Blog 1---Chapters Presentation Reflection---Ricardo Vasquez-Stucchi

Hello, welcome to my blog. My name is Ricardo Vasquez-Stucchi with group three. Through the first Group project I learned a lot about public speaking and the necessary steps involved with it. Our professor put us into groups of four each group having an even number of team members in it. At first, I thought it would be a bit challenging since at the college level few people communicate best and I honestly stressed about it a bit. After a bit It felt okay was not super confident, but I was confident enough that we would get it done. We would end up having to present our group presentation on different dates our group was assigned too. I would admit I learned a lot from this. I thought having to do a public speech does not take so much preparation, so I will mention just a few of the facts I learned. It was totally a wrong take from me thinking it does not take much preparation for speech, for example the first group presenting being group one had to present chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the textbooks.  

 Adrienne Anton was the first to present for group one presenting chapter one; she pointed out how public speaking has evolved over time. She showed how when you speak, make sure it is audience-centered speaking while adapting your message to your listeners. While also keeping in mind the importance of ethics and the credibility of your speech or any speech being given. Basic type of communication in your speech will also help how your message will be received.  

Next, Angelina Rodriguez was presenting chapter two on how to build confidence in public speaking. She goes over on how practice does make it easier than just diving right into your speech for the first time. This will strengthen your confidence in yourself. By which you can also be present in the current moment, do not let your mind start thinking of other things while you are presenting. Focusing on the now rather than the future will improve your speaking skills and reduce the amount of nervousness you might feel. Helping you to be able to relax your mind. she also stated that defusion can help manage anxiety thoughts. This will help you by detaching yourself from negative emotions and unhelpful thoughts to help you focus more on your speech. Helping you reach a smooth and produceable speech.  

Brooke Healy would be the next to present she presented chapter three ethical responsibilities of speakers. She would go on to show that in your presentation make sure it is accurate and the information you provide is truthful and not false information. This will help to avoid missing leading people and lying to your audience. So, make sure your topics you are researching are credible sources. Cite the sources to make sure you do not plagiarism any of your information and double check even triple check, because this has happened to me before since sometimes the information does not show up correctly and you might cite it wrong like I have before. Respect the audience and their different beliefs even if they are different from yours. Also make sure to also always consider the impact your words can have on others, not just a small group of people but everyone in the audience.  

The last person that presented for this group was Camila Echevarria, presenting chapter five “What is an Audience.” The first part of this chapter she mentioned was audience analysis. It is a method for analyzing your audience to learn about their interests, beliefs, needs, and knowledge. You should be watching the audience feedback from the way they look at you seeing their facial expressions and their body movements. Based on this, speakers can adjust their speech on the audience's reactions, painting a way for their speech. Most successful speakers are also audience centered, meaning they view the audience as a partner, not just a listener. This group was honestly my favorite to listen to, provided the information well and sounded bold while speaking. The information they researched was well put together to ensure it came out right. 

Group two presented chapters 4, 6, 7, and 8; they went over on what makes a speech successful. Kevin Fernandes was the first member of group two. He presented chapter four “Purpose of a speech.” Every speech a speaker has one main goal and provides details to support that goal through the speech. Ask yourself first what you want your to do speech to do what kind of effect you want it to have to the audience. There are three types of speeches one to inform you which teaches the subject being talked about. Persuade which is aimed at changing the audience's minds and their actions leading to take your side on the topic. Lastly, special occasions like honoring or celebrating someone or some event. He strongly enforces that no matter what type of speech you give you stick to your main goal for your speech through it. 

 Krystian Garcia presented the second part of chapter four. He mentions how ethos is creditability, pathos is emotion, and logos being logic. Ethos is being able to relate to someone which shows your audience that you have a deeper connection of understanding which aligns their views with your topic. Pathos uses stories and personal subjects to connect with the audience like love, hope, anger, and frustration. The way you want to display this is by your body language and your tone according to the emotion you want to portrayal. Logos is that part that uses facts, arguments, facts, statistics, and research to set up the subject. Which aims to prove their stance right or wrong to show this to make sure you show evidence and show why it matters. For your topic, make sure it is one you know well and be creative about it or one that will be related to your audience. This will help you focus on what your topic will be about and know what to research before your speech but remember to have fun with it.  

The first part of Chapter six will be presented by Jehu Plancher. He went over to find useful information by mentioning three main points. One the internet which is accessible by everyone search engines, databases, and web directions. The second one will be the one we all group up with and the most boring place to study in the library. The library provides books, journals, newspapers, and many other resources that are creditable. Lastly, people can provide a lot of information that can come from people who have experience on the project who have had real world experience. Note that primary sources are usually better than secondary sources.  

