Contemporary Public Speaking - Assignment Example

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Name: Course: Tutor: University: The Date: B1 Rachel Maddow Video on Donald Trump Foundation Rachel analyses an incident where the US president hired an executive who headed the Trump Foundation that contributed funds towards his campaign in Florida. She alleges that hiring that executive is a move that may not go well with many Americans. The problem with his appointment is non-delivery of property investment training to the many students who had applied to join Trump University. Americans had sued for refunds, but before the process was complete, the foundation went on to fund his elections. If I could be the one presenting, I could revisit the history of the University, how it promised people excellent education in real estate, and how it failed to deliver as pledged. I will also address the role the new executive played when running the University and the Trump Foundation, and also give my view whether the executive will be compromised in delivery as was the case previously. B2: Difference between an informative and a persuasive presentation. An informative presentation is a speech that relies on descriptions, demonstrations, and the use of vivid details in addition to defining clearly and explaining the subject and elaborating all aspects that learners need to understand. Therefore, this is a speech that shall make one topic that was complex very easy to comprehend. An example is a tutor explaining to students what a fish is. Having a diagram of a fish with all parts labeled will assist to explain what it is physically. A Persuasive presentation is a speech one makes with the intention of changing the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the listeners. Such a speech is used as a learning lesson where one person gives an account of what happened to him and could like others benefit as well (Faculty of Business, Government, and Law). An example is a person telling students to join Journalism. This individual may cite freedom of work, higher pay, and the ability that one can do many jobs as a way of winning the students to join the course. B3 Comparison between TV series MasterChef Australia and Grand Designs Australia MasterChef is a favorite program people like watching. In this program, participants, usually seasoned chefs, participate in cooking competitions. Participants show the exact recipe they intend to use in cooking, and they often take viewers through the cooking journey. Usually, people can see the body movements and how one should adjust themselves to make the exercise successful. Ideally, the visual part is enough to enable one follow the programs as long as they have an idea what the ingredients are. Grand Designs Australia is a TV series displaying how Australians construct houses from scratch. This program has an active visual communication given that the participants show step by step how the viewers could carry out tasks on their own. In the program, individuals could see how to handle tools, ways of navigating with their machinery, and also the best strategies of finishing tasks easily. B4: Online Speech Pyne (2015) says that the conference aimed to show investors enablers and barriers to innovative collaboration taking place between researchers and the industry. He argues that excellent company performance in Australia is a legacy of successful economic reforms that included a floating dollar, the build-up of flexible labor markets, initiatives taken to reduce tariffs, and also the introduction of goods and services taxes that came into force as the government reduced and eliminated many other taxes. In the speech, Pyne (2015) says that innovation is a bit slower in Australia and that has given a chance to many emerging economies like China to overtake the country and take up most of the global export markets. He says that the resource boom is declining in the country and commodity prices are softening. Therefore, he wants companies to be creative and innovation, and they will come up with superior products and reduce the cost of production. B5: 10” Tablet 1. An explanation of what the product is and its general use and other specialized uses 2. A list of possible customers to the product. 3. A description of the features of the device. 4. A description of the emotional needs the product will satisfy 5. A list of features making the product superior to those of competitors and also an improvement to earlier versions. I came up with this list in the current order because as a seller, I will begin by defining what product I am selling and give its general uses under normal circumstances. I will proceed to tell the audience whom I expect to purchase the product as this is a point that can create more interest in my product. I will proceed to describe the features my products have, and this could include the camera, battery life among other superior aspects. B6: Affirmative action Many institutions have advocated for equal opportunities to the male and female child. They have put in place some measures including giving more scholarships to women students, and also, encouraging the female students to pursue college courses formerly reserved for male students. The initiatives put in place have helped increase the potential of women in the society. I would recommend each company to have a certain minimum proportion of women and men employees as one way of supporting affirmative action. The move will reduce male dominance in most companies and over time, companies will promote women to their boardrooms and other higher paying positions. The initiatives should run back to primary school education where stakeholders should tell all sexes their real potential and that it is possible for any child to attain the kind of dreams they harbor. B7: The principle of persuasion I believe the principle of persuasion works as many people will prefer to consume items being bought by many of their friends. Usually, the reasoning is that when many people purchase a product, there are fewer chances that such a large number of people could be wrong. Therefore, newer buyers will always look for individuals who have that item and inquire about its