Before I started this course, I knew that for my past public speaking attempts I was doing most of the correct things in terms of speech preparation. However, over the past few weeks I have found that beyond just rehearsing to myself, receiving peer feedback and examining my own performance is critical to improving. In addition, I cannot forget the impact of power posing- getting a handle on one’s natural impulse to flee is a game changer! I have also discovered that as a speaker I would rather receive meaningful feedback that I might not like over none (or just all positive feedback), which makes me feel more comfortable when I offer others my thoughts on their speeches. I just try to ensure that my comments are respectful and also encouraging.
I definitely agree about meaningful feedback. I look to my feedback to help guide me on how to improve so if it was all just positive I would feel a little stuck on what to fix for my final draft. I also think it is really cool how much you have embraced power posing!
I like how you are able to receive any type of feedback, even if it is not always positive. I believe that this is important to take in constructive criticism so that you can take an outside opinion and see what the audience may want you to work on. Negative feedback can be good, as long as it is given with respect and encouragement as you said.
I too feel like for past speeches I have been prepared but after taking this class I’ve realized there was so much more I could of been doing! I could have been rehearsing more, getting feedback and making an outline. I have never made an outline for a speech before this class. I like how you brought up power posing as this is something I am going to use in school and everyday life.
I have noticed that I needed to being doing a lot more before giving a speech. I did not know how to (and I didn’t even really know that I needed to) write an outline for my speeches. I also have learned the value of feedback and I really look forward to hearing feedback on how I can improve and it had helped me a lot I think.
I also did not know how to begin with an outline, as this was a new thing for me too. I did find it helpful however in using it as a key reference. I agree in feedback is very valuable, as it can help us give a better performance.
I also never entirely thought about needing to write an outline before my speeches either until coming into the class. I have found it very helpful though, I write a few bullet point notes so I know what direction I want my speech to go and at the same time it can also be somewhat free flowing. I also have found a lot of value in the feedback I have been getting from my group mates.
I totally hear you; I’ve also come to realize the importance of a good outline and the drafting process for speaking. At first glance public speaking may seem deceptively straightforward. Seemingly all you need to do is get up there and start speaking, but it is obviously much more than that. Like you had mentioned, feedback can help shape your speeches and improve upon the process and delivery.
I agree that it can be very difficult to give a speech without proper preparation. I thought my first speech was going to go smoothly but I had to restart my recording about 10 times. And I also think that peer feedback is extremely important because we don’t always know what to improve on ourselves without anyone pointing out mistakes.
Before taking this course my speaking ability skills seemed very few, and I had no experience with a large audience. I feel as though I have made good improvements as we move from speech to speech, taking in all the feedback I can get. Being able to listen to the videos for the discussion posts and then try to apply them to the speech I am preparing to give, really helps make me feel more confident in giving the best performance I can. I really enjoy being able to post a dry run of our speeches and see how others think I can improve, then apply those changes when needed. Cant wait to see how the rest of this course plays out.
I agree that even the DBQ videos have helped me with techniques and skills I can carry over. I also agree that the feedback has been a helpful tool. I actually think my ability to receive feedback greatly improved after watching the TED talk about it.
Well said, I definitely agree with the points you made. The videos and DQBs have really helped give the ability to engage with others on an online course, while also allowing for expansion on the topics of effective public speaking. Along with this, the dry runs for speeches have also been super helpful. I’ve felt like they’ve really helped me better my speeches, and has acted as a useful mini-forum to present our speeches.
I also think that the weekly videos are helpful when preparing my own speech for the week. There are always useful points in the videos that can be applied to composing my own speech. Along with incorporating these skills, the feedback from peers has also led to improvements in my speeches.
I too really like being able to post a dry run speech to get feedback on from our peers. This allows us to see our speech from another’s point of view. I too don’t have experience in front of a large audience but after taking this class I feel as though I have the skills I need to be prepared. I know this class is online but I feel as though we are getting the same experience and skills we would if this was an in person class.
I definitely agree with you! I also find the dry run videos beneficial, I enjoy reading the feedback my peers give me. I feel like the whole class is definitely improving each time we post a new video, and that’s very satisfying to watch.
So far this semester I think my biggest takeaway has been on the importance of rehearsing properly. At the beginning of this class, my preconception of speech rehearsal was reading off of a working outline, which acted more as a script than a list of keywords. From the discussion posts, videos, textbook chapters, and group workshops, I have learned the importance of a concise outline which allows for more freedom and engagement while speaking.
