The most challenging part of giving a speech is not the actual speaking, it is the fact that at some point we will have to face ourselves. Whether we like it or not, there will be feedback, but the most immediate feedback we receive is from ourselves: "You shouldn't fidget so much! You were spot on with eye contact - that one kid was starting to squirm, you had such good eye contact!"
The process of preparation leading to a speech is also great feedback after the fact of the matter. Looking back on my preparation for my TED talk on America's appreciation of abstract art, I realized that there are some aspects I found beneficial and some aspects I need to change before my next speech.
Because of my time availability prior to my speech date, I did not spend enough time gradually prepping for my talk. Instead of progressively memorizing and knowing my content over the course of a couple of weeks, I only started to memorize and practice the speech the night before, cramming in four hours of crunch time late in the evening. This technique is definitely not what I plan to do for my next speech; however, those were the cards I was dealt that week, and thankfully it all worked out... somehow.
One part of my preparation process that I hope to repeat in the future is where I chose to practice my speech. Fortunately, my residence hall has sound-proof cubicles that allow students to enter, close the door behind them, and completely drown out the world around them while the cubicle drowns out all sounds within the box. On the night before my speech, I spent four hours cooped up in that box, not letting anyone take my practice space no matter how many glares I got for staying in my cubicle for too long. Being able to say my talk out loud, instead of mumbling in my dorm with my roommate or trying to sneak into a commons room and lock the door, allowed me to practice my voice variations, tone, and volume without any judgement or curious eyes intruding on my preparations.
Ok, maybe I had a few curious eyes looking through the glass door as I practiced my hand gestures. Just a heads up: after midnight, your hand gestures can get very emphatic during speech prep, also making great entertainment for nearby studiers.
After looking over my TED talk video a few days after presenting, I examined my performance a little more closely. Upon examination, I considered my performance to be better than I expected! Whenever I give a speech, I have this uncanny habit of almost forgetting everything that happened in the short time that I gave my speech. Sometimes, if I am truly confident in myself, I will enjoy and remember the experience; however, if I am a nervous wreck, the memory of my speech fades the second I sit back down in my chair afterwards.
TED Talk - Abstract Art
In relation to my presentation, I personally believe my tone and fluidity throughout the talk enhanced my speech. I found presenting much easier and more natural using that conversational tone many TED Talk speakers use for their presentations. Having that level of comfort let my brain organize my words better; hence, my fluidity piggy-backed off of my tone.
As I examine the details I need to improve in this speech, many of them revolve around natural tendencies. For example, I am a naturally fast speaker. I was raised in a family and a town that speaks very quickly and uses plenty of hand gestures whenever talking. I found that my speech was given at a very fast rate, not leaving enough room for comprehension or meaningful and effective pauses.
My hand gestures, to me, seemed to be a little too much - I seemed to use my hands all the time instead of keeping a restful appearance every now and then. I also picked up this habit from my family; from an outsider's perspective, my family might look like a a champion charades team.
Additionally, my eye contact could desperately use refining. If you take a gander at this video, you will notice that my eyes tend to look down at the floor too often as if I am explaining abstract art to the ground. Instead of looking for my words on the floor, I need to practice finding my words in the audience, making eye contact while maintaining a fluid stream of speech.
While speaking about your speaking can be a bit unnerving and sometimes uncomfortable, self-analysis is one of the best ways to see what you actually did in correspondence with what you think you did during your speech. Make sure to always take the time to self-report on your presentations after every speech you do - sometimes the best feedback you can get is from yourself.
"Would you just look at that!"
"Why, it's miraculous! It's so intricate! It symbolizes everything we know to be true!"
It's splatter paint.
It's literally a piece of cloth with splattered paint on it.
Splattered paint, really? That's miraculous? Do you mean to tell me that splatter paint, something I could honestly create at the next paintball tournament, is more impressive than "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo, the biblical painting of how man was created? I'm glad I understand our priorities here.
As we discuss paradigm shifts currently occurring and over the course of history, I plan to discuss the drastic changes in the art world that have ultimately led to the adoption of such abstract, contemporary pieces that audiences can barely interpret if at all. I hope to incorporate comparisons between artwork created up to the 1940's and artwork from the late 20th to 21st century.
