You have two choices about what to reflect on.
1) What did you learn from Rev. Burklo that can be applied to your speaking?
2) Your classmates gave introduction speeches. Did you find any stories that will help you with your audience analysis? What was it like for you to decide on a topic? Was this hard for you?
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I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed everyone's speeches today; everyone brought a different flavor and style to their speech, and it was wonderful to learn more about everyone in the class. :)
ReplyDeleteThe difficulty of choosing a topic seemed to be a subject that more than a few of us actually addressed directly in our speeches. I definitely spent a whole day brainstorming and trying to decide what object I was going to use for my speech. Originally I tried to find objects and attach my characteristics to them; later I realized that it was much easier figuring out what exactly I wanted to convey about myself in my speech, and then find objects with similar characteristics.
As far as audience analysis goes, I feel like I learned a lot about our class as a whole by listening to all of the speeches in class today. Hopefully I can use what I learned effectively when the next speech comes around!
I thought intro speeches were a great way to start the semester. Listening to them one right after another, I can tell my classmates apart well now.
ReplyDeleteEveryone was very genuine, and so I think that is something this class esp wants to find in the speaker. I also feel more confident to speak in the class because everyone is so supportive.
I worked off of "true friends stab from the front" and my speech sort of wrote itself from there. Initially I thought we had to talk about a place and an object, and when I thought about how similar I was to church (ie scheduled, houses several languages) my atheism almost strangled me, aha.
Trying to find something that was more 'unique' took longer, and it took me most of Sunday to discover aluminum foil. I'm glad I went with it because it allowed me to inject some science.
Just to re-iterate, I enjoyed the speeches as it made it very easy for me to learn a bit about everyone in the class. Everyone presented their speech in an interesting and unique way. I was surprised by the lack of overlap in objects/places.
ReplyDeleteAs I said in my speech, I struggled to find an object that could "sum up" my personality, but it made the assignment that much more interesting because I had to really delve deep and do a full analysis of what was important to me.
Audience analysis: The general perception that I got of the class after listening to everyones speech is that it is very disarming and accepting. In terms of stage fright or anxiety about speech-day, I think that was completely quelled by getting to know everyone a little bit. The class seems to have a wide array of interests, yet it seems as though everyone shares a genuine interest in each other.
I really enjoyed all the speeches and I definitely think they helped us learn more about each other and feel more comfortable around each other. This is the part about that class that I really enjoy because in any other class I would not get the chance to get to know the people around me, and I think that as a whole were learning and growing off each other. I think all of the speeches were well delivered and very entertaining, and that were all picking up ideas from each other.
ReplyDeletePicking a topic was difficult for me because I wanted to find an object I liked and talk about that instead of how I related to an object. SO I decided to do topic number two abut a location in LA because I found it easier to relate to a place, that is more complex and easier to find similar traits to relate to than an object were there a limited about of traits.
Overall I really enjoyed the assignment and especially enjoyed listening to everyones introduction speeches.
I will comment on Reverend Burklo to mix up the conversation, but I just want to add that I honestly really enjoyed hearing all of you guys give your speeches too - I was really impressed with how creative they were and some were soo funny.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of things Reverend Burklo said that really stood out to me. He told us that he always launches into the topic at hand without making excuses about what he is going to say. I think it's useful that he chooses stories "judiciously" and makes sure they are relevant and closely tied to his experiences in order to be a credible speaker. Most importantly, I believe we could all benefit from his idea that public speaking is a back and forth process - He reminded us that we can bring words to life through speaking them, and that it is an experience we share with the audience.
I think our class is off to a great start!
First off, I also wanted to say great speeches to everyone- they were so creative and easy to listen to!
ReplyDeleteTo address the first question:
Rev. Burklo's speech taught me a lot about what it takes to be a great public speaker. I learned that being a good writer will help you become a good speaker. This point is valuable because good speakers understand that spoken communication is about engaging all of the senses. Rev. Burklo taught that what happens to one emotionally as one hears the words is just as important if not more important than the actual words being spoken. In modern culture, words have become cheap. We have become separated from the emotional experience of hearing the words out loud and there has been a shift between thinking of words as living entities to just looking at words as symbols. For example, house has a different connotation than home and triggers different emotions in a person. This train of thought plays up the idea of antiquity in that words are real things, as Rev. Burklo portrayed through his story of Jacob's father giving the blessing to his twin. The final part of Rev. Burklo's speech that touched me was when he said public speaking is a back and forth situation. I found this extremely relevant because only when those you are speaking to are responsive do you know how to continue and what emotions to portray. Rev. Burklo taught me that public speaking can be intimate, powerful, and emotional.
Hi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone enjoyed our victory last night, even though it was frighteningly close. I'm completely exhausted but to quote another favorite rapper of mine it's "on to the next one" as I head to Minnesota next week to "Beat the Gophers." I know I already sent out an annoying email, but I have yet to receive a response about the notes from the week of the Hawaii game. If you find it in your heart please reply to sjjackso@usc.edu and please excuse the desperate nature of my begging :/
Anyway, as everyone has already mentioned, I just also wanted to say that I really appreciated the authenticity present in each person's speech on Thursday. I think that each person's willingness to open up and share personal information about themselves has allowed us, collectively, to feel more comfortable each time we step up to the front of the room.
