W3 Public Speaking

 Beliefs, according to Daryl Bem (1970), come essentially from our experience and from sources we trust. For example, a person may believe everyone should take public speaking because in their own experience the course helped them be successful in college and a career. Another person may believe that corporal punishment is good for children because their own parents–whom they love and trust–spanked them after their misbehavior. Therefore, beliefs are hard to change—not impossible, just difficult. Beliefs are harder to change based on their level of each of these characteristics of belief: 

• stability—the longer we hold them, the more stable or entrenched they are; 

• centrality—they are in the middle of our identity, self-concept, or “who we are”; 

• saliency—we think about them a great deal; and 

• strength—we have a great deal of intellectual or experiential support for the belief or we engage in activities that strengthen the beliefs.

A fourth barrier to listening not often considered is that our minds can usually process much faster than a speaker can speak clearly. We may be able to listen, when really trying, at 200 words per minute, but few speakers can articulate that many words clearly; an average rate for normal speech is around 100-120 (Foulke, 1968; Barnard, 2018).

1. What was effective or less effective about the introduction?

1. What was effective or less effective about the pace, language choice, gestures, facial expressions, and voice quality?
2. What was effective or less effective about the organization of the speech?
3. What constructive comment could you leave for this student that will help him or her improve as a public speaker?
•   Example: "It was really hard to see you, which impacted how visible your facial expressions and gestures were. Change your lighting or move to a brighter space so that you are not in the shadows."

Shann:

I liked the humor, seemed to get lost sometimes. Bouncing. No filler words. I got a little bored in the beginning because I felt there was too much detail.

Ryan Bills:

Nice and loud, confident, a little blurry, fan was a little distracting. Hand gestures were good.

Hannah Lee:

A little quiet. I liked the organization and flow of the story. The story felt a little long.

Karla:

Probably shouldn't apologize for English being your second language. Strong ending. Good eye contact, seemed relaxed.