When it comes to giving feedback on peers, I don’t feel like I have been the most helpful. It still feels like I lack the proper experience to give adequate feedback. Sometimes it feels as if I have a blind spot where I not only fail to see the adjustments needed in my own speeches, but also the speeches of others.
I have also noticed some improvements in my speech delivery by relying less on a script-like outline. Giving feedback to peers is more difficult than I initially thought. I think it may just be a lack of experience for me as well, definitely something I’m working on.
I agree, I think practice is so important. Sometimes I think it can be overwhelming at times to go through the whole speech multiple times. I try to break the speech up into parts so it is easier to focus when practicing. I have found success with this and maybe you will too.
I agree that it’s important to put together a concise outline that doesn’t resemble a script because a script-like outline can lead to overthinking what you are saying during the speech and limiting room for creativity. And I too feel like I don’t have the credentials to give meaningful feedback to peers sometimes since this is my first time taking a course like this. But I think almost everyone is in the same boat with that so we can only try our best.
Hi Henry-I totally understand how difficult it is to provide feedback to your peers. Regarding the blind spot, I try to review the list of items on the handout/rubric to remind myself what to look for in my peers’ speeches and my own.
I do get nervous when supplying feedback because I don’t want others to think I am criticizing them, but I think overall it will actually benefit them more if I try to point out things.
After completing three speeches in this course, I am seeing some shifts in my strengths and weaknesses. One of my goals was to rely less on scripts and notes, which I have noticed is becoming easier. However, I still need to work on speaking more fluidly and extemporaneously. The feedback from peers has been so helpful because they bring up small things that I never considered. I’ve found that these small corrections can really improve my speech.
I have found that one of my biggest struggles when speaking is also needing to speak more fluid. I am a bit shaky in my voice when I speak which will lead to people realizing I am nervous. I completely agree with you when it comes to the feedback I have been getting from the people in my group. They have picked up on things that I have missed throughout the course which is helping me realize those mistakes as I am doing my dry run now.
After preforming three speeches for the class, I feel very improved in organization, maintaining eye contact, and creating effective outlines. I know there is a lot of other things I need to work on. I know that I need to go more into depth on the topics I am speaking about and focus more on the tiny details of things. I think that if I do this my speeches will improve greatly. I do notice now that I have a lot more confidence while presenting.
I also struggle with things looking and sounding natural in my speeches. I think this might be due to outlines that are made out of sentences rather than phrases or main topics. It’s really great that the feedback is working and you are using it to your advantage.
I don’t think you sound particularly scripted. You sound organized for sure, but you keep an air of natural speech around you. I personally find that outlines work best for me when I have them separated by main point, and just brief sentence fragments as the guidelines, though my style tends to be fairly laid back.
Before taking this online course, I thought that I had a decent grasp on public speaking. I still think that I did at the beginning but I now realize that I was doing certain things wrong with the help of peer responses. For example, I didn’t realize how much my head was moving around when I was speaking until one of my group members said that I should stop doing it. These kinds of responses help a lot because people can subconsciously do weird or distracting things when they are talking in front of a camera or other people. Overall, the feedback from my groupmates has really helped me improve my speeches.
Hi Sam, I can relate-in the past people have stated that my public speaking skills seemed fine. However, I always felt that my public speaking could use improvement. I think that if peers don’t point out certain things, that puts the onus on me to figure out what I need to do to tweak my speech, which can be challenging. I’m glad that group feedback has helped you improve your skills!
Getting good feedback from people is such a game changer! I use my hands to speak a lot, and I didn’t realize how distracting this might be for other people. I definitely think giving a speech to a computer is a different thing in terms of mannerisms, as it feels more like talking to yourself instead of an audience, which can be confusing.
I also thought I was a fairly good public speaker before I started this class. I am still confident in my abilities, but it’s clear I also have lots of room for improvement! Peer review is very helpful, especially when you have the opportunity to ask your audience directly for feedback on your speech.
