Greetings!
I must say, it is thrilling to open up a blogging tracker and notice that in the past four weeks, we have gained over 200 unique views, an unprecedented accomplishment! Our greatest thanks to those viewers that make this possible- along with sending queries and comments to my email. A small note: it doesn’t hurt to leave them here as well!
Now we commence your conclusion paragraph. Remember that this is your final paragraph, and you should end it with (as this is an informative speech) an interesting fact or idea.
Example: Interesting Fact/Idea:
A recent poll taken shows that 65% (CNN-derived from University of Minnesota) of adolescents today get money from their parents for their personal usage. This means they may or may not have had to work for it, and may or may not have even earned that much money in their entire life. Remember: blogging and writing contests help keep your skills up, especially over the summer. Blogging lets you express your opinions, no matter the style or content. Writing contests also offer similar opportunities for exposure and experience. You can also be paid for both.
A brief recap:
In the last paragraph, you might notice that I didn’t include a connecting sentence, supporting detail, background information, or any of the sort. Why? I didn’t need to. Connect your paragraph to what, exactly? To the fact that blogging lets you write about what you wish, and is generally not monitored? Or what about a supporting detail, and background information? In this speech specifically, I made sure to finish up the paragraph quickly and with an “informative” statistic. I tried to extend the paragraph earlier, but it was excessively repetitive and lost my own interest, in all honesty. One thing to remember, bloggers: if you lose your own interest, you’ve definitely lost your audiences’.
As we conclude this week’s release, you may have noticed that there is evidence of an inspirational speech in it. Talking about blogging and writing contests aimlessly as a simply informative speech is doable, but rather boring. In this case, I tried to appeal to you with money, to keep you interested. A paragraph that I cut out because it was too inspirational and not informative was:
Call for Action’ Statement:
So the next time you’re on the internet, talking with a best friend or wishing you had a possible career or cash to donate, spend, invest, or otherwise just simply have, stop and think. Because the solution could be on that very page you’re looking at. Writing contests and blogging could be your key to adolescent success. All you need to do is to have the ambition and curiosity, and you’re already there. Thank you.
Note that if it were an inspirational speech, I could easily add the last paragraph and few more details to switch it around fully to one.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you all next week!
-Fresh Writing
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Greetings, adolescents and parents alike,
Now we commence your second body paragraph. Remember that it is a speech and not an essay- individual details and parts are not quite as significant (depending upon the length of the speech) as keeping your points and information well-delivered and clean. So, without further ado, let us jump right in:
Example: Connecting Sentence: (To connect this with your last paragraph, you need to talk about blogging. [Reference: “This is, as seen by many, a significantly larger profit than that of blogging.”])
Blogging is still, however, an interesting system. It is nothing new; blogging has been around ever since the computer and internet have.
Example: Supporting Detail: (Just like last time, this supports your preceding sentence with information)
Your profits are decided upon your writing quality, popularity, and revenue that the blogging company makes. On average, they share 50% of their profits they make from your work with you.
Example: Background Information and/or Statistics: (This is where you plant all of your background information and statistics)
Blogging profits are nothing to laugh at, however. The more you work, the more you write, and the quality of your writing decides your profit. Also, like writing contests, money is not the only incentive. Blogging let’s you express your ideas, and your thoughts, no matter the content. This can be a great system if you have a lot of things on your mind.
Now that I look back at what I wrote, you may notice that I leaned rather heavily on blogging profits in this particular paragraph. The main reason I did that was because blogging has often been slammed for its slow-pay-and-hard-work unavoidable aspect, so to speak. The only way to truly make money off of blogging, is, to be honest, to work hard- like any other “job” in the world. If you work hard enough, you can make money. I’m not saying you can make a living off of blogging, but that’s another story.
Thank you for reading this week’s post- we seem to have a growing audience, which is absolutely fantastic! Again, questions and comments (although they can be put in the comments section under each post, many have gone to my email instead) sent to my email at chrisleahy227@gmail.com are always welcome.
See you all next week!
-Fresh Writing
Now we commence your second body paragraph. Remember that it is a speech and not an essay- individual details and parts are not quite as significant (depending upon the length of the speech) as keeping your points and information well-delivered and clean. So, without further ado, let us jump right in:
Example: Connecting Sentence: (To connect this with your last paragraph, you need to talk about blogging. [Reference: “This is, as seen by many, a significantly larger profit than that of blogging.”])
Blogging is still, however, an interesting system. It is nothing new; blogging has been around ever since the computer and internet have.
Example: Supporting Detail: (Just like last time, this supports your preceding sentence with information)
Your profits are decided upon your writing quality, popularity, and revenue that the blogging company makes. On average, they share 50% of their profits they make from your work with you.
