Peer Evaluation for Cameron

Cameron's topic was very well done, and part of that probably stems from the fact that it relates to him extremely well. The purpose of his speech was to explain to everyone how introverts work. He related the topic well, discussing social situations where introverts don't necessarily strive, like prom or a job interview. Something that stood out were the examples of introverts that he presented, like Eleanor Roosevelt. The point was that there are plenty of successful introverts in the world. I'm curious to know if there are certain jobs that introverts tend to have as opposed to extroverts. Overall a good job by Cameron. One thing for the next speech would be to try to get connected with the entire audience, as you tend to focus on one part of it rather than looking around at everyone. But a fine job overall.

Peer Evaluation for Evan

Evan's topic was regarding something that everyone on campus has been trying to do since they've arrived in Durham; involvement on campus. The purpose was how his involvement with campus life has required him to have good time management, and has led to him being less stressed. He related the topic very well to our daily lives. He discussed things on campus, talked about student life, and mentioned how 3/4 of the students are involved in some manner on campus. What stood out from his speech was a statistic he gave us, as he said how 90 hours of our week can be devoted to involvement on campus, hanging with friends, and any other kind of social activity. After hearing the speech, I'm more curious to know if there is actually a correlation between stress level and level of involvement. One would think that the more you are involved, the more stressed you might be. But on the contrary, like Evan, it could lead you to better time management skill. Overall, a good job by Evan presenting the speech. The one thing I had for advice was to try to be more fluent. That can be a general comment for many people's speeches as well.

Reflective Essay for Persuasive Speech #1

This speech had more of a challenge then just to persuade my audience of my thoughts. I also had to counter the ideas of a previous speaker, as Jared argued on the other side of the social networking argument. Physically, I was aiming to portray subtle confidence, while connecting with them on a relatable level as well, since social networking is so prominent in today’s society. Emotionally, I was aiming to grasp their attention by demonstrating my fondness for social networking, like Facebook, but arguing that it needs to be altered in certain ways. Knowing that many of my audience members enjoyed social networking as well, I could relate with them on that fact, and then direct the audience’s attention to my argument.

I felt significantly better about this speech than I did about my previous speeches. I felt more prepared, most likely because we’ve had a lot of practice with all of the speeches. I think my point got across as well, as the audience, although time constraint cut them short, seemed to have many intriguing questions about the subject matter. Thus I felt a good connection on that level with them. Additionally, my speech appeared to intrigue them as well, as they reacted as anticipated to certain remarks that I made during the speech, whether it was a laugh, smile, or head nod. My volume appears to be good, and my tone is better than previous speeches as well.

After this speech round, I learned that preparation is crucial to a successful speech. I used my note cards far more effectively than I did with the previous speeches, and thus, conveyed my point clearly. One thing I would like to work on is my transitions. I had them prepared, but I don’t think I used them word for word. I also think that they could be created better and develop the next point more clearly. Overall, though, I am pleased with the outcome of this speech, and look forward to my continued growth in my public speaking ability.