Chapter 9 and 13 Speech Buddies

Taking into consideration it is after 10 pm following a long day of other classes, taking care of my kids, and attending an endlessly boring public hearing for my sons school district, I am a hard audience tonight for the Speech Buddies. The videos for Chapter 13 were examples of what I thought were both really good informative speeches. Both Evan and Janine had attention getting introductions, previewed their main points, established credibility, and did a great job using citations and their expertise to inform about a subject. Neither expressed personal opinions or tried to persuade the audience in any way, committing to the informative intention. I have to say that while I found seeing these speeches somewhat helpful, the technique used to illustrate effective introductions and conclusions with the videos for Chapter 9 was far more worth watching. Under the heading Use it 9.1 and Use it 9.2 short clips of a series of introductions and conclusions are shown back to back. This technique made it really stand out to me the importance of not only having an attention getting introduction and a conclusion that ties your ideas together, but delivering them with enthusiasm. For the introductions Cindy, the first clip, was great. She got your attention, previewed her ideas, and gave credibility. The second clip, Courtney, needed some work. For credibility about the effects of light pollution she just said she was not lying. Her introduction did not grab my attention. The third clip was Eric, and he spoke in a monotone, barely audible voice and his intro had no attention getter that I could make out, no preview of main points, and no establishment of credibility. I completely zoned out in the first 5 seconds. The last intro was great and stood out greatly compared to the rest. Damian brought in humor, narrative, enthusiasm, and audience involvement while delivering a well organized introduction to his speech on prescription medication. The first video on conclusions was Husam, and he seemed very nervous. He did not have enthusiasm, and did not do a great job reviewing his main points. The second clip, Anthony, was hilarious. He had basically no conclusion, just that's it, now you can all play lacrosse. I did not see his entire speech but I would imagine the conclusion did not do it any justice. The last clip Amanda was great. Seeing the good with the bad and the okay really helped me understand Chapter 9 and the importance of a great intro and conclusion. I think these were the first Speech Buddy videos I truly found helpful. Good job Cengage!