Example: Background Information and/or Statistics: (This is where you plant all of your background information and statistics)
Blogging profits are nothing to laugh at, however. The more you work, the more you write, and the quality of your writing decides your profit. Also, like writing contests, money is not the only incentive. Blogging let’s you express your ideas, and your thoughts, no matter the content. This can be a great system if you have a lot of things on your mind.
Now that I look back at what I wrote, you may notice that I leaned rather heavily on blogging profits in this particular paragraph. The main reason I did that was because blogging has often been slammed for its slow-pay-and-hard-work unavoidable aspect, so to speak. The only way to truly make money off of blogging, is, to be honest, to work hard- like any other “job” in the world. If you work hard enough, you can make money. I’m not saying you can make a living off of blogging, but that’s another story.
Thank you for reading this week’s post- we seem to have a growing audience, which is absolutely fantastic! Again, questions and comments (although they can be put in the comments section under each post, many have gone to my email instead) sent to my email at chrisleahy227@gmail.com are always welcome.
See you all next week!
-Fresh Writing
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hello all,
So, here we have arrived at your first body paragraph. Your first body paragraph should transition smoothly from your introduction and from your transition sentence that you wrote in your intro. (Example: “Essay contests, short story contests, poetry contests, and translations all weighed the possibility of also being published and winning earnings that could range anywhere between $50-$25,000 per win.”)
Example: Connecting Sentence (To connect this with your first paragraph you must talk about contests. Writing contests, to be specific)
Writing contests are probably one of the easiest and most fun ways to gain both skill and experience and money at the same time.
Example: Supporting Detail: (Back up what you previously said with a supporting detail or two)
I have entered two contests so far; I will enter a third in March and a fourth in June. The profit numbers for the contests that I have currently entered are $1,500 and $1,000.
Example: Background Information and/or Statistics:
My work would also be published in the magazines/newspapers by which the contests are run. This is, as seen by many, a significantly larger profit than that of blogging.
This may seem to be a short paragraph, but it got the job done. I talked briefly about contests, but not too long; remember: the objective in an informative speech is not only to inform the audience, but to keep them interested: remember, people won’t be “informed,” or otherwise remember your information unless they’re interested by your information. Keep it condensed and clean- you’ll notice a high grade (if you happen to be graded on your speech by your teacher) on your speech if both the audience and the teacher follow your speech from beginning to end.
Thank you for reading this week’s post; if you have any questions about your speech creation, by all means fire them away at (or really to) chrisleahy227@gmail.com .
This is really great guys- I’ve been getting lots of emails already with questions and tutoring requests. Over the summer is a time that I’m sure will work for all of us!
Kind regards,
-Fresh Writing
So, here we have arrived at your first body paragraph. Your first body paragraph should transition smoothly from your introduction and from your transition sentence that you wrote in your intro. (Example: “Essay contests, short story contests, poetry contests, and translations all weighed the possibility of also being published and winning earnings that could range anywhere between $50-$25,000 per win.”)
Example: Connecting Sentence (To connect this with your first paragraph you must talk about contests. Writing contests, to be specific)
Writing contests are probably one of the easiest and most fun ways to gain both skill and experience and money at the same time.
Example: Supporting Detail: (Back up what you previously said with a supporting detail or two)
I have entered two contests so far; I will enter a third in March and a fourth in June. The profit numbers for the contests that I have currently entered are $1,500 and $1,000.
Example: Background Information and/or Statistics:
My work would also be published in the magazines/newspapers by which the contests are run. This is, as seen by many, a significantly larger profit than that of blogging.
This may seem to be a short paragraph, but it got the job done. I talked briefly about contests, but not too long; remember: the objective in an informative speech is not only to inform the audience, but to keep them interested: remember, people won’t be “informed,” or otherwise remember your information unless they’re interested by your information. Keep it condensed and clean- you’ll notice a high grade (if you happen to be graded on your speech by your teacher) on your speech if both the audience and the teacher follow your speech from beginning to end.
Thank you for reading this week’s post; if you have any questions about your speech creation, by all means fire them away at (or really to) chrisleahy227@gmail.com .
This is really great guys- I’ve been getting lots of emails already with questions and tutoring requests. Over the summer is a time that I’m sure will work for all of us!
Kind regards,
-Fresh Writing
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Informative Speech Outline
Hello all,
We have arrived at the outline of your informative speech. Note that we will try to look for your feedback on our posts and, more specifically, the accuracy and helpfulness of our “template” outline. Thanks, and we hope you will enjoy it.
To start us off, you have your:
1. Introduction
And the parts in it:
-Attention Getter (better known as the “hook”)
-Significance (Why is your topic significant, and worth caring about?)
