Concepts in Chapter 15 & 16

A concept I found useful in chapter 15 is that we should avoid fallacies in our argument. A fallacy is something that is wrong in our argument. There are four main categories for fallacies which are: faulty assertions, flawed evidence, defective reasoning, erroneous responses. If we have a fallacy in our speech then the audience would not see the speaker as reasonable, and someone we should not trust.

A concept I found interesting in chapter 16 was about the different speeches for special occasions. There are speeches of introduction where the speaker introduces someone very briefly to the audience. Speeches of nomination that shows a persons success if could of had the chance. Award presentations where people recognize others for what they have done. Acceptance speeches, which a person who is given a award,honor, etc. is speaking. After-dinner speeches where the speaker keeps the good feelings up. Tributes and eulogies are another form. Tributes are where we give respect towards an individual for what they have done. A eulogy is given when someone has passed away. The last type of speech for a special occasion is mediated speaking.

Persuading Others

A recent discussion in which I tried to persuade someone to accept my point of view was when I tried to tell my friend to go with me to the library because I had to pick up something and I did not want to go alone. She did not want to go with me because it was too far of a walk, so I explained all the times I went with her when I did not feel like walking at all. I told her that I always went with her when she needed something, so I expected the same thing :). So my reasoning should of made her feel bad because she ended up going to the library with me! It just takes a bit of persuasion to convince someone to do something even if they don't want to!

Speech Buddy Videos

In the 15.1 video I learned about how to identify the elements of arguments, which can be helpful towards our speech. There is four basic elements when it comes to this which are: thesis, claim, evidence, & reasoning. The types of appeal the speaker used was to relate the material to the audience, and to link the claim to the evidence.

In the "Schooling: Pro" video I learned about the pros of home schooling. I learned that it can be more flexible, it avoids violence, and that it brings strong relationships, which these types of points would be of interest towards the audience. In the video "Schooling:Con" the speaker is telling us the cons of home schooling. He explains that parents aren't as effective as real teachers, that are home isn't a great environment of learning, and parental involvement. The speaker appeals the audience with his main points by giving us a visualization of his words. Both speakers in the "Schooling" video tried to connect the audience by letting us picture everything now and in the future.

Actuative Speech

For the actuative speech I will be speaking about animal testing and how we should fight it. My main points for this speech is that: testing on animals doesn't work, it is unethical to test on animals (murder), and what people can do to fight it. I plan on trying to persuade my audience towards my point of view by showing them how it is morally wrong. In the beginning of the speech I would want to explain how animals such as dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits, and etc. are used as test subjects. When testing on animals it can slowly kill them, and they are treated very unfairly and animals cannot fight for themselves & they do not have a say in their life. Then near the end of my speech I want to tell my audience what they can do to not support animal testing by not buying products that use animals as test subjects. I could also tell the audience to join organizations that fight animal testing as well.

Persuasion

We are immersed by persuasion everywhere we go & it is something we really cannot avoid. There are magazines, billboards, television commercials, shopping centers, school, work, people, and basically your whole surrounding is covered with things to persuade you. Persuade you to buy certain products, to make book a spontaneous trip, to work for certain people, to look a certain way, and etc. The media is the one who controls these aspects, and you may not even realize it. To be a critical consumer we need to be aware of what someone, or something is trying to persuade us to do. We just need to think about what we really need, and not what we want.

Concepts in Chapter 14

A concept I found useful or interesting in Chapter 14 is the Monroe's Motivated Sequence, which our class needs to use for our last speech. With this sequence we as the speaker are trying to encourage the audience to focus on outcomes the speaker is talking about with their ideas. There are five steps when it comes to this sequence. The five steps in the Monroe's Motivated Sequence is: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action. With the first step, the speaker needs to relate the topic to the audience so that it will grab their attention. Need, which is the second step, the speaker needs to establish the problem/current harm with their topic. The third step, which is satisfaction means to describe the solution to the problem. The second to the last step, visualization is when we need to show the positive outcomes of the solution. Action, which is the last step of this sequence is basically meaning to explain how the audience can be a solution to the problem.

Speech Buddy Videos

Throughout the speech buddy videos I had watched, I learned many various things that I found useful for my speech. I learned about the different strategies for using audience-centered language in our speeches in the chapter 10 videos. There are five different ways when it comes to this strategy which are: refer to current events, using pronouns which would make the audience feel included in the speech, inclusive language that helps visualize ideas, spark imagination, and possible use humor. When using humor in a speech we need to be careful with how we use it. It could interest the audience, or it could confuse them. I also learned about the different tips for effective language for our speech, which can be found on my last blog post.

