http://professor-lyman.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
professor-lyman.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2013-01-15 09:13 am
professor-lyman.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2013-01-15 09:13 am
Entry tags:
Public Speaking [Tuesday, January 15, 2013]
"Good morning," Josh said, sipping from his nice, hot cup of coffee (thank you, Donna Natalie!) as he leaned against his desk at the front of the classroom. "Today we'll get started learning about the basic categories of speeches. I don't mean short or long, or interesting and stupefying, those though certainly are ways to remember speeches. There are four general groupings, with some overlap between categories: informative, persuasive, demonstrative, and special occasion. You can't be very persuasive if you you're not also demonstrating your grasp of information."
He began walking between the aisles as he talked. "An informative speech is basically a lecture. Every class you attend here, I hope, is intended to teach you something."
Or provide entertainment for the teacher, but Josh hadn't seen Jaye again yet.
"An informative speech is different from a how-to speech or a persuasive speech because it is only intended to provide information. You leave it up to your audience to decide for themselves what to do with the information; you're not trying to persuade them to think like you do, nor are you specifically teaching them how to do something. You're only concerned with providing information for your audience on a particular topic.
"Informative speeches are useful as an introduction to some topic that is unfamiliar to your audience, which is why audience research pays off. You wouldn't want to lecture on how a bill becomes a law to members of Congress."
Josh paused. "Well, to their staffs, at least. Some of the members of Congress are amazingly stupid and might not know. Anyway, one of the most important things to include in an informative speech is, of course, information. You will want to do research on facts and statistics, to make that your speech has something interesting to give the audience. Those facts and statistics will probably be best communicated with visual aids, such as charts, graphs, illustrations, and so forth, because providing information both aurally and visually means you have a better chance of people remembering it, but for the love of God, don't subject us all to death by Powerpoint, the Pentagon's favorite legal torture method."
Josh continued to lecture about informative speeches, showing the students how to get their audience involved through asking questions, and providing examples, and warning them about avoiding the pitfalls of seeming like a giant know-it-all by providing too much information.
"President Bartlet enjoyed trivia," he said, "and during debate prep for re-election he would get down into the weeds of specific legislative initiatives that the average voter, frankly, had never heard of. Your goal is to provide information without making your audience feel stupid for not knowing it to begin with or to be so specific their eyes glaze over. So next week, come in with one visual aid and a speech prepared about the last twenty years of history in your home dimension. Your speech should be at least ten minutes long."
"Today, though, we're going to do some audience research through extemporaneous speeches. No need to thank me," he added, walking around with a jar full of pieces of paper. "You each get a topic, then a full minute to think of what you're going to say. You only have to talk for three minutes." He held up a stop watch. "I'll be timing you."
He smiled. "And after that, our press secretary for the day is--" he ran his finger down the attendance sheet, "--Peter Wiggin. Congratulations. And Mr. Luthor, you impressed me so much that you can be my second assistant along with the lovely...." she wouldn't bring him coffee unless he remembered her name, "...Natalie."
He began walking between the aisles as he talked. "An informative speech is basically a lecture. Every class you attend here, I hope, is intended to teach you something."
Or provide entertainment for the teacher, but Josh hadn't seen Jaye again yet.
"An informative speech is different from a how-to speech or a persuasive speech because it is only intended to provide information. You leave it up to your audience to decide for themselves what to do with the information; you're not trying to persuade them to think like you do, nor are you specifically teaching them how to do something. You're only concerned with providing information for your audience on a particular topic.
"Informative speeches are useful as an introduction to some topic that is unfamiliar to your audience, which is why audience research pays off. You wouldn't want to lecture on how a bill becomes a law to members of Congress."
Josh paused. "Well, to their staffs, at least. Some of the members of Congress are amazingly stupid and might not know. Anyway, one of the most important things to include in an informative speech is, of course, information. You will want to do research on facts and statistics, to make that your speech has something interesting to give the audience. Those facts and statistics will probably be best communicated with visual aids, such as charts, graphs, illustrations, and so forth, because providing information both aurally and visually means you have a better chance of people remembering it, but for the love of God, don't subject us all to death by Powerpoint, the Pentagon's favorite legal torture method."
Josh continued to lecture about informative speeches, showing the students how to get their audience involved through asking questions, and providing examples, and warning them about avoiding the pitfalls of seeming like a giant know-it-all by providing too much information.
"President Bartlet enjoyed trivia," he said, "and during debate prep for re-election he would get down into the weeds of specific legislative initiatives that the average voter, frankly, had never heard of. Your goal is to provide information without making your audience feel stupid for not knowing it to begin with or to be so specific their eyes glaze over. So next week, come in with one visual aid and a speech prepared about the last twenty years of history in your home dimension. Your speech should be at least ten minutes long."
