LET'S TAKE A DR ZHIVAGO BREAK! (Although don't forget Yuri and Lara--we'll be back for the next two chapters next week.)
Let's talk about another of the exciting Academic Decathlon events...yes, you know it, you love it--SPEECH!
I was going to try to make some corny allusion to the 4th of July and how our nation's independence was orchestrated by strong orators (speakers) who used their awesome speaking skills to convince others to rebel against Britain and create the United States of America (I'm sure that is what you are all pondering as you watch the fireworks, right? right?)...but I won't go there...I will say that speech (or public speaking) is one of the most important life skills you will acquire from participating in Academic Decathlon. When I participated in AD, one year, our overall topic was the 1980s (you know, shoulder pads, big hair and synthesized music)...I honestly almost never use anything I learned about that topic in everyday life, but I do use the public speaking skills I got that year everyday in my profession (and no, that's not just 'cause I'm a teacher...most adults have to speak in front of others in their jobs). So, while it sounds scary, we are going to jump in.
Mr. Riggs and I have been privileged to give, judge and listen to many, many speeches in Academic Decathlon at all different levels, from our own team to nationals, and I think one thing at least I can say about this is that the topic is not particularly important to your overall outcome. I've heard speeches on many topics including: Tetris, music, sleep, truth, love, personal quirks, Sherlock Holmes, healthcare reform, duct tape, New Mexican culture, non-athletic extra-curricular activities, lapdesks, etc. I have given AD speeches on American mythology and the benefits of the space program. What is more important than the topic is that you speak with conviction, passion and polish. VVHS has won medals in speech at competition before (even a gold one!), let's continue that tradition!
The speech event is unique in AD in that you are in control of what happens. You may read Dr. Zhivago 8 times (and I know you will ;) ), and still not know EVERYTHING about it, but in speech, you walk in with the topic, all the points are available to you based solely on what you bring into the room, not what someone writing multiple-choice questions thinks is important. So, with that in mind, we want to present at competition very polished, professional and passionate speeches, and in order to get them polished appropriately, we need to start now. Your coaches and teammates can help you with the polishing, but you alone can select a topic about which you are passionate.
With all that in mind, your assignment this week is to answer the following questions:
1. What do you think makes a great speech or speaker? (A speech is nothing more than a unit of talking that attempts to inform or persuade; your teachers do this everyday, your parents probably give speeches, you may have seen or heard political, religious or cultural leaders give speeches as well, think about the best, most convincing and memorable speech you've ever heard...what were its characteristics?)
2. Choose a (tentative) speech topic. It can be a thing, an issue, an idea, about which you are passionate enough to speak for 3.5 minutes. Write one paragraph to explain what the topic is and why you are passionate about it.
Please come back later in the week and comment back to a classmate about their topic.
NO QUIZ THIS WEEK! Happy Independence Day!
what makes a speech great is the speaker and also how he or she acts when presenting the topic and how confident they are in the topic as well also it helps when you dress well.
ReplyDeleteA topic i have in mind is how people act. People act in many different ways to many different ways. Why cant people just be cool with everyone and just be nice. Also why do we have to talk with so many emotions to express what were saying. That is a topic that im passionate about and this is what i think.
Chris, Welcome! So you are thinking about human behavior? Any particular aspect of it...like anger, reactions to positive/negative situations, etc.? I think that's a good topic, but you'll need to work on narrowing it down a bit, and deciding exactly and clearly what you'll say.
DeleteA good speech is one that leaves the audience(the judges) with something to think about. It also needs a clear focus. You don't want it to be about yo-yo tricks at first and then end with the joy of dancing. It needs to show emotion as well, but not too much as to make it ridiculous. The volume of the speaker is very important. If you don't speak loud enough, it will give the impression that you are shy or nervous, and will reflect negatively in your score. Talking too loud is better than being too quiet. The people will hear what you say, but they will also think you're "different"
ReplyDeleteI want to take advantage of my awkwardness and maybe do a speech on awkward dancing. When I go to a school dance, I just copy what other people do, and when I dance differently, I feel awkward. Then, later in the speech I can give some first-hand tips to remedy situations like this. Or I could give a speech on genetics because I like genetics. It's a topic that's interesting to most people.
That's a really great point you have on the volume aspect of a speech. I have a very quiet voice and often find it quite difficult to speak up while giving presentations. Guess that's something I'll have to work on.
DeleteAs for the awkward dancing, I haven't a clue, because I have never even been to a school dance :)
I must confess that I was a huge fan of your speech on juggling last year. You embraced your awkwardness and channelled it into something about which you are passionate, all that speech needed was a lot more polish and I really think it could have been a contender. Sooooo, let's apply that same thing to awkward dancing, only let's have time to polish your speech properly. I like it!
DeleteOh, and Scout needs to get to a school dance asap! ;)
There are many elements that come together in order to make a great speech or speaker. I find it helps if the topic is of current affairs so that the audience can relate to it. The speech must be well prepared. It is embarrassing when a speaker has no idea what they are talking about. Anecdotes are also good. As for the speaker, language, posture, emotion and volume all add up to give the speaker an air of confidence.