To give a proposition for a thesis: In observing artwork before the 1940's and from the late 1900's to present day, an extreme paradigm shift is evident through the styles of art and artistic representation due to a common expressive ideology and artists' need to abruptly alter the artistic norms of society.
As we look in depth at this shift in the artistic realm, I plan to detail on the major contrasts between the visual perceptions and interpretations of art as well as some of the past themes expressed before the 1930's that could relate to the current artistic creations we see in modern day society such as abstract artwork, to give one example. I also plan to reference the historical connections paintings prior to the 1940's possess and express in contrast to some of the less interpretable stories behind the paintings of contemporary artwork.
The particular pieces of artwork chosen for this presentation and essay will range from different continents including our own to provide an overall melting pot of art, providing a wide variety of cultural artists and their works.
Below is a list of sources for supporting evidence in the upcoming presentation and essay.
Kurtz, Bruce D. Contemporary Art: 1965-1990. Prentice-Hall, 1992. Kuspit, Donald B. The End of Art. Cambridge University Press, 2004. Lambert, Rosemary. The Twentieth Century. Cambridge University Press, 1981. Lewis, Wyndham. The Demon of Progress in the Arts. H. Regnery Co., 1955. Lippard, Lucy R., et al. Pop Art. Thames and Hudson, 2004. McCurdy, Charles, editor. Modern Art: a Pictorial Anthology. MacMillan, 1985.
This is most certainly not going to be easy. All I will have to do is convince "my father to [give] me a small loan of a million dollars" and maybe sell a kidney, then I will definitely be able to do it. Loans? Oh, that's not such a big deal, I'll just spend half of my life paying off the debt and then spend the other half paying off my mortgage. But hey, at least I will have the biggest, greatest, most obnoxious and televised wedding the world has ever known!
What is our world coming to?
When did our society decide that spending half a fortune on one event that lasts only a few hours was a good idea?
Why did couples ever think that packing a church and reception with the closest members of your kin... and only 500 others that you barely know made a wedding personal?
When did weddings involve over-the-top dresses that have more than five digits on the price tag and brides sobbing their hearts out five minutes before what is supposed to be the happiest moment of their lives all because their hair was not perfect or their makeup was slightly off of stupendous?
What ever happened to happily ever after, folks?
The truth: the happily-ever-after only comes after the tornado known as bridezilla whirlwinds down the isle, the sheepish fiancé, too terrified to give one opinion about the wedding, finally says "I do," and the whole ceremony and aftermath goes exactly according to plan, with every "I" dotted and every "T" crossed. Then and only then is the happily-ever-after given permission to begin by the neurotic, half-starved, possibly deranged, new Mrs. whatever the name is.
Our society has made so many expectations that are blown way out of proportion when it comes to wedding ceremonies. Nowadays, celebrities are spending an unimaginable amount of money on a single day, inviting everyone they do not really know or care about, eating a cake that took weeks on end to bake but that will be shoved into a couples mouths for the best picture in the newspaper the following morning, and celebrating for a couple of hours an event that took months and months of endless planning to get practically perfect in every way.
I believe the reasoning for couples to overdo their wedding celebrations stems from a very real issue of our culture today: the need for attention. If you look at the popular media sites currently in use, sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all revolve around the likes and comments of friends and family, and even complete strangers, that applaud or praise a post. These comments and "thumbs-up's" give attention to the post's author, releasing this sense of approval and assurance in regards to the post. In the same way, I find that some couples desire a grand, ostentatious wedding celebration because they believe they have something to prove to others. They think they need to "go big or go home" so as to gain approval of their marriage, making sure everything is absolutely perfect as if one single flower in the wrong position will doom their marital reputation for the rest of their days, or at least until the divorce papers are signed. This constant need for attention and assurance of life decisions is one that drives our culture but unfortunately can also drive us to the brink of bankruptcy.
Now let's switch gears to a better scene: an art museum. Imagine you are walking through an amazing hallway with high ceilings, crown molding, tile floors, numerous paintings by Monet, Manet, Renoir, and maybe even Van Gogh. These paintings are gorgeously completed with amazing brushwork, vibrant color schemes, thought-provoking tales that maybe make you wonder about the big questions of life or that make you simply say, "Wow. That is one awesome sunflower."
