Persuasive Speech Ideas

Persuasive Speech

 Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience that standardized testing not beneficial to students and to their education.
Main Ideas:
1. Teachers must focus on teaching the required material instead of teaching critical and creative thinking.
2. Standardized tests like the ACT and OGT do not always accurately determine ability.
3. Standardized testing and the teaching that results does not motivate or inspire students.

I am assuming by arguments you meant main ideas, but I think these are arguements that will appeal to the different ethos, pathos, logos.

Self-Assessment

 http://www.screenr.com/pcpH

Self-Analysis of Speech

A: Topic Development

            I think I did a really good job in this section. I had a lot of sources that I found with the help of Ebscohost. They were really helpful to know I had examples and facts to backup what I was saying. During my speech, I myself did not quote the source with my words, but did have the citations in the PowerPoint slide I prepared. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to actually say it in my speech or not, and I thought my speech would flow better without saying the citations. So that could be a negative.

B: Introduction

            I did not do a greeting. I figured that were poor ways of starting a speech. But if it was needed that could be a weakness. My attention getting strategy was to use some statistics. This also established credibility. My preview of the topics covered was in my thesis statement. I took out the other preview because I thought it was unnecessary and redundant. Plus my speech was very long so I had to cut about a minute and a half. I did not do any specific transition.  I said "One way social networking is beneficial is that it has helped business and the economy." I guess this is a transition although I did not write it in my outline.

C. Organization

            I do make sure to identify each main idea before I get into the sub-points to make sure the audience understands what I am going to talk about. My speech did come within the time limit but I did have to edit it because it was 1 minute and 20 seconds over the time limit so I cut down on some sections and tried to speak a little quicker. I think I did a pretty good job with notes. I have highlighted section and my introduction and conclusion on notes. I tried to use my PowerPoint to aid myself in my outline of my presentation. I think I began speaking more freely in the middle and the end.

D. Support Material

            Well on our outline it said we needed three citations, but I did have four put in my PowerPoint. I had a lot of scholarly articles and some newspaper articles. Weakness I did not cite these sources in my speech with my words.

E. Physical Vocal Delivery

            I think I sounded pretty professional in this speech. I think I did have confidencce and maintained eye contact. I didn't move use many gestures. If I did it was more in the beginning or the end. I tried not to be distraction. I wish I had spoke with more enthusiasm and used a little more facial expression, but it's a little odd when you don't see your audience. Near the end of my conclusion I got a little tongue tied on my words, but I thought in general I did well.

F. Conclusion

            I think my conclusion was excellent. I used had a transition and had a good summary. Then I tried to inspire my listeners to use what I told them and make a difference. Things I did not do was thank the audience. That could have been understandable. I still think that a greeting in the introduction would have been bad.

G. Overall

1. I think it was very effective. I had a lot of good support and had a lot of good organization. I think it also interested the audience. I think I spoke pretty well even if I didn't use a lot of different expression.

2. I wanted to sound more professional and be more prepared. I think I accomplished that. I had a lot of back-up information making me more confident in my speech giving. Although I sounded less enthusiastic. I really worked on the organization of the speech to make the speech more clear and easier for the audience to listen to.

3. I think next I need to work on more expression in my face and in my voice. I was more focused on the time limit. I was really worried I wouldn't be able to get it anywhere near the time frame. Also I should try and use more nonverbal communication like using my hands.

4. It surprised me how little I used facial expression. I also would have a hard time always looking directly at the camera. Again when we have a real audience you can gaze across at different parts of the audience, but when your audience is just behind the camera when you look around it looks distracting.

5. Three goals for next time

            a. I will work more on increasing facial expression.

            b. I will working more on vocal expression.

            c. I will try and look more directly at the camera.

6. I think I will try and do more practice runs of my speech. So I'll record myself and then watch it and take notes of what I am doing. I think since I am used to being a performer, I should think of it more like a performance and I might be able to get a little more enthusiasm.

TED Talk: Derek Sivers

Derek Sivers: How to Start a Movement.
http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html

If you want to watch something a little bit inspiring, but don't want to waste a lot of time, this speech is perfect. It's only three minutes long and is a bit silly, but still proves a point. To be a leader you have to be the first one to do something different and the next hardest job is to be the lone follower doing something different when everyone else is not. This really struck a cord with me since I've been involved in the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership organization for many years. When you think about it, it is true. I can't wait for the next seminar to show this to the kids at Ohio West.

Now to the Communications analysis.

Who is the audience? How do you know? Identify specific things the speaker does to adapt to that audience.