advantages and disadvantages before they could purchase it. I have, on a number of situations, tried to find out if a product will satisfy my needs and I try to find people with a similar item and I engage them in discussions regarding its performance. This is a certain method of being safe rather than buying a product and regretting later one. B8: 4HP Commercial Strength Master Treadmill The advert uses more persuasion tactics as it tells of a machine with a 4HP output, meaning it can run for many hours without the need to switch it off. Also, the advert talks of a machine that one can fold and put it away in a corner to create space. It has a wide screen that can display exercise videos and a Bluetooth for syncing your phone with it while exercising. Most of the persuasion tactics used are efficient and they could easily entice any person who wants to keep fit to acquire one and the same applies to me. If I were the one advertising, I could include the ideal weight it can carry, the possible places one can use it including at homes, Gyms, at schools, and also, talk about the sources of power and how economical it is in maintenance. B9: Discontinuance and deterrence I believe discontinuance is a more difficult challenge compared to deterrence. Discontinuance refers to the aspect of stopping the manufacturing of a product or offering a service because of unavoidable reasons. The company may have incurred a lot in initiating production, and it could have bought expensive machinery, but a decision may be made to discontinue operations if it foresees no chance of breaking even. Deterrence, on the other hand, refers to restrictions imposed to suit some condition. For instance, the government may impose sanctions that certain products should not be sold to persons below 18 years. Therefore, the company will continue manufacturing, but it will have to take into consideration reduced sales. B10: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs I believe I have met the physiological needs, the safety needs, and the need for love and belonging. These are some of the basic needs that come by because I relate well to my parents and other people who easily provide assistance I need to meet my needs and so I can continue meeting my academic needs. About two years ago, I was still struggling with safety needs and that shows that my situation has improved over time. In the next three years, I aspire to secure a highly paying job, and I will start meeting the esteem needs. I will plan to acquire a suitable house and a car to make movement easier. After about ten years of working, I will target my self-actualization needs where I aspire to head a large corporation and membership societies. B11: Can persuasion be ethical? Persuasion can be nagging, but there are incidents when it can be ethical especially when done by professionally trained people who value their jobs and the dignity of the people they deal with. Ideally, an individual who values what he is doing will treat others with dignity, respect, caring and give people room to make a decision regarding the various choices he has presented. In an event where the seller is interested in making money, then persuasion will not be ethical as the salesmen will end up nagging people and forcing them to make purchases against their will. These are people who may end up making negative comments against supposed clients who shall end up not buying. Therefore, stakeholders should put in place measures to compel the different sellers to maintain respect and adhere to ethical principles when persuading people to purchase their merchandise. B12: An elevator speech about a product My elevator speech: With me is the most sensational juice you will ever come across, which has different flavors suitable for the entire family. As a company, we understand that people need to be healthy and this juice is exactly what you need. It is made from pure natural ingredients, and it does not have any artificial food coloring agents or preservatives. We have hand-picked the best fruits that went through the latest technology to bring this product to you. It is available countrywide at affordable prices. The speech made me understand the product and its benefits more. In my visualization, I saw reasons why I should purchase the product, consume it and get to feel how it satisfies human wants. The fact that the product is a composition of natural ingredients and it does not have artificial compounds is a reason for me to try it and recommend it to other people. B13: An Elevator Speech http://speakingppt.com/2012/07/26/3-best-elevator-pitches/ Strengths: The speech gives a list of the products and services the company manufactures. Also, it provides an indication towards the manufacturing process, and in this case, it is more about sustainability and working towards a greener planet. Moreover, the speaker tells us that there are partners spread all over the world, an indication that buyers can quickly purchase their products from the closest dealer and this shall reduce the shipping time. Weaknesses: The speaker does not give the exact features of the products manufactured, the target users, advantages of each product and the cost. Also, the speaker has failed to show how the current products are different from what is existing in the market and the main reason why people should avoid what competitors produce and choose these products. B14: Nonverbal Vs. not verbal communication It enhances our understanding to describe non-verbal communication as that which is not verbal. Ideally, this is a communication between individuals that employs the sending and receiving of wordless signals or clues such as body languages and facial expressions. This is a way of sharing knowledge, communicating attitudes and feelings only that the participants are not saying a word, but they device different means of doing it. An example could be a person beckoning another one to follow him, or one person smiling showing signs of happiness. No verbal communication refers to that communication where nothing is spoken and this takes us back to nonverbal communication. In no verbal and non-verbal communication, the persons involved must know the meaning of the gestures