Out of the corner of your eye, you see a connecting hallway that leads to the modern art portion of the museum. At first, your mind goes into a tailspin. "Who let a child color scribbles all over these canvases?!" you think to yourself. "Where is the culprit who disgraced these masterpieces? Why is security not streaming through the museum right now?"
For a moment, steam seems to come out of your ears, your face is turning beet red, your heart rate is elevated. Then you look around the room. The security guards are present but have not a smudge of worry on their faces. All of the squirrelly children are being held in death grips by their parents, not running amuck with their art utensils joyfully reeking havoc in the modern art wing.
You look up at the paintings hanging in this room, and you take a closer gander.
"Oh no. This cannot be right. Where is the art? Where is the meaning? What is happening to us?"
In one last ditch effort to avoid reality, you take one second to think that maybe the artwork was stolen in an extravagant heist that not even Houdini could have ever pulled off.
You look at the paintings, heart-broken and defeated, only to realize that this piece of art is a plane canvas of white with some pencil markings and an attempt at writing the word "vengeance" in red crayon with the penmanship of an elementary schooler. Oh, and you can't forget to mention that there is a rhino horn-looking thing at the bottom, too. The rhino horn definitely makes the entire picture.
The only thought that comes to your head: "Man I picked the wrong career. I made something in my third grade art class that was a spitting image of this piece. Who would've ever thought that I was an art prodigy?"
Since when has our understanding of art included the scribblings of pencil and crayon on a blank canvas with words originally misspelled and letters squeezed between others to spell properly? Since when has our society excepted paintings of three clouds, each a different color with three names written in chicken scrawl above them?
Our world has seen gorgeous masterpieces of Jesus, the last supper, a woman that never smiles, and even a starry night. When exactly and why did our perceptions of art change so drastically? This sad adjustment in the art world could very reasonable be due to how the people of our society choose to express their originality. A common trend in today's world seems to be that individuals want to blaze their own trail, start a new fad, be the first person to ever do this or the first person to ever do that. What sometimes results from this uniqueness that everyone seems to strive for is a succession of "uniqueness" that diminishes the essence of previous trends and skills. Though this is pure speculation, as I have never met any of my favorite artists due to the slight issue that they are all currently diseased, I am sure painters such as Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Van Gogh thought their artwork was passion, something they enjoyed completing not particularly a chore to done to prove a point to society that their work is the newest and most individualistic art of the time. Our culture has emphasized the need for everyone to be their own person, their own version of themselves, and while this perspective is very inspirational in some aspects, I believe many also choose to use this encouragement as an excuse to hide behind a mask, one that makes them stand out in a crowd for who they are not instead of who they truly are.
The paradigm shift of weddings changing from humble and honest celebrations of true love to never ending bills and over-exaggeration and art changing from thought-provoking, jaw dropping interpretations of the real world to scribbles on a white canvas show immeasurable changes, for the worst in my opinion, in both the field of marriage and art. What will our world choose to turn upside-down next?
When is this lecture going to be over? I completely forgot what he is talking about. How obvious would it be if I slouched in my seat and took a quick nap before this speech is over?
Some of these questions might run through your head when you are responsible for being an audience member at a speech, talk, or even sometimes in a classroom. The reason you may be asking yourself these questions is because your speaker has lost your complete attention; your active listening capabilities have been thrown out the window, and all of a sudden, the fly dancing on the ceiling light is more interesting that anything else in the world.
There are many aspects of a speaker and their words that can lend to either an enthralling and captivating speech. Likewise, if these aspects are not fully grasped, the speech could very easily become a monotone lull that helps the audience doze off or daydream during the talk.
Some of the aspects that separate an average, good, and great talk can boil down to two basic points: the speaker and the content.
The speaker presenting the information to the audience needs to be engaging and insightful, providing a variety of tones for the audience to listen to instead of one, monotonous tone draining the life out of the speech. Mixing the vocal range with some exclamations here or some almost-whispers there can keep the audience awake and alert for the important information these vocal changes indicate. With every change in tone, the speaker is highlighting a specific point or piece of information that is key for the audience member to understand.
