The impromptu speech practice session was definitely an eye-opener for me. I can definitely sense that I can't talk about a topic that I either do not care strongly for, or disagree with in reality!
I really loved speaking about the exploitative credit card companies, but when it came to defending my years at Hopkins- I shut down. Hopefully, I will get a topic that I will be interested in talking about. When I gave the impromtu speech about the credit card companies, I thought I did well in delivering my message clearly and connecting with the audience. I know that using examples from my own mistakes with credit cards let the audience feel less like I was lecturing them on financial responsibility and feel more like I was keeping them aware of the topic through my experiences. I also was more comfortable and could keep myself organized while I was giving my speech.
However, when it came to talking about why someone should come to Hopkins, I know I had a difficult time. I need to practice being able to keep my personal emotions separate from a speech, especially if it's required of me to defend the topic against my will. I sensed that I said 'UM' a lot more in this second speech because I needed to think about what I wanted to say as I was presenting. Although my experience at Hopkins wasn't the perfect nor ideal college experience, I should be able to carry out a message that is necessary to carry out with certain audiences. It would be horribly offensive if I said everything on my mind regardless of who my listeners were! I sincerely hope that I will be able to control my genuine feelings and stay more neutral even though I may not necessarily agree with what I am obliged to say in the future.
Hopefully, the graded impromptu speech this Wednesday will be an improvement since I am aware of how I react to different topics!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Mock Interview
I really enjoyed this assignment because I am going to be going through real interviews very soon after graduation! I tailored my interview for the Scholarship Application because it was the perfect fit for what I would need to do in reality.
We can start with the good things about my interview. After reviewing the video footage, I thought that first and foremost, I looked professional enough. Good posture, clean outfit, and composure were all there. Next, I thought I have full, to-the-point answers to all of the interviewers' questions. I thought it was very easy to answer their questions because my reasons for wanting the scholarship are really genuine. I also thought I asked a good question to the interviewer because it showed that I read the requirements for the scholarship very carefully and reminded that I am a candidate that fit their criteria perfectly at the same time.
Bad things- I still say "UM" too much. I can definitely tell that I said it less when the interviewers asked me questions that were more personal (i.e. What made you decide to go into law enforcement?"). I also am really working on doing something about my hair...I know I've been working on not touching my bangs, but I can see that I do an unconscious hair flipping movement sometimes. Perhaps, I'll wear a headband...
I really enjoyed this assignment and I was happy to hear the the interviewers thought they would choose me for the scholarship if it was being awarded in reality! I really do want to become Police Chief one day and I really hope that this course is going to hone my public-speaking skills before that day comes. It is going to be crucial that I can deliver a great speech whether it be to the public about a crime spree, the department about budget propositions, and even the Board when it comes to officer evaluations. I hope that I will be more comfortable with public-speaking by the end of the semester and really learn how to send a take-home message that sticks to my audience.
We can start with the good things about my interview. After reviewing the video footage, I thought that first and foremost, I looked professional enough. Good posture, clean outfit, and composure were all there. Next, I thought I have full, to-the-point answers to all of the interviewers' questions. I thought it was very easy to answer their questions because my reasons for wanting the scholarship are really genuine. I also thought I asked a good question to the interviewer because it showed that I read the requirements for the scholarship very carefully and reminded that I am a candidate that fit their criteria perfectly at the same time.
Bad things- I still say "UM" too much. I can definitely tell that I said it less when the interviewers asked me questions that were more personal (i.e. What made you decide to go into law enforcement?"). I also am really working on doing something about my hair...I know I've been working on not touching my bangs, but I can see that I do an unconscious hair flipping movement sometimes. Perhaps, I'll wear a headband...
I really enjoyed this assignment and I was happy to hear the the interviewers thought they would choose me for the scholarship if it was being awarded in reality! I really do want to become Police Chief one day and I really hope that this course is going to hone my public-speaking skills before that day comes. It is going to be crucial that I can deliver a great speech whether it be to the public about a crime spree, the department about budget propositions, and even the Board when it comes to officer evaluations. I hope that I will be more comfortable with public-speaking by the end of the semester and really learn how to send a take-home message that sticks to my audience.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Technical Speech: The Physics of the Violin
I really enjoyed giving this speech because I was given the chance to talk about something I love! Most people do not think about technicalities in music and I really wanted to show that people our age need to learn more about classical music and instruments like the violin. It also calmed my nerves knowing that I could tell you about the violin for days on end. Knowing that I had the background knowledge to back up my presentation made me feel a little less nervous than I have felt in the past presentations this semester.
Overall, I thought that my presentation went very well. I always love engaging the audience, especially in this class because I learn so much about everyone every week this way. It also helps me feel like my presentation is getting through to the listeners! I definitely practiced a lot more for this speech and didn't use notes so there was no possibility of me looking down at notecards. I did have to look at the screen though because I needed to point to different parts of the violin, etc so I decided to move to the other side of the classroom so I could still make constant eye contact. Overall, I thought the class enjoyed the presentation and they really saw why the topic was important and why it was being presented. :)
I do still need to work on refraining from saying a billion "UMs" during my speech though. It slips out so easily and I don't realize how annoying it must be to hear it every 5 seconds when you're in the audience. I also think I could still practice a lot more just so I know my slides without having to look back to the screen for confirmation. However, I think that sometimes slides are there to be referenced in one's speech and I definitely needed to point back at my slides to go through the different aspects of the violin to the audience. I think that you just need to use really good judgement and depending on the topic of your presentation, use common sense and gauge how much referencing you need to do to your slides. Giving a speech is never going to be a process that can be duplicated identically every time you do it. I can definitely sense that you have to see where your audience is that day and how they are reacting to what you are saying. I'm really enjoying this course- the psychologist in me has so much fun trying to get a "feel" for the audience every Wednesday!
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