Concluding the Adventures

Over the course of this semester, I have learned an abundance in my Public Speaking course taught by Mrs. Guarino.  In the beginning of the year, I knew very little about what this course was going to offer and how it would affect the rest of my life. I can honestly say that this course has impacted my life more than I could have ever imagined. I did not realize how big of a part public speaking played in my life until now. I use it everywhere; in all my classes, when speaking to adults, when trying to convince my parents to do something. Public speaking is all around me and I now know how to properly convince and persuade others using a sensible tone of voice and the correct amount of ethos, logos and pathos.
I have to say, in the beginning of the year, I knew practically nothing about public speaking. The only thing I knew was to stand still and make eye contact. Well, that is part of it, but there is so much more that I hadn't learned before, even just those two statements. What I now know about those two "rules": When speaking, you need to stand planted with your feet shoulder width apart. Generally, you can stay still but controlled movements to emphasize a point are fine as well. You just must make sure not to look fidgety and nervous. That can make you lose credibility. When making eye contact, you do not want to stare at one person in particular. That can make them uncomfortable. You want to scan the audience making sure that you are never looking down at your feet. You also must not read off your notes like an essay. That will bore the audience. I learned all this and much, much more.
  In the beginning of the year, I hoped that taking this course would help me become less nervous when speaking in front of others. I would always get really scared to speak in front of teachers and other peers. Well, I can happily say that my goal, of being less terrified to speak in front of others, has been achieved. Recently, I have found myself volunteering to go first and participating more in other classes. I really enjoyed taking a class that will actually be able to help me in my daily life.
To be completely honest, once this class started, I was very scared of having to do a lot of writing. I did not want to do a 500 word blog post every single week. But as time passed, each blog post would get easier and easier. This class really helped me improve my writing as well as my speaking. Getting feedback from Mrs. Guarino and all of my peers really helped me figure out my own, personal style of writing. Writing every week allowed me to progress and move forward, figure out my flaws and mistakes and move past them. Another main skill I learned in this class was memorization. This was very important for me to learn because I have a lot of difficulty with memorizing everything; numbers, formulas, equations, definitions, names, dates, ect. Learning new ways of memorizing writing doesn't only help me with speeches, but applies to many other subjects as well. I hope that in the future, I will always remember the basic techniques of memorization, such as recording yourself and then listening to the recording on repeat.
I would just like to thank you, Mrs. Guarino, for dealing with our class for the past four months. If I was a teacher, I would not have been able to do it (especially with all the differing opinions and certain people who just have debating/arguing in their blood). You really have taught all of us so much and these are lessons that will stay with us forever. Thank you and have a great rest of the year!

The best link ever: http://cheshireacademypublicspeakingfall2015.blogspot.com

Final Ted Talk

http://youtu.be/kntUOREW1jw

How I can Improve My Ted Talk

So far I have a rough draft written of our last project in public speaking, our Ted Talks. It is a very rough draft that needs to be edited and I can make a lot of changes to make the project better.
First, I need to edit all the spelling and grammar to ensure that everything is correct. I am planning to record myself reading the speech, and then put the pictures and video into iMovie. I need to correctly cite all of my sources and put that in a slide at the end of my Ted Talk. I also need to find many more pictures, and hopefully graphs, to put into my final project. I need to find correct graphs that suitably prove my point.
I also need to find suitable, reliable facts and quotes that help show that college is not the only option. I need to figure out the visible aspects of my Ted Talk. Like the fade in, fade out, transition into pictures and back into the video. I need to make sure that the entire video ends up running smoothly together, and looks final.
I have a lot of things that need to be completed but I have the basic draft that allows for me to know what I need to work on and what I have to do. Overall, I think that my speech was pretty good. I need to work on certain aspects of it but it is getting better as the process continues. I need to plan better and make sure that I don't wait until the last minute to create the final product. To ensure that I do this, I will make sure that I use the class time we receive wisely. I will try to make this as professional a Ted Talk as I can.
So far, this has been a really fun project that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I love Ted Talks and I am exuberantly excited to recreate this experience. I hope that my final project captures the essence of a good Ted talk. I will work very hard to make sure that this project is the best I can do!

