Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Inspirational Speech

Write one well-written and thought-out paragraph. Use complete sentences and correct grammar. Upper class students should be writing paragraphs with compound and complex sentences that are a minimum of six sentences long. 

You may comment on the following aspects as well: 
  1. Was the class inspired? How could you have been more inspirational?
  2. eye contact
  3. nervousness
  4. audience feedback
  5. preparation--did you practice enough? Too much?
  6. speaking rate (too fast? too slow? too many pauses?)
  7. gestures (Did you do any?)
  8. poise and presence 
  9. organization
  10. facial expressions 
  11. Dressed and groomed?
  12. Outline/Notes/Manuscript

In addition, leave feedback for at least two students. Feedback should be specific and original

28 comments:

  1. I think that this was one of favorite speeches. I felt that it was easy to write and easy to speak in front of the class. I felt that my eye contact could have been better and my closing was a little unclear. I felt completely confident and I hope that everyone felt that my speech was inspirational and enjoyable to listen to. At the beginning of the semester I was unsure of this class and how I would do in it, but I am so happy that I decided to take this class. It has made me feel more confident in my work and in my public speaking ability. Thank you Mrs Dennert for being an awesome teacher! I will defiantly miss you next year!

    Hailey- I think you did a great job! You seemed to be a little nervous, but you shouldn't have been. You were great I you spoke about something that you are very good at. You put a lot of emotion in your speech when you talked about your friend who was in the hospital. You have done a great job in this class and have improved so much!

    Cyrus- I really liked your speech. At first I thought it was just going to be a fluffy happy story about your dad, but you really surprised me. I had no idea that you have been going through all of this because you have not let it affect you. My only critique is that you could have had better eye contact, but other than that your tone and pace was perfect and your speech was very well written!

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  2. I felt that this speech went just alright. I hope it was inspiring or reached at least one person. My voice was really shaky and at times I went really fast. I could have used gestures a lot more and eye contact, too. I think I should've practiced it more. I thought a couple times was enough, but I definitely could have practiced more. I used a manuscript for this one, too. I think my facial expressions were kind of flat and I could have mixed it up more. I was actually pretty nervous for this one because we haven't spoken in front of the class for awhile. I really did enjoy writing it though and this was one of my favorites.


    Cyrus- I really enjoyed hearing your speech, it was definitely inspirational. You made a connection with the class it seemed for sure. It didn't look like you were nervous and the tone in your voice definitely made it seem like you were passionate about your topic. The only thing I would say is to use more gestures and make more eye contact, your eyes were glued to the page at some points. Your voice was calm and your thoughts seemed pretty organized. This speech was so good.

    Katelyn- This speech was definitely the best one of yours. I loved it, and your tree analogy. You made a good connection and it definitely was inspiring to me. The tone of your voice was really good and your voice was at a very nice rate. You did not seem nervous at all and you can tell this speech was well practiced. The only thing I would say is to make more eye contact, it seemed like you wouldn't directly look at anyone. But overall your speech was awesome and I really enjoyed it!

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  3. This was one of my favorite speeches to give because I felt like it was well written. I could have used a few more gestures, but I felt like I was able to control my tempo and cut down on all filler words. I didn't practice a whole lot, but I knew where I wanted to go with it and it still felt fresh when I said it. I hope I was able to inspire the class a little bit. I am not sure how the crowd took it, because they all seemed tired still since I went early monday morning. Finally, I thought my eye contact was much improved which was very good.

    Cyrus- You saved your best for last and wow this was solid. I had no idea about any of this about your dad. I literally had no clue where you were going in the beginning, but not only did you surprise me you also inspired me. You have never made excuses and you obviously learned that from your dad. Great Job!

    Mady- This was also your best speech. I am sure this was a tough one for you to give because you were basically telling us all your secret about depression. I think you did a great job over the year with the constant theme of being Z- Strong! You are an example of being Z-Strong, no matter what happens you can overcome it. Your tone was very good and your eye contact was much improved.

