My speech has come along nicely through the week as I have worked on the outline. It has taken the form of a storytelling speech as I tell three stories about the high school football coach and each story is about how he taught me a different life lesson. I really like how I choose to display how my coach was an important person in my life. However, I think there might be some small organizational problems in my outline that may make my speech less effective to the listener. I think the best way to go about this is to deliver my speech in the dry run because I am very confident with the material of it so far and take advice from the audience to see what can be fixed. I believe more opinions will help elevate my speech to the next level because I will find out what the audience wants to hear.
Actual Response: My speech is evolving really well to portray how my coach affected me to a personal level. I’m doing this with my three stories and talking about specific lessons I learned from different moments of him coaching me. Also elaborating on how they effected my teammates as well. I’m struggling g a little bit with being close on time but I’m finding more to add on as the week goes by. Every revision and rehearsal have made my speech better so I’m going to keep piling on ideas and smoothing out my speech.
As we are going through everyone’s speeches I gave some feedback and I also got some feedback about the dry run of my speech 3. As I went through everyone’s speech I realized that others’ speeches are very different from mine and also two of my peers talk about their dog which is very interesting, so, I think that it doesn’t matter who you are talking about if it is animals or humans everyone has emotions. When I gave my speech my speech was very smooth and also engaging but the thing didn’t work it was my timing I didn’t make to my time limits my speech was kind of short so I think I have to add bit more about my grandfather, I’m thinking about I should add a small story or something and also my peers suggested me that I should extend my speech by adding little bit more about my grandfather.
After going through a planning phase and having two successful dry runs, everything seems to be going extremely well right now. I am not stuttering or stumbling my words, I am not rushing, I am getting better at pacing myself and the message and delivery is working. I took a risk with this format, but it is working because it is balanced and doesn’t come off as corny. The funny parts are allowing me to have the confidence to actually open up about myself more, and it also shows me that you can poke fun at someone without being mean. The audience themselves are laughing a lot and I think my stage Prescence is working as well. I am coming across as someone comfortable on stage, I am allowing myself to be more relaxed and let loose a bit when presenting and most importantly, the way I structured everything makes the speech come across as more organized and impactful. Opening up with the funny parts allows me to be more comfortable sharing super personal stories. If I just went with a really dark speech, I don’t think it would have resonated with people much because not everyone goes through the same things. I just need to keep practicing, not take too many long pauses and memorize my speech a little more, and I know that I will be 100% when I present it.
After doing a lot of practicing on my own this week and after my dry run in class I came away with a few key points. I am definitely on the longer end of the spectrum when it comes to the length of my speech so I need to cut down in some areas. I think some ways that I can do that are by simplifying my story about my Christmas tradition with my dad. The audience doesn’t really need to know all the details about why we started the tradition and although it’s a funny anecdote that I kept forgetting to ask about Santa, it isn’t necessary to understand who my dad is as a person and why he means so much to me. I also can definitely simplify my introduction because I think the most important parts of my story come in with my three key points and that’s where the real understanding about who my dad is and who he is to me really shine through. I think I have definitely gotten better at using less filler words but I think it’s something I still need to be aware of, as well as not putting my hands in my pockets but using them to talk like I would naturally as that is how I want the speech to appear, as natural as possible. Since it is in the form of a toast then it should definitely feel rehearsed but also natural and comfortable which is the goal. Other than that I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the first few sections of my speech but once I get to my third key point and my closing I could definitely use some more practice and rehearsal. Moving into the next week I would like to continue practicing on my own, in front of the mirror, and in front of the people I am with over the break so that I can get more live feedback, especially from people that know my dad personally. I think I could also edit my closing a bit more and the transitions between sections that it seems more natural, slowing down and breathing will also help this but it could be more seamless with some edits too.
My speech is still in the form of a tribute or a toast to my mom. I thin that the part about me calling her multiple different things that people call her like sister or aunt is a really good way to introduce her many roles because she isn’t just a mom. It was also pointed out that I had very good details that made it seem more personal to me. I feel that in order to make my speech better I need to add a lot more detail than I did today. I just gave more of a brief overview of my speech rather than what I actually wanted to say even though I still got my point across. I also need to make my speech longer, not just by adding detail but by slowing down and taking a breath. I started speeding up because I got emotional during my speech and the only way to prevent speeding up is by calming myself down. The next time I deliver my speech I also want to make sure I look up at the audience more and be a little bit louder.