involved just as is the case with verbal communication where participants must understand and interpret what each person speaks. B15: I like doing activities depending on the order of priority they will help me satisfy my life goals. The challenge is that sometimes I could be handling an activity and another pressing one will arise compelling me to divide my time among these conflicting activities, and I end up falling behind the scheduled time I wanted to spend on what I was doing. I spend my time on the following activities: 1. Attending class lectures 2. Completing scheduled assignments 3. Doing research in the library and also through online databases 4. Visiting friends where as a team we hold constructive discussions and in the process work towards building reliable career networks 5. Having quality time with my family especially in the evenings and over the weekends 6. Watching news to keep myself updated with what is happening in the country and globally The lists match, and I believe my time is well spent only that sometimes it appears that I lack time to complete all the activities as I desire. B16: In the information age, time is of essence given that new developments emerge much faster and an individual who is not updated may end up getting a raw deal. In this era, being informed means that one will get the right solution faster and that person who is laid back will always miss out on many benefits. Getting updated, therefore, requires one to watch news, read periodicals, participate in education and investment forums, and subscribe to career membership bodies that shall help build a career network. Examples of situations where time will be essential include: 1. Making an application for a job that has a strict deadline 2. Attending a career talk or seminar 3. Buying company stocks that are selling at a discount 4. Making a bid to buy a discounted product before many people do the same and increase the price 5. Assessing and comparing product prices to buy cheap but high-quality ones B17: Assumptions about non-verbal communication 1. All body movements can be associated with a meaning that is potential in communicative contexts. 2. One can use nonverbal patterns and repetitions to analyse an individual’s behaviour. 3. One individual’s visual bodily activity has the ability to influence others into action. 4. The non-verbal communication a person shall use can be imitated by others who will use it elsewhere. 5. Studying the communicative functions of one's bodily activities is possible. 6. Each person’s use of a bodily activity has a unique idiocyncratic aspect. B18: Sample agenda for a sales meeting 1. I will start by highlighting what each person was required to do to make the sales exercise a success. 2. The team in charge will get an opportunity to highlight the actual figures in sales and marketing. 3. The team managers will explain what worked 4. The team will give an analysis of what failed to work. 5. The team managers will highlight what they expect to do to make the sales figures better. The information needed includes the budgeted sales for each group and the actual sales. With that information, it shall be possible to derive the variances that will help address the questions above. The position expected to give the desired results in informing each team their targets and providing them with the necessary support in the form of resources. After that, make follow up to ensure the teams are on the right track. When you identify one that could be lagging behind, assist that team by sending it to learn from the ones performing as expected. B19: A new company addressing the media (Pay TV) I will begin by talking about the various challenges as a company we saw that the local inhabitants went through in the line of accessing expensive pay TV channels. I will proceed to inform the media that as a company we felt it is good to offer the inhabitants more choices but at a lower price. I will also inform the clients the anticipated quality services we shall provide. I will tell the media the successes we have had in other areas and what we will do to give quality and timely services. In this case, we will offer many channels and have in place a ready customer care team to assist people with various usage issues. I will proceed to communicate ways of acquiring the product and how the people will benefit when using our services. I will finish by thanking the media and the people at large for giving us an opportunity to talk about our product, and I will say as a company we are happy to start airing content while receiving clients. B20: A Crisis Situation A crisis refers to that situation when the coping responses an individual or entity puts in place fails to work. Under such circumstances, problem-solving skills will be important to identify the root causes and ideal solutions. However, in the event people don’t know what to do, they may start coping how other entities addressed a similar crisis. If the two situations might not be exactly the same, the company will use wrong strategies to address its crisis, and this will make the situation worse. I would discuss policy changes by selecting a team that has the responsibilities to analyse and addresses issues taking place in the company. This team will be responsible for choosing workers who will dedicate time to deal with the problem, identify possible solutions, and give recommendations on how to address the issue. B21: Importance of self-disclosure in business settings Self-disclosure will help enhance interpersonal relationships when it works out as expected. This is a purposeful disclosing of personal and important information to those parties you are dealing with. It has the impact of making the other parties to have confidence that your actions are made in good faith and that the deals or transactions you will engage in are based on utmost good faith. Therefore, it is easy to have the other parties joining efforts with you to find the most desired way of initiating operations while targeting profitability. Examples include: 1. The CEO disclosing that turnover improved by 5% to USD 10 million 2. The HR manager revealing that the marketing team has weak interpersonal skills 3. The Operations manager disclosing that the company is fully prepared against cyber-attacks, but it needs more resources to examine the situation continuously 4. The sales manager revealing that some workers stole merchandise and the company will have a higher cost of sales than anticipated profits. 