Weekly Discussion Topics
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Texas A&M University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
1304
Subject
Communications
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by HighnessGiraffeMaster365
Weekly Discussion Topics
Week 1:
1.
What makes you more nervous, speaking in front of a group of strangers or friends? Why?
a.
Speaking in front of my friends makes me more nervous than speaking in front of a
group of strangers. Strangers are people you have never met before and are very likely to never see you again. Friends, on the other hand, are people you've gotten to know and who are a part of your life. I become more nervous when speaking in front of friends because I am afraid of being judged if I make a mistake. However, when I am nervous, I spend more time practicing and perfecting my speech, which contributes to a better overall performance during my presentations.
2.
Why do people experience public speaking anxiety?
a.
People can experience public speaking anxiety for a multitude of reasons. Anxiety can be evoked when people prepared poorly for the speech causing people to be dissatisfied with their abilities, causing people to appear nervous. Another reason is
if a person is uncomfortable with the way they look, they will become self-
conscious in front of others, causing their anxiety to be high. Lastly, anxiety can appear when people begin thinking about past failures and start comparing themselves to other people, which causes the speaker to feel judged by the audience.
3.
Research and explain tips and tricks for overcoming public speaking anxiety.
a.
There are numerous approaches to overcoming fear of public speaking. First, you can reduce your anxiety by thoroughly researching your subject, planning your ideas, and practicing your speech. Second, it's critical to counteract negative self-
talk because it might feed anxiety. Next, before a speech, deep breathing can help you unwind and reduce your anxiety. Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on how the air feels entering and leaving your body. Finally, add a little comedy to your speech to improve audience engagement and make your presentation more pleasant. Although there are many additional methods available online, all these approaches can be utilized to combat anxiety.
Week 2:
1.
Describe the behaviors exhibited by effective speakers that you have had the good fortune to hear.
a.
Something I am working on right now is listening to more public speeches because unfortunately I do not regularly do that. However, of the few speeches I have listened to, my grandmother has been the best public speaker. She is a paster, so her speeches/sermons must be written and presented in a particular way for the audience to understand. When getting up on the stage, she radiated confidence and excitement. This in turn boosts her authenticity and passion for the sermon. She also spends a lot of time practicing the sermon, remembering that her voice must fluctuate in a natural way to engage the audience. Some of her best sermons include stories to engage the audience and transition smoothly
to the next topic. Overall, the confidence, excitement, authenticity, passion, practicing, storytelling, and voice fluctuations help to make her a good and effective public speaker.
2.
Contrast this description with a description of the most ineffective speaker you ever had the misfortune to hear. Your description could include discussing some of the following elements concerned with speech delivery: distracting mannerisms, hand gestures, eye contact, appropriate dress, vocal variety, etc. Your description could also include the following elements concerning speech content: language choice, topic selection, organization of ideas, etc.
a.
In contrast, of the speakers I have heard, there is one speaker that is ineffective every time I listen to him. His name is Pastor Scott, who preaches at the same church as my grandmother. When listening to him, I struggle to follow along with his sermons. When he gets onto the stage, he begins his sermons with a random story, which he uses to get the audience’s attention. For me, I get confused because I do not know where he is going with the story and how it applies to the sermon. He also has a monotone voice, so I find myself drifting off and not paying attention. While giving the sermon, I find that never looks at
people, he just stares at the camera in the back of the room, so I do not feel engaged. Overall, I do not find him to be an effective speaker and I tend to avoid attending church when he is preaching because I will leave confused and defeated.
Week #3:
1.
Do you think that using multimedia software (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) helps an audience understand a speaker's message more clearly? Why or why not?
a.
In my opinion, multimedia software has many advantages to helping a speaker elaborate a message clearly to the audience. A speaker can use the software to help strengthen their credibility by adding parts within the software that describe their credentials and why the audience should listen to what they have to say. The software can also add an emphasis on the main idea using the variety of visual aids that can be uploaded to it. I also believe that using multimedia software can help the audience to visualize what the speaker is saying which helps the speaker to ensure that the audience is understanding the concepts.
2.
What are some other types of visual aids speakers can use to enhance the understanding of the audience that are not electronic in nature?
a.
In today’s age, we are very quick to decide that we will just use electronics during our presentation. However, sometimes we will not have access to electronics due to certain circumstances. It is then up to us to decide how we will use a visual aid in our presentation. Thankfully, there are multiple substitutes for visual aids that are not electronic in nature. Let’s say you are giving a persuasive speech and you want to use a decision tree to persuade the audience to agree with your stance, you can use a dry erase board. A dry erase
board is an easy alternative because you can easily draw the decision tree and help the audience visualize what you are explaining. Another option is to use a flipchart or posters. Let’s say you are giving an informative speech and you want to present the audience with the statistical data and graphical representations, you can use a flipchart or poster to help the audience visualize the data. Lastly, let’s say you are giving a demonstrative speech and you want the audience to know what steps you are taking during the demonstration. You can use handouts, which allows the audience to follow along with the demonstration and it also allows the audience to take the paper home to repeat your demonstration at another time. Overall, there are multiple types of nonelectronic visual aids, deciding on which one to use depends on what you want to present to the audience.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help