communicating better
My major expectation for this class is to assist me in communicating better. I have been able to gain insight from this course on how to write a speech, deliver, and even communicate better. Being my first speech, there were some things I did quite well, while other things I did poorly and required improvement.
First, I will go over the things I did well. Figuring out what to do and where to place my hands was one of my major worries. However, after reviewing and practicing many speeches in front of the mirror, I found that remaining calm, upright, and relaxed is the most comfortable way to use in my address. A day before the actual speech delivery, it was best for me to practice because I did not want my self – introduction speech to sound like a robot conclusively. Therefore, I maintained eye contact by continually scanning and learning about my presentation platform and keenly moved my head. Also, I believe that my positive attitude was one of the most helpful things that motivated me throughout the presentation. I have a positive approach to speech and introductions. My goal was to deliver information in an organized and straightforward manner. Despite the excellent start in my delivery, I could not give myself enough time to provide the proverb information to the audience. But I was able to get in track with my speech outline and keep going even though I made a mistake.
I am happy with my attempt, and I can conclude that my speech was above 20% compared to the other speeches. Overall, I did an excellent job in terms of the narrative by structuring content and information within the general rubric that includes central idea, opening, transitions, and summary. By incorporating several literal devices such as metaphors and similes, my speech had a sense of style. The narrative was easy to comprehend because I used strong evidence and information, connected main and sub-points, and created a strong introduction and conclusion that interconnect with the rest of the speech. However, to improve my narrative strength, I could have shaped Life – Like characters and introduced an engaging dialogue.
The language choice used in other speeches well fits with my speaking pattern. I conducted an audience analysis and carefully determined the vocabulary to use in my address. Then, I used appropriate language to compose my speech without limiting myself with basic transitional words. Another guideline I used was vivid language, which created sharp and distinct mental images. Besides, I used familiar and straightforward language both to me and my audience. Due to such factors, I was comfortable in my speaking and convinced that my audience understood the information well.
In terms of my posture, I maintained an upright, calm, and relaxed position. Also, I used some of the keys things I had learned about delivering a speech; a well-projected voice. I was optimistic about my speech delivery and confident that I would do well and complete with a minimum number of blunders. However, I had problems with stuttering on some words, which I can improve by rehearsing the majority of the speech to ensure that I master the words. Having a rough outline of my for my speech, I did not wholly illustrate the proverb to my audience. I could have delivered a complete speech to my audience by having precise specifics to what I was planning to say. In the incoming speeches, I would like to actively think about what I am doing because speech delivery is an easy and essential task; hence, it becomes more comfortable. To successfully deliver my next speech, I will spend more time researching, rehearsing, and building outlines on my speech than I have done for my self – introductory speech. This does not suggest that I have not taken the task seriously; it is my goal to become a better speaker and communicator. I consider my methods of speech organization and preparation to be improved.