ReplyDeleteA topic I am interested in is the phenomenon of facebook and how it has effected today's society. It's so strange that people don't feel the need to wish you a happy birthday to your face or by telephone. They now just post a little message followed by a smiley face on your wall. People will often talk to people they would never talk to face to face. Since I've moved to America, I get messages every week from Irish people I hardly know. I am amazed by the personas people make for themselves on facebook. They make out that they have the most exciting lives in the world when in reality, they are sitting at home at their computer screen inventing the life they wish they had.
Wow, that's a great topic! Facebook is so relevant to us today. You can spark so many different views just by mentioning it - I'm interested to see your take on it. You make a great point about people exaggerating their lives on the Internet.
DeleteScout, I love your idea! Facebook is indeed a phenomenon and social media is surely changing the way we communicate and the reasons we do so. You'll need to do some research on social media to include in your speech and decide what exactly your position is, but I see a great deal of potential here.
DeleteA good speech should have a topic the audience can relate to and have an emotional impact. The speaker should be well prepared and feel comfortable with what there reading.
ReplyDeleteThe topic I am intrested in is stopping pet euthanasia for healthy animals. It is horrible for healthy animals that could be adodpted to be put to death. About 4 million shelter animals a year are euthanized.The Albuquerque shelters euthanize about 18,000 animals annually -- 75% of the animals that come through their doors.
I agree that a speech should have an emotional impact. Especially with a topic like yours, I could imagine you taking a passionate approach when talking.
DeleteAnna, nice idea for a speech topic. It's emotional, yet you can certainly back your argument with facts and research.
DeleteI think a great speech should engage the audience in more than one way. The speaker should feel passionate about their topic, as well as know their topic well enough to share it with their audience. They should also be able to have a strong impact and leave listeners thinking by appealing to emotions, logic, ethics.
ReplyDeleteMy topic is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which is a program that encourages aspiring writers to dedicate the entire month of November to completing a 50,000 words minimum. Being a writer, I think that this is a great device for those who have trouble commiting to writing on a daily basis by giving them a goal. It doesn't matter if your writing makes zero sense and features crazy scenes, the goal is to make yourself a deadline and stick to it by just writing, even if you think it's worthless. This approach helps people conquer their inner critic, and that is why I admire it so much.
That's a really great topic, Maria. I agree on your point that many people do have trouble committing to writing on a daily basis. I think this will be a topic an audience can relate to. Nice job! :)
DeleteI love NaNoWriMo, and I've technically already done it for the month of June. It's an awesome experience and and awesome speech idea.
DeleteI'm going to have to try that this November. I love that idea as a speech. The most valuable speech is something that gets the audience motivated to do something different because they heard it from the speaker. haha Start a trend; get the ball rolling for everyone that hears your speech to write in Novemeber!
DeleteWow 50,000 words is a lot to write. I like what you said about the inner critic.
DeleteGreat, Maria! I think you should think about focusing on the method and why it is worthwhile to do something you know to be "worthless" or nonsensical.
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ReplyDelete1) You have to have passion otherwise you might as well be reading the dictionary. Show your passion. Though, I can't remember a speech from anything political or otherwise, I can remember Allens' from last year. He loved his juggling all right.
ReplyDelete2) It's probably going to be Rammstein this time. Not their lyrics but some of their history, and the 'why' of them. A lot of their 'why' is part of my love and respect for them. They're not bratty about what they want to say, they take serious stories seriously (but add puns). They don't say worthless things like a lot of other music out there. And they're very interesting and worth paying attention to in my opinion (The lead singer was a basket weaver! Imagine that change).
Casey-I see you love Rammstein! That's fine, I asked for a topic about which you are passionate. We'll just have to make sure it's different enough from last year's speech. And definitely include the part about the lead singer being a former basket weaver...maybe you could even address how major changes like that take place and how they can affect the person's future work (i.e. Rammmstein's music).
DeleteA good speech is something that would give the audience a clear idea of what the speaker is arguing, and a successful one would persuade the audience to be in agreement with the speaker. I think that every speech is at least a little persuasive, and I would even go so far as to say that whenever one opens their mouth, they are trying to sell you an idea. The most effective speech would thus be the one that persuades the audience and is memorable despite the brain's constant overexposure to data and really just trying to make sense of everything it hears.
ReplyDeleteI guess my speaking has improved since I started Academic Decathlon, and I have to give AD credit for a lot of that, but my speeches still have a LOT of room to improve. I will probably be most successful talking about something that I'm interested in, so I think music would be a good topic for me to discuss. Perhaps how that has had an impact on me personally? Why it's important in general? I still have to narrow it down.
Music and how it affects you personally? Good topic idea...how does it affect you personally? Can those effects be applied to society at large do you think?
DeleteSome great topics here! Let's see if we can refine them into some kind of thesis statement--I know, I know, big English teacher words, but all I mean is the one idea you want to get across to your audience.
ReplyDelete1) I think that confidence,passion, knowledge, expirience, and a topic that relates to your audience.
ReplyDelete2. I would like to write a speech about Roller Derby. I am passionate about Roller Derby because all the women on the team are so independant and srong, which are two things I think all woman should be. My mom also does roller derby, so my family practicallyu breathes it.