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  4. I thought that this speech went okay. I felt like I had poor eye contact due to the lack of practicing that I did. I find it hard to change my facial expressions and the tone in my voice. I lost my place a few times. I also find it really awkward not to do something with my hands when I am up there. I was quite nervous giving this speech only because it was my last speech and I wanted to end this year on a good note. I felt that overall, this class taught me how to be a better speaker and prepared me well for college.

    Cyrus- This was your best speech so far! I could feel the passion and inspiration that you received from your dad. You hand a steady rate and tone of voice. The only thing that I would say is to have a little more eye contact. I liked the way that you incorporated a poem as your closing, it was unique and special. Overall, great job!

    Katelyn- I liked your speech a lot. I loved how you incorporated the tree story into your speech. I thought that that was very clever. You did a great job with your topic. You had good eye contact, tone of voice, and rate. You are an amazing speaker and this speech proved that to everyone today. Great job!

    Hailey- I liked that your speech was really inspirational and motivational all in one. I like that you explained why you always get your homework done early. Like I told you in stats., you inspired me to get this reflection and feedback done tonight. I liked that you inspired us to work hard in college, because I know that some of us need it. You had a good rate. It seemed like you were a little nervous, but like Katelyn said, you shouldn't have been, you did fine!

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  5. I thought that my speech was not as good as it could of been. I found it really hard to write this speech and I don't know why because when I chose the topic, I had a lot of ideas of how I could inspire the class. I think that I lacked at inspiring the class. My speech didn't at all compare to Tatiana's speech. I think that my eye contact was not so good because I didn't practice my speech enough to have it a little memorized. I wasn't nervous at all. I didn't get much audience feedback except everyone just staring at me while they listened. I think that I spoke too fast but clear and this is why I was short on time. I tried using a little bit of gestures at the beginning of my speech but I know that I could have used a lot more. I stood up nice and tall but I think that I could have been dressed up a little more. For the most part, my speech was pretty organized and I really liked my conclusion. I thought it was the strongest conclusion that I have had all year. I started off writing an outline but as I practiced I found myself getting lost a lot which is why I decided to also write a manuscript. In general, I think my speech was good and I am very proud of what I have learned throughout the semester.

    Maddie: I really liked your speech. I like how you always leave them short and sweet but your point or message is always well given. I can tell that "z-strong" is something very important to you and something that you feel very passionate about. I liked how you got personal with your speech because it only had me listening so much more and if you are ever going through hard times, know that not only me, but all of us have your back. You had good volume and you spoke at a good pace. I think everything was very organized and straight forward. You were also dressed for your speech so you looked very clean up there and you stood nice and tall. You didn't look nervous at all and you looked very well prepared. In general, I think that you did great on your last speech just like you did on all your other speeches throughout the semester.

    Cyrus: I really liked your speech and I can tell that your dad is someone very important to you. I don't think that I have ever seen you get so into any speech like you did with this one. For a second, I even thought you were going to cry. I am really sorry about your dad, God only knows why he does things and the only thing I want to say is that you and your family should all stay strong. Everything will be okay. I knew from the start that your speech was going to be one of those good ones. You spoke at a good rate and were loud enough for everyone to hear. I liked how I could feel the inspiration that you felt from your dad. I knew that this was a speech that you really put a lot of thought and feeling into and I really look up to you for that. The only thing that I would tell you is that you should have more eye contact because you were reading off your manuscript for most of the time. In general, I really liked your speech and the poem at the end, helped to your great conclusion.

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  6. My speech was alright. After hearing the first few speeches I felt very motivated to try and improve mine because I didn't think mine was motivating enough. I felt a little nervous during the speech and felt like I could hear it in my voice. I stumbled on a few words which was frustrating. I was trying to make good eye contact but that's always difficult when nervous. I hardly had any gestures which probably wasn't very good. I was really glad that people interacted in the beginning with my visual aid because I wasn't sure if that was going to happen or not, so that went really well. Overall, I think it was an okay speech to end the year off with.