5. The production manager disclosing that the company has come up with a better product and that it will beat competition and increase market share by 2%. B22: Importance of employment interview The job interview serves the important purpose of exchanging information between the interviewee and the interviewing panel. Therefore, it enables the interviewer to find out if the job applicant has the required educational qualifications and job skills to execute duties in the new roles. In addition, the interview allows the HR personnel meet face to face with the job applicant so they can relate the information on the resume or CV with the person to avoid situations where one send an excellent CV but is not up to the alleged qualifications. The interview will help the interviewee to present himself and create an impression that he is suitable for the job and that once given a chance, he shall deliver beyond the expectations of the employer. It is a selling opportunity where the interviewee gets the opportunity to provide more information that cannot fit on the resume about the past achievements. B23: Conflict management The following are the most effective conflict management strategies: 1. Accommodating the others: I like this perspective especially when the parties to the conflict have a similar view, and both could help identify the solution through brainstorming sessions. 2. Collaborating: I will use this option because it entails working with the other team so that we can identify the ideal solution to the current problem. 3. Compromising: I will use this option when I foresee a situation where the conflict will reduce prices when the production and operating costs are still high. Under compromising, each party will drop their positions, and we shall work on a joint product. 4. Competing: This option shall be ideal when the perspective we have as a company is a bit different from what the opposing side has. Therefore, I will require the company to design its products and compete with the ones other parties have introduced. B24: Theory Z As a manager, I will adopt theory Z of management that holds that an organization that matches organization culture with the entire group of workers will benefit when it engages its employees and giving them necessary resources for them to produce more. This theory assumes that instilling the winning culture to the employees will make them hard working and more productive. The organization culture will be the driving force directing people what to do and when. Examples: I will create a culture of innovation in the company and effect it by bringing on board well educated and skilled people. I will organize them into teams and allow them room to think of better ways of addressing the current problems. B25: The hardest part of overseas assignment is learning the language used and getting accustomed to their culture. This part is tricky because learning a new language could take a while for one to perfect it and express views with ease. The organization culture is the hardest part given that you learn to handle issues and activities in a manner different from what you were used to at home. The easiest part of the overseas assignment is that most companies will provide help to the new staff to get him understand how to carry out different functions. In some cases, they could assign a manager to oversee how the new employees works. B26: It is possible for a stranger, especially someone who is knowledgeable to move a team from the storming to the norming stage. Under the storming stage, people will compete against one another, and they will push against set boundaries as each wants to appear the best performer compared to the rest. The members will question the ones in charge, and in the event of a vacant authoritative position, people will compete for it. The norming stage, on the other hand, is where the team members sit down and solve their differences and appreciate and complement each other’s efforts. Therefore, a new person can bring together the team members and tell them to put aside differences and focus on a common goal for their success. B27: I prefer working in a team environment. The advantages of each are as follows: Group It is easier to break a complex task into smaller bits. Also, the group members can discuss and refine understanding of a complicated situation. The disadvantage is that some lazy members will ride with the hardworking ones and get rewards they did not work hard for. Team A team spirit encourages specialization such that each member will handle those tasks they are proficient at. However, the disadvantage is that it takes a lot of time to arrive at the right solution to problems. Individual It is easier to focus attention of pressing needs and also decision making is faster as there is no any other person to consult. The disadvantage is it takes time to handle difficult tasks as time for researching might be lengthy. B28: The leader I accept most is Bill Gates. This person became a leader by being a computer technocrat who ended up creating one of the largest software companies globally. He started his business from scratch, and his role as a leader in the business world has been through innovation, creativity, and continuous improvement of the already established product. Mr. Gates foresaw that people would need computers to help solve problems and he gave them a computer. He has perfected on his product over the years, and his products have played a role in enhancing creativity and innovation. References Faculty of Business, Government and Law. Contemporary Public Speaking, 1ST Ed. University on Canberra. Maddow, R 2017, New Trump hire resurrects corruption questions, MSNBC, viewed 23 April, 2017, Pyne, C 2015, Speech to advanced manufacturing industry and collaboration forum, Viewed 23 April 2017, < https://www.pyneonline.com.au/media-centre/speeches/speech-to-advanced-manufacturing-industry-and-collaboration-forum > Read More