http://www.unstuck.com/how-we-procrastinate.html

The Myth of College Being Necessary

"You need to go to college, get a good job and have a family of your own." Have you ever felt like this was the outline of your life? Something that defined you even before you knew what a "major" was? Have you ever felt like you need a college degree to be successful? Well I'm here to say stop stressing, because that is not always the case. If getting a degree is your dream, that's great, but people need to know that is not the only option out there. The loans and debt that one has after finishing college can be overwhelming and you are not even guaranteed a job afterwards. And I'm not saying college isn't useful. College can be a fantastic experience,  but I'm just saying that doesn't have to be your only choice. I'm here to help you in making that decision.
The applying process for colleges is very stressful. Having interviews, writing essays, visiting schools can all be a lot for you to handle, and it builds up. All while juggling junior and senior years of high school. And many have done it before, handled the applying process with high school, but just because it's what most people do, that doesn't mean you have to. Now, it's a lot harder to get into colleges than it was 30 years ago. This may also affect your final decision.
About 20-30 years ago, going to college and getting a major generally guaranteed you a job. But present day that is not always the case. The requirements for jobs has been raised and over time, the amount of college graduates that are unemployed has dramatically increased, while students graduating with a high school degree have started to become more employed now than ever before. This makes it slightly easier to get jobs with just a high school degree. Some jobs that one can have without a college degree are; an administrative assistance, appliance repairer, bookkeeper, carpenter and more.
Another problem for many people is financial debt. If you are already in a large amount of debt, college may be something that you really need to think about. "69% of 2013 senior [college] graduates left school with an average student loan debt of $28,400, but debt ranged from  $18,656 to over $30,000." As you can see, colleges cost a lot of money and a lot of walk needs to be put I. To pay off all of the debt. There is always financial aid but sometimes that still is not enough. After college, you need to be able to pay off your debt so you need to consider if you will be able to do that once your four years are up. If you will not be able to, this can add a lot of stress into your life as a young adult.
         Although college is great, the process of applying can be stressful, you are not even guaranteed a job after you receive your degree, and you can graduate having to face the pressure of student loans and debt hit you afterward. Sometimes you need to think to yourself, is it really worth it?

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/13/average-student-loan-debt-hits-30-000
http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/20-great-jobs-without-college-degree

Research for Ted Talk

Intro:
"You need to go to college, get a good job and have a family of your own." Have you ever felt like this was the outline of your life? Something that defined you even before you knew what a "major" was? Have you ever felt like you need a college degree to be successful? Well I'm here to say stop stressing, because that is not always the case. If getting a degree is your dream, that's great, but people need to know that is not the only option out there. The loans and debt that one has after finishing college can be overwhelming and you

Topics:
Applying process
Get quotes, stats, relate to students in room currently applying to collages
Stress put on people to know their major, and career at an early age
Not guaranteed a job afterwards
Going to have to find direct evidence
TONS of student debt
Give examples of amounts

Successful People who Never Graduated from college:
Steve Jobs (Net worth $11 billion in 2011)
Richard Branson ($4.9 billion)
Dave Thomas ($99 million)
Michael Dell ($20 billion)

Main Points Explained But Still In Need of a lot of Editing: To show people that there are other options out there besides college. Although college is great for some people, it may not be the best choice fore others. Especially if they are having difficulty financially (relate back to student loans). I want to be able to state this without making college seem bad. I just want to show people that there are other options out there and when making decisions about the future, college is not the only path one has to take. There are a great amount of jobs that can include passion without a degree being needed. Also, success does not come directly from getting a good degree in college. Success comes from passion and handwork (maybe I could find a quote of someone saying how to get success). There have been many successful people that have not gotten a college degree (refer back to successful people list). Then maybe go into how even getting a degree does not guarantee a job. If you can not get a good job you can't pay off student debt (talk about average student debt, maybe find some more statistics on how many people graduate with student debt.) End by saying that college is a choice but you need to think is it worth it in the end?


Main Takeaway: Although college is great, the process of applying can be stressful, you are not even guaranteed a job after you receive your degree, and you can graduate having to face the pressure of student loans and debt hit you afterward. Sometimes you need to think to yourself, is it really worth it?

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249683

69% of 2013 senior graduates left school with an average student loan debt of $28,400, but debt ranged from  $18,656 to over $30,000. - http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/13/average-student-loan-debt-hits-30-000



According to this graph, over time the amount of college graduates that are unemployed has dramatically increased, while students graduating with a high school degree have started to become more employed now than ever before.














http://www.businessinsider.com/these-two-charts-prove-a-college-education-just-isnt-worth-the-money-anymore-2012-6

If you do feel that college is not the right thing for you, there are many great jobs where a degree is not necessary.
Jobs that high school graduates can have: http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/20-great-jobs-without-college-degree

Outline of College Ted Talk

Intro:
"You need to go to college, get a good job and have a family of your own." Have you ever felt like this was the outline of your life? Something that defined you even before you knew what a "major" was? Have you ever felt like you need a college degree to be successful? Well I'm here to say stop stressing, because that is not always the case. If getting a degree is your dream, that's great, but people need to know that is not the only option out there. The loans and debt that one has after finishing college can be overwhelming.

