Speech Self-Critique - Essay Example

To ensure that I memorized my presentation, I would review my speech over and over, to be able to convince my listeners. However, during the delivery and presentation, I noticed that most of the time, I looked at my notecards, which were too close to my face a lot. It meant that I was avoiding eye as I experience anxiety as I speak in front of a crowd. Notably, while building rapport and appearing as a compelling speaker who genuinely connects with the group, the most important thing is maintaining eye contact.

The second most significant language in communicating a powerful message is the use of body language, such as gestures. Gestures reinforce the words and ideas that a person speaking and present a significant visual presentation when a speaker presents. While watching myself speak, the second thing that I realized was that I needed to improve my body language skills and incorporate a lot more gestures primarily through the use of my hands in my speaking. Even though I would nod frequently and use my head a lot in agreement with the opposition of information, which I thought was distracting to the crowd, applying a bit more mobility using my hands would serve as an emphasis on the things that I would be speaking.

Although simple, my PowerPoint presentations were relevant and engaging, and my points were corresponding with my speech. Therefore, I believe I successfully got the points across to my listeners. The voice and sound of a speaker during presentation matter as much as the content of a message. The audience often listens to the quality of a speaker's tone to determine whether they are assertive, weak, negligible, or respectable in their speaking. Notably, the sound and tone of a speaker determine the social acceptability of the crowd.

I believe my tone was good since it was not too loud or too soft, hence earning me the attention of the audience. Also, pausing and taking breaks during my presentation gave the audience time to sink in the information that I passed. To keep the listeners entertained and engaged during my speech, I would involve things such as funny pictures and memes in my PowerPoint slide or insert jokes to break the seriousness in the room, bring humor into my speech and keep the listeners laughing. I did another thing before proceeding with the speech after a good laugh; I would give the crowd a moment to recollect themselves.

I realized that keeping a speech more conversational would bring some attachment between myself and the audience. I noticed that I would refer to my PowerPoint slides and a little bit to my notepad to read my speech rather than involving the crowd. However, even though I did not engage the listeners conversationally into my speech either by asking questions, I attribute the success of my presentation to a good posture and tone. Although I was nervous, I managed to stand with confidence in front of the crowd and relay the presentation with courage.

I want to be better and improve my public speaking the next time I have learned from this experience. A lot of the things that I did wrongly were caused by nervousness and anxiety. Therefore, I want to find a good strategy that would calm my nerves even a little bit to avoid things such as stuttering as I speak. To avoid sounding too critical to myself, I think I had an excellent presentation, but since there is always room for improvement, I want to learn how to improve my performance and make it better for the next time.

I want to improve my eye contact and use of body language and gestures during the presentation to communicate confidently and earn respect and attention of my listeners. Notably, speaking with confidence makes it a bit easier to convince people and lure them into the speaker's side. Encouraging myself before I set out to speak to a crowd will also reduce my anxiety. All in all, I give myself credit for doing well, as I also aim at being better.