The obvious audience is the people at the conference. These people are leaders in the fields of technology, entertainment, and design. But since this is a public video it's really anyone who accesses it. He does adapt a bit where people find things funny he gives a pause. He also address the audience, if you are the lone leader you must nurture your followers. But the most specific part is he knows most of the people there are leaders. He addresses the leaders there saying we all can't be the ones leading. Sometimes we have to be the person to follow the lone nut. Everyone one being leaders is ineffective. Leaders need followers and the followers are the people who really start a movement.

Speech Self-Assessment

Self-Introduction Speech Self-Assessment Form

http://www.screenr.com/5UWH

	Strong	Improve
Content	The introduction is very strong. I think I gave good reasons and explanations about my interests. I really liked the examples for my favorite websites.	The book section I might have been able to improve on content. I forgot what to say a bit and tried to recover.
Delivery	I thought over my sentences flowed well and didn't sound too rehearsed. I think I sounded very strong in the introduction and conclusion. I really liked my visuals. I think they helped aid people to know exactly what I was talking about.	Struggled in the my section of my talked about my favorite books. Also a bit of a stutter in the Youtube section.  Sometimes the when I list things my voices raises a lot and sort of whines. It sounds like I'm bored. I could work on sounding more convincing. My cell phone happened to go off during the last recording. It was my best recording so I had to send that take.

Questions:

1. What are your top three strengths as a speaker? To what do you attribute your success?

            I think I have confidence in myself which comes across in my speech. I attribute this to the way my parents raised me and my experience speaking in front of others. I think I am good at developing good introductions and conclusion. I attribute this to my high school English teacher. It was always my strongest part of a paper. Lastly, I think I develop good transitions as well so the parts of the speech flow, which again I think I can draw back onto my good writing background.

2. What three things do you have the most trouble with? What do you think are the sources of these problems?

I think I need to work on my tone. Sometimes it comes off unprofessional, and it might just come from the normal way that I talk. I did want it to sound fun a bit, but I wasn't sure how much. I think I struggled sometimes finding the right words. Often when I describe the book Divergent I describe it as post-apocalyptic which it kind of is, but the word I'm looking for is dystopian society and I got hung up when I tried to talk about it and just said it's awesome. Sometimes I have trouble coming up with the right descriptive words. Sometimes I stuttered a bit, but I think I recovered well. I think it comes from a bit of nerves and not sure what I'm saying next.

3. What is your most pressing content problem? How do you plan to overcome it in your future speeches?

      Honestly, I thought my content was very good. I had a bit of trouble delivering on the sections about my favorite books and in the Youtube section articulating. This can be helped with more rehearsal.

4. What is your most pressing delivery problem? How do you plan to overcome it in your future speeches?

I would often forget the right words to say which made me pause or stutter. I also think sometimes I talked in a sing-songy style when I listed. I think I just need practice how I want to sound and record myself and analyze it.

5. If you had a chance to present this speech again, what would you differently? Why?

            I would have practiced more and worked on my speaking voice. I think I need to speak with a little more enthusiasm and more conviction. I think this will help my speech most of all.

Stephen Colbert Commencement Speech

This week in my communications class, we are learning more about speech delivery and how it helps made the speech more audience centered. I chose to write about the strengths and weaknesses of his speech at the commencement for the class of 2013 at the University of Virginia.

Now, we all know Steven Colbert is a hilarious man. He has his own show The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. So we all know he has the humor, but can he pull off a nearly 18 minute speech?

Colbert has many strengths to the speech. Of course, he is a master of the art of telling a joke. Timing and delivery is key and he always nails it. My favorite parts were when he would talk about something serious like,
"You don't owe the other generation anything. Because of us you now owe the Chinese."
He always paused correctly for a joke and when making a statement of importance generally pauses afterward to let the audience reflect on what was said.

He tried to be audience centered by bringing up references to traditions, campus hangouts, rankings, and high quality of education, while making fun of himself the whole time. He had applied to U of Va. but was not accepted. He is great at poking fun at himself and at others with out offending others.

Also I noticed he made sure to make eye contact at the ends of sentences and for important parts of the speech he began to make more motions with his hands while making chopping sort of motions.

To be more realistic, there were many flaws to his speech. Often his humor saved the speech, but the speech was disorganized and didn't seem to have a purpose. He started out saying good morning, which is not a strong opening statement. He then went on and thanked people while making jokes about himself and the people positions. It seemed to take awhile until he finished. Plus he added in this joke about leave your phones on and check my twitter, which he did tweet during the commencement. I was getting bored and wondered where he was going. Now I know he talked often about the school, the traditions, and more but these people already know that. They don't need the whole speech to be about how great the school is and facts about the school, because they attended and graduated. Most people are aware of their schools history.

