Public Speaking Part 7: Self-Evaluation
Appearance
When I watched the video of myself, I felt that my black straight skirt, closed toed shoes and white collared shirt gave a professional appearance and more credibility with the audience. My hair was a little too casual. I wished I had that one strand tacked back so it would have stayed out of my eyes. This made it hard for the audience to see my face and was distracting when I had to keep tucking it back. My earrings were small so the audience would watch me and not my jewelry. I wasn’t standing up straight and it made me look less confident. I need to remember to have better posture when speaking.
Organizational Pattern
My introduction was slow and clear and the story was suspenseful enough to grab their attention. It was a little confusing at the beginning because I didn’t preview the main points but because I transitioned well between the steps by saying, “Now that you have completed step 1, selecting the pattern, you are ready to move to step two, preparing the wood” the audience was able to follow. I remembered to state my research source for two of the steps but forgot the third. It made the third step seem shallower and I think I lost credibility. My word choice was good. I made sure to use a variety of descriptive words for the types of wood, explained new vocabulary and repeated phrases to help the audience remember the steps. For some reason the ending was weak. I didn’t tie it to the introduction or have a good ending sentence. It would have been a good idea to remind them of the beginning story and how woodworking affects their everyday life.
Vocal Qualities
During my speech I had such a dry mouth that I messed up on the pronunciation of some of the words like saying “exspecially” instead of “especially.” This sounded less professional to the audience. I had good projection so that even the back row could hear without straining. My pitch variation is getting better but I still keep using the same rhythm with my pauses. This make me sound more monotone, like I’m reading the speech rather than just having a conversation. I’ll need to practice changing my rate and pauses. I also noticed many of my sentences end in an up-pitch, like I’m asking a question. If I bring some of those down it will make me appear more confident rather than questioning. It is hard to get rid of those filler words. “Like” and “so” are two of my favorites but it does make me sound like a teenager. I had no idea I said them so much.
Delivery
There weren’t many gestures, which made me look stiff and nervous. I just held my note cards and stood in one spot the whole time. I need to do more with my hands and maybe move a little more in the space. I really admire the people in class who have such a good flow with their delivery from gestures to using the space around them purposefully. I felt I held my note cards too close to my face and had my head down most of the time. While watching the video, I noticed I looked at my cards and the poster a lot. This did not help with audience connection. I need to improve my eye contact.
Visual Aid
I loved my video visual aid because I felt the audience could clearly see the woodworking process with their own eyes. The only downfall was I didn’t start the clip from the beginning. I needed to practice with the equipment so I can do that without taking up too much time. I also needed to edit the clip so it doesn’t take up too much time. It was helpful to describe to the audience what they would see before the clip started and then point out the different steps during the clip. Having the real piece of woodwork to show them at the end was good so they could see the real product but I needed to hold it up higher and not fidget. It was like trying to see a moving target.
Audience Connection
Pathos: I think the audience became involved when I told the story at the beginning and learned why woodworking was important. I think they appreciated my passion for the subject when I shared my personal experience. My minimal eye contact did not help with the audience connection. I need to do more of that and make sure I know my material well enough that it doesn’t sound read but conversational.
Logos: My research and video demonstration helped to logically explain my topic. I think the statistic on wood use surprised the audience and was good evidence to support the importance of the topic.
Ethos: Along with the research, my personal skill in woodworking gave me credibility. I also think it helped to describe why the people I quoted were experts. My appearance helped the audience know I was prepared.
Strengths
My facial expressions were a strength and my passion for my topic. The audience could tell I had prepared and organized. The research and the way I dressed also let the audience know I cared about the topic and wanted the audience to have a good experience with the speech. I also have good vocal projection and pitch variety. My video visual aid was a strength in my speech because it helped the audience really see how the steps were done.