There has been much in the news lately about what makes a hero and what and who we should regard as a hero. I have my heroes. They are heroes to me for different reasons. Some of them have been a personal influence in my life, others have done extraordinary things I could only dream of. This concept of what a hero or a role model is differs for everyone. In my speech, I asked the audience to imagine they are a group of graduating middle school students about to start high school.
I began by introducing the facts about how American history is being taught in the school system today. I asked them to consider how they felt when I mentioned things like; D-Day, Korea, Vietnam, Nazis, Desert Storm, The Gulf War, and even, 9/11. I submitted to the audience that as they go on with their adolescent lives, it is important to have a knowledge and gain an appreciation for these events in American History. And finally, I attempted to persuade them that as they seek out role-models and heroes whom to pattern their lives after - to consider veterans and American service men and women. Many of these individuals, especially modern day soldiers are there because they choose to be. The have enlisted on their own. While all of these individuals may not be perfect, and they may have their flaws just like everyone else, they have mad the choice to defend our freedoms and liberate others from tyranny around the globe.
I had this speech planned well before my final persuasion speech given in class. Sadly, these two speeches ended up being too much alike. I wish I would have done something a little more entertaining and enjoyable for my audience. None the less, this morning at work, I had a captive audience as we had a small staff meeting. I chose to take advantage of this setting to introduce and give my speech.
My office consists of 5 females and 8 men ranging in ages from 23 to 84. We are mostly like-minded individuals. A majority of us share the same religious belief which we practice to different degrees. As you know, you spend most of your time with those we work with. I chose to give my speech in this setting because I thought it would make it easier as I am already very comfortable around every individual that was present. Boy was I mistaken.
I was able to use some integrative images and facts to illustrate my points but the projection system was somewhat antiquated compared to that in the classroom. I perceived that due to the laid-back nature of my relationships with my co-workers, my performance rubrics would come back very favorable. For the most part, they did. I used the exact rubric that we used for our speeches in class. As I practiced for earlier speeches on my co-workers, I told them I was unable to self check. With this in mind, they were ultra picky on this issue - I blame the antiquated projector. My speech was somewhat superficial and did not contain a ton of poignant research defending my claims. I thought it would be very difficult to offer up a serious speech to a group of my peers and maintain a good tone, rate, speed and pitch. This was, however a positive point on many of the evaluations. They saw a new side of me today. Two areas that I can improve on are my transitions from one point to the next and my confidence as I present. Some how I need to be more comfortable and not become nervous as I speak in front of others.
While I wish I would have chosen a more appropriate topic for my particular audience and not had to have them pretend they are something else, this exercise helped stretch me in ways that the in class speeches could not. I had so much anxiety going into this class. Some of those anxieties still exist but I will always be grateful for the experience this class has afforded me. I am glad it gave me to get an opportunity to get a few more public presentations under my belt.
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