My speech needs a lot of work, but I think the outcome will be good. During the dry run, I realized I had a lot of information in my script. This was unfortunate because I was tripped up a lot and I was unsure as to what to say. This led to me leaving out a few details that I wanted to make sure I had in my speech. I think I will be able to cut my speech down to make it easier to present. Next, I was kind of choking up talking about my grandfather. While this is okay, it also means I need more practice to get comfortable talking about him. With practice, I think I will be able to succeed in this section. Lastly, I think that I want to add more details about little things. I want to add more specific examples to make it more personal. My peers had specific examples and I enjoyed that part of their speeches.
Going forward with rehearsing my speech there are a few things I observed that need to happen before delivery day. After watching my dry run video back I observed that I was looking very fidgety, I will need to work on not moving as much when I deliver my speech. I also noticed that my voice sounds shaky and I was reading off my computer for the most part however these things can be easily fixed by putting in more time for rehearsing my speech. The most obvious thing I noticed from watching my video from my dry run is that my speech is not long enough. I am just short of the 4 minute mark. I think if I work on lengthening my conclusion and work on breathing more and slowing down while giving my speech I will easily achieve the time goal. I definitely need to add more to my conclusion because I think it is important that the final part of my speech really sticks with the reader and ties in the rest of the ideas from my speech. To continue to elevate my speech I am trying to focus more on the stories in my speech because I think it is more personal and the audience can relate better and therefore will hopefully keep interest in my speech while I deliver it. Over break I will continue to develop a better wrap up and conclusion to my speech then work on memorizing it better to be prepared for delivery day next class.
I am having a hard time making all my points flow smoothly in this speech. This speech might be the most challenging for me yet because of its structure and flow. I am trying to make it sound like a speech not just me reading bullet points off a paper. Right now I am trying to figure out how to transition from point to point. I also hope that adding these transitions will help me reach the time limit. I am also going to add more points and make a stronger, impactful conclusion because watching my dry run, the speech just ended abruptly. I have been working on my speech throughout break so far, I even have done it in front of my parents a couple of times and have gotten their feedback. I think that once I figure out the structure and follow that I will have a very strong speech. I think by practicing over and over I will be able to get a good feel for the speech and what is and isn’t working. I know one thing for sure: I have to get down good flow to my speech and this is my goal to accomplish over break.
One of the biggest fears that I have is that the speech will not flow as I hope it will. I really struggle with getting my words out in any sort of order whatsoever. My outlines so far have been a little weaker than I should have written them. I did not realize how important and helpful they would be. The outline I used for speech two was much better than one but kind of died halfway through writing it. Sometimes when I write, like journals, my mind likes to wander and just type or say whatever I am saying. It truly is a curse. Even though I have been working on self-control outside of this class, it still has not gone away completely, especially not when I am nervous in a class like this. However I think I am fairly capable of overcoming these fears and impulsive behaviors. Another huge fear is time management for rehearsing, writing, and the actual presentation of the speech. It was way too short, and the speech is now just a week and two days away. It feels far away but I know that it is going to come creeping up on us all quickly and before I know it, it will be time. I am not too nervous. As long as I am at the very least prepared and confident then I can capture them, even if the writing is not exactly perfect. I know I will end up being satisfied with the results because I am very excited for this speech.
After watching the dry run, I noticed a lot that I can change. The biggest challenge I am having is transitioning from idea to idea so that it has more structure and flow. Some feedback I received during the dry run was that it sounded like I was going to be finished, but I kept going. I have continued to add more transitions between my three main ideas so that they flow smoothly and the audience can follow along. When watching the video of the dry run back, I was fidgeting a lot and struggling to stand in one place. I think part of this is because I was vulnerable and trying to hold my composure, but also because it was my first time delivering the speech. Before the final delivery, I want to solidify my outline and practice in front of a few friends. I always practice a lot on my own, but I am still nervous speaking in front of an audience and tend to stumble over my words or fear I will forget what to say next. Once I get the structure and transitions figured out and spend time practicing, I will be pleased with the outcome.