More specifically --
Allister, I was completely enraptured in your speech on Union Station. It was like I was listening to the intro to an epic love story, or a Nicholas Sparks movie, and your delivery was timed perfectly with pauses in the right places. I loved it.
And Kelsey, your mention of purchasing Subway for strangers really showed your compassionate nature! It made me wish I made more time to do things like that and I thought it was really admirable.
As far as my speech, it wasn’t too difficult to pick a topic. I guess I approached it from the mindset of, “What objects do I use in my everyday life that also reflect characteristics of my personality?” From there, the planner was pretty much a no-brainer. After I had selected by object, I took the mental process a step further to see qualities in the object that are not blatantly obvious (i.e. organization) to be able to share things that I feel are essential to my enduring qualities and the way I see the world. I’ll admit the two-toned nature of my planner leading to the fact that I’m biracial was a bit of a stretch. However, I was fun and something that I think provides a little more insight into who I am. Even though three minutes only allows for the briefest snapshot.
Enjoy your Sunday!
Until next time…
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ReplyDelete-Steven Zhu
ReplyDeleteRev. Burklo talked about public speaking as recesitation of words. That is a very powerful analogy and I feel the the right choice of words definitely can bring out the most of a speech. When I speak in public, I try to pick words that can best relate with my audience. This is where audience analysis plays a big part in my word choice. Picking up on subtle but important information on your audience can definitely boost your audience's focus. Rev. Burklo's word choice of "recesitation" is very strong too. He is saying that we are bring words to life through out speeches. Our emotions add depth to our words and people respond to our integrity. I definitely try to motivate people with my words whenever I can, whether if it is with humor or with a more serious tone. Rev. Burklow is definitely a good speaker and a great character.
I loved hearing everybody's introduction speeches. It was different from the whole "introduce yourself and tell us the facts". It really forced us all to look past what we usually rile off as standard introduction and find things in our lives and our past that will really help us to get our personalities across to the class.
ReplyDeleteI learned from watching everyone that the best speeches were the ones where the speakers weren't worried about time or perfect recitation but rather more casual with the audience even if it meant a filler here or there. Also, it's better to pick few points and focus on elaborating on them rather than picking several points and only being able to touch on them briefly.
I love how open all of us are with our classmates already and we can only improve from here. I'm really excited to hear everyone's next speech :]
The intro speeches were interesting to not only find out about my classmates, but also know what inanimate objects can describe a person and why. I thought there were some pretty deep ones and ones that I never thought could be applied to someone. It was very enjoyable and educating. Honestly, I feel like the stories were all over the place and I can't put a "label" on our class for audience analysis (besides the obvious, like young and at USC). I hope we can get to know each other more and I can come to a conclusion about the class in general for audience analysis. It was a bit hard for me to come up with my topic. I didn't know what 1 object could describe me and how. However, I thought about it a lot and I got it. I thought it was pretty cool Shea described herself as the same inanimate object.
ReplyDelete^(Steven Angkadjaja)
ReplyDeleteHey guys!
ReplyDeleteLike most people I really enjoyed everyone's introduction speeches. They showed me your guys' individual peronalities and what is meaningful to you. A lot of them were also very comedic, which I enjoyed. The speeches were a lot more creative than I thought they would be. Not only were the objects original, but the analogies to your personalities were creative as well. Like Steven said, I don't think I would be able to label our class as one type for audience analysis. One thing I can say is that I feel like we are all open to learning new things about each other and different subjects. None of us are exactly alike. We have everything from music producers, to athletes, to sorority girls in our class. I think this will help our class a lot in the long run as no two speeches will ever be the same. A different perspective is always a good thing. For me, it was hard to find an object to compare myself to and not be cheezy with the comparisons. I'm glad some of you had the same problem. I am very excited and can't wait for everyone's second speeches!
Hi Everyone!!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would like to say that this is one of the most entertaining and interesting classes I have taken at USC. I love that I learn something new about you all every class period and the introduction speeches provided a true inside look into everyone's true personality and individuality. From just a short 3 minute speech, I feel like I got to know you all pretty well. I love the diversity we share in this class- like Dori and Steven said, there is not one person exactly like another and I feel like this is a great opportunity to learn from each other.
As far as choosing an object to represent my qualities, I had a hard time. I would try to start from the outside-in and attempt to attach myself to an object and give myself qualities that the object had. This technique didn't work too well. So I tried from the inside out and wrote down five qualities that represent me as a whole. This got me to further investigate how the clothing one wears can represent them. Therefore, I immediately thought of the shoes I wear most- flip flop sandals. As I started brainstorming the different qualities it had, I found my same qualities to match.
I thought this was a great way to meet everyone on a deeper level as well as see how others speak. I was able to notice pros and cons to every speech and I feel like this is a great way to learn how to improve my own speaking skills. I look forward to hearing everyone's next speech!
