Sunday, February 5, 2012
Organizing Your Speech
Chapter 4 was very helpful for me in planning out, writing, and practicing my speech. I have never taken a public speaking class so for the Culture speech I didn't know where to begin. I started with trying to write a paper and memorize it, but that wasn't working because every time I would practice I would forget part and freeze up. After reading Chapter 4 I started by deciding what I was trying to do with my speech-- to inform. Then I had a brainstorming session and jotted down some ideas I wanted to convey. I developed a thesis, which I did write out word for word. In developing my thesis I considered my audience-- how much they would already know about my topic and what they would enjoy hearing about. Then I worked on an outline. When I started practicing this time I tried to go from my outline, treating it like a list of ideas that I would elaborate on for a friend. I have always loved to write, so going into the speech without writing it out first was new for me. I did write out the introduction and conclusion, but left the outline in main idea form to help me develop my own thoughts without feeling like I would forget things. It helps with this first speech that it is about a culture we identify with, so most of us are going to be interested in our topics. I don't think practicing 7 times is enough for me though, hopefully I will feel more confident tomorrow!
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Gosh, I am really impressed you researched and practiced the speech assignment as thoroughly as you did. You have some great ideas. I will also be working from an outline because much of my speech will turn into “improv,” and I will need some extra room while delivering my speech. Three or four minutes doesn’t sound like a long time, but when you’re standing up there, it can feel like an eternity. Thankfully, we have tomorrow to practice. I plan to go into an empty conference room at work and practice. It will be easier for me to visualize the class better in a conference room than practicing at home. I know you will do great!
ReplyDeleteYour title really caught my attention. For an upcoming speech being well organized and prepared helps to build my confidence that I have taken the necessary steps needed to convey a good and well thought-out speech. I liked how you outlined your plan of action. The first thing you did was to determine your purpose, and that was to inform. Next you brainstormed and got some of your ideas down on paper. Then you developed your thesis, which is very important because your thesis lets your audience know your intensions. Something I never focused on before when preparing a speech is my audience, and I am beginning to realize that may be a vital step in delivering a quality speech. Having an outline gives you a good guide to follow; it helps you to visualize a sequence of well-connected thoughts. I liked how you use your outline as a natural guide to progress from one thought to the next. I am looking forward to your speech tomorrow and good luck!
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