These past two weeks have been really good for my speech, I was able to practice my speech in front of my subject a few times and tweak things here and there to get it to flow well. Watching my video back I know I can work on my introduction, I also got a few comments that they liked how I originally had it, whereas in my second version for the dry-run, I condensed it a bit. So I worked on making it longer again, as well as tweaking other parts of the speech to help with flow and clarity. I also took a few unnecessary pauses which I am working on not doing, I also know I use “like”, “um” etc quite often in my speeches so I am trying my best while I practice not using them as much when I am speaking. My outline for the dry run was much better and more developed than for the dry-dry-run, it has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. I know now I just need to keep practicing and practicing because even though I am presenting the second week of presentations, I want to be as prepared as I can. So that my speech is strong, flows nicely, and I am confident in myself and what I am saying.
This past week I have realized that I need to deliver my speech in a different way than I was planning. I need to add a lot more detail about my person and how I met them. I am going to set it up by walking my audience through how we met. I think this will set up my speech very nicely. I also am going to need to work on timing as well. Again I think practice makes perfect so I am going to keep practice and altering my speech until it is looking and sounding how I want it to. While watching my video I noticed that I did read off of my laptop a lot. I also can be fidgety so I need to work on staying calm while giving my speech. I projected my voice well and felt I had good energy talking about my person. With practice and switching up a few things on how I deliver my speech I think I will come out with a great product to share with the class!
After watching my dry run through I noticed that the main thing that needs to happen is just adding in a few more details to get the speech to become 4 minutes long. I also recognize that it looks like I did not rehearse at all because I was staring down at my computer during the whole speech. I believe that due to the lack of rehearsal it made me sound more monotone and I want to work on saying the speech with more emotion because it is really meaningful to me. With the past two speeches I have struggled with not saying like and um so I want to work on sounding more clear. I like the way that I organized my speech so I am not really going to edit that. The dry run helped me get some good feedback that my speech was going in the right direction and made me feel more confident and prepared for the final delivery. Something that I would like to try and make time for is rehearsing the speech in front of others to have someone time it and get some extra feedback. As of now I am feeling pretty good about where my speech is going and the main thing that I need to do is just keep practicing.
As I prepare to give my speech for the next class, there are some things I need to clean up in order to be ready to present. When watching my dry run, I noticed that I need to work on eye contact with the audience. This is not something that I think I have struggled with in the past when giving my speeches, but this speech is a lot more sentimental. I definitely feel more vulnerable talking about someone who means a lot to me, so I think I am subconsciously avoiding eye contact by staring at my notes. This is not a good habit, and one that I need to work on before next class. Eye contact with the audience is essential to keep them engaged in my speech, so I need to slow down, and avoid closing myself off when I’m standing in front of the class. I think the best thing I can do to elevate my speech is practice it to other people more. This will not only help me get comfortable enough to look up from my paper more often, but it will also build my confidence and make me feel less vulnerable in front of the class.
My speech is taking the form of a toast almost or a commemorative speech in dedication to Ella my former teammate. I think my introduction is pretty good it is supposed to be a little funny, but I think in order to elevate it I need to emphasize certain words and not just have one flat tone of voice. I tend to fidget with my hands and not know what to do with my body. You can tell when I get nervous because I tend to stumble on my words or speed up. I need to remind myself when I get like that to take a breath and slow down. I feel like in between my points I can take a brief pause to let what I said sit with they audience for a little longer. I need to add a bit more to my speech because it is 8 seconds under the 4 minute mark. To do this I am going to expand on my intro a little and work on slowing down and taking pauses. I think in order to elevate my speech working on articulating my words will be my greatest asset. I think the stuff I have to say is good and well thought out but my delivery is what needs work.
My speech is taking the form of a toast. The past week I worked on turning my speech into an outline since it was more the form of a paper. This was challenging, but I expected that. After that I worked on just practicing my speech and correcting things that I thought needed to work. I made sure to watch my dry run and take note of things that need work. I definitely did not look confident at all and I looked at my computer almost the whole time. I also stumbled on a lot of things and had a lot of pauses. After taking this all into account I made sure to critique these things and try to make it better. Overall I really tried to clean up my speech and gain some confidence for when I present this week.