We are all beings capable of birthing ideas into existence and through this creation process, we bring words, much of the time the spoken word, into being. I learned from Reverend Burklo that this is what public speaking is about. Public speaking is a way for us to "bring words back to life." It isn't that words were condemned to death by paper and pen, but with speech comes a special form of relaying information.
ReplyDeleteReverend Burklo spoke about antiquity and how words were considered to be alive. He also spoke of how books were read aloud until the invention of the printing press and words were made "cheap" because they were now attainable by everyone. All of this information becomes important when one realizes that speech is about emotion. Reverend Burklo helped me to realize that public speaking is accompanied by feelings that the presenter has perhaps toward the topic they are discussing. Emotion can arise when someone is addressing something they are passionate about. Speech is about reliving experiences in a different way every time they are spoken about or living in the moment and creating a new experience with new emotions when talking about something for the first time.
Unfortunately I was absent for the intro speeches but I'm sure they were amazing!
ReplyDeleteReverand Burklo taught me a lot about what it takes to be a good public speaker and how to keep the audience interested in what you were presenting. He suggested implementing a personal story or experience within your speech that allows the audience to connect with you on another level and for them to relate and personal experiences of their own to the one you're telling. He also recommended writing your speech down before you speak it in order to not only memorize it, but to become more familiar with it that will keep you from just reading it off from the paper. One of the main things he stressed during his presentation was the words are able to come alive during a speech. He said the experience of words being "alive" has now turned into symbolic systems that represent reality even though they don't really have a reality.
• I learned a lot from Reverend Burklo. I feel as though he is someone who understands both the written and spoken word. He clearly has an in-depth understanding of arguably the most influential book of all time, the bible. However he also has to deliver his sermons on a regular basis! Most people could not write and deliver inspiring speech’s once a week!
ReplyDelete• I like how he opened by discussing the importance of writing. You are always told as a kid that the more you read the better you right. Rarely do you hear someone tell you the more you write the better you speak! It is not all about the glitter and glam of presentation-the words your saying are also important!
• However Reverend Burklo said one thing that in my mind slightly lowered his etho’s. While talking about the importance of the written word he used two quotes from the bible. The second quote about God’s words coming back empty handed seemed more to do with the power of god then the power of the spoken word. As a man of faith presenting in a secular setting I felt he could have used a different quote.
• The thing that resonated with me most about Reverend Burklo’s presentation was his discussion of feeling out a crowd and responding to them. Sometimes it is easy to mess up and just read off the paper or do the opposite and just start jabbering. I agree with him that the key to public speaking lies in the ability to distinguish and found a happy harmony between these two seemingly opposing forces. I think that balance is what I hope to master in this class.
•
• PeaceLovePride
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI, too, must congratulate everyone on their speeches, and while they varied greatly in tone, subject and presentation, I think it can be confirmed that we all have something to say.
I found Reverend Burklo's discussion very insightful. I particularly agree with his statement that he doesn't think it is "helpful for him to say what he is going to say before he says it". Get right to the point. In this regard, I disagree with the textbook, which clearly states that all speeches need to contain an introduction and state what it is that the speech is going to be about. I feel like this approach is very cold and mathematical which goes against what Reverend Burklo was saying about words coming alive and moving people when they are spoken.
An introduction might be fine in the right context, for instance if you are talking about a rather dry or dense subject matter, but then again, why are you talking about this subject matter? To clearly express precise thoughts written words will always be more accurate than spoken ones and as a result written words are much more appropriate for scientific discussions and speeches are much more appropriate for emotional conversations. Reverend Burklo, as mentioned in other posts, also talks about words carrying an "emotional" context when spoken that is lost in the written word. As such, Reverend Burklo seems to suggest that public speaking is suited more for emotional subject matters than dry ones. Even if this were not his stance I would agree with this statement. (Science or any dry material can also be emotional. However, in my experience dry material is usually presented in speeches that are equally dry. These speaker don’t take advantage of the “emotion” in spoken words and treat their speeches like written essays.)
I felt much more involved in our introduction speeches when the speaker was talking to us, when he or she was telling us a story. I felt less involved in speeches that were systematic and bullet pointed. I might argue that the speeches that followed a format seemed to have a better presentation, but they lacked the emotional connection that other less formulaic, but just as insightful, speeches had. Maybe this is due to the lessened spontaneity of their speeches, which made them feel more like speeches and less like conversations, because we can agree, conversations are spontaneous by nature.
Furthermore, we’ve discussed at length the importance of audience analysis. Reverend Burklo also spoke about how he, and other talented public speakers, will read an audience and even make adjustments to their speech as they are going along based on the feedback they receive from their listeners. If you know who your audience is then I would find it likely that they might even know who you are, or at least have an idea of what you might be talking about (having a speech appropriate for the occasion as we also discussed in class), after all, they did come out to this event, probably to hear someone speak about “it”. This being the case, cut to the chase and talk about what you want to talk about. If you give a lengthy introduction to a story (as opposed to facts) it’s like giving away the punch line to a joke before you’ve told the joke.
Now, there will certainly be occasions where I am wrong. A good introduction might hint at what the speaker is going to talk about but without giving away the so-called punch line. Most certainly I have written too much for this post, but imagine how boring it would have been had I tried to speak it.