Topics:
1.) Applying process
        a.) Get quotes, stats, relate to students in room currently applying to collages
2.) Not guaranteed a job afterwards
        a.) Going to have to find direct evidence
3.) TONS of student debt
        a.) Give examples of amounts

Successful People who Never Graduated from college:
Steve Jobs (Net worth $11 billion in 2011)
Richard Branson ($4.9 billion)
Dave Thomas ($99 million)
Michael Dell ($20 billion)


Main Takeaway: Although college is great, the process of applying can be stressful, you are not even guaranteed a job after you receive your degree, and you can graduate having to face the pressure of student loans and debt hit you afterward. Sometimes you need to think to yourself, is it really worth it? 

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249683

My Review on Peter Pan

    This past weekend, I, along with many others, saw the original Peter Pan performed by the Cheshire Academy theater program. I saw the first showing and therefore understand how nervous, excited and stressed everyone must have been. Overall this play was very good and interesting. Since I have only seen the Disney version of Peter Pan before this, it was nice being able to see a different side to the story. This was a very good play and you could tell that a lot of effort was put into it.
All of the actors did a very good job portraying their characters. I think that everyone really fit the part they were given. Also, if one person had to play the part of two different characters in the play, they did a very good job of separating the two. The one person was able to have completely different personalities for each specific character they were playing.
I believe that all the costumes and props in this play were amazing. Personally, I loved the scene on the pirate ship with the masts and red lights. I thought all the lighting was very cool, although there seemed to be a few mistakes with the first show. For example, Sam had to kind of move with the light one time but everyone was able to easily adjust which was good. It seemed like there was a lot of work put into all the costumes and I think that everyone looked great for the final product.
Compared to the Disney version, this Peter Pan had a lot of comparisons but also some differences. This play was a bit darker than the Disney version, but this is a bit obvious because Disney is generally meant for smaller children even though many, many older people like it as well. In this play people actually died unlike the Disney version. What really surprised me was the suicide of Captain Hook. Also I found it shocking and very symbolic in general during the part when Peter was standing, steering the boat with Captain Hook's hook on right after he killed himself. The red lights and Peter standing there was very dark and eerie. Also when Captain dropped his sword and Peter gave it back to him, it showed Peter wanted to win, fair and square. I feel like Captain Hook was what kept Peter's life interesting so he didn't want everything with him to be over.
This play was truly fantastic and I'm very happy that I was able to go and see it. Everyone worked very hard and did a great job performing in front of so many people. The take on the play was new, different and interesting and the whole thing was a lot of fun.

What Makes A Good Ted Talk

    This week, we saw a lot of amazing Ted Talks made by professional public speakers. Many of the speakers had similar techniques throughout their speeches, but there were different qualities involved as well. Our class learned a lot on how to make a great Ted Talk for our upcoming project.
Every Ted Talk we saw had excellent visuals in the background, while the speaker was talking. That seems to be one of the main things that makes a Ted Talk different from a regular speech. Visuals allow for listeners to stay interested in what the speaker is saying. Having pictures can also remind a speaker what they are going to say next. Another thing the Talks had in common were they were all spoken by adults. An interesting thing I would like to research in the future would be seeing if there are professional Ted Talks made by children or teenagers like us. I don't watch Ted Talks too often so I don't know the answer to this question yet but it is just something I noticed that interests me.
There were also things that people did differently in the Ted Talks. For example, some talked longer than others. Even though I believe there is a time limit for each Talk, I still just thought to note this difference. Since the limits were different, some speeches seemed more rushed than others. Some people spoke very clearly while others were harder to understand and the number of visuals in each presentation also were different each time. Although all Ted Talks have a main takeaway, some of the Talks have a more serious ending statement than others. This was evident as we watched the speeches where some topics were overall more serious then, say, the one before it.
We learned a lot of ways to make a good Ted Talk. We learned that we need an introduction that establishes credibility and grabs the audiences attention. The body of the presentation should have all your content and talking points. Putting humor throughout the presentation is also helpful. In the conclusion you need to have a clear take away. You can end in a question, you want the audience to continue thinking about, or a call to action, making the audience want to do something about what was said. These techniques ensure that the audience will remember the clear, main point of your argument.
Overall I am pretty excited to start this project. This project is taking place over a long period of time but I plan on starting research as soon as possible. I need to do a lot of research on my topic to obtain a decent amount of credibility. I also want to find some direct quotes from professionals that actually work and live learning about my topic, which has to do with the myth of having to go to collage to succeed. I am planning on saying my speech, recording it and putting it into iMovie. I will then add my pictures to add visuals to the presentation. I'm really glad that we got to choose our topic and I am excited to start research. I think that this will be a great learning experience and will prepare us for other projects in the future.

http://blog.ted.com/10-tips-for-better-slide-decks/

Ideas For Ted Talk

• The Idea of Having to go to Collage to Have a Good Future
• Reasoning Behind Lack of Reading as Kids get Older
• Coral Reefs and Marine Animals 

Ted Talks

 This is a quick, inspirational video that shows 8 steps on how to be successful.
https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_s_8_secrets_of_success?language=en#t-191386