With this speech, it is taking form of a eulogy but instead of a sad traditional eulogy, I want to make it similar to a toast in the sense of celebrating and sharing happy memories with my person. This week I have worked to make it an outline instead of a paper form since it was very long. I had also watched my recorded dry run and noticed some things that I needed to work on. These were things such as talking louder, annunciating my words, using fewer filler words, moving around less, and maintaining eye contact. As far as the actual speech I realized that it was a bit scrambled so I worked to rearrange the stories so they flowed better into the speech to help make things more clear and more interesting. I also made the decision to add one more part to make speech to make it a little longer in order to reach the time requirements. It was very hard to pick only three things to talk about when describing my person but I think that I picked the stories that both meant the most and made the most sense to me. For the given speech I need to trust myself more and be confident and not keep looking at the paper to make myself feel better.
journal: what needs to happen 2
My speech is taking the form of a happy but emotional speech. I talk a lot about all the good memories and all the good things about my pepe but then it gets a little emotional at the end when I start talking about the problems he has had in the past few years. I think everything I have written down for my speech I like and there are all good ideas. I think the biggest things I’m challenged on are how to word things and the right things to say and how to say them and also keeping my emotions intact.the last dry run we had i showed a lot of emotions. After watching my dry run video I definitely need to fix a lot when I’m up there talking. I need to speak up, stand still and talk more clearly and use less filler words. I also need to stop using my hands so much and fidgeting with my clothes and just keep my hands still. What I think needs to happen next is just finishing up the whole speech and just wrapping it all together. I think the speech went in the right direction and I’m very happy with the outcome of this speech.
I think my speech is developing well, and it is almost written as if I were talking to my mom. I think I have a good introduction to grab the readers’ attention and good material to follow the introduction. I think that I can be a little bit more personal in my speech and add some stories about my mom and me to add a little more to my speech. Adding more to my speech and making it more personal will help elongate my speech because, during my dry run, I found my speech to be quite short. While reading I saw that I still shortened and summarized things when I could go more into depth. Watching my dry run back I need to focus on making more eye contact with the people in front of me. That will be something I need to practice on.
21 thoughts on “JOURNAL: WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN?#2”
My speech has come along nicely through the week as I have worked on the outline. It has taken the form of a storytelling speech as I tell three stories about the high school football coach and each story is about how he taught me a different life lesson. I really like how I choose to display how my coach was an important person in my life. However, I think there might be some small organizational problems in my outline that may make my speech less effective to the listener. I think the best way to go about this is to deliver my speech in the dry run because I am very confident with the material of it so far and take advice from the audience to see what can be fixed. I believe more opinions will help elevate my speech to the next level because I will find out what the audience wants to hear.
Accidently posted this in the wrong journal.
Actual Response: My speech is evolving really well to portray how my coach affected me to a personal level. I’m doing this with my three stories and talking about specific lessons I learned from different moments of him coaching me. Also elaborating on how they effected my teammates as well. I’m struggling g a little bit with being close on time but I’m finding more to add on as the week goes by. Every revision and rehearsal have made my speech better so I’m going to keep piling on ideas and smoothing out my speech.
As we are going through everyone’s speeches I gave some feedback and I also got some feedback about the dry run of my speech 3. As I went through everyone’s speech I realized that others’ speeches are very different from mine and also two of my peers talk about their dog which is very interesting, so, I think that it doesn’t matter who you are talking about if it is animals or humans everyone has emotions. When I gave my speech my speech was very smooth and also engaging but the thing didn’t work it was my timing I didn’t make to my time limits my speech was kind of short so I think I have to add bit more about my grandfather, I’m thinking about I should add a small story or something and also my peers suggested me that I should extend my speech by adding little bit more about my grandfather.
After going through a planning phase and having two successful dry runs, everything seems to be going extremely well right now. I am not stuttering or stumbling my words, I am not rushing, I am getting better at pacing myself and the message and delivery is working. I took a risk with this format, but it is working because it is balanced and doesn’t come off as corny. The funny parts are allowing me to have the confidence to actually open up about myself more, and it also shows me that you can poke fun at someone without being mean. The audience themselves are laughing a lot and I think my stage Prescence is working as well. I am coming across as someone comfortable on stage, I am allowing myself to be more relaxed and let loose a bit when presenting and most importantly, the way I structured everything makes the speech come across as more organized and impactful. Opening up with the funny parts allows me to be more comfortable sharing super personal stories. If I just went with a really dark speech, I don’t think it would have resonated with people much because not everyone goes through the same things. I just need to keep practicing, not take too many long pauses and memorize my speech a little more, and I know that I will be 100% when I present it.
