JOURNAL# 9: What are the big takeaways from chapter 23-24?  In a full journal entry, help explain the significance of what you connected with and be prepared to discuss next class. (150 words/chapter words—300 words total).

For me, the most important points that I took from Chapter 23 were the classical and contemporary persuasive methods of appealing to an audience. For the classic appeals- ethos (ethical character of speaker), pathos (emotions), and logos (logic)-I understood how they all work together to produce a persuasive argument. One must balance emotions with logic and facts for an impactful speech, all the while emoting ethos so that people trust what the speaker is stating. For contemporary appeals, I found that it makes sense to appeal to what motivates the audience, which is typically based on the individual needs. I learned about speaker credibility-making a positive, confident impression, provide the audience with new information, and emphasize expertise for topics with a lot of detail. I have tried to build credibility into Speech 5 in these ways. I also tried to use “we” to refer to gardeners, to emphasize that I am one!


Chapter 24 covered how to most effectively structure an argument for a persuasive speech. You must consider your claim, provide the evidence for that claim and warrant (explains why accepting the evidence for the claim is logical). This entire process is reminiscent of writing a historical paper-you must have a thesis, evidence supporting the thesis, and explain why the evidence is valid. Claims can be claims of fact, value, or policy. Fact claims state whether something is true or untrue, or whether a certain thing will happen. Value claims refer to ethics-the point is to determine if something is being done according to ethical values or not. Lastly, claims of policy recommend a certain action be taken, whether it is a procedure, method, or law. I have realized that my speech shares two claims, value and policy, as I am trying to state how the no-till farming/gardening method is beneficial or not.

JOURNAL# 10: You’ve created now 4 different speeches, with rehearsal dry-runs (drafts) for each, except Speech 1. Spend some time revisiting these 4 different speeches (comb through your email if need be) and return to your FINAL SPEECH PAGE. Which speech did you really see some growth between dry-run and final? What was the big shift and how did you get there? Copy and paste the link for the dry run and the final speech sequence where you made your biggest strides. Now, consider the feedback you’ve received and in 3-4 sentences, explain the growth between these drafts. How did you get to the finish line? What worked? What did you change/alter/adjust/try? Where do you see SPECIFIC good moments? (indicate the time on the video.) Make sure to label it: MY BIGGEST STRIDES. (I would imagine this will take no more than 45 min).

FINAL SPEECH PAGE – Candace’s Backyard (uneportfolio.org)

FINAL JOURNAL # 11: After completing Speech 6 compose an honest self-reflection journal analyzing your Secrets to My Success (Promoting Yourself). What went well during the speech? What can be improved? Consider delivery, content, organization, and audience reaction in your response. 

My The Secret to My Success speech offered many positive factors.  My introduction was warm and personable.  I felt that I had built credibility, by immediately letting my audience know who I was, my past public speaking experiences, and how I thought I became successful as a public speaker.  I used the quote from Colin Powell to set up the rest of my speech in an organized structure while adding interest.  I thought that I maintained good eye contact, although I did have to look at my notes occasionally.

For improvements, I felt like I could have rehearsed more, but was limited due to time.  With this speech, like most of the others, I was over the time limit, so after so many rehearsals, I went back to my outline and cut content.  This issue is such an issue with me, but I am glad to recognize it and know what to do avoid similar timing errors in the future.

Overall, I feel much better about public speaking than I did from day one of this class.  This attitude is what I was striving for when I was considering signing up for the course.  I have achieved many skills and learned from my peers.  Thank you SPC-100!