The speed at which a speaker is talking is also very important. For the majority of a speech, a speaker may choose to remain at a happy medium, so to say, with their voice sounding fluent and calm, not too quick and not glacially slow. Just like tone, the rate of speech can bring about a better understanding of a topic. If delivering a warning or very important notice to the audience, a quicker pace of speaking should be used to provide the element of urgency. If the speaker wants to portray a moment of emotion or provoke deep thought, the speed of their words may slow down a bit to allow the audience a chance to soak up each and every syllable and digest their meanings.
Other than tone, a speaker should also pay close attention to their body language. Depending on one's stance, position in the room, hand gestures, and simple posture, the speaker can send a complimenting or opposing message to the viewers.
For any speech or talk, formal or informal, body posture can be a speaker's lifeline. If the speaker maintains a composed, elegant posture that looks comfortably proper - shoulders back, standing up straight, head held high but not so much that you cannot see past the end of your nose - it may be easier for the speech to fall alongside of your stance, flowing naturally but purposefully.
If a speaker is standing awkwardly with hunched shoulders, a slouched frame, and head parallel to the floor, the speaker will not only look incredibly uncomfortable and make the audience feel the same, the speaker will most likely feel less confident and present their information subconsciously. Poor posture can also result in a lack of credibility, or ethos, as posture is one of the very first things an audience sees and comprehends of the speaker before a single word is uttered.
As for one's stance and position in the room where the talk is being held, one should make sure to try to keep their nerves in check, avoiding some more obvious shakes in the hands or knees. If one is very nervous, certain stances may prove a wonderful mask to the every-so-rattling body tremors including holding one hand casually on the side of your body and another one slightly bent, standing so your feet are a little bit apart from each other - not smack together but also no more than should-width apart - keeping your knees slightly bent to avoid passing out cold in the middle of the presentation. Yes, if you lock your knees, you will most likely keel over during your speech - not a good experience for your audience or yourself.
Choosing a particular spot in the room at which to stand is an important decision to make before an audience is addressed. Generally, standing front and center in relation to the audience is a good start. If one chooses to begin a presentation to the left or right side of the audience, the viewers may experience a classic case of favoritism as the speaker is showing a particular preference to whom they are speaking. Starting in the center of the audience allows for an equal distribution of eye contact and gestures, and as the speech continues, movement to both sides of the audience can be more engaging.
Hand gestures are always a tricky topic. If a speaker is anything like myself, he may use hand gestures in every sentence spoken. My whole family is hilariously generous with their hand gestures, using them to emphasize, draw out a conversation, or simply flail the hands about for no apparent reason other than to fill in an invisible gap between the two people conversing.
Hand gestures are great for certain speeches, in moderation. For example, if someone is standing in front of an audience giving a speech with their hands tucked safely at their sides, immobile, and stiff, there is not real use for having hands at all. On the other hand, no pun intended, if the speaker is waving their arms about using extravagant hand gestures for every single detail they make, the audience may become concerned, view the speech as urgent or an emergency, and draw a different type of message all from simply observing some waves or emphases of the hands.
Make sure you do not look like Hope For Gorilla or his inflatable man when giving a speech.
In regards to the content of a speech, there are many aspects to consider.
Content should produce some purpose when all is said and done be it to inform the audience, to tap on their emotional heartstrings, to urge them to act, to persuade them to think differently, or to simply entertain them with a good laugh or fascinating story. With a particular purpose in mind, every detail of the content should envelop said purpose, always showing support and reason to the message.
The content should also be trustworthy, with accurate and defendable statistics and arguments.
Incorporating accurate facts and records are necessary to maintain credibility with an audience. If a speech makes reference to false data, an audience can easily justify ignoring the message, as they feel any additional data or facts may also be falsified.
One particular speech that I am in awe of is called "Point B" by Sarah Kay. This speech was given as a TED Talk, and after seeing this video once, I quickly rewound and replayed once more out of sheer fascination and admiration for the ability of the speaker to incorporate all of the aspects of an excellent speech that we discussed above.
The video above amounts to almost four minutes, so to highlight some of the major elements that I found effective in Kay's speech, I encourage you to take a look at these specific sections of the video.
Starting at 0:15 and continuing to 0:24, Sarah Kay uses a change in tone that expresses a juvenile, arrogant tone some children may use when they think they know all there is to know about life. This tone change allows the audience to hear the change in point of view from the mother's to the daughter's.