In the chapter 12 speech buddy videos I found useful the tips about vocal delivery in a speech. There are five areas in vocal delivery which are: volume, pitch, rate, variety, & pronunciation. Physical delivery is another important aspect of our speech. There are five aspects when it comes to physical delivery which are: eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, body movements, and appearance. I also learned the importance of practicing, which is something we should all do to prepare! haha

Concepts in Chapter 10

Concepts I found interesting or useful in Chapter 10 are the guidelines for using language in our speech. We need to use spoken language that speaks to our audience, and not form something written. Choosing meaningful words that will let the audience understand what you are trying to say. If you use words that are out of the ordinary in our daily usage of vocab then people will not find your speech interesting, and we might need to define the word as well. Also being conside, balancing clarity, & amniguity is another thing when it comes to language. We also have to build redundancy when speaking to remind our audience what we are covering & we cannot get too attached to our words. Meaning we might worry too much about using the perfect word in a sentence.

Flickr

The discussion on Flickr about sexist language is pretty interesting, and it is something I hadn't really thought about. I never thought that someone can be offended by calling a woman a girl, or calling a man a boy. I just think that those words are the first thought that comes to mind when seeing a gender. I guess it just really matters on who labeled the image and what not and if they mean anything by it. The person may not mean anything by it and someone can overreact over a word. But if someone labeled a woman or anyone else as a derogatory term then thats when someone has crossed the line. Also people labeling people as something racial. I believe that is just as wrong because labeling someone by their appearance or what they are is just stupid.

Self Evaluation: Informative Speech

It was the day of the speech, and I did not feel as anxious as the first speech. The jitters did not hit me until I was in the building, and then I started thinking about how horrible I did on the first speech. That moment made me want to focus, and redeem myself from the last speech, which helped me a lot. I had more of a confidence on this speech than the first speech. I was more calm and relaxed, and determined to not make awkward pauses and to speak without stuttering. I definitely did want to slur my words and have those uncomfortable "ums" & "uhs." I signed myself up to be second to present, and during the first presentation I was panicking a bit in my mind. I was thinking about all the things that might go wrong, but then I realized I was just psyching myself out again so I had to cool down and take my nervousness into positive energy.

The first speech was done, and I was up. All these thoughts were running through my head, but I had to make it stop. Being up there I felt more comfortable. Maybe it was because I had a powerpoint, which made me believe people would have their eyes on that rather than myself. While speaking I realized that I did not feel that tremble in my voice that I had last time and I was not fidgeting, or using vocal fillers. I did not think I did anything really distracting because I had a strong posture unlike last time. I just wished the content in my presentation was better. I don't think I stated enough citations for my sub points, which would of probably made things clearer. I spoke about four sources, but I did not mention them until my last main point. So for my goal I plan to organize my content better, and have strong information to make a strong presentation. As for my delivery, I know for a fact that I depended too much on my notecards. So for my next speech I want to use less of my notecards and rely on what I know rather than what is written in front of me because I do not think it makes a strong presentation when reading something off the whole time. Because I relied on my notecards my eye contact wasn't at its best so I would rate myself at a seven. Also, I know I spoke over the time limit, which is another thing I would need to work on for the next speech.

Overall I believe I did a better job in this speech then the last speech. I achieved the purpose of my speech by telling the audience how reality television has grown over the years, and the secrets behind production. I believe my audience understood the purpose, but I wished that I would of had more examples, facts, & statistics because it would of been more effective and convincing. From a scale of A-F, the grade I think I deserve for this speech is a B-. I gave myself that grade because I know I had improved from the last speech. I did not hesitate throughout my speech, and I was more professional as well. Although my speech had passed the time limit by a minute, I think the content, and delivery of my speech made up for it.

Concepts in Chapter 11

A concept I found interesting or useful in Chapter 11 is learning about the use of presentation media. We use presentation media to draw attention to our topic, get a emotional reaction from the audience, clarify key points, have the correct facts & figures, & help the audience understand the main points in the presentation. I also found useful the different types of presentation media & the advantages & limitations of it. You need to choose the most effective one for your speech that will help get the correct idea for your speech. The different types are the overhead transparency, flip chart and poster, white board/ chalkboard, document camera, video, handout, model, audio media, digital slide, & real-time web access. Each one of those can be used it is just the matter of which is the best one for your presentation that matters the most.

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