Day 3 of speeches

Overall, speech week is off to a great start! I’m really impressed with most of your efforts to share information about nonprofit and charitable causes. With so much negativity being portrayed in media daily, it’s really awesome to have this presentation shared that promotes all the goodness that still exists in our world.

I hope, too, that you are finding information that might be helpful to you about causes you may choose to support.

A couple of quick reminders for those of you who are finished with your presentations: just because a grade may be posted doesn’t mean that grade is final. As stated in the scoring guide, 10 points will be deducted from any grade for students who do not pay attention to others’ presentations. This includes absences, as well as working on (or reviewing) your own presentation notes during someone else’s speech.

Remember, it’s tough to get in front of the class already. Don’t make it harder by demonstrating disrespect to the person speaking. If we are talking about positive causes, it’s all the more reason to share a little good energy with others as they share their research with you. Help us help you!

Speaker Notes: Dos & Don’ts

As speech week begins next week, I wanted to take a moment or two to help you remember some of my guidelines for writing your note cards…

DO

• Use lined, 4 x 6″ note cards
• Label and number EVERY card
• Follow Standard Outline Format
  • Parts and values (deeper indention each time)
    • ROMAN NUMERALS (I., II., III., etc.)
      • CAPITAL letters (A., B., C., etc.)
        • Arabic Numbers (1., 2., 3., etc.)
  • Breaking up an idea uses at LEAST 2 parts
  • No bullet points–just the above 3 options!
• Focus on key words (just enough to “jog” your memory!)
  • The ONLY exceptions to key words (these MUST be written out as you plan to say them!)
    • Thesis
    • Preview Statement
    • ALL transitions
• Include 3-5 delivery cues to help you present information better
  • Pronunciation of difficult words
  • Reminders to look at different people in the audience
  • Ways to ensure you gesture effectively
  • Breath marks and pauses
• Put your name on the back of YOUR cards
• Practice with your notes so you don’t rely on them for every word
  • Extemporaneous speaking style (see your Quick Study Chart!)
  • Work on eye contact and get in front of rooms
  • Use empty classrooms to rehearse (gets you used to the environment!)
• Modify your notes until just before your class period

DON’T

• Use a whole sheet of paper for your notes
• Write a manuscript of your speech
• Read to the audience
• Delay writing your cards
• Put everything in one color on the cards
• Work on your notes during others’ speeches

I’ll have another post tomorrow to help you with some of the “Can” and “Cannot” aspects, so you can be sure your presentation is tip-top!

Speaker Notes: Oral Citations

Now that you have begun crafting your speaker notes, be sure that you are constantly revising and editing them to be most effective. With that in mind, here are a couple of tips for the oral citations needed to make your evidence in the speech more effective.

First, remember that your initial oral citations require 4 chief components:

1. WHO: Name(s) of author(s) [or source]
2. WHY: Credibility of the author/source – why should we trust them on this info?
3. WHERE: The type of source and title of journal, paper, magazine, book, or website
4. WHEN: Date of publication

For example, if we used our textbook, we might say:

Jess Alberts and Judith Martin, both professors of communication of Arizona State University, and Thomas Nakayama, a professor of communication at Northeastern University, state in the 4th edition of Human Communication in Society, most recently updated in 2016…

Second, remember that oral citations must be given BEFORE you provide information. That is to say, you need to tell the audience the above 4 components before you ever tell us what they said or report.

Notice in the above example, we credit the authors before using their ideas. It’s important to remember that when speaking to an audience, we need to have the source’s information before the idea so that the audience can focus their attention on your evidence and trust you as a reliable and ethical speaker.

After your first citation, of a source, you can limit back to the names of those responsible for the information. So, in the case of our textbook, you would indicate that “Alberts, Nakayama, and Martin also state…”

All of this said, you must reinforce citations throughout the speech. That is to say, when you borrow information, you MUST give credit to the source orally. It will help to include this information in your speaker notes, so that you don’t neglect to give credit to the source!

Speaker Notes: Key Words and Exceptions

Speaker notes can be very beneficial to reducing anxiety, if you have already spent time rehearsing. However, they can also pose a lot of challenges for students who rely too heavily on them during the presentation. Therefore, remember that they are a handrail, not a crutch. Use them ONLY when needed.

This is the other reason I require that you limit your cards to 45 words and no more than 2 cards per component or idea. When you put too much information, it’s way too easy to overwhelm yourself with ideas.  Then, out of necessity, you try to read the information, rather than speak to us. Consider the most effective communicators you know: they don’t READ what they want to tell you, but speak to you directly, look in your eyes, and convey sincerity. It’s a great benefit to you!

This means that key word focus is vital to your speaker notes. Writing more than 2-3 words on a line can actually reduce your effectiveness as a speaker. With that in mind, I want you to focus your ideas on what is essential and necessary for you to remain effective, but nothing more than that.

That said, I understand that there may be a few exceptions. Keep in mind the following MUST BE be written out explicitly (word for word as you intend to say it to the class).