-Credibility (better known as evidence- what can you show your audience that makes your topic “legit,” or in other words interesting and believable? Why should it be worth their time? Why should you be worth their time? Your evidence and credibility should stand behind the significance of your speech. Prove it to them here)
-Thesis Statement (what are you going to talk about? This is slightly similar to your preview, but may contain information such as surprising statistics or other information)
-Preview (this gives an overall “outline” of what you’re going to talk about in your speech. This is also the last parts of information before you go into your transition, and, essentially, your first body paragraph.)
-Transition (your last sentence of your introduction that takes you into your first paragraph)
Example: Hook (a very valuable part of your speech, if not the most valuable part- this is what pulls your audience in and is the foundation for a good grade or a bad one)
For the example topic, we’ll talk about writing contests and blogging. First of all, an example of the hook:
Imagine. Imagine at a young age, learning and earning more over a weekend than you could over three months of babysitting the kids next door, or your neighbors most loved cat.
Example: Significance (why should your audience be interested)
I notice some people are looking at me with interest, others without. What drives a person to work, to earn, and to learn? It’s their ambition. But why should you, at such a young age, try to learn and earn at the same time?
Example: Credibility (do you really stand behind your topic? This is also known as evidence. Statistics, a story, whatever- just make sure you show evidence, and your credibility that back up your topic)
I remember three months ago, when I was just like you. Just like you, with half the will and drive to go the extra yard and try to get some pocket change, but didn’t have the other half. Three months ago, I was a different person.
I did not know what it was like to submit stories, poetry, talk with publishers both online and by the phone. I did not know what it could possibly be like to feel as though I could actually be making a difference in the world. I liked writing, and I liked to connect with people, but I couldn’t think of one simple way that could turn a young eighth grader into a succeeding entrepreneur fast on the track to a successful career.
Example: Thesis Statement (what do you propose? Parts of your thesis statement could be “startling statements” and interesting background information. This should also describe what you’re going to go into later in your speech)
- And then something clicked.
- I realized that society has undermined the power of the youth. The power of the youth in which can be as strong as a college graduate with a degree in writing, or as professional as a journalist working for the New York Times. I grew frustrated as I went around town, looking for anyone, anyone at all that might at least consider a young writer, and see my true potential. I’d already looked online, and found nothing. Or so I thought.
Example: Preview
- Blogs, when continually written in, could be accepted by publishers and published in magazines/newspapers and could bring in money ranging anywhere from $1.50 to $40.00 a post.
- Essay contests, short story contests, poetry contests, and translations all weighed the possibility of also being published and winning earnings that could range anywhere between $50-$25,000 per win.
Thank you for reading; you now have a basic introductory paragraph with examples and explanations walking you through each step of an informative speech introduction. Comments are appreciated, and, as always, welcomed; next week, we’ll go into your first body paragraph.
Hope to see you next week!
-Fresh Writing
We have arrived at the outline of your informative speech. Note that we will try to look for your feedback on our posts and, more specifically, the accuracy and helpfulness of our “template” outline. Thanks, and we hope you will enjoy it.
To start us off, you have your:
1. Introduction
And the parts in it:
-Attention Getter (better known as the “hook”)
-Significance (Why is your topic significant, and worth caring about?)
-Credibility (better known as evidence- what can you show your audience that makes your topic “legit,” or in other words interesting and believable? Why should it be worth their time? Why should you be worth their time? Your evidence and credibility should stand behind the significance of your speech. Prove it to them here)
-Thesis Statement (what are you going to talk about? This is slightly similar to your preview, but may contain information such as surprising statistics or other information)
-Preview (this gives an overall “outline” of what you’re going to talk about in your speech. This is also the last parts of information before you go into your transition, and, essentially, your first body paragraph.)
-Transition (your last sentence of your introduction that takes you into your first paragraph)
Example: Hook (a very valuable part of your speech, if not the most valuable part- this is what pulls your audience in and is the foundation for a good grade or a bad one)
For the example topic, we’ll talk about writing contests and blogging. First of all, an example of the hook:
Imagine. Imagine at a young age, learning and earning more over a weekend than you could over three months of babysitting the kids next door, or your neighbors most loved cat.
Example: Significance (why should your audience be interested)
I notice some people are looking at me with interest, others without. What drives a person to work, to earn, and to learn? It’s their ambition. But why should you, at such a young age, try to learn and earn at the same time?
Example: Credibility (do you really stand behind your topic? This is also known as evidence. Statistics, a story, whatever- just make sure you show evidence, and your credibility that back up your topic)
I remember three months ago, when I was just like you. Just like you, with half the will and drive to go the extra yard and try to get some pocket change, but didn’t have the other half. Three months ago, I was a different person.
I did not know what it was like to submit stories, poetry, talk with publishers both online and by the phone. I did not know what it could possibly be like to feel as though I could actually be making a difference in the world. I liked writing, and I liked to connect with people, but I couldn’t think of one simple way that could turn a young eighth grader into a succeeding entrepreneur fast on the track to a successful career.