I feel like I have improved so much with giving a speech over these past few weeks. I learned how to write and work off an outline, how to rehearse for a speech and how to give/take feedback from my peers. The first speech I didn’t write a strong outline and wasn’t sure how I should rehearse so it took me about 15 tries of starting and stopping the video and getting frustrated until I got the video I uploaded. Even though I was alone in my room talking to a camera I feel as though it was just as hard as taking in front of live class. The last speech I was more prepared, had an outline and rehearsed well and got my video in one take. I like getting feedback from my peers because it gives me a different perspective on my speech. Speech 3 had to be 3 mins which my video was not. I asked my group what they think I could do to get my video to 3 minutes and they gave me great ideas I wouldn’t of thought of! I took their advice and got my video to 3 minutes.
I am much more confident with my speaking style, and I definitely know how to outline a speech better. I like the ability to give feedback in a kind way, and I really liked the videos on how to give criticism in an effective manner, as I think that has helped all of us help each other. I think I still need to work somewhat on how I speak with my hands, especially in speeches that I don’t have something to hold. In this most recent how-to speech, I was able to channel that into folding the paper, but in other cases, I need to remember that it can be distracting for many people.
At the start of this course I was not a great public speaker and in no way am I a good public speaker now, but I have learned where some of my struggles are when I’m speaking in front of anyone. I know some of my biggest struggles from the start of the course were the level of confidence I had with my voice and the shakiness I had when I spoke. I do feel like I have improved with that and being able to have a clearer voice. I also struggled and still struggle with using filler words in my videos. I feel like I have gotten better with the amount that I use them, but I still have a lot more room for improvement. The comments I get from my group mates have definitely helped me out a lot.
At the beginning of this course, I felt that I had strong public speaking skills. I had always been a decent public speaker but I was not prepared to learn this much about giving a presentation. Now that I’ve recorded multiple videos, it’s clear that there is still room for improvement, but the drafts are slowly getting longer, which means harder to record. I love hearing ways I can enhance my speeches, and my peers give me the best critiques comments, and suggestions.
During the first week of the class I was not very confident in my public speaking abilities. However, after the third week, I can say that I have noticed some improvement. I noticed that in my first speech I sound way more nervous compared to my other ones where I felt more comfortable giving a speech to the camera. There are definitely some areas that I could still improve on, such as saying um a lot and having to rerecord a lot of my speeches over and over again. My goal is that by the end of the semester I will be able to successfully record a speech in one take.
35 thoughts on “CLOSED-DBQ 3”
Before I started this course, I knew that for my past public speaking attempts I was doing most of the correct things in terms of speech preparation. However, over the past few weeks I have found that beyond just rehearsing to myself, receiving peer feedback and examining my own performance is critical to improving. In addition, I cannot forget the impact of power posing- getting a handle on one’s natural impulse to flee is a game changer! I have also discovered that as a speaker I would rather receive meaningful feedback that I might not like over none (or just all positive feedback), which makes me feel more comfortable when I offer others my thoughts on their speeches. I just try to ensure that my comments are respectful and also encouraging.
I definitely agree about meaningful feedback. I look to my feedback to help guide me on how to improve so if it was all just positive I would feel a little stuck on what to fix for my final draft. I also think it is really cool how much you have embraced power posing!
I like how you are able to receive any type of feedback, even if it is not always positive. I believe that this is important to take in constructive criticism so that you can take an outside opinion and see what the audience may want you to work on. Negative feedback can be good, as long as it is given with respect and encouragement as you said.
I too feel like for past speeches I have been prepared but after taking this class I’ve realized there was so much more I could of been doing! I could have been rehearsing more, getting feedback and making an outline. I have never made an outline for a speech before this class. I like how you brought up power posing as this is something I am going to use in school and everyday life.
I have noticed that I needed to being doing a lot more before giving a speech. I did not know how to (and I didn’t even really know that I needed to) write an outline for my speeches. I also have learned the value of feedback and I really look forward to hearing feedback on how I can improve and it had helped me a lot I think.
But now I have been able to do lots of practice and I feel comfortable with writing outlines*
I also did not know how to begin with an outline, as this was a new thing for me too. I did find it helpful however in using it as a key reference. I agree in feedback is very valuable, as it can help us give a better performance.
I also never entirely thought about needing to write an outline before my speeches either until coming into the class. I have found it very helpful though, I write a few bullet point notes so I know what direction I want my speech to go and at the same time it can also be somewhat free flowing. I also have found a lot of value in the feedback I have been getting from my group mates.
Hi Reese,
I totally hear you; I’ve also come to realize the importance of a good outline and the drafting process for speaking. At first glance public speaking may seem deceptively straightforward. Seemingly all you need to do is get up there and start speaking, but it is obviously much more than that. Like you had mentioned, feedback can help shape your speeches and improve upon the process and delivery.