In addition to the unnecessary compliments he often looked down a lot as he read what was on his papers. I thought he would try and look up more to give us more facial expressions and make the jokes funnier. Also I noticed when he transitioned they didn't seem to flow or he abruptly announced it like, "Now as I move into the advice section."It also took him almost 10 minutes to get to any sort of section let alone advice.

The most confusing moment was all the quote reading in the end. I could not tell what was a quote from what he was saying. I also didn't understand the point of the quote. I tried to rewind it back and listen again, and I still didn't understand the point.

Overall, Stephen Colbert's humor saved his speech. I don't think many people in the audience will remember what he discussed 5 or 10 years from now. It's a shame because he has the abilities to be a great speech writer. If only he had prepared a purpose, an outline, and spent more time on the speech.

New Machine Era

Last week I watched a video about how society is going through "the new machine age."

(http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_mcafee_what_will_future_jobs_look_like.html) Andrew McAfee foresees the day when almost all jobs of manual labor and toil will be obsolete due to machines and robots. But he told us not to fear because we have adapted before and we shall adapt again. He wants us to embrace the change in technology and find a way save the blue collared man by creating new and different jobs for him. We will have to change society to do so.

After reading this speech I was told to brainstorm for a couple different speeches. I thought I could deal with how education reform would help transition the blue collared worker and overall make Americans better students. Then I decided to do two other on the positives and negatives a technology specifically social media because I believe it effects everyone. I wanted to analyze how social media is reducing social interaction and causes emotional issues. Then I decided on another that talks about the positives that social networking has not just on us but others and the society. I am really proud of all these ideas because I spent a lot of time cultivating each one. The speech was hard to draw upon for my own speech because I can't talk about the up and coming technology that will change the world because I don't know anything about it. I thought these topics were relateable to people and in a way related to the TED speech.

1. Specific Purpose Statement : At the end of my speech, the audience will be able to name three downsides to social media and the effects on social interaction.

Central Idea: In today's modern world people can interact with people that never had the ability to before, but what are the social and emotional side effects to "living online."

Main Ideas:

            I. People are losing personal skills, verbal communication, and how to act in social situations.

            II. Online social media can lower self-esteem due to the need for social gratification and can lead to social isolation.

            III. Social networking facilitates cyberbullying that leads to suicide and depression.

            IV. Social media pressures people to be perfect and "out-do" one another online by the amount of friends, posts, and pictures posted otherwise people are considered outcast if not "connected."

2. Specific Purpose Statement: At the end of my speech, the audience will learn about three ways to reform the educational system to better prepare for the "New Machine Age."

Central Idea: The education system is not adaptive or teaching children to think critically or creatively and giving them opportunities to succeed in the workforce.

Main Ideas:

            I. Standardized Testing and Material does not allow for teachers to focus on academia and creative and critical thinking.

            II. Schools for the gifted are important to challenge good students.

           III. Trade schools should be more available for students in high school who are from low income families.

3. Specific Purpose Statement: After the end of my speech, the audience will be able to discuss three reasons why social media is beneficial, opportunistic, and connects us to society.  

Central Idea: In a world where technology is constantly expanding, we have have opportunities to create business, meet new people, and make change using social networking.

Main Ideas:

           I. Social Networking has created thousands of jobs, and created more opportunities for businesses.

           II. Social Networking empowers individuals and organizations to make social change.

           III. Social Networking offers platforms for collaboration in education, music, and technology. 

Questions

1. I really like my second purpose statement because it relates a little more to what the TED speech I chose. In the TED speech he talked about changing society to help the blue collar worker. I think public education is not adapting to the change in times and is creating problems in our economy. But in this purpose, I am not sure if my main ideas are too broad. The speech I would most enjoy presenting is the third one because I would love to talk about how social networking technology is beneficial to society.

2. My parents are both involved in education as teachers and administrators. I know many things about these topics from them. Plus I have gone through all the standardized testing. I have been in the classes. I know why it's not working. Students are feeling inspired. They start getting behind in grade school or middle school and never catch up. They need to feel motivated, pushed, and feel valued.

3. The audience is my other classmates and group members. Most have been through the public schools and have experienced these feelings and emotions of frustration and apathy. I think I am bringing up things they have noticed with the hope of reform. More and more people cannot pay for college tuition. Trade schools are a way to give these students a start to a career and a college education.

4. I can use this website called ProCon.org  to look at the negative effects of standardized testing. http://standardizedtests.procon.org/

this is a good article about gifted education: http://educationnext.org/challenging-the-gifted/

This article talks about vocational schools and their benefits

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/08/09/college-vs-vocational-education-better-wages-less-debt/

So let me know what topic you like, find most interesting, and would coordinate well with the TED speech by Andrew McAfee