    Cyrus: I thought your speech was really motivational. It was great to see how much you cared for your dad. You really opened up on a topic that was probably hard to talk about in front of a school class, and I thought you did really well. I didn't want your speech to end, I wanted to keep hearing what you had to say. Really good job!

    Kyle- I thought your speech was really well done. You are a very natural speaker and all your speeches are really good, especially this one. It was a really nice speech to listen too. Even though you have filler words, you incorporate them very well. I guess a few more gestures would be good, but your speech didn't necessarily need them.

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  7. This speech was difficult for me to bring to the class, but I'm extremely glad that I talked about it. I don't know if anyone noticed, but I was shaking a little bit while I was giving the speech. I know that I made very little eye contact, but I needed to look at the manuscript constantly so I could get through it without breaking down. It was important for me to make a connection with the class and to help each of you think what your dads mean to you. Based on the feedback that I've seen, I know I made that connection. I'm happy that my message came through because I'm inspired everyday.
    Maddie- This speech was my favorite out of all the other speeches you have given. You did a phenomenal job. You spoke at a good pace and everything was organized. It was a little short but the message was clear. I know it must've been hard, but you stayed strong and that's what made me feel inspired. Again, your speech was amazing and whenever I feel depressed or if I feel hopeless, I will remember your speech and think about the message in your speech.
    Trevor- Another great speech. You made great eye contact, you had a few good hand gestures, and you spoke at a good rate. You overcame the challenges you had when you were young and that inspires me. I also liked that you brought football into the speech and talk about how much fun you have playing football. You did a great job.
    Brandon- Awesome job with your speech. I agree that playing music with any instrument, especially the saxophone, is inspiring. You were clear and you spoke at a good rate, and you also had very good eye contact.

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  8. I felt very comfortable with this speech. This seemed like a very natural speech to present. Although it seemed natural, I do not think my speech really came off as motivational to anyone. I focused more on the positive, sappy type stuff as opposed to the more intense trial type of inspirational speech. Going the route I did made it easy to present, but the more intense theme would most likely proven to be more inspirational. All in all I was happy with how my speech went.

    Katelyn: I definitely thought that this was your best speech. You were in complete control of the room once you started your speech. You used the analogy of your yard very well and it really worked very well with your speech. You made tremendous improvement form your first speech to this final one.

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    Replies
    1. Megan: I thought you did a very good job with your speech. Starting off with connecting with everyone by mentioning the hardships they had overcome was a brilliant idea. Doing that gave you an instant connection with the audience, and especially the peopled you mentioned where drawn in. I have enjoyed your speeches all semester and this was no exception. Well done.

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  9. I thought this was a fairly good speech, but wasn't one of my best. I think i rushed a little when i spoke and in result shortened the time of my speech. However this was an easy topic for me to talk about since i'm a fairly confident person and i know what it's like to struggle with it. But overall i am pretty pleased with the end product.
    Cyrus- I really liked your speech bro! I had no idea you were so close with your dad! I thought u presented it clearly and this speech was well thought through and prepared. However it did seem a little monotone when your were speaking, but overall nice job!
    Megan- I thought your speech was fantastic! You really really connected well with everyone in class by using real examples of their hardships they have talked about. This has to be one of my favorite speeches that you have given all semester. Nice job!!!!

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  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LUBQOa9Hg0&feature=youtu.be


    I thought that my speech went pretty well. It was a pretty easy topic to talk about, and I felt really prepared about it because I knew what I wanted to talk about with my examples. I thought I showed good poise and was not too nervous or anything. I made an effort not to use filler words, and I think that was my biggest improvement throughout this semester. I could have tried to work in more gestures perhaps, but its always kind of awkward trying to do that into a computer camera. Overall I thought this speech went well.