I agree that it can be very difficult to give a speech without proper preparation. I thought my first speech was going to go smoothly but I had to restart my recording about 10 times. And I also think that peer feedback is extremely important because we don’t always know what to improve on ourselves without anyone pointing out mistakes.
Before taking this course my speaking ability skills seemed very few, and I had no experience with a large audience. I feel as though I have made good improvements as we move from speech to speech, taking in all the feedback I can get. Being able to listen to the videos for the discussion posts and then try to apply them to the speech I am preparing to give, really helps make me feel more confident in giving the best performance I can. I really enjoy being able to post a dry run of our speeches and see how others think I can improve, then apply those changes when needed. Cant wait to see how the rest of this course plays out.
I agree that even the DBQ videos have helped me with techniques and skills I can carry over. I also agree that the feedback has been a helpful tool. I actually think my ability to receive feedback greatly improved after watching the TED talk about it.
Hi Julia,
Well said, I definitely agree with the points you made. The videos and DQBs have really helped give the ability to engage with others on an online course, while also allowing for expansion on the topics of effective public speaking. Along with this, the dry runs for speeches have also been super helpful. I’ve felt like they’ve really helped me better my speeches, and has acted as a useful mini-forum to present our speeches.
I also think that the weekly videos are helpful when preparing my own speech for the week. There are always useful points in the videos that can be applied to composing my own speech. Along with incorporating these skills, the feedback from peers has also led to improvements in my speeches.
I too really like being able to post a dry run speech to get feedback on from our peers. This allows us to see our speech from another’s point of view. I too don’t have experience in front of a large audience but after taking this class I feel as though I have the skills I need to be prepared. I know this class is online but I feel as though we are getting the same experience and skills we would if this was an in person class.
I definitely agree with you! I also find the dry run videos beneficial, I enjoy reading the feedback my peers give me. I feel like the whole class is definitely improving each time we post a new video, and that’s very satisfying to watch.
So far this semester I think my biggest takeaway has been on the importance of rehearsing properly. At the beginning of this class, my preconception of speech rehearsal was reading off of a working outline, which acted more as a script than a list of keywords. From the discussion posts, videos, textbook chapters, and group workshops, I have learned the importance of a concise outline which allows for more freedom and engagement while speaking.
When it comes to giving feedback on peers, I don’t feel like I have been the most helpful. It still feels like I lack the proper experience to give adequate feedback. Sometimes it feels as if I have a blind spot where I not only fail to see the adjustments needed in my own speeches, but also the speeches of others.
I have also noticed some improvements in my speech delivery by relying less on a script-like outline. Giving feedback to peers is more difficult than I initially thought. I think it may just be a lack of experience for me as well, definitely something I’m working on.
I agree, I think practice is so important. Sometimes I think it can be overwhelming at times to go through the whole speech multiple times. I try to break the speech up into parts so it is easier to focus when practicing. I have found success with this and maybe you will too.
I agree that it’s important to put together a concise outline that doesn’t resemble a script because a script-like outline can lead to overthinking what you are saying during the speech and limiting room for creativity. And I too feel like I don’t have the credentials to give meaningful feedback to peers sometimes since this is my first time taking a course like this. But I think almost everyone is in the same boat with that so we can only try our best.
Hi Henry-I totally understand how difficult it is to provide feedback to your peers. Regarding the blind spot, I try to review the list of items on the handout/rubric to remind myself what to look for in my peers’ speeches and my own.
I do get nervous when supplying feedback because I don’t want others to think I am criticizing them, but I think overall it will actually benefit them more if I try to point out things.
After completing three speeches in this course, I am seeing some shifts in my strengths and weaknesses. One of my goals was to rely less on scripts and notes, which I have noticed is becoming easier. However, I still need to work on speaking more fluidly and extemporaneously. The feedback from peers has been so helpful because they bring up small things that I never considered. I’ve found that these small corrections can really improve my speech.
I have found that one of my biggest struggles when speaking is also needing to speak more fluid. I am a bit shaky in my voice when I speak which will lead to people realizing I am nervous. I completely agree with you when it comes to the feedback I have been getting from the people in my group. They have picked up on things that I have missed throughout the course which is helping me realize those mistakes as I am doing my dry run now.