The second half of chapter six will be presented by Giuliana Paredes. She showed us how to approach an interview. Always review your interview guide; this will help you a lot with what you plan for your interview. Next, make sure you provide an appropriate setting and set up recording equipment. While in the interview make sure you ask your questions one at a time, so you do not over burden the person you are interviewing while also monitoring your verbal and nonverbal cues. Keep some relevance too like not asking a football fan a question about soccer because they would not give you credible information about the topic. So, you want to make sure the questions you ask are related to the topic at hand.Make sure the purpose is something you will understand whether the interview goal is to inform, persuade, or entertain. It is also important that your guide or person has validity. Evaluate them their accuracy, currency, and reliability of information to the individual. She also showed us a way to avoid plagiarism by taking correct notes, paraphrasing the right way, and making sure to always cite your sources to give creditability. 

 Jennifer Clark was presenting next she showed chapter seven “Narratives.” From this I gathered that for institution stories they do not really focus on people but organizations. Showing how groups can create a substantial change, for example, like the COMM Network club grew from 10 members to 100+ is the example she provided. These also show the audience a way to understand the impact of organizations. Then she went over on general examples and specific examples of how they are different but still provide information. General examples are brief mentions with little detail assuming the audience knows them. Only works best if the audience knows the topic. Specific examples are more detailed; they help listeners visualize and understand the point clearly. 

Jeronimo Castano went over chapter seven “Testimony.” Some of the things he went over were what is an Expert testimony and how it is effective. Why do you want to get an expert for this, you may ask? It is important you do so the information given is correct and creditable. This is effective in that the audience will get more persuaded about the topic being discussed. After he went over celebrity testimony, which is a well-known public figure. How can this be effective some may ask, well the audience might know the public figure and will trust them. Though it will come with some limitations, they may lack scientific knowledge on the subject which might fail to persuade them. Their fame though might persuade the audience to believe their information to be fact.  

For the last part of this group, chapter eight “Parts of a Speech” was presented by Giuliana Paredes. She showed how the introduction of your speech should be your attention getting for your topic and make sure to include your thesis and purpose for the speech. After you want to smoothly transition to your body where you will mention your main points in your speech while also including subpoints to provide more information. Then transition to your conclusion where you will review your main points, reinforce the purpose, and make sure you provide closure to the speech. It will also help massively if you have an outline for your speech. This is where you can brainstorm ideas for your speech and conclude your final draft for your speech. The outline will help you organize your topic from top to bottom, making sure every detail is provided and fix any mistakes. Which then you can go over to practice your speech and see if there is anything that needs to be improved. Make sure any speech you give has a mine purpose diverging from that purpose can make you seem less creditable, and it will help the audience to not get confused on what you are talking about, so make sure you stick to your topic. This group did a respectable job on each of the chapters they went over. I do feel like they were the group who mostly provided the most examples of their subjects, which was a huge help and will certainly help me in future speeches. 

Group three is my group which I am the group leader of. It was not a stress-free experience, I would say because you got to keep everyone on task. Getting into now the next chapters 9, 10, 11, and 12. I presented chapter 9, which I mentioned the primacy effect and receny effect. The primacy effect is the cognitive bias on how people better recall anything said in the start but not really in the middle or end. Receny effect is the cognitive bias where people only remember the most recent ideas or events better than the start. After I went over on how to improve your essay, so once you gotten your audience attention you always want to provide clear purpose of your speech. Recall it at points to just refresh them for your main purpose. Also establish your creditability insuring you know about the topic being discussed. Then one of the ways that will help you get the audience's attention are topics that relate to the audience still will help you connect with your audience. It is best to do this at the start of the speech, so you will have a well-designed start to your speech. The final part will be the conclusion; this is where you want to finish your speech but also review the main points and reinforce your specific purpose for the speech. Things you can do also to make your conclusion memorable is providing integrating visuals or auditory imagery. 

Next, it will be Mandelay Cabrera Revelo presenting chapter 10 and Monica Medina presenting the second half of chapter 10. A few parts that Mandelay enforced the most were language and culture. Showing different types of languages which will not be the ones you think but more the way some people talk. The most common use is slang that is an informal language mostly used with friends. After jargon will also be mentioned, it is the type of technical language used in professions the most. Idioms will be another one she mentioned that are expressions with different feelings. The last two are euphemisms; they are softer words for uncomfortable topics and cliches which are just overused phrases. Then Monica starts presenting I should really highlight are audience center language and some guidelines for effective language. Audience center language is a language that should be adapted to the audience, which age, culture, and the situation should also be considered. Audience centered language should be spoken language that sounds natural and personal, which should make listeners understand and relate. Monica also mentioned Effective language. It is a use of spoken conversational language this helps you be concise and avoid unnecessary words. To avoid offensive or aggressive language and use respectful language which will help build your credibility.  