After doing a lot of practicing on my own this week and after my dry run in class I came away with a few key points. I am definitely on the longer end of the spectrum when it comes to the length of my speech so I need to cut down in some areas. I think some ways that I can do that are by simplifying my story about my Christmas tradition with my dad. The audience doesn’t really need to know all the details about why we started the tradition and although it’s a funny anecdote that I kept forgetting to ask about Santa, it isn’t necessary to understand who my dad is as a person and why he means so much to me. I also can definitely simplify my introduction because I think the most important parts of my story come in with my three key points and that’s where the real understanding about who my dad is and who he is to me really shine through. I think I have definitely gotten better at using less filler words but I think it’s something I still need to be aware of, as well as not putting my hands in my pockets but using them to talk like I would naturally as that is how I want the speech to appear, as natural as possible. Since it is in the form of a toast then it should definitely feel rehearsed but also natural and comfortable which is the goal. Other than that I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the first few sections of my speech but once I get to my third key point and my closing I could definitely use some more practice and rehearsal. Moving into the next week I would like to continue practicing on my own, in front of the mirror, and in front of the people I am with over the break so that I can get more live feedback, especially from people that know my dad personally. I think I could also edit my closing a bit more and the transitions between sections that it seems more natural, slowing down and breathing will also help this but it could be more seamless with some edits too.
My speech is still in the form of a tribute or a toast to my mom. I thin that the part about me calling her multiple different things that people call her like sister or aunt is a really good way to introduce her many roles because she isn’t just a mom. It was also pointed out that I had very good details that made it seem more personal to me. I feel that in order to make my speech better I need to add a lot more detail than I did today. I just gave more of a brief overview of my speech rather than what I actually wanted to say even though I still got my point across. I also need to make my speech longer, not just by adding detail but by slowing down and taking a breath. I started speeding up because I got emotional during my speech and the only way to prevent speeding up is by calming myself down. The next time I deliver my speech I also want to make sure I look up at the audience more and be a little bit louder.
My speech needs a lot of work, but I think the outcome will be good. During the dry run, I realized I had a lot of information in my script. This was unfortunate because I was tripped up a lot and I was unsure as to what to say. This led to me leaving out a few details that I wanted to make sure I had in my speech. I think I will be able to cut my speech down to make it easier to present. Next, I was kind of choking up talking about my grandfather. While this is okay, it also means I need more practice to get comfortable talking about him. With practice, I think I will be able to succeed in this section. Lastly, I think that I want to add more details about little things. I want to add more specific examples to make it more personal. My peers had specific examples and I enjoyed that part of their speeches.
Going forward with rehearsing my speech there are a few things I observed that need to happen before delivery day. After watching my dry run video back I observed that I was looking very fidgety, I will need to work on not moving as much when I deliver my speech. I also noticed that my voice sounds shaky and I was reading off my computer for the most part however these things can be easily fixed by putting in more time for rehearsing my speech. The most obvious thing I noticed from watching my video from my dry run is that my speech is not long enough. I am just short of the 4 minute mark. I think if I work on lengthening my conclusion and work on breathing more and slowing down while giving my speech I will easily achieve the time goal. I definitely need to add more to my conclusion because I think it is important that the final part of my speech really sticks with the reader and ties in the rest of the ideas from my speech. To continue to elevate my speech I am trying to focus more on the stories in my speech because I think it is more personal and the audience can relate better and therefore will hopefully keep interest in my speech while I deliver it. Over break I will continue to develop a better wrap up and conclusion to my speech then work on memorizing it better to be prepared for delivery day next class.