In these seconds, Kay also uses some very appropriate hand gestures that emphasize the child's attitude and natural instinct to wave off information they think they already know.
Another amazing example of well-used hand gestures can be seen from 2:50 to 2:56 by physically showing the audience the literal sense of a warrior and highlighting the daughter's "small hands and big eyes."
From 0:58 to 1:20, Kay uses an anecdote to paint a picture for the audience as to what she has done before and what her daughter will probably do in the future. Her voice takes on another change in tone to make evident the condoning and wise nature of her voice towards the daughter in an attempt to caution.
A great example of increased speed in this clip can be seen from 1:29 to 1:32 to emphasize the appositive phrase. The usage of increased speed shows the slight opposition to the prior statement made but does not discredit the statement entirely as there was truth to the original comment that "there are a few heartbreaks chocolate can't fix."
The effective use of pausing within 2:20 and 2:25 shows another appositive phrase that semi-contradicts the prior statement but furthers the message Sarah Kay is trying to send to the audience and her hypothetical daughter.
Notice how Sarah Kay stands in one position throughout the entire speech, but her stance is very natural with feet spread just slightly, standing straight, in a confident posture as she delivers her speech, making it evident that she is confident in her message and delivery.
To wrap all of this information up with one big bow, an average, good, and knock-your-socks-off kind of speech all depend on the speaker and the information they bring to the table. Whether the tone, posture, gestures, position in the room, reliability of data, and relevance of information, a speech can easily be slept through out of disinterest or receive a standing ovation based on what and how information is presented.
The thoughts in your head and the words in your mouth can be absolutely useless if you do not speak them. Then again, it is one thing to speak the words out loud in front of a mirror while you emphatically flail your arms in emphasis and a completely different thing to actually speak those words to a living being. However, if those words that you speak to a living, breathing human being are not formatted in the proper context with a substantial meaning and a connection to be made by your audience, then unfortunately, your words will float away like the leaves in an autumn breeze.
While it is important for people to speak their minds and hearts relating to a particular cause or concept, the audience is the key behind those words, a confounding variable, a third factor. What makes words be them of a speech, book, movie, song, or any other numerous possibilities so powerful is the understanding of to whom the message is presented.
There are many different variables that you must keep in mind when addressing an audience: occasion, situation, context, need, demographics, homogeneity or heterogeneity, ideology, and genre.All of these aspects have an impact on the audience, and your job is to pertain the words on the tip of the tongue to the ears, minds, and hearts of the individuals listening.
The occasion at which you are presenting your speech is basically the expectations set for you in the given venue. For example, if you are giving a speech at a funeral, you are most definitely not going to speak about the terrible life of the diseased or start jabbering about a random, personal problem. Instead, you will probably speak of the fond memories you have of the diseased, keep your message fairly short and sweet, and maintain a comforting and courteous manner. What you say and how you speak are generally based on the occasion.
To paint a better picture, imagine your speech is a closet full of clothes and your occasion is the plans you have for the day. If you are planning on going to a job interview, you should probably choose a nice, clean, crisp outfit as opposed to some gym shorts, a ratty t-shirt, and some sneakers. On the other hand, if you are planning on doing yard work that day, your gym shorts, t-shirt, and sneaks will be much more suited for getting dirty than business attire.
Situation is probably one of the most influential components to a speech. Have you ever had a friend, a parent, maybe even an educator start talking about some absurd topic of absolutely no interest to you? You may have decided there was more value in tuning out that lecture and pondering over what movie to watch that weekend or see the inside of your eyelids while you try not to snore too loudly. The situation you were faced with as a listener and audience member did not encourage you to listen and did not meet your personal expectations of listening-worthy information. When you, as a speaker, are addressing your audience, it is imperative that you think over the situation or situations of the audience. The audience needs to be intrigued and inspired to listen after the first couple of sentences or else they will just drift from the message, maybe even drift into a hearty snore.
Now that you have your audience's attention, at least for the moment, it is story time. If you can remember back to when you were in preschool and elementary school, your whole class might have sat on the floor all comfy cozy on the carpet, eyes alert and ears attentive for the next book or story your teacher was holding in hand.
Just like a bunch of little children, your audience will also appreciate a little bit of story time. In other words, your audience wants to know the background of your topic: Why are you speaking about a presidential candidate? Do you just like the person's hair? Is an election approaching? This example may very well run through an audience's mind if they are not given some context as to why you are discussing the subject.