• Thesis statement
• Preview statement
• Transition statements

In addition, you will likely WANT to write out the initial oral citations. I’ll cover those in the next post.

Speaker notes: Basics & Outline Format

One of the considerations as you develop your presentation is how to most effectively create solid speaker notes. I’m going to provide you with an overview in several shorter posts to help you set up your notes effectively and clearly.

First and foremost, we want to use 4 x 6″ cards in this class. I selected this size for the convenience and clarity of information you can include in a card with 24 square inches of space. A full sheet of paper (or even a half sheet) is too large and awkward, especially if you want to move around. By contrast, a 3 x 5″ card will be too small. While convenient, it may lead to pulling cards close to your face and losing contact with your audience.

Second, you need to remember to follow standard outline formatting. This means that you will use Roman numerals, capital letters, and Arabic numbers to break down your points. Bullet points are fun, but seeing the same marker on each line can be confusing.

Remember, too, that breaking down points, concepts, and ideas into smaller thoughts requires that you use at least 2 sub-parts, but no more than 5. As I state in class several times, if you have an A, you MUST have a B. If you have a 1, you MUST have a 2.

In the next post, I’ll talk about key word focus and the exceptions to that rule.

Providing feedback to peers: A reminder

As we went over the process of providing feedback to your peers in class this week, I wanted to remind you of the most basic principles of why I have you do this.

First, learning from others actually reinforces your understanding of who you are. By receiving feedback from your peers, you get a multi-faceted view of how others see you. This can ultimately enhance your ability to be an effective speaker if you follow their advice and input.

Second, by providing feedback in this way, you are learning how to help others become more effective. Learning how to offer both positive and negative feedback can enhance your ability to move ahead in the workplace. Lots of people in the workforce have no idea how to give effective feedback that will ultimately enhance another person’s productivity; you’re getting experience with it now!

Finally, by participating in this at an early stage of class, you have the bulk of the semester to become more self-aware and develop your skills as a presenter. I want you to be the BEST speaker you can be. The only way to become a better speaker is to practice and get feedback on how to make what you do better.

Keep working and being effective! I’m proud of you!

When Speech Week is Interrupted

One of the most frustrating challenges I have ever faced teaching Introduction to Oral Communication has happened this week. Our speech week was interrupted because of inclement weather. *cue shocking music*

I generally am able to roll with the punches, as are my students, but this will be a big challenge. What it means is that each day of presentations is somehow set back just a little. And when students have left their presentation aids on campus (out of fear of forgetting them at home), they have also lost the opportunity to practice with their presentation aids.

Here are my tips for surviving, if your class is adjusted during speech week, students:

1. Review your speaker notes thoroughly
2. If you left your speaker notes at school, you need to rewrite them EXPRESSLY so you can practice
3. Practice presenting, even without your aid
4. Review the grading criteria

I will say that I have had 2 students this week who have earned scores of over 95 on their speech delivery. That’s not only impressive, it’s a clear sign of effective practice. Take their example and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!

Why procrastination is a bad idea when speechwriting

Speeches will begin for most of my students on Monday this week (tomorrow). For many students, it’s the culmination of several weeks’ work, toiling, refining, and the labor needed to ensure that work is “just right.” For others, it’s a last-minute struggle, fighting hard to find the minimum required sources, hit the minimum time frame, and just barely meet the expectations the instructor has laid out time and again in class.

Last year, I began ruminating over a requirement that topics must be approved a week prior to the speech start date. This would ensure that a learner had a minimum 7 days to finalize research, thesis refinement, and main point development. Unfortunately, weather has played a role this semester. Many students have not been on campus, where they do have reliable and regular Internet service. Because of this, I have tried desperately to ensure that students had a longer preparation period, delaying deadlines when possible.

The problem: I still get students who want to alter their topic drastically, a day or two before presentations begin. I do not want to recommend this to anyone, especially given the challenges of finding quality sources to support an entirely new topic so closely to the presentation. While it can be done, it usually brings out more challenges and problems than positive qualities.

A final reminder to students: Be sure that you actually check the News & Announcements section of eLearing. Your speaking order is listed, and a few students have noted their name is missing from the speaking order. If a name is missing, it’s because an outline was not provided to me by the deadline, and no contact has been made since to confirm topic approval. Take responsibility for your actions and choices, because this is not something I can do to “save” your grade at this point…

Rhetorical (Logical) Fallacies–a BRIEF overview

Review this website AND the long image it provides to better understand how logical fallacies look or sound. We are going over a few of these during class when we discuss chapter 16, but students still find it to be VERY difficult material. Please review it closely, so you can better understand the concept effectively.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/rhetological-fallacies/

Presenting skills: Body movement and what to do with your hands!

Part of the same video series that I shared in my last post, but you would probably get a lot from watching these short clips on what you can do to improve your body movement and how to effectively use your hands during presentations. After all, we all are a little unsure of what to do to be effective at times.

Body Movements

Hands