Group Presentations

 Working in groups, or as a team, I've always found to be extremely beneficial. During my time in high school I was far from being considered a "scholar". I wouldn't classify myself as an idiot or dumb, I was just always nervous to speak up as I lacked any confidence in myself when it came to my work. Teaming up with classmates and having the ability to listen and absorb what others had to say not only opened my mind to different ideas, but it allowed me to gain the confidence I needed to project my voice and let others listen. As I grew older and matured through many, many life experiences, it released any tension I ever had when it came to public speaking and now I feel more comfortable than ever. Over the course of this class, I really enjoyed hearing everyone's stories and connecting with you all. Public speaking doesn't come easy for many, yet I thought everyone in this class did an amazing job in the last 13-14 weeks. I wish nothing but the best for everyone and hope we all can walk away from this class with a little more comfortability when it comes to public speaking! Thank you to everyone who listened, and Merry Christmas to all!! Also, if any of you enjoy looking at Christmas lights, close friends of mine put on an OVER THE TOP display in Tinley Park located at 17321 Avon Ln. You can look them up on Facebook as well if you search TP Christmas House. ENJOY!!

CH 11

 Many people suffer problems with public speaking. However, there are a few steps in which you can take to help promote a well, thought out speech. The first step you can take is to be well informed and knowledgeable giving credibility and power to your speech. Sounding "official" and siting sources will help assist your speech and provide truth to your comments. Secondly, it's very important to know your audience before giving a speech. Taking this into consideration can prevent you from losing your audience and steering them away. Also, envision success. Visualize yourself giving the world's best speech ever and use that as the confidence to help give yourself a boost! Public speaking can be difficult for most, however, following a few steps before giving a speech can help prevent you from failure and provide you with an opportunity to give a clean, credible speech to your audience.

A Story to Remember

    One of the most powerful speeches I've seen given was from a former professional basketball player of the Boston Celtics in the late 90s and early 2000s, Chris Herran. Chris's professional career was cut short due to his battling addiction to drugs which began at an early age causing havoc on him and his family. In his documentary titled Unguarded, Chris speaks on his past, when the addiction started, the scares he had, and how drugs entirely ripped out his career from underneath him and cost him everything....and almost his life. During Chris's speech, he shows a great example of voice inflection, eye contact, and pauses at certain points adding emphasis to his story while also allowing the audience to sit back and soak in what he is saying. His speech is moving from beginning to end and will have you trapped for every second. If anyone is looking for a great documentary, I highly advise watching Unguarded.  

Ted Talks Review

     Our actions as much as our words can play a major role in how you're perceived from the outside looking in. I absolutely love the Ted Talks video on The Power of Words. As the video displays, it's truly as simple as it shows. Using our words and choosing them wisely has the power to create change and impact the lives of many. Have you ever sat through a best man's speech and as it ended you thought to yourself wow....that was amazing! It's times like these when we shine in our finer moments by using the power of words enabling ourselves to impact our audience. Another example using the power of words are motivational speeches. Eric Thomas, a widely known motivational speaker who's toured the country speaking with individuals from famous athletes to students, uses his high energy as well as strong words to deliver his message to his audience.  Words are beyond powerful and how we choose to use them depicts how our audience will then view us. 

Chapter 8 Takeaway

     As I began reading chapter eight, I immediately enjoyed the approach leading us to choose our topics. I can't stress enough how important this is in delivering your story and engaging the audience. Having credibility and truth in your tone of voice sparks interest in your audience and will have them right where you want them! Having an interesting story, bringing excitement to your speech, and bringing the right energy will go a long way in helping with public speaking. 

    When reading over the different organizational styles I find myself more drawn to the chronological approach. Following a timeline when telling a story comes easier for me than using other styles. Also, when following the chronological approach, it helps me personally create excitement by building my story as I deliver my speech. Knowing I have a "punch" or a "kicker" ahead of what I'm saying builds excitement for myself which then assists with my voice inflection. Overall, with the right story and the right amount of energy, you'll find yourself having the full attention of your audience and feeling confident as ever!

Chapter 9 Takeaway

   When it comes to public speaking, gaining your audiences attention is key in delivering a good speech. As discussed in Chapter 9, the text stresses the importance of grasping your audience's attention and pulling them in. On page 9-2 Hellmut Walters states, "To be persuasive, we must be believable. To be believable, we must be credible. To be credible, we must be truthful." Walters hits the nail on the head with this quote from the book. If I'm delivering a persuasive speech, with hopes of you buying into what I'm trying to say, if I'm not believable I'll lose my audience, which, in turn, will then lead to the loss of my credibility. Gaining the audience's attention is one of the biggest factors I focus on when delivering a speech. When I begin to notice eye contact and the look of being alert, it puts my mind at ease letting me know that I've drawn my audience in and they're interested in what I have to say. 

    To feel confident when giving a speech in public, I enjoy telling a story or recalling on a certain occasion to give myself that feeling of credibility. Relating back to a past experience allows me the certainty of speaking clearly and with truth behind my tone of voice. I look forward to expanding on my public speaking skills over the course of the class and hearing each and everyone's own story from week to week.

Zoom Call Takeaway

 Going back to last week and recapping our zoom call, I enjoyed the conversation and the introduction to what we'll be doing over the course of the class. Public speaking has never been enjoyable for me, yet I'm not one to really sit back and keep quiet. Coming from the world of sales prior to jumping ship and changing careers, I relied heavily on my social skills as well as my ability to conduct face to face meetings and present business models to small and mid-sized business owners. I can definitely say that picking up the phone and making 100 dials a day, or sitting down for a face to face meeting has greatly improved my public speaking skills and it's helped tremendously. 

    During our zoom call, we touched on being uncomfortable and speaking in public with others. Going off the small class size that we have, I hope we all can relax a little bit, be ourselves and listen to the stories that are told. Having a small class definitely makes for a "less intense" moment yet I still find some awkwardness during a zoom call lol. There's something about the process that just seems a little off to me but overall it gets the job done!