I am having a hard time making all my points flow smoothly in this speech. This speech might be the most challenging for me yet because of its structure and flow. I am trying to make it sound like a speech not just me reading bullet points off a paper. Right now I am trying to figure out how to transition from point to point. I also hope that adding these transitions will help me reach the time limit. I am also going to add more points and make a stronger, impactful conclusion because watching my dry run, the speech just ended abruptly. I have been working on my speech throughout break so far, I even have done it in front of my parents a couple of times and have gotten their feedback. I think that once I figure out the structure and follow that I will have a very strong speech. I think by practicing over and over I will be able to get a good feel for the speech and what is and isn’t working. I know one thing for sure: I have to get down good flow to my speech and this is my goal to accomplish over break.
One of the biggest fears that I have is that the speech will not flow as I hope it will. I really struggle with getting my words out in any sort of order whatsoever. My outlines so far have been a little weaker than I should have written them. I did not realize how important and helpful they would be. The outline I used for speech two was much better than one but kind of died halfway through writing it. Sometimes when I write, like journals, my mind likes to wander and just type or say whatever I am saying. It truly is a curse. Even though I have been working on self-control outside of this class, it still has not gone away completely, especially not when I am nervous in a class like this. However I think I am fairly capable of overcoming these fears and impulsive behaviors. Another huge fear is time management for rehearsing, writing, and the actual presentation of the speech. It was way too short, and the speech is now just a week and two days away. It feels far away but I know that it is going to come creeping up on us all quickly and before I know it, it will be time. I am not too nervous. As long as I am at the very least prepared and confident then I can capture them, even if the writing is not exactly perfect. I know I will end up being satisfied with the results because I am very excited for this speech.
After watching the dry run, I noticed a lot that I can change. The biggest challenge I am having is transitioning from idea to idea so that it has more structure and flow. Some feedback I received during the dry run was that it sounded like I was going to be finished, but I kept going. I have continued to add more transitions between my three main ideas so that they flow smoothly and the audience can follow along. When watching the video of the dry run back, I was fidgeting a lot and struggling to stand in one place. I think part of this is because I was vulnerable and trying to hold my composure, but also because it was my first time delivering the speech. Before the final delivery, I want to solidify my outline and practice in front of a few friends. I always practice a lot on my own, but I am still nervous speaking in front of an audience and tend to stumble over my words or fear I will forget what to say next. Once I get the structure and transitions figured out and spend time practicing, I will be pleased with the outcome.
These past two weeks have been really good for my speech, I was able to practice my speech in front of my subject a few times and tweak things here and there to get it to flow well. Watching my video back I know I can work on my introduction, I also got a few comments that they liked how I originally had it, whereas in my second version for the dry-run, I condensed it a bit. So I worked on making it longer again, as well as tweaking other parts of the speech to help with flow and clarity. I also took a few unnecessary pauses which I am working on not doing, I also know I use “like”, “um” etc quite often in my speeches so I am trying my best while I practice not using them as much when I am speaking. My outline for the dry run was much better and more developed than for the dry-dry-run, it has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. I know now I just need to keep practicing and practicing because even though I am presenting the second week of presentations, I want to be as prepared as I can. So that my speech is strong, flows nicely, and I am confident in myself and what I am saying.
This past week I have realized that I need to deliver my speech in a different way than I was planning. I need to add a lot more detail about my person and how I met them. I am going to set it up by walking my audience through how we met. I think this will set up my speech very nicely. I also am going to need to work on timing as well. Again I think practice makes perfect so I am going to keep practice and altering my speech until it is looking and sounding how I want it to. While watching my video I noticed that I did read off of my laptop a lot. I also can be fidgety so I need to work on staying calm while giving my speech. I projected my voice well and felt I had good energy talking about my person. With practice and switching up a few things on how I deliver my speech I think I will come out with a great product to share with the class!
After watching my dry run through I noticed that the main thing that needs to happen is just adding in a few more details to get the speech to become 4 minutes long. I also recognize that it looks like I did not rehearse at all because I was staring down at my computer during the whole speech. I believe that due to the lack of rehearsal it made me sound more monotone and I want to work on saying the speech with more emotion because it is really meaningful to me. With the past two speeches I have struggled with not saying like and um so I want to work on sounding more clear. I like the way that I organized my speech so I am not really going to edit that. The dry run helped me get some good feedback that my speech was going in the right direction and made me feel more confident and prepared for the final delivery. Something that I would like to try and make time for is rehearsing the speech in front of others to have someone time it and get some extra feedback. As of now I am feeling pretty good about where my speech is going and the main thing that I need to do is just keep practicing.
