Civic Artifact Speech Reflection

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders after presenting my civic artifact speech. I am not someone who usually gets very nervous during public speaking however I found this assignment very stressful. This is most likely due to it being my first college presentation and I really did not know what to expect. To be completely honest, before the speech I feel like I didn’t have much of a grasp on what the civic really is, but after countless hours of analysis and practice for my speech I feel as if I have a more clear understanding of the civic.

I thought that the elevator pitches were very beneficial and they really helped me not only to get feedback about my artifact and my speaking skills, but also to get a better sense of the assignment as a whole by listening to my classmates. The peer feedback helped guide my speech into a more well tuned and precise argument. Posting an outline on our RCL blogs last week also added to this and ensured that I did not procrastinate too much as I often do.

For my presentation as a whole I feel like I could have worked on my pacing a bit more as I felt like I might have spoke a little faster than when practicing on my own. I think that for my next speech I will try to better utilize my resources and most likely practice in the classroom beforehand in order to better prepare myself for the actual presentation. Overall I felt like the assignment wasn’t only beneficial to my understanding of the civic, but also honed my public speaking skills.

3 thoughts on “Civic Artifact Speech Reflection

  1. Sienna D Mcnett

    Your speech was very good and your opening statement made me picture my own connection to 9/11, which I think is usually something that is very hard to do as a speaker! I also felt the pressure of this assignment not because I don’t like public speaking but because this was our first speech in college!!! Your blog post on this topic is definitely relatable.

  2. ekh5175

    Tyler,

    Your speech turned out very well! Even though you may be worried about how your pacing ended up, I can assure you that I personally did not notice anything “off” or unclear with your timings. Also, I completely agree with you about the nerves! I have been in plays in high school, and have spoken to crowds of over 500 of my peers, but for some reason this presentation still made me nervous. Last week, I turned in my first college paper, took my first exam, and presented my civic artifact as my first speech–the nervousness was so real. I definitely think that it was so nerve-wracking specifically because it was a “first,” and the elevator pitches helped with this. You really didn’t seem nervous at the podium, so don’t worry about it! I look forward to having more opportunities for us to hone our public speaking skills! Great post!

    –Elissa Hill

  3. kem5833

    I really enjoyed this assignment, and I think we all became more aware of the civic around us. I agree that the elevator pitches were helpful. They definitely pointed us in the right direction! Listening and engaging are huge aspects of the civic. I especially enjoyed listening to our classmates present. Not only did I learn, but I also discovered ways to become more involved with the life around me. As for public speaking, I think we all have become more comfortable in front of one another, and I am looking forward to the remaining presentations! Great job!

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