CrimethInc-ing

I am glad that my visuals went over so well and that I kept on target with the political sway of my speech. I think I could ave rehearsed it a little more so I didn't look down as much but it is also much easier to tell a personal narrative than an informative speech. I tried to speak more clearly this time and my anxiety over how the speech would go over was completely gone this time. I spoke a little fast but I was still within time so I might need to have a bit more information in my next speech to get it not just on the mark but a litle over and try to pace myself better.

Inform Me

The informative topics have been awesome so far. We are a nice diverse group and the informatives are loading me up with lots of new and interesting information. Overall I think the speeches are going pretty well. Some of the visuals have been used very well. A common problem I am seeing is people bouncing their feet or their legs and not being able to keep still. People also need to learn to speak up and speak more clearly sometimes because when the projector is running, their voice is dulled and when the a/c is on there is also some noise that is hard to hear over.

Some Other Stories

I thought that Noelle's speech went very well for her narrative. She was well paced and her tone throughout the speech remained steady and even. She added emphasis when necessary and presented her topic with poise. Greg was another speaker in the class that I thought did well. He worked his story very effectively and the ending and the begining really solidified the speech. I was also happy that Matt had a humorous speech too because although I enjoyed the narratives, the topics were pretty heavy.

Narrative Speech

My biggest worry about my narrative speech on Monday is setting a steady pace. I tend to talk very quickly sometimes and I'm worried that I will speed up my speech without knowing it. I also need to make sure that my hand gestures always have a purpose. I am Italian, therefore I talk with my hands all the time. My gestures shouldn't get repetitive. I am also a little worried about how my speech topic will go over.

Goals

Hi, I'm Gina Petruccelli, if I'm without caffeine beware.

I have done speech and debate in high school for four years so I would like to use this class to further perfect my speaking skills and presentation. As a broadcast journalism student, short, clear and concise speaking ability is a must. Growing up in an Italian household, I tend to speak a little fast so I would like to learn more control over the speed of my oral presentations. I also tend to jump around in every speech and I believe this class will make my daily conversations more cohesive.
I have worked a lot within the field of presenting speeches, but have worked less with writing them myself. I would like to use this class to increase my writing abilites, particularly in speech writing since my minor involves public relations. I think this class will give me a good chance to expand my knowledge in oratory.
Blogging personally has never been a large interest of mine, though I do read many news blogs for journalism in my spare time. Hopefully, this will expand some of my own interests in blogging since it is becoming such a fast paced and ever evolving form of media.
Lastly I would like to see some interesting and imformative outside speeches that might peak some new interests for me.