This man talks about how doing something for 30 days can help start or subtract habits from your life.
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days?language=en#t-188271

This lady talks about good things being able to come from bad situations.
https://www.ted.com/talks/stacey_kramer_the_best_gift_i_ever_survived?language=en#t-178771

Final How To Speech Video

http://youtu.be/j6O3C_537-g

Evaluation of How To Speech

     "How-To Speeches" are speeches that explain how to specifically do or prepare something. My How-To speech talked about the importance of body language interpretation in other countries. I talked about how different body language can be offensive in other countries and gave a few specific examples. In the end, I believe I did a very good job on my final speech.
     In my last draft of performing the speech I used one, organized note card but had most of the speech memorized. I believe that my speech was interesting, though I could have maybe added more detail to make it exciting. I believe that my topic was clearly introduced and given clearly throughout the presentation. Although I did not get the speech perfect on the first try, I believe the final one was pretty good. I thought my volume was loud but not yelling and I don't believe that I stuttered too much. I don't think that I was reading off my notecard and I believe I made good eye contact. I don't think I was swaying a lot, like I usually do, but I may have touched my hair a few times which could have been slightly distracting.
     I thought the content of my speech was very clear. I started out with my credibility and tried to show that I knew what I was talking about. I believe that my topic was clearly introduced. I tried very hard to logically explain my topic and show specific examples of types of body language that should not be used in certain countries. I tried to explain why they were disrespectful as well so I had to find background on the subject. I had three different examples that I tried to clearly represent and show to the audience. My conclusion was kind of short but I wanted to quickly sum up the point of my talk so I believe that went well. I could have tried harder to make the conclusion a bit more interesting but thought it was pretty good overall.
     Even though I did some things correctly there are still many things I could improve on. I feel like I need to articulate more and also wish I was able to memorize the entire speech. If I memorized the whole speech I would be able to make even more eye contact and it would seem like I knew what I was doing, therefore increasing my credibility. Although I do go to a school with people from over 30 countries, I still don't think I have a large amount of credibility on the subject of national affairs due to the fact that I have never even been out of the United States. I needed to act more confident to seem more credible than I actually am. My conclusion was better than my first draft but I believe I still could have made it more interesting for the listeners.
    Overall, I thought my speech was good but could have used some improvements. I now know what I need to focus on in creating our next project.



http://www.inc.com/ss/jeff-haden/20-public-speaking-tips-best-ted-talks

How to Understand Cultural Differences in Body Language

       I have always had a passion for learning about other cultures and currently go to a school with over 30 countries represented. I get to meet people from all over the world and learn about their beliefs. When visiting other countries we need to be respectful of people's cultures and be sure not to accidentally offend them in any way. Before visiting places you are not familiar with, it is helpful to do some research on their culture and ways of life. 

Body language differs all around the globe. For example, in almost all of Europe, people will stand right next to you when having a conversation. The idea of "personal space" is not as big in most other countries as it seems to be in United States. If you step backward or move away during a conversation because you think someone is standing too close, that is considered very offensive.

Also, one thing that you should not do when visiting Greece is hold up your palms to anyone. It is a sign of disrespect that goes back to ancient times when criminals would be taunted by smearing their faces with excrement. 

Making a circle with your thumb and forefinger can be a common gesture in the U.S. but in France, the sign is a way of communicating that something or someone is worthless. Therefore if you are communicating "ok"or "sounds good", do not use this general hand signal in France. 

Use these tips and remember to do extra research before traveling. This will make sure nobody is accidentally offended or insulted by body language. Always respect other countries and their cultures, even if it is not what you are used to. I encourage all of you to go out, explore the world and have fun!

http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/10-common-gestures-easily-misunderstood-abroad/

Understand cultural differences in body language draft

When visiting other countries we need to be respectful of other people's cultures and be sure not to accidentally offend them in any way. Before visiting places you are not familiar with, it is helpful to do some research on their culture and ways of life. For example, in generally all of Europe, people will stand right next to you when having a conversation. The idea of "personal space" is not as big in other countries as it seems to be in America. If you step backward or move away during a conversation because you think someone is standing too close, that is considered very offensive. Something you should not do when visiting Greece is hold up your palms to anyone. It is a sign of disrespect that goes back to ancient times when criminals would be taunted by smearing their faces with excrement. Making a circle with your thumb and forefinger is a common gesture in the U.S. but in France, the sign is a way of communicating that something or someone is worthless.
Use these tips remember to research more to make sure that nobody is accidentally offended or insult. Always respect other countries and their cultures even if they are different than what you are used to.

http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/10-common-gestures-easily-misunderstood-abroad/

How-To Speech Draft

How To: understand cultural differences in body language
     This would be a very fun topic to research. I am always very interested in cultures and relations involving other countries. This is an important topic because a person visiting another country would not want to accidentally offend another persons culture by a "normal" body movement. 

