I thought that the best information that was relayed in the Speech Buddy videos was the idea of narrowing your topic down, and even tailoring it to your audience. There were really good points made about ideas like, "If your speech is going to be delivered early in the morning, maybe a really heavy topic isn't going to go over so well," and other points that I had never really considered. It certainly is interesting to learn all of the subtle nuances that come along with speech making.
I was really impressed with the "Ribbon" speech; holy cow she only had 15 minutes to prepare for that! Does anyone else think that that is a remarkably short amount of time to get a speech together? No lie, just the thought of it makes my insides do a little jig. I mean...the thought of challenging myself by having only fifteen minutes to prepare for a speech to be delivered in front of real human being is exhilarating and leaves me breathless with anticipation. (Win!)
I also thought it was encouraging to notice that all of the speeches given in the videos were not delivered flawlessly, and yet they still had great impact. The speakers managed to convey an air of professionalism as well as a sense of being thoroughly educated in the topic at hand, despite the occasion hiccup. Which made me feel SO MUCH BETTER. Just noticing that their (slight, tiny) errors did not make me think less of them made my anxiety lessen. Just a bit. I also felt as though I related to the speakers better after noticing the occasional blip; I would think "I DO THAT TOO!!!" and instantly feel a small bond with the speaker whom I have never met.
Could it be that a small part of me is looking forward to this upcoming culture speech? Surely not... :)
I loved your post! It completely reflected what I felt watching the videos. I thought I knew a lot about public speaking, but by watching these videos I realized that there is MUCH more to it. This kind of makes my anxiety go up, but thankfully they included the tips to overcome most of my fears (hopefully they work). I was also encouraged by Loren's speech. I highly doubt that I could put a speech together in 15 minutes and not stutter the whole time. My favorite was definitely "intro Jessica" I really liked the way she delivered the speech. It was so effortless and upbeat. Also, she was extremely good at covering when she forgot what was coming next. It was just so natural. I hope this class gets us to that point of being comfortable in my own skin in front of an audience.
ReplyDeleteI agree! The idea of narrowing your topic and selecting it with your audience in mind really makes sense. The few times I've spoken publicly were work related, so my topic basically chose itself as I was relaying information everyone needed. I believe this should help with anxiety reduction if we feel like we're relating to our audience.
ReplyDeleteI also was impressed with the "Ribbon" speech and the fact that she put it together in 15 minutes. I believe this illustrates that being passionate about your topic really helps with presenting your speech. At least she certainly seemed to feel strongly about the topic.
I couldn't agree more. I think the videos we are watching along with the text, will help many students in this class. it's one thing to read something, but an entirely different aspect to actually see it in real form. It then allows the student to visualize them self doing the speech and to see that everyone has little hiccups. I think this relieves a lot of anxiety, as you stated, in new speakers or ones that don't have much experience with it. Preparing for a speech in 15 minutes, as in 'Ribbon', is right up my alley because I am a much more impromptu person, so that speech particularly interested me. I look forward to sharing these few speech classes that we have in person and I am sure you will do great.
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