Reflection on Speech

So… The speech wasn’t so bad.

I think everyone incorporated different organizations, demeanors, and transitions that both assisted and hindered his/her presentation. First, I think that energy level and confidence heavily contributed to the substance of the speech. It not only grabs the audience’s attention, but also holds it as people become more interested in what the speaker is conveying. In addition, smooth transitions are key! I kept becoming distracted when people immediately began, “my artifact is ______,”or interrupted with “in this portion of the speech/now I’m going to talk about ______.” Generic statements, even in otherwise awesome communication, rob the speaker of a certain aspect of sincerity and professionalism. A presentation’s flow is extremely important and should not be so hastily abandoned or undermined.

Even though I didn’t have much time to practice after being swamped with other homework, I think I did an alright job (minus all the and’s and um’s). Overall, it wasn’t nearly as bad as expected—I was able to commentate without dependence on my outline and found it easy to relate all my points. I was a tad nervous at first, but it’s never because I have to speak in front of a group that causes, but rather that I have so much to say that I don’t want to forget any information. I just hope my conclusion was all right… It was a blur, but I have the feeling I didn’t end my final sentence looking at the audience and it’s driving me crazy! Hopefully I didn’t do too terribly and the class understood at least most of my main points and/or found some interest in my topic. I wish I could’ve had more time to organize my discussion, but still so glad it’s over. Looking forward to see the rest of the speeches! Woo!