How To: give a dog a check up
     When I was little I always wanted to be a vet. In eighth grade I created a project showing how one is able to give a dog a check up like a veterinarian would. If I used this as my topic I would be able to go into great depth about all the steps needed, and everything to look for when giving a dog a check up.

How To: talk to a deaf person
     I have a friend that has been learning sign language for the past couple years and I find it an amazing way of being able to communicate with others. Using this topic as my speech I could explain the importance of learning sign language. Being able to communicate with deaf people is an important life skill. I could explain how the alphabet works and how the language can be taught to other people.

Second Debate and Lightning Rounds

Debate on Social Networking.

Side: Social Networking Has A Negative Affect On Teens

How Did We Do?:

     I believe that our team did a much better job on preparation for this project. We knew what we were doing more then our first debate and knew more of what to expect. Everyone in the team was able to do a great job of adding to the overall debate and making it successful. I believe that some things that we did well were clearly speaking, using our time and preparing our rebuttals. For the most part, everyone in our team was able to clearly speak and get our points across. Everyone's opening was good but towards the end, we seemed to always lose our train of thought. Everyone on our team pretty much used all of their time or was close to the end of their time, which is very good. You need to use all the time you can to make a convincing argument. We prepared much more for this debate then our first. A lot of people wrote out the general stuff they were going to say and then added parts to make good rebuttals against the other team. Overall, even though the debate ended in a tie, our team did much better in this debate than the first one.

    Although we did better in this debate, we still could have done a few things differently. I think our final conclusion could have been prepared a bit more and we could have perhaps gotten our points across a bit clearer. Other than that, our debate seemed very well thought out. 

     I believe that the other team did a much better job this time compared to the first debate. They had a much clearer argument and did not directly accuse people who did not agree with them this time which was very good. No one ending up agreeing with the wrong side and they all seemed to improve even if some of their arguments were short.

Lightning Round Debates:

     I really like the lightning round debates. I think that they are a great way for people to individually learn what their strengths and weaknesses are. It is awesome being able to pick topics that we already know about. This really helps us learn to think quickly and argue about a topic even if we don't agree with the side given to us. So far, everyone has been doing very well on these lightning rounds. People seem to be able to clearly prove their points no matter what side they are on. This is a fun and amazing way of being able to practice our skills and quick thinking for debating.

A Website that has some good ideas on how to prepare for a Debate:

http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-a-Short-Preparation-Debate

Social Networkimg Has A Negative Affect on Teens

Opening statement: Adler
Rebuttal one: Baran
Rebuttal two: Ella
Closing: Hannah

Points:

• Cyber bullying: people can hide behind a different identity which allows them to anonymously hurt others without having to feel bad about it, because nobody knows it was them

• Background check: if someone makes when mistake one time and it ends up on the Internet, everyone is able to see it. If pictures of high school students drinking and smoking is posted on a social media site, collages and corporations are able to see it which could influence their decision on allowing one into a school or receiving a job. 

• Social Media puts more pressure on students because if they are more worried about the amount of likes they get on a picture, the less focused they will be on their schoolwork. 

Rebuttal Points:

"Around half of teens have been the victims of cyber bullying. Cyber bullying victims are more likely to have low self esteem and to consider suicide."

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html

"Youth victimized by their peers were 2.4 times more likely to report suicidal ideation and 3.3 times more likely to report a suicide attempt than youth who reported not being bullied (Espelage & Holt, 2013)."

http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/suicide-statistics.html

Start off with:
When you think of bullying, you may think of someone getting beat up behind school or laughed at and made fun of at class. But social media allows for bullying to come home. What starts off as hurtful comments towards a neighbor or peer, can turn into almost harassment, ruining their reputation and making them feel completely insignificant. Cyberbullying comes in many forms and includes, but is not limited to, "Sending mean messages or threats to a person’s email account or cell phone, Spreading rumors online or through texts, Pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person." (http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html) Purposefully targeting others to make them feel bad about themselves is easier to do when hidden behind a computer screen. It would be much harder to go up to someone and say mean comments right to their face for no reason whatsoever. People cyber bully for different reasons. It could be because they do not like the person, which is no excuse for bullying, but it could also be the idea of just victimizing others without consequences because of the anonymousness allowed by the Internet.


Summing up rebuttal: As you can see, social media does negatively affect teens due to that fact that it allows cyber bullying to occur and can lead towards higher suicide rates in teens.

