Reflection: Persuasive speech (skept)

11/22/2011

           

After my last speech (unconventional wisdom), which I had changed my topic for at the very last minute and felt it resulted in a rough presentation, I had hoped not to repeat the mistake.  For my persuasive speech, I had originally planned on talking about how dieting is a hoax and that all people need to do to “diet” is eat real food (not processed, food-like substances), but then I discovered that Caitlin was going to talk about fast foods and Kingsley was going to talk about buying locally on a budget.  For the sake of capturing the interest of the class and not being repetitive, I changed my topic again (but not quite as last minute as last time).  I chose to talk about the Northern Pass Project not only because I had pre-existing knowledge on the issue, but also because I felt strongly opposed to it and knew that many people were in support of the project (this became evident to me when I almost got into an argument with my roommate’s parents…that moment actually made me realize that the Northern Pass Project would be a great topic to be geared toward a skeptical audience). 

I liked how I approached writing my speech.  Instead of discussing the major reasons that people are opposed to the project, I found out why people support it (which I did not really know at the time and realized that in not understanding the other side, my opinions on the issue were meaningless).  I soon discovered that the reasons were deceiving—empty promises, as I had imagined.  But what I had not speculated was the corporate aspect, that the project is merely a deal between three mega-corporations who are scheming to violate private property rights for the benefit of their private companies—I hope I was able to convey to my audience that if they are successful in obtaining the power of eminent domain, it would serve as a dangerous precedent for future corporate control. 

As far as the presentation of my speech, maybe it was because I was told that I am improving greatly, but I do feel like I have come a long way since September.  I do, however, attribute much of this speech’s success to the fact that we were allotted the first 10-15 minutes of class to practice.  During the practice round I did horribly, which made me a little nervous for the actual presentation; but I got all the stumbling out of my system.  I felt comfortable and didn’t notice any fidgeting; I’m not sure that I will ever be able to stop “um”-ing, but I will continue the fight against “ums” for my final commemorative speech.

Response to Drew's unconventional wisdom speech

I think that Drew's decision to talk about the positive aspects of videogaming was brave, as many people see them as an unproductive way to spend time. His speech served as a successful example of how to convey unconventional wisdom:  he did not totally debunk conventional ideas on the issue, but gave us some things to think about that we probably had not considered before.  In his question and answer session, the audience posed some clearly skeptical comments, but Drew dealt with it gracefully.

Response to Caitlin's unconventional wisdom speech

Caitlin chose an interesting topic, although I guess all of the topics spoken about were unconventional...nonetheless I really enjoyed this one.  She chose to talk about the importance of forgiveness, less for the sake of forgiveness itself than for the sake of the forgiver.  Bringing up valid points about the side-effects of holding a grudge, Caitlin cited several studies that had to do with the physiological effects/health issues related to grudge-holding, including increased blood pressure.  These points seemed strong to me and were effective in making the audience really think about her topic in a new way.  Although I did notice Caitlin referring to her note cards more often than she usually does, I did make note that I had felt that she still made adequate eye contact during her speech, which gave the impression of confidence in her words.  The speech itself seemed to flow differently than is typical of her speeches, less conversational; but I didn't see this as a bad thing, just different.

Reflection: Unconventional wisdom speech

11/07/2011

I had a difficult time coming up with an unconventional wisdom topic.  At first I was going to talk about the personal reward for performing random acts of kindness and how positive actions toward strangers can start a perpetuating cycle of kindness (“pay it forward”).  I questioned the “unconventionalness” of this topic idea, however.  I now think it would have been an acceptable subject, but at the time I did not, so I decided to consider talking about how people tend to search for miracle diets instead of simply eating real foods in moderation.  I drafted an outline and everything, but when I went to the library to work on it I passes some books about animal cognition and I immediately wanted to change my topic to the benefits of owning a dog.  I realized that I could use the diet outline for my persuasive speech instead.  This was this speech-round’s curveball to myself: last-minute topic switch, which inevitably left less time for preparation.

            I am glad I changed topics though; I felt much more enthusiastic and connected with my speech (especially since I had just gone home the previous weekend and had treated myself to some dog-therapy; I was truly feeling the benefits).  Although I do not think that I performed as well as I had on past speeches, based on the question/answer session I think that the audience felt my energy, which I took as a plus.  Because of my compromised preparation time, I feel as though my speech was a bit rough; under-practiced.  My words just did not come out as smoothly as I would have hoped.  For the upcoming persuasive speech I hope to stick to my topic, or at least not change it less than a day before my scheduled presentation.