Example: Thesis Statement (what do you propose? Parts of your thesis statement could be “startling statements” and interesting background information. This should also describe what you’re going to go into later in your speech)
- And then something clicked.
- I realized that society has undermined the power of the youth. The power of the youth in which can be as strong as a college graduate with a degree in writing, or as professional as a journalist working for the New York Times. I grew frustrated as I went around town, looking for anyone, anyone at all that might at least consider a young writer, and see my true potential. I’d already looked online, and found nothing. Or so I thought.
Example: Preview
- Blogs, when continually written in, could be accepted by publishers and published in magazines/newspapers and could bring in money ranging anywhere from $1.50 to $40.00 a post.
- Essay contests, short story contests, poetry contests, and translations all weighed the possibility of also being published and winning earnings that could range anywhere between $50-$25,000 per win.
Thank you for reading; you now have a basic introductory paragraph with examples and explanations walking you through each step of an informative speech introduction. Comments are appreciated, and, as always, welcomed; next week, we’ll go into your first body paragraph.
Hope to see you next week!
-Fresh Writing
Monday, June 22, 2009
Informative Speeches
Hello all,
This week we are delving into the style and poignant writing of informative speeches.
First objective:
The first objective is to, obviously, select your topic.
Second objective:
The second objective is to do a bit of research. Conduct interviews, chat with your parents, chat with your boyfriend or girlfriend, look through books, search the internet- anything, really, so that you can gather enough Intel and background on your topic to successfully create a high-quality informative speech.
Third objective:
Once you have done enough research, start drawing up some basic ideas, and, essentially, an outline. I personally never have enjoyed writing outlines, as they tend to come out more as basic paragraphs. But full sentences in outlines, remember, saves you from having to do more work later. Either way, an outline of your informative speech will come in handy.
We are taking a pause here as developing your outline is probably the most valuable part of your preliminary speech- next week, we will go through the specifics of writing a helpful outline, whether it has full sentences in it or not. Thanks for reading!
-Fresh Writing
This week we are delving into the style and poignant writing of informative speeches.
First objective:
The first objective is to, obviously, select your topic.
Second objective:
The second objective is to do a bit of research. Conduct interviews, chat with your parents, chat with your boyfriend or girlfriend, look through books, search the internet- anything, really, so that you can gather enough Intel and background on your topic to successfully create a high-quality informative speech.
Third objective:
Once you have done enough research, start drawing up some basic ideas, and, essentially, an outline. I personally never have enjoyed writing outlines, as they tend to come out more as basic paragraphs. But full sentences in outlines, remember, saves you from having to do more work later. Either way, an outline of your informative speech will come in handy.
We are taking a pause here as developing your outline is probably the most valuable part of your preliminary speech- next week, we will go through the specifics of writing a helpful outline, whether it has full sentences in it or not. Thanks for reading!
-Fresh Writing
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Overview of Continuation
Greetings!
I am soon going to open up a different blog for humor so that we can all get a laugh off of that at a separate location: here, I will make sure to focus on public speaking only.
We’ve talked about body language, we’ve talked about connecting with your audience, and we’ve talked about being nervous. We have not, however, gone over how to write a speech.
Speech writing is a nerve-racking business. Some argue it’s worse than standing up there and speaking, and some argue that it’s better to be the speaker than the writer. But, in the event that you happen to have to be both (most likely for a school project or business presentation), this production is for you.
There are, to start us off, many types of speeches you can write. You could write:
-An informative speech
-An inspirational speech
-A persuasive speech (can apply to inspirational speeches but not always)
-An impromptu speech (although you won’t really have time to write up an improvisation speech as the key word is improvisation)
In our next post, we will go into detail of each- from how to survive on the podium in an impromptu speech to how to write a blow-away speech that can win both the smiles of your teacher and perhaps a girl in your class you’ve been hoping to impress…?
Looking forward to seeing you next week!
-Fresh Writing
I am soon going to open up a different blog for humor so that we can all get a laugh off of that at a separate location: here, I will make sure to focus on public speaking only.
We’ve talked about body language, we’ve talked about connecting with your audience, and we’ve talked about being nervous. We have not, however, gone over how to write a speech.
Speech writing is a nerve-racking business. Some argue it’s worse than standing up there and speaking, and some argue that it’s better to be the speaker than the writer. But, in the event that you happen to have to be both (most likely for a school project or business presentation), this production is for you.
There are, to start us off, many types of speeches you can write. You could write:
-An informative speech
-An inspirational speech
-A persuasive speech (can apply to inspirational speeches but not always)
-An impromptu speech (although you won’t really have time to write up an improvisation speech as the key word is improvisation)
In our next post, we will go into detail of each- from how to survive on the podium in an impromptu speech to how to write a blow-away speech that can win both the smiles of your teacher and perhaps a girl in your class you’ve been hoping to impress…?
