Sanya Ali - SPC 2608 Blog Post #1

  For these presentations, each group was assigned specific chapters from Public Speaking: The Evolving Art. This book covered some important topics about public speaking such as the foundations of public speaking, the process of conducting your speech, the process of delivering your speech, and the different types of speeches. Each group member helped with creating a wonderful slideshow along with a verbal speech. It was an amazing experience. 

The first presentation was by Group 1. The members of Group 1 were Cynthia Cheung, Carnell Davis, Alejandra Gonzales, Emily Gotay, Destiny Johnson, Aura Matthews, and David Valverde. Group 1’s presentation gave us an insight to the importance of active listening and connection to the audience. The slideshow was not very well themed together, but there was some nice animations and visuals to attract the audience. The way each member presented their points was effective and interconnected. The presentation started with the importance of adapting to the audience and hearing them out, and made its way to explaining some of the various types of ways the speaker can connect to the audience. My favorite part of this presentation was when the learning goals were emphasized. To me, it is very important to set goals regarding my audience and the mutual expectations we have before I start my presentation. I enjoyed Group 1’s presentation in terms of their points and emotion-filled speeches. However, I wish there was more added to their slides to attract their audience.

Next, Group 2 presented. The members of Group 2 were Gabriella Saez, Gabriella Ruiz, Gabriel Ulloa, Isabel Espinosa, Gersis Diaz, and Gloria Oikelome. The title for Group 2’s presentation was “Getting Ready for Success.” The presentation gave a thorough description on how to conduct elements for a speech. The members of this group went over some very important topics that the audience would need to know when conducting their speech. The presentation began by introducing how to find a purpose for your speech, and understanding what the purpose is. Then, it went on to describe ways to brainstorm for your presentation in regards to your purpose. Furthermore, the audience was informed about how to select topic ideas and develop an outline using the purpose and the main ideas. Next, we learned about one of the very important parts of developing a speech, which is finding evidence, citing sources, and we also learned about the different types of supporting details that could be implemented in a speech. Finally, Isabel gave us a brief overview of the parts of a speech. Group 2 had a wonderful theme and organization throughout their presentation. Their ideas flowed together from beginning up until the conclusion. I enjoyed the color scheme and the attractive visuals they put in. I liked that there wasn’t too much text on their slides, but instead, they used images to convey their main points which they further explained through verbal speech. 

The next presentation was by Group 3. The members of Group 3 were Jamiah Head, Joselyn Gomez, Katryn Cheung, Kevin Aviles, Kylie Escobales, and Luis Velasquez. Group 3 gave us a summary of chapters 9-12. After learning about the pre-delivery from Group 2, Group 3 gave the audience a description on how to deliver a speech effectively. Group 3’s presentation was filled with GIFs and media, which was relevant to their topics. Each member of the group discussed one or more important parts regarding the delivery of a presentation. They began with the importance of greeting and creating a primary effect. Then, they went on to explain components that could be used in a presentation when trying to deliver your message, such as graphs and videos. Next, they talked about the different ways a speech could be delivered and the flaws and benefits of each type. Finally, they spoke about the importance of the audience and the connection as well as the understanding between the speaker and audience. Although the majority of group 3 made their presentation catchy with the GIFs, it lacked a few bullet points or words and phrases on the slides. A few more words on the slides with the GIFs would have helped the audience better understand what the main points are and what each slide would cover. On the brighter side, the verbal speech was clear and cohesive, and explained the points very well.

Finally, Group 4, which I was a member of, was the last group to present. My team members were Aracelis Herrera, Matteo Chaves, Nayelin Martinez, Rachel Martin, and Santiago Tovar. Conducting our presentation was relatively simple as we all chose a chapter each and designed the slides the way we wished to. Our slides were pretty well organized, and we incorporated both visuals and bullet points. My group members and I went over the different types of presentations and the components of each type. My chapter was about argumentative speeches. I described what an argument is, what makes up an argument in regards to public speaking, how to use claims, evidence, and reasoning effectively in an argument, and what some of the fallacies are. I think our presentation was among the top ones because of our clearness, cohesiveness, attractiveness, and organization. The only issue, though, I believe was that we had extended our verbal speeches to an extent where we had possibly lost a few members of the audience. Had we made our presentation a tiny bit shorter, we would have captured the audience fully.

Last but not the least, David and Nathalia were wonderful presenters who introduced and concluded each group’s presentation. The way they introduced each topic was fantastic. They used words and phrases that hinted what the presentation was going to be about and what the audience should expect from it. They also concluded the presentations in an effective manner. The audience was able to understand and review some of the most significant points that were made in the presentations. They jogged our memory with their conclusions and created a lasting effect with their words. Overall, David and Nathalia did an amazing job helping us start and conclude our speeches in a fascinating way.