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  11. I really enjoyed doing this speech. I could really relate well to the topic and I was able to compare it a lot to experiences of my own. I think I showed more emotion in this speech then I did in any of my others and it probably was my best speech. The only problem i had with it was that at some parts i struggled with what i wanted to say next and i stumbled through a little. I also did a lot of do overs while making the speech because i would mess up badly which was frustrating. Even when I went over the video I realized that next to none of my hand gestures were captured in it which was annoying. Other then those few issues this speech was very enjoyable and I think it went well.

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  12. I thought my speech went well. I was really nervous being back in front of a crowd after not doing that for 2 weeks. My mouth was very dry and I lost my place 3 times. I did speak what I felt. Those people truly inspired me and i hope others see that. I stumbled a bit. i felt good with what i talked about and thought over all I did okay.

    Katelyn and Kyle: i want to combine both of yours because you both used words..like key words to inspire us. Katelyn you used stories to grab our attention. To me personally i love to hear stories. Most of the time. Kyle you kept telling us we can do it. After me hearing a lot of "you can't" it felt good to hear some "you can's". You both are very good speakers and come up with good speeches. Both of you will probably use this talent later on in the future too. good job.

    Cyrus- All though you had a sad story I thinnk our class needed to hear that! i sometimes think life is short and we need to cherish every second we have with our parents and loved ones. Everyone goes through something to casue them to be who they are, and I can see you have become a strong guy from everything. Good speech. Eye contact was a little iffy sometimes but i liked your speech and thought you did a nice job.

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  13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3w4uSMQ9nY

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  14. I thought my speech went pretty darn well. I think overall I had a even rate and tone and was very confidant with myself. I went into this speech knowing it was going to be a little hard to get through. I did just fine, however I wish I would have looked up more often, in other words, had more of it memorized. I think this speech was par for the course as all my other speeches!
    Cyrus - You had some really good speeches before but this was my favorite. I'm sure, in fact, I know, it was hard for you to get up there and speak about such a hard topic, but you did so well. Life is very hard but you seem to be doing alright, I'm glad you shared your story with us, it definitely inspired me.

    Katelyn - Your speech was EXTREMELY relevant to me, and well you, currently at this point in our lives. Your tree analogy was great, it related well and really helped me visualize what you were talking about. You always add a funny element to your speeches and I love that about you. Your speeches were always a pleasure to watch!

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  15. I thought my speech went pretty well. I know for sure that my eye contact was not the best. I should of practiced it more so it was more smooth. I think i talked a little bit fast and i should of probably slowed it a bit down.But on the plus side I dont think i was swaying as much. I also think i improved on my nervousness of public speaking and i dont believe i used as much filler words like i was in the begining. This class has truly helped me.

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  16. Katelyn- Your speech was truly my favorite speech you did all year. Everything you said about friends and our lives was so accurate. I loved how you incorporated the story of your dad cutting down the trees, I had no idea where you were going with that speech and it was great. I envy your speaking skills and how you can make your words flow so smoothly. You are a fantastic public speeker.

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  17. Cyrus- I loved your speech you have improved so much with your speaking this year. Your eye contact was great and the was your worded and said thing was prime. You really opened up to us adn got us connected. I think it was the best speech I have heard you do. It gave me the goose bumps and i just wanted your to keep going after you were done. So well done Cyrus.

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  18. I really enjoyed this speech and I thought that it went really well. The topic was easy for me because it is specific yet general enough that you can go wherever you want with it. Comparing
    this speech with our first speech I can definitely tell that I have improved as a speaker and feel much more comfortable in front of audiences.

    Cyrus - I really enjoyed your speech. It must have been really hard to open up like that infront of a class, but that didn’t affect the way your speech came out. It was very clean, easy to listen to, and especially inspirational.

    Kyle - You definitely had one of the most clean speeches of the semester. Your rate, tone, and gestures were all solid. Personally, I feel that gestures are overrated and that everything else in your speech made up for the lack of gestures. I definitely felt inspired after listening to your speech despite it being on a monday morning.