The background information of your topic could also very well support the need for your speaking of a particular topic. If you address a particular issue at hand, describing the current events that lead to your speech can supply your viewers with a logical reasoning for presenting them with your information.
With already gripped attention and a little bit of story time under your belt, your audience members should be fully equipped to listen to the details of your speech. Now your knowledge of the audience members is required. While your message relates perfectly to your circumstances, someone else might not see the relevance to their circumstances. Words do not always connect the same way with everyone. Depending on an individuals age, a lecture on political candidates or government policies may be adamantly heard or simply pose as annoying background noice during snack time. Just as children require different circumstances from a speech than adults do, so do people of different ethnicities, religions, political views, races, sexes, and social classes. The demographics of your audience can really affect the comprehension of your message; therefore, it is best to know ahead of time to whom you will be addressing so as to plan your speech around the appropriate circumstances.
Unfortunately with demographics, there are times when your audience members are absolutely similar to one another, almost like the clones from the Star Wars series, and there are times when your audience members are entirely different from one another. The good news for you as a speaker is that if your audience members are very similar, your message can be understood or relatable with general circumstances to which the whole audience will most likely relate.
For example, if a presidential candidate is speaking to a room full of republicans, they will not want to arrange their speech around democratic ideology. Likewise, if they decide to give a speech to an audience of democrats, framing their message around the republican perspective will probably not win them many supporters. If an audience is very similar, or have strong homogeneity, adapt your speech to their perspective while you speak your own opinions and information.
If your audience members are not very similar or have minor differences amongst one another, your speech should pertain to this heterogeneity. Maybe you incorporate different examples or scenarios in a descriptive section of your speech. Maybe you use broader commonplaces to which your entire audience can relate.
As an advanced warning, people are generally stubborn once they believe a certain way. The ideology of your audience is going to possibly be of great benefit or great trial to your overall message. If your audience's beliefs and perspectives on your topic of interest is similar to your own, then your speech will not require too much tweaking or persuasion to get the audience to agree with your side of the argument.
Every now and then, you may be thrown to the wolves and have to make a speech that is rather persuasive to make your audience open-minded to listening to your ideologies. Be very cautious, though. Depending on how you present your ideologies and different methods of persuasion, your audience may be completely prepared to hear your views or entirely against your stance before you even provide your evidence. A general rule of thumb, an audience will more than likely not appreciate being scolded because of their beliefs not matching your own. Take it nice and easy.
At the end of the day, your speech should follow a specific genre. Is your speech meant to persuade your audience to believe a different viewpoint? Is your speech meant to inform the audience of a topic or event? Are you simply supposed to entertain your audience for a while? Your genre will set the mood for your entire speech, and the seven other categories explained above serve as your guidelines to forming a speech that your audience will savor.
This information was provided by Keith, William M., and Christian O. Lundberg. The Essential Guide to Rhetoric. Boston, Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. For more information or additional comprehension, please visit chapter two of The Essential Guide to Rhetoric.
I am not sure exactly what it is about our generation and wanting free t-shirts. Our society has almost completely morphed our youth into clothing-hungry beggars who will do almost anything for a free t-shirt. I guess if doing "anything" for a piece of clothing includes a few hours of community service on a Saturday afternoon, then that t-shirt may just be the perfect bribe.
As I have been looking at the civic responsibilities we the people are expected and encouraged to take part in, I remembered a green shirt sitting in my dresser under my college bed. I took it out, in all of its green, graphic designed glory and remembered how I got this t-shirt.
Upon recollection of my very first week at Penn State University, I remembered that an announcement was released, stating that all individuals willing to commit an afternoon doing community service around or off campus through the "My Backyard" service project would be greatly appreciated, and if you were one of the first 150 students to arrive at the sign-up tent, you would be the proud owner of a new, free t-shirt!
This picture was provided by the author of this blog.
Naturally, a bunch of people attended the event on their first Saturday on campus. Whether their reasonings were to actually help serve the community or simply get a new shirt to strut around in, they came, and they helped in one way or another.
After much thought, I have decided to promote this t-shirt sitting in my drawer to being a civic artifact for my first Rhetoric and Civic Life speech.
