April 20th, 2021 Blog - Chapter 15 Presentation and Impromptu Debating

April 20, 2021: Public Speaking Period 9

Rashen Gunawardana & Brooke Zhou 

Topics: Chapter 15 Presentation 4/20/2021 and Impromptu Debates

Label: Chapter Presentation & Debate 

Notes: 

Chapter 15 Presentation 

Today we started class with a presentation about Chapter 15 of “The Art of Public Speaking”, by Omor Khan, Nathan Selwa, Philip Dulas, and Nicholas Storniolo. The topic of their presentation was “Speaking to Inform”. 

Informative Speech is designed to convey knowledge and understanding; it occurs in everyday settings and is a valuable life skill.

Grouped into four categories:

• Speeches about objects 
• Speeches about processes
• Speeches about events
• Speeches about concepts

Regardless of your category, your speech structure should include a specific purpose, a central idea, and main points

Purposes = specific statements that dictate the structure of your speech 

To educate the audience about Joe Biden’s career path

Central idea = usually a one-sentence summary of what your speech is about (aka thesis)

Ie: Joe Biden’s career path has greatly progressed in the past 40 years. 

Main points = speaking points (usually 3) that support your central idea with substantial evidence

Ie: Biden’s role as Senator, Biden’s role as Vice President, Biden’s role as President 

Types of order to structure your informational speech:

• Chronological order: time-based 
• Spatial order: goes through each main feature one by one in terms of location
• Topical order: for other topics 

Speeches about objects:

- Includes anything visible or tangible (ie: person, places, etc) 

- Variety of purposes depending on what your object is

- Use chronological order for historically/evolution related topics

- Use spatial order for describing the main features of a place or location 

- Use topical order for other general topics

Speeches about processes:

- Includes systematic procedures that lead to a certain outcome/product (ie: how to do something, how something works, etc)

- Purpose of explaining how the end product is reached

- Use chronological order to explain the steps of a process (ie: like a timeline)

- Use topical order to focus on different principles/techniques by splitting up the general topic into smaller ones 

Speeches about events:

- Includes anything that has happened in the past, or is currently happening

- Purpose is to inform the audience about what takes place at a certain event, its influence, etc

- Use chronological order to recall historical events in the order that they happened and what the result was 

- Use topical order to talk about specific aspects of a certain event 

Speeches about concepts:

- Includes beliefs, theories, ideas, principles, etc.

- Purpose is to inform the audience about the basics of a concept 

- Use topical order to focus on the concept’s specific features 

Things to avoid while giving an informative speech:

1. Avoid technical language → your audience doesn’t necessarily know the terms that you are familiar with
2. Define terms clearly → ensures that the audience has the information necessary to understand what you’re speaking about 
3. Use examples/comparison to make concepts easier to understand
4. Preview your speech’s main points in the introduction and conclusion → clarifies to your audience what your speech is really about 

General guidelines to follow:

- Don’t overestimate what the audience knows → be thorough and clear; speak with a tone to educate the listeners, rather than to be condescending 

- Relate the subject directly to the audience → talk in terms of the audience; use keywords like “you” to get them interested 

- Don’t be too technical → don’t use abbreviations, jargon, etc. that most people wouldn’t be familiar with; try to keep things brief while conveying your message as accurately as possible 

- Avoid abstractions → use descriptive words and compare/contrast ideas (“to give you an idea, it was kind of like _______”) so that your audience isn’t left unsure about what you’re exactly talking about

- Personalize your ideas and be creative → don’t use too many facts/statistics that’ll bore your audience; use personal illustrations that make the speech yours; use visual aids to make your speech more engaging 

Impromptu Debating (last 10 minutes of class)

In our upcoming weeks, we will be writing an argument paper and also conducting formal debates during class. Although we haven’t decided on a set resolve to debate about just yet, this impromptu debate exercise was meant to “stick our toes in the water” and get familiar with a debate-like setting. 

Impromptu debating = a short debate on a resolve that is given without prior notice. 

involves one person speaking on the “for” and “against” sides for the opening, middle arguments, and closing statements. 

Mrs. Sanguinedo chose two volunteers to represent the “for” and “against” sides respectively for the opening statements. Afterward, she revealed the resolve. 

Today, our resolve was: 

“Watching television is a waste of time” 

Impromptu debating involves a certain “surprise” factor, as the speakers had to think about how to structure their opening statements on the spot without much time to brainstorm. 

It was quite amusing seeing the two speakers make up their opening statements on the spot, especially since they each only had 1 minute to speak. 

The “for” side argued that television distracts people from spending time with their loved ones and can cause eye damage. 

