Yefrey Gomez - Assignment Blog Post #1

 I recently had the privilege of participating in a group (4) presentation discussing, and in essence teaching, the basic and most effective ways of delivering a persuasive and informative speech. The moment we were put into groups we immediately got to work. We all stayed after the lecture on Zoom and readily started preparing our work. Instead of dividing the work by chapters, we decided to spread them out by lessons. Due to receiving an addition to our group, we realized it would be easier to do it by chapters rather than each lesson (which was definitely better).  I'm glad my group was as attentive and willing to work together as I was. The presentation was a breeze once we genuinely put our minds together and began working. I would like to think most of the class was as nervous as I was when it was time to present. I was pleasantly surprised to learn as much as I did from each of the groups' presentations. 

                        

My chapter (14) spoke of exactly what it means to give a persuasive speech, or simply what being persuasive really meant. Many people, including myself, can easily get confused between being persuasive, manipulative, or coercive. This is why tried my best to explain what exactly distinguishes each of these 3 things. I felt that once I explained it thoroughly, it would be much simpler for my audience to understand the rest of my slides. Once I felt I had said enough, I dove into the different kinds of persuasive speech which included questions of fact, value, and policy. All to end it, of course, with the different audiences one might encounter while delivering any sort of speech. I really enjoyed my part of the project, I took a speech class once before, and although I was super nervous, I look back and feel proud I learned as much as I did. 

I'm actually, to my surprise, proud of how my part was delivered. It, of course, could have been better, but I was proud nonetheless of how I presented it. I understand that the nerves don't ever truly go away, I just have to learn to overcome them. To speak on the rest of the groups, they did amazing as well. I learned not only about the little tricks that make up a great presentation but also about the process of deciding on a topic and what I can do to keep the audience's attention. Because of course, if I can't keep my audience's attention, then what was the point of my speech. This not only helps me be more confident during presentations and speeches but also when having a simple conversation about anything with a friend. These little things go a long way down the road, whether it's giving a best man speech, or as sad as it sounds/is, a eulogy at a funeral. 

When it is time for me to be put in a situation where I have to give a speech, be it in front of a huge audience, or a small one, I want to feel confident in my speaking skills and in my knowledge. This is where group 1 comes into play. They taught me just how far back public speaking, in the Western tradition we are familiar with, actually goes. They pointed out key points in the evolution of speech which dates back to the Classical Era, past the Industrial Age, landing us in the current Information Age. They spoke the Spheres of Communication which shows us the four different ways we express and engage others. Not only this but they also spoke of how to build my confidence and how to connect to my audience in different ways. My knowledge was limited on this subject, so I am grateful I learned all these different ways to hold the attention of my audience and different ways to build my confidence when public speaking.

As for group 2, they dove deep into what it means to choose a topic and how exactly I should go about researching it. There are 4 thesis they talked about, descriptive thesis, reflective thesis, persuasive thesis, and argumentative thesis. I would have no idea what any of that meant if it were not for their good explanation. They further explained what it means to identify the purpose of the topic. Letting us know that a big part of it is realizing who your target audience is.  Once you know exactly who I will be speaking to, it is time to do my research. This extends from your own personal knowledge and known research websites, all the way to library research, background checks, and most obvious of all, fact-checking. They also taught me to make sure I make it very clear to my audience what my purpose is. One of the most important things I learned though, was just how big of a deal the body of my speech is. This is the longest segment in the speech itself, if this part of it is not engaging enough, I will lose my audience. I have to be very clear on what my points are, and what message I'm trying to get across. 

Group 3 showed me how important the ending and beginning of my speech truly is. I of course knew it was important, but not this important. They showed me how exactly I should begin and end my speech and how to properly reinforce my purpose in order to get my message across clearly. They spoke of how I can and should establish my credibility by showing my knowledge on the subject and using effective language, in other words, make sure my audience can understand what I'm saying. I struggled a little bit a while back with finding my rhythm and keeping my tone consistent. Group 3 did a fabulous job teaching me how I can fix these mistakes. All in all, I learned so much in such little time. I'm excited and happy for what's to come from this class and what I learn from it so I can use it in future instances. Little by little, I am learning just how hard and hardworking I must be to truly give a great and beautiful speech.  

via GIPHY