Looking forward to seeing you next week!
-Fresh Writing
Friday, April 24, 2009
New Template Change!
Hello all,
After deciding to change the template, I must ask for your opinion. Is this more or less appealing than the old one?
Thanks for your feedback!
-Fresh Writing
After deciding to change the template, I must ask for your opinion. Is this more or less appealing than the old one?
Thanks for your feedback!
-Fresh Writing
Monday, April 20, 2009
Jimmy Carr
A small amount of background information on Jimmy Carr, the famous English comedian:
According to Wikipedia, Jimmy Carr was "(born 15 September 1972) is an English comedian, author, actor and presenter of radio and television, known for his deadpan, satirical and often very dark humour.
Carr's comedy career began in 2002. After becoming an established act on the stand-up circuit, he appeared in a number of Channel 4 television shows in 2005, most notably as the host of the hit panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats. As well as his television work and stand-up routines, Carr has also enjoyed success on the radio and as a writer."
Links to his hilarity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2CdB9-JUQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0cA2oO85nA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyWGr_SeowA&feature=channel
Enjoy- if you're interested, itunes hosts some very funny Stand Up Comedy conducted by Carr.
-Fresh Writing
According to Wikipedia, Jimmy Carr was "(born 15 September 1972) is an English comedian, author, actor and presenter of radio and television, known for his deadpan, satirical and often very dark humour.
Carr's comedy career began in 2002. After becoming an established act on the stand-up circuit, he appeared in a number of Channel 4 television shows in 2005, most notably as the host of the hit panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats. As well as his television work and stand-up routines, Carr has also enjoyed success on the radio and as a writer."
Links to his hilarity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2CdB9-JUQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0cA2oO85nA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyWGr_SeowA&feature=channel
Enjoy- if you're interested, itunes hosts some very funny Stand Up Comedy conducted by Carr.
-Fresh Writing
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Month-Long Time Lapse!?
My apologies, everyone, for such a pause in my writing. I have been very busy of late and expanding into new fields of writing and platforms, and so hence I have been unable to write on this blog recently.
As a way to take a break from the serious chit-chat about speech writing and public speaking, let's take a step back and talk about...comedy.
Stand-Up Comedy, specifically.
Some of my favorites are:
Mitch Hedburg (classy as always)
Gabriel Iglesias (constantly making fun of immigration and bars -an unusual combo)
Jimmy Carr (the Englishman of hilarity)
Aries Spears (the famous impressionist of hip-hop and movie stars)
Kevin Hart (the grown-little man! Very short in person)
As we venture more into the comedy area for the next few posts, we'll list a few jokes and videos, pop some popcorn and laugh like we haven't ever before! I think a lighter area of content is a necessity presently...
Alright then! That's it for today's VERY late post...Fresh Writing, signing out! (Although I hate saying that.)
Thanks for reading,
-Fresh Writing
As a way to take a break from the serious chit-chat about speech writing and public speaking, let's take a step back and talk about...comedy.
Stand-Up Comedy, specifically.
Some of my favorites are:
Mitch Hedburg (classy as always)
Gabriel Iglesias (constantly making fun of immigration and bars -an unusual combo)
Jimmy Carr (the Englishman of hilarity)
Aries Spears (the famous impressionist of hip-hop and movie stars)
Kevin Hart (the grown-little man! Very short in person)
As we venture more into the comedy area for the next few posts, we'll list a few jokes and videos, pop some popcorn and laugh like we haven't ever before! I think a lighter area of content is a necessity presently...
Alright then! That's it for today's VERY late post...Fresh Writing, signing out! (Although I hate saying that.)
Thanks for reading,
-Fresh Writing
Monday, February 16, 2009
Speech Writing - 3rd Production
Knowing and connecting with your audience is key when it comes to public speaking.
If you are, for example, speaking in New York, and want to emotionally sway your audience in regards to increased security for terrorism, you might BRIEFLY mention 9/11, and talk about how something similar must never happen again. And I say briefly because 9/11, like any other terrorist attack, religious reference, abortion opinion, or other, creates a lot of emotion in people. Some people lost relatives due to the 9/11 attack, so be careful. The last thing you want to do is smile while talking about 9/11, because your approval rates will sink faster than the Titanic.
You could, arguably, use that point anywhere: L.A., Texas, Rhode Island, wherever. But if you want to speak to New Yorkers personally, you need a little more connection that is related directly to them. If you're in L.A., for example, you might want to talk about rising crime rates, or changing the political system there so it works more efficiently.
Those points are all good, you might say, but how would I apply them in everyday life? I mean, this is the 'youth voice,' or 'voice of the youth;' it's not like I'm traveling cross-states here daily!