"Today, though, we're going to do some audience research through extemporaneous speeches. No need to thank me," he added, walking around with a jar full of pieces of paper. "You each get a topic, then a full minute to think of what you're going to say. You only have to talk for three minutes." He held up a stop watch. "I'll be timing you."
He smiled. "And after that, our press secretary for the day is--" he ran his finger down the attendance sheet, "--Peter Wiggin. Congratulations. And Mr. Luthor, you impressed me so much that you can be my second assistant along with the lovely...." she wouldn't bring him coffee unless he remembered her name, "...Natalie."
Speak Extemporaneously!
Natalie Adams: In what situation is lying a good idea?
Minako Aino: Explain three different ways to eat an Oreo cookie.
Madeline Berry: Read us a letter you might write home when you are staying at a circus training summer camp.
Kate Bishop: If I ruled the world...
Lucrezia Borgia: Fools and their money are easily parted.
Arietty Clock: Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
Cassidy: Does money make the world go round?
Jessica Drew: When I grow up...
Billy Kaplan: Being young is over-rated.
Karla: The more we communicate, the less we really say.
Loki Laufeyson: You are an ant. Convince an anteater to not eat you.
Darcy Lewis: What would you rather be - wise or intelligent? Darcy Lewis
Lex Luthor: Convince us to vote for you as president of the USA.
Hanna Marin: Real learning doesn't occur in a classroom.
Olive Penderghast: Junk food's popularity relies on marketing.
Richie Ryan: Fashion victims I have known.
Sparkle: If I were an animal I'd be a/I was an animal and turned into a...
Ulrik of Denmark: Color affects the way people feel.
Jace Wayland: Explain three uses for a pencil besides for writing.
Petra West: To be grown up is a state of mind.
Peter Wiggin: Goals are good for you.
Gertrude Yorkes: Plants have feelings too.
You have one minute to prepare and three minutes to present!
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
She used the full minute to write a few quick notes on a scrap of paper, in case she should need reminders.
"A fool and his money are soon parted," she began, speaking in a clear voice. "This statement is the subject of my speech. It reflects that the opinion that foolish people cannot be trusted with wealth. Or, perhaps more clearly, the idea that a fool who is given riches will squander them.
"When we speak of fools, we mean people who have no sense. The sensible person, upon receiving a large sum of money, will perhaps choose to use a portion towards a significant goal: for example, a larger house, or improvements to their current residence. They may keep some money in reserve, against sudden poverty. What they do choose to buy may in some part prove to be an investment -- land, or a profitable business. Such purchases will lead to further wealth.
"In contrast, a fool will be short-sighted. He will buy pretty clothes, or jewels, or other such luxuries. He will waste his money on items which give pleasure, but are not necessary, and do not protect against the future. He may come to regret his purchases when the money is gone, and he has need of it for more serious matters.
She cleared her throat. "This statement is, of course, only the writer's opinion; it is meant as a proverb, and not an absolute statement of fact. Some fools will retain their wealth longer than expected, and a previously sensible person may become wasteful in the presence of a windfall. But the saying conveys the notion that those who are foolish will find ways to spend money once they are in possession of it."
She wasn't sure if that was a full three minutes, but it seemed long enough to her, and so she bowed her head and sat down again.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
"As we stand here with both feet mired in the midst of uncertainty," he said, "It is the certainties that are most important. It's easy to let paranoia and fear grip our hearts. It's even easier to hide in our homes and go about our days hoping simply that the storm will blow over. But it won't. Not unless we all put our shoulder to the wheel, and plan ahead. The enemy sets its course, and so must all of us in our daily lives, for that's the motor on which our economy runs..."
He managed to plug up those three minutes pretty quickly; he was a charismatic speaker and he knew it, and it was easy to fill in the white space with words based on the geopolitical situation back home-- hinting at terror without specifically defining which.
... Peter was good at speeches.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
Once she'd felt that minute had passed, she stopped, expecting the sudden silence to wake a few people up, and smiled slightly. When she began again, it was in a different tone of voice, speaking to her audience, not at them.
"That, ladies and gentlemen, was an example of how too much communication can lead to none at all. You can throw words at a wall all day if you wish, but that won't make people heed you. In order to engage people's hearts and minds, you don't need to drown them in words and facts and figures, you need to speak to them about the things that matter. Find ways to engage them and interest them; even a speech shouldn't be a one-sided conversation. To truly communicate, one must listen, both to words and tone and body-language and take that into account as well."
