Everyone Deserves a Second Chance

979 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: the importance of professionalism

Attending Samford University as a freshman, I was more than positive that all of my classes would be boring until I enrolled in Communication Arts 101. Communication Arts is a class required for all freshmen to take and it helps develop writing and speaking skills that will empower us as students. Traditionally, college professors will ask their students to write an essay and move on to the next assignment. In contrast, Samford University incorporates formal speeches into the curriculum to help students vocally express their research and thoughts. Our class was recently assigned to deliver an Informative speech, which is a major portion of our grade. My speech received a fairly good grade; however, there are some aspects of my speech that can be improved. These aspects of my speech that is in dire need of improvement will not be enhanced overnight; this will require a tedious process. I have indicated two weaknesses and a strength in my Informative speech. The weaknesses and strength I desire to alter in my Revision speech are as followed: my body language, my command of the material, and my voice quality.
In my Informative speech, I had a tendency to hold my notes cards in my hand for long periods of time. For example, when I was delivering my speech I had my note cards merely at eye-level throughout the duration of the speech. This weakness is unacceptable because it limits my ability to express gestures. Expressing gestures is imperative because it keeps the audience engaged in the presentation and it makes the presenter look comfortable with the material. I realized that this weakness, in particular, cost me the most deduction of points. As a result, I repeatedly practiced keeping my note cards down from my eye-level, which f...

... middle of paper ...

...speech to receive a good grade? Is this just another assignment that Samford assigned the Communication Arts department? With those inquiries being aroused, grades are not everything, but it is what you obtain from the class that matters the most. Since my major is Business Communications, I will be speaking for corporate companies and this assignment, in particular, will pave the way for my future speeches I have to deliver. I learned that going through the process of revising my speech before I deliver my final one can make a huge impact. Communications Arts 101 has developed responsibility in my scholastic ethics and in my personal integrity. As I complete my last assignment of Communications Arts 101, the most important one, I realize that this course was not only a part of my core curriculum, but it has made me a better writer, speaker, and student at Samford.

Show More
Related

  • Personal Narrative: My Informative Speech

    309 Words  | 1 Pages

    Though I had some strong points in my informative speech, I still feel there was a lot I could improve upon. I could not recognize any vocalized pauses but I noticed that at certain points of speech where I would transition from one point to another, I would push my glasses up. I don’t remember if this was because my glasses were actually slipping down or because I was nervous. Also, after watching my video, I found that in the beginning of the speech I was swaying a lot, but because I was standing behind the table it wasn’t that noticeable. The one major thing I would change is my choice to stand behind the table. It was something I did unconsciously and out of habit of usually speaking behind a podium, and I did not notice I did it until

    Read More

  • English 101 Reflection

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the semester I have learned an astounding amount of information. The English 101 curriculum has not only taught me how to write in general, but also taught me a variety of ways to get my point across to the reader. Before I took English 101 I was an average writer at best, but now that I am taking a class that focuses on writing strategies I feel that I have been able to improve as a writer. During the course we were taught how to write an informative essay as well as how to write a persuasive essay. The type of writing that this class has taught me will most definitely help me with future classes as well as my future in the real world. Throughout the English 101 course I have been able to improve as a writer by composing essays

    Read More

  • Communication Skills In Nursing

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    Baseline Skills: I am still a bit timid when it comes to my verbal skills, but throughout my life, these skills have been slowly developing. Verbal communication is the most common form of communication. Verbal communication is used everyday, whether it is ordering a coffee in the morning, lunch at a restaurant, or telling the store clerk what size dress I need. Ever since I was a baby, I was taught to verbally communicate. It is one of the major stepping-stones in a person’s life. Through education, I have had to strengthen my skills for interviews and speeches. For example, I have had job interviews, volunteer interviews, and interviews to get into certain education programs like honor societies. I’ve taken speech classes, where we had to give a speech every month including memoirs, informative speeches, declarative speeches, and debates. At my last dance

    Read More

  • Personal Progression of Public Speaking

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    In life, we rarely have the chance for a do-over, but I feel like returning to college is mine. Throughout high school, my grades were never above average and until about a couple of years ago I considered myself to be unintelligent. What I failed to see was my level of commitment. Once I began applying myself, the grades earned reflected that. This concept coincides to my public speaking ability. Many students, including myself, walk into a speech class thinking that it will be the Easy A of the semester and quite frankly I devoted a good amount of time and hard work to earn my A’s and B’s for this course. Overall, my public speaking growth in terms of listenability were influenced by the following: the strategy keys in correctly engaging the audience; the structure keys appropriate for a speech versus a paper; the support keys by continually engaging the audience; and finally the style keys by practicing the use of body language and reducing the verbal junk.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Speech Self Critique

    355 Words  | 1 Pages

    I did use some hand gestures in my speech. For the first few minutes I did not use them, but as I moved through my material and got into the actual demonstration some hand gestures were used. I also noticed in the video that I was not always watching the audience. I use to think that I made good eye contact, but after watching the film I really only glanced at the audience. I believe that I could make significant improvement in this part of my speeches. While I was up in front of the class I thought that I was looking out at the audience more then what I actually did.

