Persuasive Speech Reflection

Last Tuesday I spoke about why students should study abroad. Similarly to last time, I was a little sick when speaking so that got in the way a bit. Overall, however, I feel that I did a good job. For the first speech one of my critiques was that my speech sounded memorized and that it should be more conversational so I worked really hard to improve that this time. I felt that this time I was a lot better at being conversational. This was both because I was focusing on this aspect of my delivery, and because this was a topic that I had a bigger personal connection to. Though I did really like my last topic, this one was one that I was much more passionate about because studying abroad was an amazing experience for me. This is also why it was a lot easier for me to speak for a longer amount of time.

Just like last time, practicing the speech aloud to my roommates numerous times was very helpful. It helped me get my timing down, as well as my conversational tone. This is a technique that works very well for me because I speak differently to myself in a mirror than I do when people are present.

I feel that I did a very good job of making even eye contact with the room. I made sure to regularly look back at the few people sitting to the side/behind me. My pace and volume also seemed to be at a good level.

As for other people's speeches, on Tuesday I really enjoyed Riley's speech about why we should be more conscious of our waste. It was a very relevant topic, and I especially liked her point about all-you-can-eat style restaurants. This made me more mindful when eating dinner at my sorority, as I noticed how much food I tend to throw away. On Thursday I really liked the visuals in Cheannie's speech about celebrity obsessions. The colors were great and the photos were relevant and made her speech more interesting.

Overall, I think these speeches have been great for everyone!