The “against” side cleverly pointed out how educational shows like the Discovery Channel can actually be beneficial to us, making television not as useless as it seems to be. 

Afterward, Mrs. Sanguinedo picked two more volunteers to make supporting statements (one for the “for” and one for the “against” side). 

The “for” side followed up with general arguments that the opening statement was missing, such as that television oftentimes is the reason why people don’t go outside as often as they should. It’s also a main form of procrastination, setting people behind in terms of productivity. 

The “against” side argued that television is necessary for people to relax at times since life is all about balance. 

Mrs. Sanguinedo also pointed out some notes regarding time limits during the debate. 

In the case that a speaker runs over their time limit (which was 1 minute for the impromptu debate), he/she is still allowed to finish the thought/sentence within the next 30 seconds before being cut off. 

Although it’s important to be aware of time, we shouldn’t try to rush our arguments. Otherwise, the audience may not be able to comprehend the information that you’re voicing, since there would be too many ideas being thrown out at once. 

Reflections:

Rashen G: 

After this day in class, I got a good idea on what informative speech is and impromptu debating. Through the presentation, I was able to get an extensive breakdown of what this type of speech is structured, delivered to an audience, and the different situations it fits. In addition, the impromptu debating exercise with the students helped me get an idea of how this type of debating is structured and the different roles incorporated into it. Both concepts contributed to helping me become more acquainted with public speaking in general and the different other things it connects to. 

To begin with, the chapter 15 presentation introduced me to informative speech. Informative speech is a type of speech designated to convey knowledge and understanding to an audience. To correctly deliver an informative speech you have to confirm that your information is interesting and communicated clearly and accurately. This type of speech is also very flexible because the topics include objects, processes, events, and concepts. All these types vary with the information being presented but they all fit the same structure: specific purpose, central idea, main points. Along with this straightforward structure, there are some things that can make or break a speech. Some things to be aware of include being aware of the audience’s knowledge on your topic. This means that when giving this type of speech, you shouldn’t be too technical and be able to relate the topic back to the audience. Another big aspect of informative speeches is to make sure that it is creative and appealing to the audience. I feel that informative speeches are the type of speeches I should become most familiar with. These are the type of speeches that I will be able to use for college presentations and reports as well as meetings at any future jobs. The skills emphasized in this presentation can also be incorporated into everyday life, and improve my general communication skills. These types of informative speech skills can also be incorporated with other types of speeches. For instance, if I had to present an argumentative speech and needed to emphasize my evidence to the audience, I can use what I know about informative speeches to make my facts that much more effective. 

The end of class was spent getting an idea on impromptu debating. With debaters coming up to class and making their arguments on a certain resolve, depending on who was “for” and “against.” Impromptu debating essentially is a debate on a topic or resolve that both sides are already aware of. There is a “for” person who argues in support of the resolve and the “against” person disagrees with the resolve. During our class mach impromptu debates, I saw how each person had 20-30 seconds to make their opening statement introducing their argument, along with the 20-30 second intervals the debaters had to respond and counter each others’ points. I felt that learning impromptu debating like this is essential because of how we were exposed first and then were able to pick up on the structure of these debates. I saw how giving each person a certain amount of time allowed them to make their points efficiently with an even playing field. Learning these different aspects of impromptu debating can extend to college and even jobs. Being familiar with this type of organized debate, can allow for you to be more familiar with making your points and using evidence in argumentative pieces at college, or defend your suggestions in a job meeting. There is some sense of debate in our everyday lives, and can help solve a lot of disputes and arguments. 

Brooke Z: 

During our class session today, I learned about the importance of informative speech and the key components of impromptu debates. Informative speech has great significance, as it is used every day by people for a wide variety of purposes, mainly to convey specific knowledge to a particular audience. However, this “specific knowledge” can really span a large variety of categories, from simple objects to an actual concept. Yet all four categories (objects, processes, events, and concepts) all follow the same general guidelines. The speech should include a certain structure that flows best for the topic chosen. In addition, there should be a clear purpose, central idea, and main points to summarize the speech. Different structures of the speech can include chronological order, spatial order, or topical order. Yet, some of these structures may apply to speeches differently depending on the category it falls into. For example, using spatial order to explain the main features of Buddhism wouldn’t be appropriate; this type of order should be used for speeches that have a factor that involves location, such as a speech about the neighborhoods of NYC. Something like chronological order or topical order can be applied to a Buddhism speech, as it can describe its history and main principles in a way that’s easy to comprehend. I also learned ways to ensure that our speech is as clear as possible; this includes avoiding abstractions and technical language. Just because we may be familiar with the meanings of certain words, it doesn’t mean that our audience will. It’s also good that we prioritize our audience’s attention; we should structure our speech to inform them in a way that doesn’t bore them. This can be done by personalizing our speech by using terms like “you” to directly catch their attention.