After preforming three speeches for the class, I feel very improved in organization, maintaining eye contact, and creating effective outlines. I know there is a lot of other things I need to work on. I know that I need to go more into depth on the topics I am speaking about and focus more on the tiny details of things. I think that if I do this my speeches will improve greatly. I do notice now that I have a lot more confidence while presenting.
I also struggle with things looking and sounding natural in my speeches. I think this might be due to outlines that are made out of sentences rather than phrases or main topics. It’s really great that the feedback is working and you are using it to your advantage.
I don’t think you sound particularly scripted. You sound organized for sure, but you keep an air of natural speech around you. I personally find that outlines work best for me when I have them separated by main point, and just brief sentence fragments as the guidelines, though my style tends to be fairly laid back.
Before taking this online course, I thought that I had a decent grasp on public speaking. I still think that I did at the beginning but I now realize that I was doing certain things wrong with the help of peer responses. For example, I didn’t realize how much my head was moving around when I was speaking until one of my group members said that I should stop doing it. These kinds of responses help a lot because people can subconsciously do weird or distracting things when they are talking in front of a camera or other people. Overall, the feedback from my groupmates has really helped me improve my speeches.
Hi Sam, I can relate-in the past people have stated that my public speaking skills seemed fine. However, I always felt that my public speaking could use improvement. I think that if peers don’t point out certain things, that puts the onus on me to figure out what I need to do to tweak my speech, which can be challenging. I’m glad that group feedback has helped you improve your skills!
Getting good feedback from people is such a game changer! I use my hands to speak a lot, and I didn’t realize how distracting this might be for other people. I definitely think giving a speech to a computer is a different thing in terms of mannerisms, as it feels more like talking to yourself instead of an audience, which can be confusing.
I also thought I was a fairly good public speaker before I started this class. I am still confident in my abilities, but it’s clear I also have lots of room for improvement! Peer review is very helpful, especially when you have the opportunity to ask your audience directly for feedback on your speech.
I feel like I have improved so much with giving a speech over these past few weeks. I learned how to write and work off an outline, how to rehearse for a speech and how to give/take feedback from my peers. The first speech I didn’t write a strong outline and wasn’t sure how I should rehearse so it took me about 15 tries of starting and stopping the video and getting frustrated until I got the video I uploaded. Even though I was alone in my room talking to a camera I feel as though it was just as hard as taking in front of live class. The last speech I was more prepared, had an outline and rehearsed well and got my video in one take. I like getting feedback from my peers because it gives me a different perspective on my speech. Speech 3 had to be 3 mins which my video was not. I asked my group what they think I could do to get my video to 3 minutes and they gave me great ideas I wouldn’t of thought of! I took their advice and got my video to 3 minutes.
I am much more confident with my speaking style, and I definitely know how to outline a speech better. I like the ability to give feedback in a kind way, and I really liked the videos on how to give criticism in an effective manner, as I think that has helped all of us help each other. I think I still need to work somewhat on how I speak with my hands, especially in speeches that I don’t have something to hold. In this most recent how-to speech, I was able to channel that into folding the paper, but in other cases, I need to remember that it can be distracting for many people.
At the start of this course I was not a great public speaker and in no way am I a good public speaker now, but I have learned where some of my struggles are when I’m speaking in front of anyone. I know some of my biggest struggles from the start of the course were the level of confidence I had with my voice and the shakiness I had when I spoke. I do feel like I have improved with that and being able to have a clearer voice. I also struggled and still struggle with using filler words in my videos. I feel like I have gotten better with the amount that I use them, but I still have a lot more room for improvement. The comments I get from my group mates have definitely helped me out a lot.
At the beginning of this course, I felt that I had strong public speaking skills. I had always been a decent public speaker but I was not prepared to learn this much about giving a presentation. Now that I’ve recorded multiple videos, it’s clear that there is still room for improvement, but the drafts are slowly getting longer, which means harder to record. I love hearing ways I can enhance my speeches, and my peers give me the best critiques comments, and suggestions.
During the first week of the class I was not very confident in my public speaking abilities. However, after the third week, I can say that I have noticed some improvement. I noticed that in my first speech I sound way more nervous compared to my other ones where I felt more comfortable giving a speech to the camera. There are definitely some areas that I could still improve on, such as saying um a lot and having to rerecord a lot of my speeches over and over again. My goal is that by the end of the semester I will be able to successfully record a speech in one take.