Reflection on Debate

I believe that our team did very well for our first debate, although there are many things we can improve on in the future. Everyone contributed and made good points to support our argument. We were the final winners of the debate. The other team did a very good job, but we had more evidence and points that led to our victory.
Our team had a very good start to the debate. We had a very good introduction to all of the topics we would be speaking about, over the course of the conversation. Our rebuttals were ok but needed some work. We could have had more logos in our rebuttals and also should have planned them out slightly more. Our conclusion was pretty decent. When a new person started talking each section, they would start off strong and slowly, the point of them talking generally would start to dwindle. We need to work on clearly concluding with solid points on each section.
The other team did fine. They had a few good points but didn't quite execute their rebuttals convincingly. I find it very offensive that I was accused of my points making no sense when there was no proof given to show this. I found it quite unprofessional and it made the person speaking lose credibility. But I do believe that they had a very good introduction and ending. Although the beginning was a little short, it was concise and clear. In the end, the other team accidentally backed up our point, but besides that it seemed very prepared and conclusive.
In the end, our team ended with winning the debate. I believe this was due to that fact that we were very prepared and able to support and back up our argument better than the other team. And although we won, there are still things we need to work on. We were decently prepared for this debate, but the more preparation, the better. I think we could also all learn to speak a little slower and clearer. I know that I personally messed up many times while speaking. I said the same point a couple times, was stuttering (making me look less convincing) and I left out an important fact I wanted to share. I could in the future be more prepared by writing everything down in the same place rather than brining up a notebook and an iPad. I could also practice more to make sure that I really know the order in which I need to say my points.
Overall, I learned a lot from this debate. I learned about how presenting yourself can make you seem more convincing. Tone of voice is very important and can affect how serially people take you, especially in a disagreement. I also learned that preparation is nessecary but speaking all the fly is also needed. This was a lot of fun and I believe that our team will do even better in the next debate.
Three more words.

https://www.debatingsa.com.au/Schools-Competition/Documents/Debating-An-Introduction-For-Beginners.pdf

Dramatic Monolouge

http://youtu.be/xdhvmNOiTac

Top 3 Debate Topics

1.) sexism between women and men's sports at Cheshire academy
2.) drinking age
3.) homework on long weekends/holidays

Possible Debate Topics

1.) Abortion should be legal/illegal
2.) Drinking age lowered to 18
3.) Public prayer should/not be allowed in schools
4.) Uniforms should/not be required
5.) Single sex schools are better/not for students

This Sure is a Dramatic Blog Post

This monologue greatly helped my understanding of putting emotion into speeches. All of our monologues had characters with backstories, interest and ideas that we needed to relate to while talking. These were not meant to sound monotone or speech-like, but relate to the person we were trying to portray. I learned a lot from this monologue and had a lot of fun memorizing and performing it.
Memorizing the monologue was particularly hard because of its length. It seemed longer then my "Who Am I?" monologue that I wrote. It was hard for me to act out going crazy and being mad and yelling because I usually try not to do that often. I had to do this because in the monologue, I believe my character was in a mental hospital, due to her craziness after her mothers death. I thought it was great being able to choose our monologue and I was nice not having to write it. I feel that this monologue is harder because you need to memorize the whole thing, plus make eye contact that relates to the character, plus make body movements that relate to the character.
It was a lot of fun being able to pick out this monologue from other sources. I feel like this allowed people to be able to relate more, to the piece of writing they picked, or choose something more outside their comfort zone (like I did). I feel like writing the speech, like our "Who Am I?" monologues, allows us to memorize faster. But, this makes us use our brains more because we need to find different ways to memorize. We can do this by practicing more, listening to ourselves, color coordinating parts of the speech and more.
I did many things differently in this monologue compared to the first monologue. I think this is because of the fact that this was dramatic, compared to a more ordinary speech. I was able to embrace my characters emotions using different tones of voice, facial expressions and arm movements. In my "Who Am I?" speech, I mostly stood still and had closer to a monotone, but still interested, voice. Also, in my dramatic monologue, I tend to use my arms and body more for certain emphasis. In my other monologue, I simply stood still and made eye contact with everyone else in the room.
So far, I have only seen Hannah's monologue but I thought that it was really amazing and learned quite a lot from it. I thought it was very cool how quickly and easily she was able to memorize and perform it. I learned from her that you have to truly embrace your character, and it may take a couple tries but you will eventually be able to complete your final project.
At the moment, I still need to practice my speech more and hopefully have the finalized version ready for presenting by Monday. I still need to practice my acting skills because I feel that I need to capture the essence of my character and her state of depression and insanity. I also need to thoroughly memorize it because for some reason I can't seem to memorize pieces of writing very easily.


http://image.slidesharecdn.com/tipsonhowtomemorizeaspeech-111125094757-phpapp01/95/tips-on-how-to-memorize-a-speech-1-728.jpg?cb=1322214656

Dramatic monologue backstory

I believe that the main character in this monologue is angry at the doctors for not being able to save her mother. I believe that her mother died of a disease and the girl doesn't want to deal with doctors again. I actually think the girl is in a mental hospital of some sort because she seems to be going crazy, yelling and crying at the people around her. The stress of her mothers death could have sent her over the edge. Some blocking I could use are getting angry and yelling at some points and seeming sad and thoughtful at others.