    Read More

  • Final Reflection In Communication

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over the recent four months in Communication 1402 class, I have addressed three formal speechs and completed a number of chapters in the corresponding textbook “Communication Works”. This course of Communication aims to provide general information what public speaking is and how to address a public speaking. Recalling back the experience during the processes of completing the Speech to Imform, Speech to Persuade, and Group Presentation, I will draw a conclusion about this course and these three presentations in five aspects, comprising my previous perception of public speaking before this course; learning from the Speech to Inform; the goal and evaluation of Speech to Persuade; learning from the Group Presentation; the most important thing learned from this course.

    Read More

  • Speech Reflection Essay

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    I feel like I made really good eye contact in most of my speeches because I was always taught to look someone in the eye when I spoke to them. I also have really good memory so I could easily remember things about a topic or about a memory to share with the class and be able to tell the story or information correctly. My eye contact was a really big strength for me and I think it helped me in a lot of the speeches I did. The speech I think I made the most eye contact and was able to keep my thoughts together, was my impromptu speech when I talked about me and Arley’s relationship. I was able to give so much eye contact because I was not nervous and was able to speak about something I knew a lot about and the topic fit me fairly well. My other strength was memorization and that came in handy during my informative speech. I felt like my informative speech was one of the best speeches I gave due to the knowledge I had of the topic. I was able to remember important information and that made me more calm knowing I would be able to sail through the speech without going

    Read More

  • What I Learned In Public Speaking

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    The class helped me learn how to overcome fear of public speaking which was brought about by anxiety and fear which was mainly contributed by lack of exposure. During this class I learned many ways of overcoming this menace, the class groups that served as the audience helped in practicing and getting over the anxiety and fear I also got positive critic...

    Read More

  • Criminals Deserve a Second Chance

    2756 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Federal Government Should Pass Legislation Banning Employers from Asking About Criminal Convictions on Initial Job Applications

    Read More

  • My Communication Skills

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    When reading the opening lecture I cringed at the thought of dealing with communication. Sort of that belly ache feeling you get when you had to do an oral presentation in front of the class in elementary school. I understand have a number of strong qualities but self-image and my perception are still traits I long to improve.

    Read More

  • Reflection Paper On Public Speaking

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...e, also moving arms and gestures are important, but not too much to distract the audience.

    Read More

  • What I Learned in Communication Skills Class

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the course of this semester; the variety of writing styles and essays assigned to me in my communication skills class encouraged the development of my writing skills, as well as provided me with more self-assurance in my abilities. My writing, research, and presentation abilities enhanced through practice, determination, and the understanding I gained during this course. With every single writing assignment, I learned new innovative approaches and skills, which enhanced my abilities to improve my thoughts logically, enabling me to write more clearly, and to organize my papers more effectively. At the beginning of this semester; despite the fact that I already knew the terminology MAP: message, audience, purpose; I never really understood the significance of MAP. For this reason, my writing lacked clarity, organization, and my writings appeared less focused on the topics. As a result my research papers and essays did not flow as smoothly from one passage to the next. Furthermore, I was unaccustomed with the precise procedures used when writing an essay. For instance, my previous classes before college, although requiring a reference page, did not require me to include proper citations in my writings. After evaluating the quality of my writing toward the end of the semester, I recognized vast improvements in several areas of my writing. By concentrating on the beginning stages of my writings, I could distinguish ahead of time my audience and my message. As a result, my essays are clear, and I remain on topic. In addition to that using transition phrases efficiently also helps my writing to flow smoothly. The proper use of transitions makes my writings easy to follow from one topic to the next. I also learned that pre-writing...

    Read More

  • Oral Presentation Essay

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order to successfully deliver an oral presentation such as a speech, the speaker must follow certain procedures to ensure his message can be conveyed clearly. Vast amounts of research are essential in order to acquire the knowledge necessary to be able to speak about a topic comfortably and answer any questions the audience might have during the course of the presentation. After acquiring such knowledge about the topic of the presentation the speaker will feel more confident, confidence is key in delivering speeches and other oral presentations because it makes the speaker look more credible and trustworthy. Lastly, the speaker must be fluid and eloquent with his words, the speaker must be able to sound clear and crisp while delivering their

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Speech

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    I feel that obtaining good speech skills can be vital to resolving workplace issues. Becoming more direct and getting straight to the point with my speech has impacted my experiences in increase my ability of not losing my listeners interest and avoiding improper articulations by speaking or communicating clearly and effectively to obtain a good impression of his or her listener because a person only gets one time to make a first impression. We must understand the power of the tongue. Changing our words can change our situations.

    Read More

  • Reflection Of Communication In Communication, Media And Culture

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most important skills that I have gained is how to communicate with people by adapting my speech to the circumstances I am in. Personally, this has made me more confident whilst speaking to strangers and even with people I know. During the course of this module, I have learnt a lot about myself, in terms of how I communicated with the people around me. Before taking this module, I didn’t realise that I changed my speech depending on the situation that I was in. When I would meet someone new or if I would speak to someone important, I would talk in a more professional manner. This module also taught me that I, like

    Read More

More about Everyone Deserves a Second Chance

Open Document