Aspects of the Fundamentals of Speech Class - Essay Example

Fundamentals of Speech Aspects of the Fundamentals of Speech in APA Style (Place here) of or corporation) Fundamentals of Speech 2 The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information by speech is very crucial in our daily lives. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language states that communication is “The art and technique of using words effectively to impart information or ideas”. Speech is used in our everyday lives, whether or not we realize it. It is not something that we learn in school and will never implement in real life. One who can communicate more effectively will more likely gain better success in all areas-personal, academic, and professional of life. Speech, or public speaking, involves organizing ideas, researching these ideas, and presenting them to others. We all have many, many ideas about what we would like to speak about. The difficult part is narrowing it all down to one idea, or topic. The best way to do this is to choose a topic that you are familiar with and interested in. Use resources such as magazine articles, books, newspapers, television shows, conversations with people, etc. to help gain ideas. Knowing how to choose the best topic, narrowing it down, and researching (learning more about various subjects) are skills that can improve my daily communication such as talking with a friend, discussing a topic with a professor, or trying to land a job with an employer. Fundamentals of Speech 3 Determine what the purpose of your speech. Will you be speaking to inform and to offer information or will you be writing to try and persuade? Informing is to give facts and information without adding personal opinion. Persuading is to try and change the attitudes and thoughts of your listeners in order to get them to act upon what you have said in your speech. The skill of delivering information in a manner that is interesting yet informative and the power of persuasions helps my listeners to believe what I say. Speech helps me to be a better storyteller and makes me more social in my personal life. As I can communicate better verbally, I am more secure about myself and others want to listen. Professionally and academically this knowledge of delivering information and to be able to persuade others using speech is an extremely effective tool that will lead to my success whether I am in class, at an entry level position, or an executive position in the workplace. The best speeches contain your own experience and knowledge of the chosen topic. Use information from materials such as books, magazines, reference materials, etc. from various sources. Libraries contain a wealth of information. Interviews, the internet and visiting various locations can provide the necessary information. Be sure to take good notes and to give credit to the author of the information that you will be using. Researching and listing references (or where you got the material) will add credibility to your speech especially if you are doing a persuasive speech. Learning more about various subjects helps me to be able to relate to almost anyone. I can appreciate what they are talking about since I am familiar with their conversation. Researching is a skill that is required in speech, which helps me be more open-minded and knowledgeable. As I am Fundamentals of Speech 4 can relate to others better, they will open up and can relate to me more for they know that I am interested in what they are saying. Academically and professionally, I will also do well since I will know my roles/job better. If I have a problem, I can research it and if I still cannot find the answers, I am able to communicate my issues more effectively. If there is a conflict, I can work my way through it by delivering my point of view better without stuttering, showing anger, confusion, etc. This will build up my self esteem and I will feel more secure and it will help others want to hear my side. I can debate better whether it be for fun at a social gathering or in a real life crisis. I will believe in myself and as we all know, success starts with the mind. Achievements and goals are imagined first in the mind then carried out physically. Be sure to consider the types of listeners you will be speaking to and the best content and delivery of your speech. It is important that you deliver your speech by telling it as a story. Present your message in an interesting manner in which your audience can relate. Get the audience involved, state the importance of your main idea, question and startle the audience, and end with a conclusion that reiterates your main idea. It is important that you deliver your speech by telling it as a story. Considering who my listeners are makes me more sensitive to others. I am more accepting and appreciative of others whether it be in my personal, academic, or professional life. As others see that I am really concerned about listening to them and are paying attention to who they are and what they have to say, they, in turn, will respond to me. They will want to listen to me and believe what I have to say. Lucas (2005) states the reasons why public speaking is so important: 1)for the grade..its a required course. Fundamentals of Speech 5 2) It helps us succeed in nearly all professions. Five skills employers look for are: 1)verbal skills 2)interpersonal skills 3)decision-making skills. The other two are: 4)responsibility 5)initiative. Public speaking also helps you: 1) organize your ideas and thoughts 2) develop information-gathering ideas 3) present ideas to others 4)listen critically to the ideas of others. These are all skills that I do every day, whether automatically and quickly in my mind while communicating, or whether I do them in a more thought-out way. From persuading my parents to help me buy a new car to delivering a report that will show my professor I know what I am writing about to convincing my manager that I can do the new job, these skills that are learned in speech will be used throughout my entire life. Works Cited Lucas, Stephen. (2005). Fundamentals of Speech. The Art of Public Speaking, 8th Edition. Retrieved Dec. 18, 2005, from http://www.cameron.edu/~mikel/speech/. (2000). The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=communication. Read More