Week of Nov 16-22 Question #3

Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I think that the whole chapter was very interesting but the part I thought was most useful was the part about reasoning. I think that this section of the book was most helpful because it has a lot to do with what we are about to do. Reasoning played a big part in the videos we had to watch this week. Both speakers had to use reasoning to say whether home schooling was good or bad. If not then they’re argument would not have been believable. Our next speech is a persuasive one so reasoning will be needed in order to persuade the class on a specific topic. I will use a lot of reasoning to persuade the class on why they should all be or lowering the drinking age to eighteen. By giving reasoning, you help your speech to become more credible. In order to persuade someone they have to have reasons as to why they should or should not do what you are trying to persuade them to do. The book gave different types of reasoning and showed the strengths and weaknesses of both which was very helpful. Overall the chapter was very helpful and I will take what I learned and apply it to my next speech.

Week of Nov 16-22 Question #1

Speech Buddy: Review the following Interactive Videos 15.1, “Schooling: Pro” and “Schooling: Con” on the Interactive Video Website. Respond to the ideas in the videos. What did you learn that could be helpful in your speech? What types of appeals were used? How did the speaker connect with the audience?

Both of these videos were very helpful. Both Dixie and Robert stated points that were very persuasive and helpful for the pros and cons of home schooling. They stayed that home schooling is good because it allows students to get one on one attention. It also builds a strong relationship with the parent. The cons of this are that the student is not able to build on their communication skills because they are isolated from other kids their age. Also they are at home so they could get easily distracted because of the relaxed environment. Both presenters had good intros and much concrete details. They also supported their argument with facts and reliable sources. I learned much from watching these videos. In my next speech, I am going to persuade the audience by making sure I have main points and sources that support my ideas. Also I will make sure my conclusion is very strong and persuasive so that I can end my speech with a bang. These videos were very informational; both speakers did a great job. However I liked Robert’s presentation a little more than Dixie’s. His argument to me was more believing than hers but hers was good as well.

Week of Nov 16-22 Question #2

Reflect on a recent discussion you’ve had in which you tried to persuade others to accept your point of view. What type or types of reasoning did you use? How well did your reasoning work?

The most recent discussion I have had where I tried to persuade someone to accept my point of view was actually last night. I went to Gordon and Biersch last night with a group of my friends. One of my friends that was there decided to bring her boyfriend with her. I have nothing against her boyfriend at all, but last night while we were at the restaurant my friend went into the bathroom and started crying. She said that he was cheating on her and texting the girl that he was cheating with while he was sitting at the table with us right next to her. My friend ended up going back to the table as if nothing had ever happened. When it was time to pay the bill, she bought her food and his. I was so shocked and angry at her for letting him mistreat her the way he did. So after we left the restaurant, I had a talk with her alone. I wanted her to see my point of view. I felt that he did not deserve her and that she could do so much better, I tried to get her to see, that you have to respect yourself if you want your boyfriend to respect you. I told her to look at it from my perspective. If she was me and I was her, would she tell me the same thing? I told her that the only reason he does this to you is because you let him. I tried to get her to see where I was coming from, and I listed all those reasons as to why she should take my advice and break up with him. In the end, after all that talking I did, she ended up staying with him. I guess my reasoning wasn’t strong enough.

Week Nov 9-15 Question #1

Update the class on your speech progress. What are you researching? What are your main points? How do you plan on beginning and ending your speech? How are you going to persuade your audience towards your point of view (hint: use the assigned reading to help you answer this part of the question).

For my last speech I am researching, why the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. My main points are that at the age of eighteen you can be drafted into the war, you also can vote and make a major impact in the world and you are able to live on your own, basically become independent. I plan on starting my speech by asking the class a couple of questions or if possible, I have been looking for a video that I can show the class that will help get my point across. I will end my speech by telling the class why they should want the drinking age to be lowered. I am going to persuade the class towards my point of view by having strong concrete details on my topic. I plan to support and back up everything that I say with references. Telling them where I got my information from will make it more credible. I will also persuade them by giving personal examples from my own life. Proving that what I am saying is realistic and valid. I will have a slideshow also that will have valuable pictures and documents on it to prove my point even more.

Nov 2- Nov 8 Question #2

Read the discussion on Flickr regarding sexist language. How do you respond to their comments in light of what your textbook says?

The reading ‘Flickr’ was very interesting. I think that it was doing a little too much. I don’t think it’s that serious. People say things but the only reason people get offended is because of the way they take it in. Some people should watch the way they say certain things as to not offend others but the words should not be banned. This related to the reading because in the book it talked about the way words are perceived, like the denotation and connotation of words. There are so many words that they can be used in different ways. The book also tells us to stay away from sexiest words. I don’t think when people use certain words they are meaning to degrade anyone, for example saying ‘girl’ to a woman, was probably not meant to offend her. I think people should stop being so sensitive and making things more than they really are. When giving a speech however try to avoid sexiest words just to make sure that no one in your audience gets offended.

Nov 2- Nov 8 Question #3

Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.I would have to say chapter 10 was the most useful and interesting. It talked about the meaning of words and the way they can be perceived. Language is very important. We use it everyday. The denotation of a word can be completely different the connotation of it. The denotation is the dictionary definition of the word, and the connotation of the word is the feeling of the word. This is useful because we all need to know about this because it can help us in our everyday life. Also chapter 10 discusses how memorized speeches are not good. When giving your speech the audience wants to feel like you are having a conversation with them and not just giving them information. The audience listens more and gets more involved when the speech just flows and doesn’t seem like it was memorized. I plan to use this in my next speech. Instead of trying to memorize it I am going to try to have my information just flow. I am also going to try to not look at my note cards too much because this is also a bad thing. Overall chapter 10 was very helpful and pointed out some major points that can benefit me in my next speech.

Week of Nov 2- Nov 8 Speech Buddy Videos

Speech Buddy: review the following Interactive Videos, 10.1, 10.2, 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3 on the Interactive Video Website. Respond to the ideas presented in the videos. What did you learn that could be helpful in your next speech?

All videos were very helpful and interesting. The vocal delivery was one of the main points touched on. This is very important when giving a speech. If your tone of voice is to low then your speech will be boring and you will lose your audiences attention. You have to keep the tone of your voice exciting but not too loud or pitchy because then it will be annoying and distracting from what you are really trying to say. They also talked about your audience. The way you present your speech should pertain to your audience. You want them to be able to relate to you. Each of the five audience centered language components all have a different meanings behind them. The five components consists of referring to current events, using pronouns, using inclusive language, spark imagination and using humor. In my next speech I plan to refer to current events, use pronouns and try to use humor, although it might not be funny. :) Overall all of these videos were very helpful and I plan to use something that I learned from each video in my last speech. The last speech should hopefully be everyone’s best speech and in order to do that we have to apply everything we have learned.