Nancy Felipe - Reflection #1

Nancy Felipe 

SPC2608

Reflection on Presentations On Chapters 1–17

Reflecting on all the presentations, I’ve come to see that public speaking is more than just delivering information—it’s about creating an experience that resonates with the audience. In today’s world, information is at the tips of our thumbs thanks to technology. What truly matters is how we present it in a way that inspires curiosity, understanding, and engagement.

Group #1

This group spoke to us about the foundational principles of public speaking. Their presentation focused on building confidence, what the general population needs, and ways to adapt to certain audiences. This presentation opened my eyes to the importance of confidence in a speech and the ways it can influence how your speech will go.

One of their key points was the idea that confidence in public speaking is not innate but developed through practice. Techniques such as rehearsing alone or with a friend can help overcome the initial fear of speaking. They also explained how handling disagreeing audiences is crucial to  bringing the change that's wanted. This is also applied to handling different: cultures, ages, genders; a speaker must adapt their delivery, use strong arguments, and present information clearly to maintain engagement. Although their presentation wasn’t as enjoyable as others they backed up their statements with videos and kept good posture that showed confidence. 

Group #2

My group was responsible for presenting chapters 4, 6, 7, and 8, which focused on the preparing phase of public speaking. The purpose of these chapters were to make it clear that a strong speech doesn’t happen by accident, it requires intentional preparation. 

Preparation in speech will look like: writing down the purpose for speech, creating a clear and strong thesis statement to guide the structure of a speech, using outlines in the start/middle/end of building your speech, and doing research. It is highly important one uses reliable research with the proper citation. Following these tips will make a speaker seem honest and enhances the power of their argument. One essential point we made that is overlooked most of the time is the importance of balance. Sitting through a speech that leans to much on either: facts, stories or personal experiences can be extremely boring, remember to put yourself in the audiences shoes, evaluate the usage according to what you think your audience would sit through and listen. Perfecting the art of balance will help you go along way. 

Something that I learned and will be applying to my future speeches (if i am forced to) would be following the Monroe's Motivated Sequence. Thanks to Alan Monroe we have a promising guide into creating an amazing presentation. What makes it special is that it follows the human thinking process making it a bit easier to keep an audience engaged. As i will be tweaking my speeches the monroe way, i will also partake in the use of narrative speeches as its shown to impact a human emotionally making it easier to sway them into agreeing with you. 

Group #3

Group 3 presented on the use of language and visual resources in public speaking. This presentation helped me see how effective communication is about balancing content, clarity, and creativity. It reminded me that every detail—from word choice to visuals—contributes to how well a speech sticks to the people.

They emphasized on word choice, language carries both literal and emotional meanings. Choosing the right words will enhance the connection one has with the crowd, the use of slang or phrases is also mentioned, this can alienate the audience, in a positive or negative light depends on your execution. They also spoke on using visual aids instead of a text-filled slide as well, but with the warning to be cautious as certain things can be distracting to some.

Group #4

This group was in charge of covering the final chapters, focusing on different types of speeches and how public speaking adapts to various contexts. I got to see the differences between a informative and persuasive speech, and the importance of using solid arguments supported by logic (logos), credibility (ethos), emotion (pathos), and shared values (mythos). Their claim was that, perfecting the use of rhetorical appeals can transform a basic speech into a powerful experience that leaves a lasting impression.

 As humans we have learned to evolve with technology, this group enlightened me on the situation of online presenting. Today, many presentations happen online, as there is benefits to this, it also has its cons.. maintaining attention is seen to be much more difficult due to the environmental distractions and the physical distance. To engage a virtual audience, speakers must stay in frame using their full attention on whatever device they're on. Speakers are encouraged to use clear visuals, and speak with clarity and energy. Even without physical presence, we are still able to create this speaker-audience connection and impact our society.

Personal Reflection

My first presentation in the course 'Public Speaking' with Prof. Sinkoff was a bit nerve-racking, per usual. I'm definitely not new to the environment but I do lack the confidence of speaking from memory instead of off a sheet or PowerPoint. What made this a noticeable con in becoming a successful speaker was observing how the other presenters looked during their presentations. Even though this technique is used out of comfort, reading off the sheet or PowerPoint can seem to the audience that one isn't very knowledgeable in their findings, not only does it slightly discredit a speaker but the low engagement  can lead to an uninterested crowd. Id also credit the chapters read for informing me about this. Other then not enjoying presenting just because I think its simply not for me, I did enjoy watching other groups go up and show a different aspect to styles of presenting, flow, engagement tactics, etc. I learned more about the things I did not like, which makes sense because for the most part we are beginners, in public speaking.