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  19. I thought my speech was my favorite speech this year. I really felt like I could open up and tell my story of my music life. I got to tell a lot of details and things that I didn't get to in the past speeches. I really tried to connect with everyone by saying that most people went out for band and told how band kids are called geeks and aren't popular. I felt like my eye contact was great and my speaking rate was good. I felt like i could have worked on practicing it a little more because I got lost at a spot and kinda messed up. Other than that, I thought that I had a great speech.

    Cyrus- your speech was great. Ever since I started playing football with you in grade school, I knew that you were going through rough times, but I never understood why or what. Now that you said in your speech, I really understood and could connect a little more. I thought you used your story very well in your speech and inspired me!

    Brett- I thought your speech was by far the greatest yet. You really seemed to put time and effort into performing this speech. You finally got a speech in on time and it was very well done. Even though it was followed by a few unfortunate events, you did an awesome job. The only thing that could have been better was eye contact and not being monotone the whole time. If you got a little for eye contact and changes up the pitch in your voice, you would have had a perfect speech. Great job!

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  20. I thought I did a decent job with my speech overall. I was disappointed that my speech didn't flow how I wanted it to. I felt I had good I contact and covered the whole room. My volume I feel was very good and I spoke at a steady rate maybe to slow at times. Overall I felt that I really connected with audience and it wasn't boring and was different.

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  21. Brett- By far your best speech. I think you had a really good point and main idea and knew were you were going. You could've had more eye contact and spoke with some enthusiasm. But you did it on time which made us all proud of you and it was your best speech.

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  22. Adam That video clip gets me every time it fit in well with the speech. You seem nervous up there like your scared sometimes but after the clip you seemed very confident and spoke with good volume and eye contact. Way to get that visual aid to it drove your speech.

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  23. Chance-You really seemed focused and hit your speech off the top very well. My favorite part is that you incorporated a bible verse and related it to your self and the audience. As always I enjoy your speaking rate and you weren't playing with your keys as much which helped your eye contact improve.

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  24. Cyrus- You had the best speech by far with the great volume eye contact and poise you hold yourself up to. You really went through tough situations with you house burning down to your father's illness it's tough on you. And I'm sure it was tough for you to speak about that in front of the class. But you keeping your poise and being willing to share helped us connect and be inspired.

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  25. This speech was hard for me because im not a very inspirational person. Although it was short like usual, I feel that i still did an okay job. I made good eye contact with the audience during my speech. It wouldve been help if my outline was a little more detailed. All together it wasnt to bad for an improvespirational speech. Better luck next time I guess.


    Brett- This was your best speech yet. You actually seemed happy to be giving a speech for once and you had some enthusiasm. It was very nice.

    Chance- Great speech. I love when some one uses a bible verse with there speech because that is where true inspiration comes from. Great job!!!!!!!!

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  26. I had a hard time doing this speech because it brought back a lot of memories that I did not find very comforting, which I thought about a lot when I was giving the speech. I believe I showed very good eye contact, but I feel I went off a little on the topic because I did not have that great of a organization. Altogether I believe I did an above average job on this speech.

    Cyrus- I feel I could relate a lot to your speech, because of your football past, I thought that it was very encouraging and good. You gave excellent eye contact throughout the entire speech which I enjoyed because it made it me feel like you were connected to the audience.

    Chance- Chance I think you gave a FABULOUS speech. just because you were able to connect a Bible verse into you speech that truly inspired me which was awesome. You made me laugh when you told that story at the beginning of your speech and it was a great attention getter. I think over all your speech was fairly decent.

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  27. I thought that this was one of my best speech yet, i dont beleive that my eye contact was as good as it could have been but i i felt i actually felt that i inspired the class a little bit to help others out. As usual i still felt nervous before i gave the speech but for some reason I always feel like that hopefully its something i can get over

    Megan- Once again megan your speech is just amazing, you were so well prepared and seemed to have high level of confidence and your speech was truly inspirational so as usual your speech was great im jealous of how good of a public speaker you are

    Adam- your speech was good i loved the video clip that you showed the class i have seen it so many times, and from what i remember your speech was actually pretty short and i gotta say that i felt inspired by this because i really connected to it.

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