journal 8

            I am truly amazed by the progress I am not only seeing, but feeling, after completing four speeches. When starting out I really had no idea what went into a speech because all throughout high school, I would try and hide notes on my presentations so I would remember what I had to talk about. Little did I know, with preparation and an outline, these notes could’ve disappeared, and my confidence would have skyrocketed. Speech four is completed and not only have I learned so much about the presentation of a speech, I have also learned a lot about myself. This speech taught me a lot about showing emotion, passion and using supporting evidence to boost your claim or thesis. While talking about someone important to me, I reflect and hope that one day someone will talk about me in this positive way. Walking into this, I felt as though it would’ve been a lot easier than expected, but with so many thoughts, it was harder to keep organized and under the time requirement. This is where I began to redo my outline multiple times and bold, capitalize, and highlight important facts or details. With an organized outline, and some practice, my final draft was a lot smoother, cleaner, and better presented. I have come a long way with eye contact and body language and finally feel a lot more comfortable in my own shoes. I will continue to work on transitions, and flow as I feel that will advance my speeches in a multitude of ways. I cannot wait to see the progress I make while finishing out this course.