she’s thinks it’s wonderful that women can wear as much or as little clothing as they want on Halloween, and basically calling my brother sexist, and accusing him of calling women who dress in barely there clothes “sluts” (which he did not do). She said that regardless of how revealing a woman’s outfit is, men shouldn’t look at them and perceive them as being skanky or provocative.

Now, in my personal opinion, I don’t quite understand why women go out in a bra and panties and call it a costume just because it’s Halloween. I found it to be kind-of silly that she would argue that a woman in an extremely revealing costume could be perceived in a non-sexual or wholesome light. So in my response to this woman I used deductive reasoning and analogical reasoning. I won’t get in to my entire response (partially because I don’t remember all of it lol), but I will give a couple specific examples. One example of my deductive reasoning was that “ if it would be considered inappropriate to wear a bra and panties out in public on any given day, than it wouldn’t be ok to do so just because it’s Halloween.” I also used analogical reasoning by making comparisons between the situations of how someone perceives women who dress in very revealing clothing with someone’s perception of an inanimate object. My argument was basically that you cannot fault men for seeing a woman in an extremely revealing costume and perceiving her as being (pardon my language) “skanky”, because that is how she is presenting herself. A man isn’t going to look at a woman who is practically naked in public and think, “wow, I bet she is just an angel”. Likewise, if you see a nice juicy apple, you will likely say to yourself something along the lines of “ what a delicious looking apple”, not “hmmm, well it looks like an apple, but I bet it’s really a meatloaf”. So when it comes right down to it, if you don’t want to be perceived in a certain way, then don’t present yourself as such. ;)

After-Dinner Speeches

After-Dinner Speeches are usually a part of an organized event. The goal of the after-dinner speech is to contribute something pleasurable to the occasion. The topic of the speech can be serious sometimes, but is most often humorous. These type of speeches are generally used for occasions like weddings, anniversaries, retirements, or graduation parties. There are three helpful tips to keep in mind in preparation for an after-dinner speech.

Be entertaining and Lighthearted.
Although humor is most often the cornerstone of after-dinner speeches, they are not the ONLY way to entertain the audience. It is important that you do not try and force yourself to be humorous if you do not feel comfortable doing so. What's most important is to make your audience feel good about your time together and to develop good rapport with them. In order to do so you can share thoughtful reflections, tell a relevant story, make insightful comments about an issue of interest to the group, or use creative language.

Focus on a Theme.
After-dinner speeches should develop a thesis and have a point. A good after-dinner speech should not only entertain an audience, but enrich them as well.

Avoid Presentation Media.
In after-dinner speeches you should try to avoid presentation media. Audiences for these types of speeches don't want to feel like they are being lectured, challenged to seriously, offended, or like they should be taking notes. Sometimes presentation media may be appropriate, like for speeches focusing on sports, media, music, or fashion. In these situations an audio or video segment may be efficient, but you must be careful and only present the media if the room is specifically equipped for such media.

Persuasive Strategies for Different Audiences

A concept that I would like to discuss from chapter 13 of the text are the different types of audiences and what persuasive strategies should be used with each.

A negative audience or “hostile audience” is one that is informed about your topic, but has a negative or unfavorable attitude towards it. In approaching this type of audience, there are five persuasive strategies that you would use. First you want to establish your credibility. Next you want to take a “common-ground” approach to the topic, which means that you will identify areas of agreement with the audience, then cover areas of disagreement. After this you will help your audience visualize your topic in positive ways, prepare for your audience’s negative reactions to your topic, and lastly you should keep your persuasive objectives within reason.

A positive audience or “sympathetic audience” is informed about your topic and has a positive or favorable attitude towards it. In approaching this type of audience you should use engaging evidence to reinforce your audience’s commitment to the topic. Next you should use vivid language and images to keep your audience excited and enthusiastic. Then you should use narratives to elaborate on your points, and lastly call your audience members to action.

A divided audience is informed on your topic, but have differing opinions on it.  There are four strategies for approaching this type of audience. First, you want to demonstrate that you recognize and understand the arguments for or against the issue. Next you establish your credibility. Then you establish common ground among all of the audience members. Lastly you will integrate strategies representing both the negative and positive audience’s point of views.

An uninformed audience is one that is uninformed about your topic and doesn’t maintain an opinion on it. For this type of audience you must first show the relevance of your topic to the audience. Next you should demonstrate your expertise and show fairness in regard to all perspectives on the issue. Then you use repetition and redundancy to reinforce your points. Lastly you must try and keep your persuasion subtle.

An apathetic audience is an audience that is informed about your topic, but is uninterested in it. When approaching this type of audience you should begin by getting their attention and peaking their interest. Next you should demonstrate how the topic affects them personally. Then represent the importance of your topic by being energetic and dynamic, and take a one-sided approach on the subject. Lastly you should incorporate presentation media to hold your audience’s attention and help with visualization.