Chapter 11 would be presented by Luciana Lujan showing important Integrations presentation media. Why use it well It enhances clarity and understanding of spoken ideas. Captures and maintains audience attention also emphasizes key points and supports arguments visually. It also stimulates emotional response and improves recall of the topic. Ways to use this type of media are by using flip carts best fort brainstorming for speech, document camera for 3D projects, video clips help keeping information short and reinforces speech visually and last handouts best for detailed information or to follow up. Louie Alvarez will also go over a small part of chapter 11 just enforcing best way to have the most effective speech is by practicing none stop, make sure you prepare and to get early to your speech, make your presence notable and engaging not just your media. Last, use the media you gathered to elevate your presentation but remember it can harm it by not using it effectively.  

The last chapter for our group is 12 Louie Alvarez and Giselle Iskandarani will go over. Louie mentioned the different factors that can influence your delivery in your speech. Such as cultural differences, gender, fluency and stuttering, make sure you articulate your words, dialect, and a disability. Managing your voice is also very important so you can control your breathing, speak with your chest, so everyone can hear you. Vary your rate, pitch, and volume of your voice while also avoiding vocalized pauses. Lastly, articulation and pronunciation make sure you sound clear and proper. Next will be Giselle Iskandarani presenting the second half of chapter 12. She showed how we should always dress for the occasion do not dress in whatever dress nice. Always face the audience and make eye contact always. Display appropriate facial expressions, maintain good posture, move with a purpose, and avoid physical barriers so you can be seen. My group did a great job we did miscommunicate a little at the start, but I say we all did our best, and it came out great. 

The last group is finally going to present chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 starting with Yen Rios. He showed us chapter 13 on how to make an informative speech effective. Make sure you keep it informative and not persuasive. Make the topic come alive using some vivid language and examples. Connect the topic with the audience and do not just inform only inform to educate. Ways, you can organize it by chronological order or in many other ways like a narrative which is story based or cause and effect showing something happened and its results. Informative speeches can be about many things objects and place, people, events, and ideas with concepts. 

 Next Raquel Rodriguez will show persuasive speaking chapter 14 which employs language, imagery, and different communications technics to influence people. Effective persuasion depends on the speaker's ability to convince the audience. Practical persuasion is a modest scope that encourages audiences to act on “do able” topics, as she mentioned. Make sure your thesis summarizes your feelings about the topic and enforces the action you advocate. Show them the audience how to follow through on the course of action you suggest. There is also issue based on persuasion such as speeches on questions of fact, value, and policy. Facts are verifiable observations; value is something worth significance, quality, or consideration. Policy determines what course of action should be taken or ways to solve it. 

Yanasey Martinez was next showing chapter 15 of what is an argument. Argument of speeches is a case that is reasoned to support a position. Types of appeals in an argument of speech are evidence that supports the claim. Persuasive speakers use Logos, ethos, pathos, and mythos. Make sure you assert your claim and provide evidence to support or prove any of your claims and help to explain it and add your reasoning on how your evidence supports your claim on how they are connected. There are 4 types of reasoning too deductive uses formal logic, causal explaining the reason, inductive making an argument relatable and last analogical which is connection unfamiliar to familiarity.  

 

Chapter 16 is presented with Raquel again, but the slides were done by Sandra. The main highlights of this chapter are first-distance speaking. It is an organized and formal presentation of ideas to an audience that is not the same physical space which expands public speaking opportunities beyond face-to-face settings. For this instance, the speaker uses technology such as video calls, webinars, live streams, or a recorded presentation. Some examples are a videoconference which allows people from different locations to hear and speak to one and other just like we do for zoom meetings. Another way is graphical online presentation, this type of presentation only the voice is heard, and they may sometimes make a brief appearance on screen. Sandra also showed on her slides on how to promote an organization which some of the few media initiatives by pro-acting efforts to gain attention and media responses like making brief appearances on social media. This will benefit you and the organization in the long run by raising awareness, credibility, and visibility.  

The last part for group four is chapter 17 shown by Elizabeth Spataro. She foes over first over special occasion speeches and mentioned different types. Some being speech of introduction, tribute, and public testimony. Ways to deliver these speeches are, for example, for introductions you conduct research, keep the speech brief, and connect it to the speaker to the audience. Tribute speeches are prepared carefully to show emotion and inspire others. She also shows us how to present in small groups. First, make sure each member is presenting different types of topics and staying connected. Second, have a discussion together for the presentation. Lastly, always plan and practice together for better teamwork. This group was very imitative, and I really enjoyed it. I would say this one will help me the most since one of my future goals involves being in many groups for big projects, either in film or gaming. 

In conclusion, the group project was a great way or us to connect as students and learn more about how to speak in a public setting. This project has helped me build my confidence and have less anxiety while speaking. Since I want to be a project manager in the future this will help me for sure to help me lead groups together in the future and run them alongside my coworkers.