As I prepare to give my speech for the next class, there are some things I need to clean up in order to be ready to present. When watching my dry run, I noticed that I need to work on eye contact with the audience. This is not something that I think I have struggled with in the past when giving my speeches, but this speech is a lot more sentimental. I definitely feel more vulnerable talking about someone who means a lot to me, so I think I am subconsciously avoiding eye contact by staring at my notes. This is not a good habit, and one that I need to work on before next class. Eye contact with the audience is essential to keep them engaged in my speech, so I need to slow down, and avoid closing myself off when I’m standing in front of the class. I think the best thing I can do to elevate my speech is practice it to other people more. This will not only help me get comfortable enough to look up from my paper more often, but it will also build my confidence and make me feel less vulnerable in front of the class.
My speech is taking the form of a toast almost or a commemorative speech in dedication to Ella my former teammate. I think my introduction is pretty good it is supposed to be a little funny, but I think in order to elevate it I need to emphasize certain words and not just have one flat tone of voice. I tend to fidget with my hands and not know what to do with my body. You can tell when I get nervous because I tend to stumble on my words or speed up. I need to remind myself when I get like that to take a breath and slow down. I feel like in between my points I can take a brief pause to let what I said sit with they audience for a little longer. I need to add a bit more to my speech because it is 8 seconds under the 4 minute mark. To do this I am going to expand on my intro a little and work on slowing down and taking pauses. I think in order to elevate my speech working on articulating my words will be my greatest asset. I think the stuff I have to say is good and well thought out but my delivery is what needs work.
My speech is taking the form of a toast. The past week I worked on turning my speech into an outline since it was more the form of a paper. This was challenging, but I expected that. After that I worked on just practicing my speech and correcting things that I thought needed to work. I made sure to watch my dry run and take note of things that need work. I definitely did not look confident at all and I looked at my computer almost the whole time. I also stumbled on a lot of things and had a lot of pauses. After taking this all into account I made sure to critique these things and try to make it better. Overall I really tried to clean up my speech and gain some confidence for when I present this week.
With this speech, it is taking form of a eulogy but instead of a sad traditional eulogy, I want to make it similar to a toast in the sense of celebrating and sharing happy memories with my person. This week I have worked to make it an outline instead of a paper form since it was very long. I had also watched my recorded dry run and noticed some things that I needed to work on. These were things such as talking louder, annunciating my words, using fewer filler words, moving around less, and maintaining eye contact. As far as the actual speech I realized that it was a bit scrambled so I worked to rearrange the stories so they flowed better into the speech to help make things more clear and more interesting. I also made the decision to add one more part to make speech to make it a little longer in order to reach the time requirements. It was very hard to pick only three things to talk about when describing my person but I think that I picked the stories that both meant the most and made the most sense to me. For the given speech I need to trust myself more and be confident and not keep looking at the paper to make myself feel better.
journal: what needs to happen 2
My speech is taking the form of a happy but emotional speech. I talk a lot about all the good memories and all the good things about my pepe but then it gets a little emotional at the end when I start talking about the problems he has had in the past few years. I think everything I have written down for my speech I like and there are all good ideas. I think the biggest things I’m challenged on are how to word things and the right things to say and how to say them and also keeping my emotions intact.the last dry run we had i showed a lot of emotions. After watching my dry run video I definitely need to fix a lot when I’m up there talking. I need to speak up, stand still and talk more clearly and use less filler words. I also need to stop using my hands so much and fidgeting with my clothes and just keep my hands still. What I think needs to happen next is just finishing up the whole speech and just wrapping it all together. I think the speech went in the right direction and I’m very happy with the outcome of this speech.
I think my speech is developing well, and it is almost written as if I were talking to my mom. I think I have a good introduction to grab the readers’ attention and good material to follow the introduction. I think that I can be a little bit more personal in my speech and add some stories about my mom and me to add a little more to my speech. Adding more to my speech and making it more personal will help elongate my speech because, during my dry run, I found my speech to be quite short. While reading I saw that I still shortened and summarized things when I could go more into depth. Watching my dry run back I need to focus on making more eye contact with the people in front of me. That will be something I need to practice on.