Personally, I love writing speeches. I find so much thrill in writing a piece, the entire time picturing so many great speeches already given and known by many. The famous I Have a Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the climactic scene from the romantic comedy, The American President, always comes to mind when I ponder over powerful speech tactics.
This 1995 trailer for The American President shows only glimpses of speech and rhetoric; however, the actual film shows many different aspects of public speaking methods and techniques if you choose to watch the movie.
To give my speech a somewhat similar effect, I plan to use some rhetorical questions to my peers right off the bat, allowing the audience to marinate over these questions throughout the speech, only to be asked these questions again as a concluding "food for thought."
"Will tomorrow be too late?"
"How about the next day?"
"Where will we go from there?"
"Where do we go from here?"
These four questions will stand as the hook for my speech. My reasoning for choosing these rather cryptic questions are simply to keep my audience on their toes. I personally do not enjoy stating the topic of my speech right off the bat, losing any element of surprise or connections able to be achieved by the audience.
The two concepts that will be discussed in the body of the essay will be the two civic responsibilities this "My Backyard" t-shirt promotes: one, preserving the natural world around us, and two, contributing to our community and our community members. Each of these concepts will be followed by specific examples and experiences that will support their being referenced as civic.
If you are interested in watching the entire speech, I Have a Dream by Dr, Martin Luther King Jr., you may view this video above. This video is rather lengthy, but for those of you who choose to watch this important moment in American history, the actual speech starts one minute and five seconds into the clip.
When asked, "What are your passions?," many might immediately jump at the opportunity, spewing all of their passions to a room full of people as if the words were sizzling on their back burner for too long. Passion: a piece of yourself, a piece of your life, a piece of what makes you really you. Think about the few things that seem to be the center of attention in your life, the few things that many of your memories incorporate, the few things that make you smile every time you drift yourself back to that moment in time. Your passion should make you bubble over with excitement and make you want to talk all about whatever your passion is until the people around you listening are so overwhelmed with the topic that they immediately follow your lead or walk away, knowing that you could praise this passion for many more hours.
The reason for this elaboration on passion is not to be a dictionary or an essay that persuades you into doing or liking any one particular hobby. Alright, maybe this blog is a little bit of both of those statements. The reason I am being so knit-picky about the understanding and deeper value of passion is because I want to know your opinion. Many blogs are frequently about what the author wants to describe, write about, spout. This blog is to see what you would rather read about, what you want to know.
I have already fashioned two of my passions for my next blog. What I would like to know, is which fashionable passion will make the runway, and you are going to call the shot.
The first option is one that you are all too familiar with: music. Walking on a college campus, it is rare that I do not see at least a dozen people with their head phones on or earbuds in, drowning out the sound of the outside world. Every now and then, I will see some of these music fanatics bob their heads like they are the face of an 80's rock band - the only thing missing is the ever-so-popular mullet and a "rock on" hand signal bobbing in sync with the flow of that crazy hairdo.
The Limitless Jukebox, a blog about music, would basically involve a general description of a multitude of types of music with specific examples from each genre. Some suggestions of when might be the best moments to listen to each specific genre will also be provided depending on what life throws at you. For example, some possible music genres might be best suited for study hours, meant to keep you focused and driven. Other music genres might be acceptable for when you are in a toe-tapping, feel good kind of mood. This list is really endless.
A blog based on music would naturally give you some new ideas to add to your playlists, along with some possibly relevant events that might be comping up related to the given genre for each posting. Who knows. You might find that your favorite song is sitting in a jukebox, waiting for you to flip to the next list of songs.
The second choice is for all of the travelers who want to see the world but with a small price tag. This blog, Don't Forget the Polaroid, would be a travel blog, complete with the most affordable ways to experience the world around you while still seeing the sights beautiful enough for you to snap the perfect photo.
The first initial post will include some general "How to..." information sessions, touching base on traveling necessities like how much clothing is too much clothing when packing, how not to lose your bags in an airport, and other general tips for traveling.
Once the basics are covered, the fun can begin! Additional posts will include some ideas of where to travel, what are some of the best sights to see, best foods to eat, tips about culture, and of course, how to pay for everything with a lower budget. This blog will surely open your eyes to the big, wide world waiting for you! The only think you need to remember: don't forget the polaroid!
