Overall, I think my classmates’ speeches went really well. Every student seemed so passionate about their topic, and that made the speeches very interesting to listen to.

In my opinion, these speeches were successful because of their delivery. I think the delivery of an effective speech needs to mold to the topic. If the topic is somber, like Keith’s speech about the 9/11 memorial, it calls for a more stationary and serious delivery. Keith did this wonderfully, and his speech was incredible. By remaining stationary and speaking in a very even tone and slow pace, he created an environment that personified the sadness of that day. However, his words kept the speech uplifting. He reminded us that we must never forget that day, and detailed an amazing memorial dedicated to cherishing the lives lost on September 11th, 2001.

A speech on the total opposite end of the spectrum was Makenzie’s speech about the “Pie it Forward” movement. Her artifact was a bright pink flier from a bakery in her home town, an artifact with the complete opposite effect of Keith’s. This light and optimistic artifact called for a casual, energetic speech, which Makenzie nailed. She brought the audience into the happiness of her topic, and kept a great energy throughout, personifying the optimism of her artifact.

One aspect of the class’s speech delivery that I think we could all work on is eye contact. While we all attempted to maintain eye contact, we all seemed partially glued to our note cards. This makes sense. We are still not yet completely comfortable speaking in front of our classmates, and public speaking in and of itself is a daunting task. I think we could all remedy this in two ways. The first being practicing our speeches more. This will get us more comfortable with what we are saying, and allow us to look up from our notes more often. The second method is speaking to one another before and after class starts. If we establish friendly connections with other classmates, we will feel a lot more comfortable speaking our minds in front of the class.

I am so excited to hear what everyone has to say for our next project, and I cannot wait to see everyone become stronger public speakers.