And you're right (if that's what you're thinking-I tried to create a hypothetical concern there). You probably aren't, and you're probably just looking for tips on how to present an excellent speech, presentation, or other.
So let's take it down a few levels. If you're presenting in a competitive environment, where everyone's speech is mostly the same, but good in the eye of the teacher, your job should be to STAND out. If you're doing a speech where you're trying to gather student's support on running a social activity for the whole school, or something similar, try connecting with them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, students and teachers. I am standing here today with little words that are of much complexity, of little complexity in my speech. I look at my competitors, Ryan, Joshua, and Meg (COMPARE yourself to them. LET THEM see that there might be something new to you that the others did not, and could not, bring to the table.), as I think about their speeches.
They were excellent; they were truly superb and accurate in almost every sense. (Be respectful; your audience may not be in your favor yet, and audiences always like respectful speakers.) Except for ONE. (Draw EMPHASIS-show that you care about that one little detail, and that it is significant for your audience and pivotal that they know it.) They did not talk about how it will help you. They did not talk about how you are important, or how it is you, Ren, or you, Compton, or you, Elisa (point/look at them, let them know that they are INDIVIDUALLY being talked to, and that you're not just an uncaring professional face.), that eventually writes their name in support of this activity.
They did not address the fact that this election is not about choosing leads for the social activity, but this election is about you. You as a people that write our names in favor, that have to see beyond personal emotions and friendly connections, but in the long shot of looking for who WILL SERVE THEM BEST. (Emphasize, lay your points out--use hand motions if it helps.)
You electing me as your leader is more than an honor, more than a personal moral booster, but a significant sign that represents the student body. A sign that...."
And you can continue from there. But the audience, in all reality, unless you're talking directly to teachers, politicians, or people who are actually practiced in the area of speech making, and know when you could be/are bluffing, they don't really care.
The biggest challenge for people who are trying to win their audience's favor is connecting with undecided voters. Professionally speaking, your competition could just as easily smother you over with a few 9/11 references and fancy words. Undecided voters in any sense, especially politically, are dangerous. But they could also be highly effective.
Thanks once again for reading this week's blog, and hope to see you next week!
-Fresh Writing
If you are, for example, speaking in New York, and want to emotionally sway your audience in regards to increased security for terrorism, you might BRIEFLY mention 9/11, and talk about how something similar must never happen again. And I say briefly because 9/11, like any other terrorist attack, religious reference, abortion opinion, or other, creates a lot of emotion in people. Some people lost relatives due to the 9/11 attack, so be careful. The last thing you want to do is smile while talking about 9/11, because your approval rates will sink faster than the Titanic.
You could, arguably, use that point anywhere: L.A., Texas, Rhode Island, wherever. But if you want to speak to New Yorkers personally, you need a little more connection that is related directly to them. If you're in L.A., for example, you might want to talk about rising crime rates, or changing the political system there so it works more efficiently.
Those points are all good, you might say, but how would I apply them in everyday life? I mean, this is the 'youth voice,' or 'voice of the youth;' it's not like I'm traveling cross-states here daily!
And you're right (if that's what you're thinking-I tried to create a hypothetical concern there). You probably aren't, and you're probably just looking for tips on how to present an excellent speech, presentation, or other.
So let's take it down a few levels. If you're presenting in a competitive environment, where everyone's speech is mostly the same, but good in the eye of the teacher, your job should be to STAND out. If you're doing a speech where you're trying to gather student's support on running a social activity for the whole school, or something similar, try connecting with them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, students and teachers. I am standing here today with little words that are of much complexity, of little complexity in my speech. I look at my competitors, Ryan, Joshua, and Meg (COMPARE yourself to them. LET THEM see that there might be something new to you that the others did not, and could not, bring to the table.), as I think about their speeches.
They were excellent; they were truly superb and accurate in almost every sense. (Be respectful; your audience may not be in your favor yet, and audiences always like respectful speakers.) Except for ONE. (Draw EMPHASIS-show that you care about that one little detail, and that it is significant for your audience and pivotal that they know it.) They did not talk about how it will help you. They did not talk about how you are important, or how it is you, Ren, or you, Compton, or you, Elisa (point/look at them, let them know that they are INDIVIDUALLY being talked to, and that you're not just an uncaring professional face.), that eventually writes their name in support of this activity.
They did not address the fact that this election is not about choosing leads for the social activity, but this election is about you. You as a people that write our names in favor, that have to see beyond personal emotions and friendly connections, but in the long shot of looking for who WILL SERVE THEM BEST. (Emphasize, lay your points out--use hand motions if it helps.)
You electing me as your leader is more than an honor, more than a personal moral booster, but a significant sign that represents the student body. A sign that...."
And you can continue from there. But the audience, in all reality, unless you're talking directly to teachers, politicians, or people who are actually practiced in the area of speech making, and know when you could be/are bluffing, they don't really care.
