Karla's Blog 1

 

Walking into this assignment, I expected the information to be very superficial because I didn't think that there was so much that needed to go into speaking publicly. I honestly thought, “How can so many people have this much to say about how to perfect public speaking?" Surprisingly, that was not the case. Each presentation focused on different sides of communicating information and what was going on in the back end to make a presentation successful. I learned that it takes a lot of skill to prepare, organize, research and figure out ways to connect with an audience all in one presentation. I noticed that some groups focused on technical structures for the actual speeches and other groups focused on the delivery. I wpiu;ld have to say that every group contributed an equally important skill needed for effective public speaking. They all added layers to my understanding of what makes someone an effective speaker and how I can improve myself as a beginner.

We started off with group one which presented effective ways of communication, the craft of public speaking and how public speaking can be a life skill. They talked about how public speaking has changed over time and how to adapt. This was so important to me because like they mention, we have so many influencers now going live or making videos online and they are all using all these skills to engage with their audience to stay relevant. I loved how they pointed out the importance of connecting with their audience. I am definitely a viewer in the beauty world and if the speaker is not giving good information or presenting it in a boring way I usually scroll away. Group one did a very good job explaining how important this is by giving us examples on how to improve and to connect with an audience. These chapters were especially important to me because I am a very nervous public speaker. I loved the videos they used with a speaker teaching you how to overcome fear when speaking and how to improve your listening skills. They picked great relevant videos, loaded with valuable information that I see myself using in the future. Another topic I really enjoyed was about audience analysis and how important it is to read a room. This is what public speaking is all about, it's about connecting with an audience about what you are presenting to them. 

Then with group two, they presented about how to organize their speeches and how to present them with organized ideas. I really enjoyed how they explained clearly how to brainstorm because this is one of the things that I struggle with when it comes to public speaking. They gave useful tips . I thought it was really helpful how they also gave up step by step on how to be organized in a chronological order that should work for everyone. Ironically, they presented about being organized while being extremely organized so they definitely took in the information as well and not just presented chapters that they read. With the little amount of time that we had to put all of this together, I think that they did a phenomenal job at executing the information we needed to understand. They really seemed like they knew what they were talking about and gave good information on all about being organized. This group also taught how to research and this is something that I think is extremely helpful for students mainly. I really like how they gave examples on how to maximize a search and get the most out of what you are looking for. This group alos provided an amazing video that breaks down on how to write your outline. This video really helped me on how to perfect my outline. This is going to make it easier for me later on when I need to prepare for my persuasive speech. Overall they were able to deliver their message to me clear and concise and gave me important preparation tips.

Moving on to group three which was the group I was a part of. Our group focused on the elements that make a speech effective from the media that we use to the delivery methods we can use for our speeches. In my personal opinion, I think that everything my group presented has to be the most important factors of speaking. We were able to give tips on how we can have strong beginnings and ending and how to lock in the attention of your audience. I really enjoyed reading and writing about my chapter 12 presentation. I had to talk about the delivery methods and verbal and non verbal communications. These were all so important to me because these are my main areas of weakness. I am the type of speaker that gets really nervous and wants to hide in a little shell so no one can see me. Everything I presented about what you should not do is everything I would do when I speak publicly. This chapter helped me overcome some of these weaknesses and made me open up my mind to ways that I can come off as confident even when I am not feeling it. 

Lastly, we had group four which taught us different types of presentations. The first type of speech they talked about was informative speaking. I think that this is probably one of the easiest types, however, they were able to still give me effective tips on how to make them the best possible. I also like how they included an informative video explaining how to have a successful speech. I learned that even if they are informative you still need to know what the audience would be interested in learning and not to go out there throwing random information. I like how they compare the differences between informative, persuasive and narrative speaking. They really made me understand an easy way on how to do each of them and understand them. They were very organized with their steps and they knew how to provide essential information. I really enjoyed how they presented the part about arguments and how we can understand logic. I honestly did not think this was something that went into public speaking. This group really made it click for me that there is so much more outside of preparing and delivering a speech. 

Overall, this assignment changed the way that I view public speaking. Before listening to these presentations I had little to no knowledge about everything that goes into speaking publicly. I can now understand why I was always so nervous and because I did not have all the tools that I have now learned with my classmates. I now understand all the different layers that go into preparing and delivering a perfect speech even though I don't think I would ever get there. Things like audience analysis, organization, research, delivery methods, confidence, and understanding communication styles all play a major role. I believe every group brought something different to the table and helped me understand a whole new side of speaking. I never thought that it was as deep as all that was given. I really appreciated how every group included examples, videos and explanations that made the information easier to understand. I am now more aware of new weaknesses I had no idea I had and I think that moving forward my speeches will be so much better. I feel confident enough for my next one because I now know everything I have to do to make my audience and myself have a good experience.