Much Madness

I want to be alone - I can't be around other people -

(Pause. Looks up, afraid)

I get really scared - I almost feel like I can't breathe -

(Panics a little)

I just need to be alone, Doctor -

(Angry)

You don't really care - you're simply doing your job - once I'm "better" you'll be through with me - then it's on to another person -

(Gives a mean look)

You're just like everyone else -

(Speaking viciously)

- you probably haven't cared about anyonne in years - that would be unprofessional - and a burden you don't need for yourself -

(She pauses. Calms a little)

Please, just let me go - I know what I need better than you -

(Angry again)

You're not God, you know - you don't have the powers to cure everything - I know what you can and can't do -

(Screams)

Go on - get out now!

(Long pause and silence. Cries)

No one really cares, do they -

(Struggles to talk through her tears)

You think you can help me - change me -

(Pause)

People should only fix what's broken -

(Furious)

I said I don't want to talk anymore! Leave me alone! I don't have to tell you anything! I'm not a little kid.

(Bends over and buries her face in her hands. Cries for a bit and then is much calmer)

There's so much you don't know -

(She looks up at the sky)

- if only I could fly -

(her eyes look in wonder)

I'm leaving all the Earthly matters to you - I belong near a different sun -

(Points to a star)

I wish I were a star - part of some constellation so I would never be lonely.

- it's so free out there - no one can toouch you or hurt you - you can simply shine -

(Pauses)

People don't like it when you shine - that's why stars are up there and not down here - humans think the brightness is offensive -

(Pause - looks and smiles at the stars)

My mother is a star now -

She always seemed like one to me - but stars don't like it very well where they can't be stars anymore - so they fade away - never shining again -

(Pause - grows sad)

I want to be a star - stars having meaning - stars I understand -

END OF SCENE

Who Am I Monolouge Final!

http://youtu.be/aeGZc6rlpV4

Reflection of Monolouge

    I learned a lot from this "Who am I?" Monologue. Writing and performing this speech allowed me to figure out my strengths and weaknesses. I was able to figure out what I need to work on in the future and how I need to present myself by learning from my peers. This was a fun project that allowed me to reflect on what I will be able to improve on.
I learned a lot about my writing when creating this monologue. I now realize that I need to be more precise and to-the-point when my speech should only be about a minute long. I tend to add extra details that aren't quite necessary when writing. Performing this speech taught me a lot about myself. For example, I never realized how much I move my legs and fidget when talking. I also seem to get quieter and more rushed once I'm near the end of a sentence. Therefore I believe that my weaknesses would consist of, often fidgeting, dropping sentences and memorizing. When memorizing this speech, I actually found it quite difficult and had to practice many, many, many times before I could get it right. Although my weaknesses were many, I also figured out some of my strengths over the course of this assignment. I realized that I could memorize the sentences, just not the order they came in. I also believe I am able to make a good amount of eye contact with others when delivering my speech.
I learned a lot about presentation from my teacher and other students. I now know that standing up straight and talking loudly (but not yelling) makes you seem very confident. I also learned that even if you have no idea what your talking about, if you sound confident and convincing, most of the time, everyone will believe what you are saying. If you are delivering a speech and you stutter, especially a real speech with people watching you, you have to keep going. Often, I would say the wrong word and then completely stop and start over. If you are in a conference, you can not just say "wait sorry let me start over." You will look unprofessional. That is why you must continue as if nothing happened, and most people won't even notice.
      In my next monologue, I will have to work on making the first draft more precise, and start the process of memorization earlier to make sure that I can really get it. I have learned many techniques to help with memorization including; recording and listening to yourself, making different parts of the monologue different colors, making each sentence on a new line, and always practicing out loud with other people.
Writing and delivering this monologue was a very enjoyable experience that allowed me to learn and grow. Thanks to my peers and amazing teacher, I have learned so much about delivering monologues and speeches. And its only been the first two weeks of school! I am looking forward to using what I have learned for future assignments and projects.

Importance of Public Speaking

   Public speaking is an important skill that will help throughout your entire lifetime. It is great to be able to learn early in life so that as time passes, it gets easier to speak in front of others. In this public speaking class I have learned many critical things including training yourself to be still, how the right pacing and tone is very significant and how to properly project your voice. 

     It is necessary to stay still or have controlled movements when giving a speech. If you are swaying or moving around, the audience could get distracted and not be listening to what is actually being said. People have things that they do when they are nervous. For example, adjusting feet, twirling hair, bending papers, twisting hands, ect. When talking, these movements can show nervousness and make you seem unprepared or scared. Even if you are nervous, you want to seem proud and confident. Always try to keep movements to a minimum as to not distract others from your speech. 