The biggest challenge for people who are trying to win their audience's favor is connecting with undecided voters. Professionally speaking, your competition could just as easily smother you over with a few 9/11 references and fancy words. Undecided voters in any sense, especially politically, are dangerous. But they could also be highly effective.
Thanks once again for reading this week's blog, and hope to see you next week!
-Fresh Writing
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Speech Writing - 2nd Production
Greetings all!
As a brief recap from last week's post, we went over:
-A brief introduction into public speaking
-The dangers of being nervous
-The unavoidable factors of being nervous, and symptoms of such
This week, we tackle the topic of knowing your audience.
Whether you're doing a school presentation, running for president for a student government program, or going as high as running for a local or federal government office, you have to know who you're speaking to. If you're doing the hula on stage for a local citizen gathering where you're trying to gain financial support for a project, you'll probably get laughed off the stage, and have a year's worth of bad reputation to live up to. But if you're doing the hula for a Hula Club in which you're trying to be elected as the best hula-dancer, you'll probably receive a more appealing and positive reaction from your audience.
Right now, you're probably thinking, yeah, okay, tell me what I don't know. I obviously am not going to start dancing half-naked on stage while trying to fund-raise. But the metaphor is relevant.
Barack Obama, for example, does an excellent job when it comes to connecting with his audience. He might clap as he comes on stage, shake hands with the audience, or as he is famously known for doing, toss his own untouched water bottle to a dehydrated woman at a caucus in February 2008.
It's heartwarming, it makes you appear as if you understand them, know what they want, and will listen to the public. Barack Obama's watertoss proved more than an accurate throw, but it showed that he cared for an average, lowly, American citizen. It put a positive grin on many peoples face as they saw what Barack Obama could be, and it made him unique. I mean, come on: when was the last time you saw George W. Bush toss a waterbottle to someone, or shake hands without the businesslike, professional act that he always tries to put on?
It's what can make the difference between an A- and an A+ on a speech grade from your teacher, or having to shake hands with your competitor with a false happy smile as he clinched the ticket to the desired political office, or you being that one who is absolutely bursting with happiness as you finally shot down your competition and got that political office. Knowing and connecting with your audience is the best way to sway opinions in your favor; the key part that causes many people to fail is knowing how to do so.
Thanks for reading this blog, and as a peek at next week's, we'll go more into the specifics of connecting and to use it in a speech. Thanks for reading!
-Fresh Writing
As a brief recap from last week's post, we went over:
-A brief introduction into public speaking
-The dangers of being nervous
-The unavoidable factors of being nervous, and symptoms of such
This week, we tackle the topic of knowing your audience.
Whether you're doing a school presentation, running for president for a student government program, or going as high as running for a local or federal government office, you have to know who you're speaking to. If you're doing the hula on stage for a local citizen gathering where you're trying to gain financial support for a project, you'll probably get laughed off the stage, and have a year's worth of bad reputation to live up to. But if you're doing the hula for a Hula Club in which you're trying to be elected as the best hula-dancer, you'll probably receive a more appealing and positive reaction from your audience.
Right now, you're probably thinking, yeah, okay, tell me what I don't know. I obviously am not going to start dancing half-naked on stage while trying to fund-raise. But the metaphor is relevant.
Barack Obama, for example, does an excellent job when it comes to connecting with his audience. He might clap as he comes on stage, shake hands with the audience, or as he is famously known for doing, toss his own untouched water bottle to a dehydrated woman at a caucus in February 2008.
It's heartwarming, it makes you appear as if you understand them, know what they want, and will listen to the public. Barack Obama's watertoss proved more than an accurate throw, but it showed that he cared for an average, lowly, American citizen. It put a positive grin on many peoples face as they saw what Barack Obama could be, and it made him unique. I mean, come on: when was the last time you saw George W. Bush toss a waterbottle to someone, or shake hands without the businesslike, professional act that he always tries to put on?
It's what can make the difference between an A- and an A+ on a speech grade from your teacher, or having to shake hands with your competitor with a false happy smile as he clinched the ticket to the desired political office, or you being that one who is absolutely bursting with happiness as you finally shot down your competition and got that political office. Knowing and connecting with your audience is the best way to sway opinions in your favor; the key part that causes many people to fail is knowing how to do so.
Thanks for reading this blog, and as a peek at next week's, we'll go more into the specifics of connecting and to use it in a speech. Thanks for reading!
-Fresh Writing
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Introduction
Greetings!
As you are evidently reading this post, might I begin with a short but informative introduction.
Our first topic in which we tackle is public speaking. We all have to do it at some point; there's no point in denying it. Some love it, and some hate it, but it's still an everyday part of life.