"So many people consider words to be the only way to express themselves, but they're incorrect. If pictures are worth a thousand words, then actions are worth tens of thousands..."
She continued to speak about that, using shorter sentences and smaller words, speaking more slowly to let her classmates digest what she was saying.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
But, her delivery was still confident, and she made a fairly convincing case for justifying lying both in a private as well as a more public sphere, using the desire to not hurt someone's feelings when it's not necessary as an example of the former, and the need to keep classified information from spreading in the latter.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
The "letter" consisted of a lot of talk about how there were trapezes and elephants and one time someone decided to stick their head in a lion's mouth and it didn't go so well, because Maddie had never been to a circus and that was her entire knowledge of what went on there. And then, realizing she still had a while to go and had to fill three minutes, she just started talking slower and hoped it didn't look like she was stalling.
It definitely looked like she was stalling.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
"My dinosaur Old Lace is a carnivore," she announced. "Most of the time. Sometimes a cookie can sway her to turn omnivore for a few minutes, but no cone can blame her for that, right? Usually, she just eats meat. And even though she can't tell me why that is, I'm willing to bet that it's because plants have feelings too."
Oh god, this was almost painful.
"Tell that to a vegetarian and they'll say you're crazy. My friend Karolina doesn't eat meat for moral reasons, but she eats fruit and vegetables all the time. I don't blame her. Not everyone knows about plants having feelings. But when you have a seven-foot deinonychus who's willing to sink her teeth into deer all the time but can't bring herself to inflict that kind of suffering on a banana, you start to realize just how hurtful omnivorous...ness can be.
"I know this will probably come as a shock to all of you, so you can all go ahead and check out the website for PETP -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Produce. You'll find more information there. Thank you."
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
"Wise. One hundred percent wise." She began. "Because I know someone who's very intelligent but has been known to walk around in her PJs for hours on end muttering about numbers and weird people and sometimes writing on the walls. But it would kind be cool to be smart and remember to wear pants in public." And off she went, rambling along.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
She carried on with this train of thought, concentrating on how junk food uses cartoon characters and bright colors to persuade and appeal to little kids, who in then pulled their parents in, too.
She was pretty pleased, overall.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
Possibly both.
She grabbed her colored pencils out of her bag, and spent her prep-time making three circles which she hurriedly made out of notebook paper. Voila, fake-cookie, and just in time.
"Anyone who tells you there is only one way to eat a cookie has closed themselves off to the joy of imagination!" she began when it was her turn, flourishing her paper Oreo. "There's the dunk-and-bite, the twist, traditional, the ice cream, the smash... today we're just going to cover three of the basics, and you can take it from there..."
She covered the traditional method of just eating the cookie, dunking in milk, and scooping ice cream with it. Minako had to talk fast to fit it all in, but, well, she always talked fast.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
"The most influential person in my life would probably be my dad," she said. After doing some research over the weekend, she's managed to find a phone app that worked as an amplifier, so at least she didn't have to yell it all. "He's one of the greatest borrowers who ever lived, and he taught me a lot of what I know." Not all of it. She had natural talent, after all, and was way more willing to push the boundaries and teach herself than he'd every wanted her to be. "He also made sure I spent the first sixteen years of my life only speaking to him and my mum while we were living under a clock, even though there was a whole community full of borrowers not very far away at all that I could have been socializing with. I guess not all influence has to be good, does it?"
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
Petra's speech might have had a whiff of playing to pageant judges around it, if you knew how to hear such things--her shoulders starting to pull into 3/4 profile was kind of a dead giveaway, for one thing--but it was a good, solid, well-delivered speech.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
She wasn't completely dismissive of actual classroom importance. Spencer probably would have been shocked by this. "But the real stuff? Like relationships and social skills and street smarts? Those aren't taught there. We learn that stuff from, like, being around friends and family. Also, the internet. Math isn't going to help us with relationship drama, fashion tips, or people who abuse text messaging."
She figured mentioning her own experiences would help her cause. Perhaps she needed a bit of work on preparing speeches, though. The rest of her speech was more rambling about social skills. There may have been a few "likes" in there. She needed to work on that and maybe improve her vocabulary a little more.
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!
She talked about Richard Parker a bit more with genuine admiration, making a point not to share the greatest peace of wisdom he had to offer (via Uncle Ben) because, um, Maddie was right there and Jess had made a point to credit that to Spider-Man in a conversation with her. After a couple more minutes, she was pulling the train into the station.
"When I grow up, I want to live up to the Parker legacy. Thank you."
Re: Speak Extemporaneously!