    I learned about informative speech because it holds great power in terms of conveying a specific message to an audience. It is imperative that we inform our audience in a way that will be easiest for them to understand, or else our purpose can’t be achieved. The group did a phenomenal job at showing how this is exemplified in a sample speech. They read through a speech about the Statue of Liberty, outlining its introduction hook, key main points, and conclusion. Not to mention, they pointed out areas of the speech that were dramatized or used symbolism in order to gain the reader’s attention. The way that the speech transitioned from the introduction into the body was also smooth was also easy for the audience to follow without being thrown off by confusion. Informative speech is not only used to inform the audience, but also to keep them engaged. If they weren’t able to keep their attention in the first place, then their message wouldn’t be able to be sent. The audience won’t feel the need to listen to the speaker either if he/she doesn’t establish their credibility, which was also covered during the presentation. Informative speeches are not just about the material being covered, but also the way the information is being delivered. 

    I will use what I learned about informal speech in the future to structure my speeches to fit their purpose and engage the audience. We often find ourselves caught up in what we are going to tell the audience, but we also need to emphasize the foundation of how the information will be presented. The chapter 15 presentation undoubtedly taught me that I’m not only in charge of doing enough research about my topic but also finding creative ways to execute my delivery in an interesting way. I’ll be more mindful of the language that I use; oftentimes I forget that my audience is not familiar with the same terminology that I may be used to using, so I’ll have to word my speech in a way that is easy to comprehend. Although I am trying to make an informative speech, that doesn’t mean my speech should purely resemble the language of a formal internet article. I’ll need to personalize my speech to make the audience feel like I am having an actual conversation with them, in order for them to care about the information that I am speaking about.

    I learned that impromptu debates can be a good way to introduce people to how a formal debate will play out. Impromptu debates are not planned, and no one in the class today knew about what the resolve would be until Mrs. Sanguinedo announced it. I learned about how a general debate has an opening, a middle portion (composing of arguments like supporting evidence and rebuttals), and a closing statement from both the “for” and “against” sides. The purpose of this debate exercise was not to test how well we could think of valid arguments on the spot. Moreso, it was to prepare us for what a “condensed” debate would look like. It was also used to explain what a “for” and “against” side actually means in terms of the debate. When a resolve is given, such as “Watching TV is a waste of time”, I learned that the “for” side would be supporting the resole statement, while the “against” side would be arguing against it. I also learned about what would happen in certain scenarios if it appeared in debate. For example, when the timer runs out of time, it doesn’t mean that the speaker has to stop talking on the spot. Instead, the speaker is allowed to finish his/her thought or sentence within the next 30 seconds.

    I learned about impromptu debate because it’s a step closer to exploring our unit of debate. Because our future lessons will start to heavily center around the main debate that will take place in a couple of weeks, it’s important that we are able to understand how the structure of a debate argument looks like. One person on the “for” side speaks, followed by the “against” side for a certain amount of time. This short exercise was also important for us to be familiar with because it gives us a brief overview of what the “debate atmosphere” would be like. If we never had this lesson on impromptu debating, it would be a lot harder for us to do it well when the actual debate day comes (since we wouldn’t have really gotten a chance to mentally prepare). We should be aware of what the debate will look like, or else we may be lost on debate day. 

    I will use what I learned about impromptu debating to help prepare me for our upcoming formal debate in class, along with tips on how to write my argument paper. The impromptu debate made me realize how a time crunch can be really stressful when you’re speaking. The last thing I’d want to do is go up and start arguing, and then realize that I didn’t even voice the important points within the time that I was given. Time flies by when you have a lot on your mind, so I’ll make sure to not cram too many ideas at once when I speak. Not only would this throw the audience off, but it’ll also make it sound like I’m not well prepared. It’s a lot better to focus on specific points with substantial evidence, rather than jumping from point to point without backing them up with reasoning. The lesson also helps me recognize what the structure of my argument paper should be about. The opening and closing statements are some of the most important parts of a debate because they leave the audience with a first and lasting impression. Similarly, I’ll try to make my introduction and conclusion stand out to the reader so that they are more inclined to agree with my side of the argument. Mrs. Sanguinedo also prefaced that we tend to write our introductions after our body paragraphs; it’s much easier to introduce our topic at hand once we are already aware of the specific points in our essay. After doing my research and writing the first draft of my body paragraphs, I’ll be able to easily write my introduction and thesis statement. Afterward, I can always go back to my body paragraphs to edit the specific wording.  I’ll definitely use this tip while writing my argument paper in the upcoming weeks.