     Proper pacing, tone and pronunciation is neseccary so that the listeners can clearly understand and hear everything you are saying. You want to speak at a pace that is not too fast and not too slow. If you are speaking too fast, the listeners will not be able to keep up, but if you are too slow, they will become bored or feel insignificant. Tone is important because you do not want to speak to a group of adults the same way you would speak to a group of toddlers. Your tone has to match your speech and the people you are reading it to. You need to pronounce all your words more then you would in a regular conversation. It may seem weird at first, but to the audience, you appear to be speaking completely normally and clearly. 

    Being loud and projecting is always good when delivering a speech, but there is a difference between projection and yelling. You do NOT want to yell at the audience (unless you are purposefully doing it to prove a point or capture their attention) but generally, the audience does not like being yelled at because it can make them feel accused. You will still  have have to talk louder than you would regularly talk, but not loud enough to scare others. 

     I learned that all these points and more can help make the delivery of your speech successful. Standing still and tall will make you seem confident and minimize distraction. Proper pronunciation will help the audience understand clearly everything you are saying. Being able to project will always ensure that everyone can hear you, even in the back of the room. Some things I would like to accomplish this year are: trying to stop moving around as much when I talk in front of others, stop being so nervous in front of people and acting more confident than I actually am. Hopefully all these reasons and more will help me and others become a better public speakers. 

 

   

"A script is obviously less than a play, while a production is more." - from How to Read a Play

In my opinion, this quote means that although a script or speech is great, it is truly the delivery that is important. A piece of writing can be fantastic, but when presenting to other people, how you read the material reflects back onto the writing. This is important in this class because the more confident and prepared you are, the better the speech will seem.

Monologue

"Who am I?" Monologue

          Hello, my name is Ella Hampson. Today's topic is "who am I?" To be completely honest, I have no clue, I'm still trying to figure it out. I feel that before I can honestly answer that question, I need to experience more. But, I can still tell you about myself. Just because I have no idea what I want to do or who I want to be, doesn't mean I don't have a personality at all. At this point in time, I realize what made me the person I am today.

     As a citizen of the community, I try to help out when I can. I sometimes do community service at a local child center and also am part of the junior fire department. I live in a small town in the North-West corner of Connecticut with about a thousand other people. I believe growing up with the same grade of 14 people for 9 years has influenced the person I am. In my town we have one general store, one gas station, and a hardware store. You can't go anywhere without seeing someone you know. In 8th grade, I was ready to leave. It was sad, moving away from my extended family, but, I needed more, something new and exciting. Thats why I'm at boarding school. To get out of that tiny town in the corner of Connecticut. My decision actually turned out better than ever expected.

     Well, that pretty much sums it up. How I got to be the person I am today.  Although I have no idea what the future holds, hopefully something great will be coming.

     Hello, my name is Ella Hampson. Today's topic is "who am I?" To be completely honest, I have no clue, I'm still trying to figure it out. I feel that before I honestly can answer that question I need to experience more. For example I need to love, lose, feel true happiness and discover my weaknesses. But, I can still tell you about myself. Just because I have no idea what I want to do or who I want to be, doesn't mean I don't have a personality at all. 

     At this point in time I believe I'm hardworking. I always try my hardest no matter what it is. In school I always try my best, although procrastinating is definitely a problem. I like to blame that on the distractions in the dorm, when it is most definitely my fault. In sports and try to be a good teammate no matter a win or a loss. I think that as long as you always try your hardest, and do your best, you have succeeded. 

     I always support my friend's and family's' decisions, no matter what they are. Even if I don't quite agree with them, I try to help them in ways that I can. When people are sad, I try to make them feel better. When they are happy I try not to be depressing and ruin their mood. I always try to branch out and meet new people, and hope it leads to new experiences. In my family, I'd say I'm pretty nice to all of them. I know I'm not the best child, I know I could be better, but I do attempt, always. I have a little brother that I'm constantly getting into fights with, but it's just because he is very, very annoying. 

     As a citizen of the community, I try to help out when I can. I sometimes do community service at a local child center and also am part of the junior fire department. I live in a small town in the North-West corner of Connecticut with about a thousand other people. I believe growing up with the same grade of 14 people for 9 years has influenced the person I am. In my town we have one general store, one gas station (that technically isn't even in our town) and a hardware store. There is also a restaurant about 15 minutes away. My town is very small. You can't go anywhere without seeing someone you know. In 8th grade, I was definitely ready to leave. It was sad, all these people I grew up with. They became my extended family. My 14 brothers and sisters. But, I still needed more, something new and exciting. Not predictable and boring. That why I'm at boarding school. To get out of that tiny town In the corner of Connecticut. And my decision actually turned out better than ever expected. Hopefully the friends I make here will still be my friends 20 years from now.

     Well, that pretty much sums it up. How I got to be the person I am today. And although I have no idea what the future holds, hopefully something great will be coming.