For those that are uncomfortable with public speaking, you'd be surprised at how much it can benefit you, and not just for giving speeches or presentations. It can:
-Bolster your morale
-Help your social skills
-Make you more verbally articulate and clear
-And just genuinely be a lot of fun
Public speaking, as I've found, is easiest to 'learn' when you know someone that is proficient at publicly speaking. I've done my fair share of speeches, and got plenty of compliments at the end, but I'm sure an unknown person just randomly writing a blog doesn't really qualify as a superb role model. So try someone higher up, such as Barack Obama.
Barack Obama's ability to orate clearly and yet with unmistakable meaning has swept hundreds of people off their feet around the world overseas. Apart from his excellent economic, diplomatic, and international plans, his ability to successfully 'capture' his audience has been argued to have won him the presidential seat in the White House, where he sits now.
It is simply amazing to watch him speak, to use words in such elegant style that he does, to use such pivotal body language, and to see a truly flabbergasting speaker talk with such style. So how does he do it?
The key thing is his simple calmness. His unmistakable knowing of what he's going to say, who's he talking to, and how he's going to say it are some of the most crucial and significant qualities of his oration techniques.
As any good orator knows, there are principles in which you must simply have in your speeches, presentations, or other. In any public speaking, you must:
- Know your speech (or presentation, but for the sake of these bullet points, we'll go with speech)
- Know your audience
- Connect with your audience
- Use appropriate body language
- And, most of all, do not show how nervous you are.
The simple fact that I am saying this should not be new to anyone, but completely unavoidable. Evidently, you are going to be nervous. Anyone who is not nervous before or during a major speech or presentation is either on many calming pills, immune to their personal emotions, or simply knows their speech cold. No matter how you slice and dice it, you most likely will be nervous.
But the thing is, when it comes to serious public speaking, you can't afford it. Imagine if Barack Obama was standing their, his eyes scanning the crowd like bugs over a fire and was biting his nails. Would you vote for him?
Even if his speech was good, that pause in which you thought, why is he so nervous? Could cost anyone a few votes, which could mean the difference between crying into a napkin for four years or being on the next first class airplane to D.C.
As a conclusion, might I thank you for reading our first blog, and hopefully this will be a start to an interesting and educational discussion. As a future look at next week's blog, we'll go more into knowing and connecting with your audience. Until then, thanks for reading!
-Fresh Writing
As you are evidently reading this post, might I begin with a short but informative introduction.
Our first topic in which we tackle is public speaking. We all have to do it at some point; there's no point in denying it. Some love it, and some hate it, but it's still an everyday part of life.
For those that are uncomfortable with public speaking, you'd be surprised at how much it can benefit you, and not just for giving speeches or presentations. It can:
-Bolster your morale
-Help your social skills
-Make you more verbally articulate and clear
-And just genuinely be a lot of fun
Public speaking, as I've found, is easiest to 'learn' when you know someone that is proficient at publicly speaking. I've done my fair share of speeches, and got plenty of compliments at the end, but I'm sure an unknown person just randomly writing a blog doesn't really qualify as a superb role model. So try someone higher up, such as Barack Obama.
Barack Obama's ability to orate clearly and yet with unmistakable meaning has swept hundreds of people off their feet around the world overseas. Apart from his excellent economic, diplomatic, and international plans, his ability to successfully 'capture' his audience has been argued to have won him the presidential seat in the White House, where he sits now.
It is simply amazing to watch him speak, to use words in such elegant style that he does, to use such pivotal body language, and to see a truly flabbergasting speaker talk with such style. So how does he do it?
The key thing is his simple calmness. His unmistakable knowing of what he's going to say, who's he talking to, and how he's going to say it are some of the most crucial and significant qualities of his oration techniques.
As any good orator knows, there are principles in which you must simply have in your speeches, presentations, or other. In any public speaking, you must:
- Know your speech (or presentation, but for the sake of these bullet points, we'll go with speech)
- Know your audience
- Connect with your audience
- Use appropriate body language
- And, most of all, do not show how nervous you are.
The simple fact that I am saying this should not be new to anyone, but completely unavoidable. Evidently, you are going to be nervous. Anyone who is not nervous before or during a major speech or presentation is either on many calming pills, immune to their personal emotions, or simply knows their speech cold. No matter how you slice and dice it, you most likely will be nervous.
But the thing is, when it comes to serious public speaking, you can't afford it. Imagine if Barack Obama was standing their, his eyes scanning the crowd like bugs over a fire and was biting his nails. Would you vote for him?
Even if his speech was good, that pause in which you thought, why is he so nervous? Could cost anyone a few votes, which could mean the difference between crying into a napkin for four years or being on the next first class airplane to D.C.
As a conclusion, might I thank you for reading our first blog, and hopefully this will be a start to an interesting and educational discussion. As a future look at next week's blog, we'll go more into knowing and connecting with your audience. Until then, thanks for reading!
-Fresh Writing
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