Valerie Hernandez SPC2608 7220 800 AM Group #4

Thalia Diaz, Group 4

    All of the groups presentations were helpful because public speaking is something that can be difficult for people, including me. Sometimes speaking in front of others can feel uncomfortable because you may feel nervous worried about making a mistake or unsure if people are listening. The presentations showed me that being a public speaker is not just about standing in front of a class and talking. There are things that a person needs to think about before during and after giving a speech. One thing I liked about the groups was how they explained the different parts of public speaking and how they connected them together. Public speaking is something that we see and use in situations even if we do not always notice it. A person can use public speaking in school at work during presentations or when talking to a group of people. The presentation made me think more about how much preparation goes into giving a speech. Before these presentations I mostly thought that public speaking was about knowing what you are going to say and then saying it. Now I understand that there is much more to it. I especially liked the part about confidence because confidence is very important when speaking in front of people. A person can know a lot about their topic. If they are extremely nervous it can be difficult to communicate their idead clearly. I learned that confidence does not necessarily mean that you have to feel completely comfortable or have no fear. Sometimes you can still be nervous. Confidence can come from practicing, preparing and knowing your topic. This was something that I found useful because it made public speaking seem scary. Of thinking that I have to be perfect I can focus more on being prepared and doing my best. Another thing I liked from the presentations was the discussion about listening. Before this class I usually thought of public speaking as being about the person who is talking. However listening is also a part of communication. When someone is giving a speech the audience needs to listen and pay attention. At the time the speaker should understand that they are speaking to an audience and should try to connect with them. I think this is important because communication is not about talking. It is also about making sure that the other people understand what you are trying to say. The second group also gave information that I found interesting because it focused more on how to prepare a speech and how to make sure the speech is appropriate for the audience. I liked learning about how important it's to know who your audience is. A speech should not always be presented in the same way to every group of people. The speaker needs to think about who's listening what they already know and what they might be interested in. This made sense to me because the way you explain something to your friend can be different from the way you explain the thing to a professor or a large group of people. I also liked learning about choosing a topic and having a purpose. Sometimes people can have a time deciding what to talk about. Having purpose can make the speech easier because you know what you want the audience to understand or learn. I think this can also help the speaker stay focused. If you do not have a purpose it can be easy to talk about too many things and make the speech confusing. The presentation helped me understand why it is important to know what you want your audience to take away from your speech. Research was another part that I found useful. I learned that giving a speech is not about sharing your personal thoughts. Depending on the topic you may need to do research and find information from sources. Research can help make a speech stronger because it gives you facts and information that support what you are saying. It can also make the audience more likely to trust the information. The third group gave a presentation that I found enjoyable. It focused on how to put everything and on actually delivering the speech. I liked learning about organization because the order of information can make a difference. If a speech is not organized the audience may become confused or lose interest. A good speech should have a beginning, middle and ending that fit together. The speaker should introduce the topic explain the idea and finish in a way that gives the audience something to remember. I also liked learning about the beginning and ending of a speech. The beginning is very important because it is the thing the audience hears. If the beginning is interesting people may stay interested in listening to the rest of the speech. The ending is also important because it is the thing people hear so it should not feel like the speaker is just stopping suddenly. A good ending can remind the audience of the point and leave them with something to think about. Sometimes simple words can make an idea easier to understand. I personally liked this idea because when someone explains something in a way it is easier for people to stay focused and remember the information. The use of presentation media was also interesting to me. I like that each group focused on parts of the process and showed how all of these parts worked together. The presentations gave me an understanding of what makes a speech successful and also made me feel more prepared for future presentations. I know I may still fell nervous sometimes when speaking in front of people. Now I have a better idea of what I can do to prepare myself. Overall I really enjoyed listening to the three groups. I think each presentation taught me something that I can use in this class and in other situations, in the future.