Blog #1: Melissa Hart - Post #1

From Presentations to Public Speaking: What I Learned

    Hi everyone! My name is Melissa, and I am a student at Miami Dade College. As a student at MDC, a communications class is required in order to graduate with my Associate degree in Arts. I chose to take public speaking, specifically SPC2608. We recently gave presentations covering chapters 1 through 17 from our textbook, Public Speaking: The Evolving Art by Stephanie J. Cooperman and James Lull. This blog post will go over the four presentations, provide some feedback, and discuss what each presentation covered.

    The first presentation covered chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5, with the main focus being important tips for giving a great presentation. I especially liked how Anael presented, as she maintained a very professional look and voice during her part of the presentation. I also liked how she connected the information she was giving with different charts and graphs, as it helped visualize the information in an easier way. Additionally, Christina gave off a very sweet and kind presence when she spoke, which helped me maintain interest and made me feel more engaged and comfortable. This specific presentation talked about how beneficial a public speaking class can be. This is because it allows us to overcome our fears, practice speaking, and learn how to deliver speeches. This is essential because public speaking is all around us, seeing as we have conversations with people practically every day. Moreover, the presentation covered things like how important the audience is, sticking to your claim, and what makes someone a great speaker. When speaking, it is very important to take into consideration your audience, as the way they interpret you will ultimately determine how much they pay attention. This is also why sticking to your claim matters, so the presentation makes sense from beginning to end. Finally, being a great speaker means being confident, authentic, and practicing.

    The second presentation revolved around chapters 4, 6, 7, and 8 and was called “Getting Ready for a Successful Presentation.” I would like to start off by giving recognition to Christopher, as he presented phenomenally. His microphone quality was very clear, which made it easier to follow along, and his presentation style was organized and informative. He explained the information clearly and maintained a consistent pace, which helped keep the presentation engaging and easy to understand. The general topics covered in this presentation were how to choose a topic, effective research, and outlining your speech. When it comes to choosing a topic for your speech, it is important not to limit yourself to a specific topic right off the bat. It is best to brainstorm a diverse amount of topics and then choose the one that fits the situation the best by taking into account yourself, your audience, and the occasion. Moreover, effective research is a big part of preparing your presentation. It is important to maximize your searches by using a variety of sources and different kinds of media, such as videos and audio. Lastly, outlining your speech can help you identify the order for your ideas and develop a plan to fit these ideas together. By doing this, you can be better prepared for your presentation.

    The third presentation was about chapters 9, 10, 11, and 12, titled “Getting Closer to That Great Presentation.” The person who stood out to me the most was Matthew. I know I might be a little biased since he is my brother after all, but I found that the way he presented was simply amazing. I also noticed that his microphone quality was really good, which somehow made me feel more connected and engaged during the presentation. I really liked the way Matthew spoke. The terms he used were very appropriate and fitting, and the way he asked questions and explained why he was presenting the topic definitely helped the audience feel more involved and made it easier to pay attention. Some of the important topics this group's presentation touched on were how to establish credibility, how to make your language memorable, and good versus bad slides. In order to establish credibility, it is vital to refer to your research and be aware of the publication's credibility. By doing this, we can give the audience more confidence when listening to us, as they will know that what we are saying is ultimately factual. Next, in order to make your language memorable, you can use rhetorical devices such as similes and metaphors, parallelism, rhyming, and so on. By making things memorable, you can better ensure people will remember the important information you went over in your presentation. Finally, good slides are those that have few words, clear images, and clear text, while bad slides are those that have long paragraphs and too many images or effects. I have found that when a presentation is oversaturated with information, it becomes a little harder to pay attention, as all you are doing is reading what is on the slide.

    Last but not least, my group, Group 4, was based on chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 and titled “The Different Types of Wonderful Presentations for us to Learn.” I especially liked how Rihab presented. Something I noticed was how she presented the next student, Yamilet, when she was done with her part. This made the presentation seem more seamless and connected instead of having a somewhat abrupt transition. Rihab also explained her slides very well. I especially liked the design of them, as there was practically no text, only images, and she knew exactly what she was talking about. Some of the important topics this presentation addressed were what makes an argument, types of appeals, and types of reasoning. An argument involves a claim, which is what you want the audience to accept; evidence, which is information supporting the claim; and reasoning, which explains how the evidence supports the claim. The different types of appeals include logos, ethos, pathos, and mythos, while the different types of reasoning include deductive, inductive, causal, and analogical. When presenting, it is important to take into account the different types of appeals and reasoning, as these can help you reach a broader audience and can help them understand information in different ways.

    In conclusion, these presentations provided me with a more well-rounded understanding of what it means to give a speech and what makes a good presentation. And although I didn't mention everyone's name in this blog, I believe that everyone did a great job putting themselves out there and providing the class with truly valuable information. I will make sure to apply everything I learned to the next presentation I give!