Question 2

When having a persuasive conversation I tend to always use the problem and solution method. I mostly speak with my husband about things like that and him being a guy, tends to respond better to me giving him a problem and then a solution. He has no problem with debating it with me but in the end, I tend to persuade him that what I want to do is best. My reasoning seems to always work. It makes me wonder if my speech will be the same and if I will have the same ability to persuade my audience. I think that this speech will be by far the hardest of my life. I can only hope that my reasoning for knowledge of one's health can win over the audience. It's a topic that I am passionate about being in the healthcare field, so I want that to come through in my presentation.

Week 13 Question 3

My persuasive speech is all about The Informed Patient, so I thought that this week I would talk about The Uninformed Audience. I feel like my topic is not something that many would think about if they weren't familiar with the healthcare field. I intend to show that my topic is important and show the audience that I have expertise on the subject. I have many personal experiences that I intend to speak about that will help with my credibility. I will address both sides/perspectives of my topic as well as be subtle with my persuasion. I want to inform people about my issue, then let them know that there are ways to inform themselves that they should maybe be doing what I'm saying instead. I just want everyone to know what they are asking for when they go to the doctor, not just say something because Dr. Oz said it was right. He doesn't always have all the details. He is more of a persuasive speaker on his shows but he tends to be more one sided. I will show both sides.

Week 13 Question 2

A sea of persuasion exists all around us at all times. My neighbors have been hinting that we should replace their side of the fence for weeks. That we are choosing to ignore. I watch quite a few shows on TV and they all have commercials saying that their product is the best or tastes better or 'if you use this you will have...' All of these things are trying to persuade us to do or buy things. Even on the news with some big stories, they only tell you one side, and they say that side is right. You have to be a critical consumer or you won't have any money left. If you see something you really want to try then go ahead and try it. Just don't try 20 different things with the entirety of your grocery budget. One must have great willpower in this day and age. There are even people that come to my door trying to sell me things or tell me their religion is better than mine. I remain strong and true to myself while politely telling them I'm not interested. I just try to pick and choose things that are out there. I make sure not to be bullied by anyone while they are trying to persuade me.

Week 13 Question 1

While I like the idea of the Monroe Motivated Sequence, for me personally I will be using the Problem/Solution organizational pattern. Monroe seems to be a bit more invasive to me. It requires that you capture your audience in a way that makes them want to change whatever it was you were speaking about. P/S is more my speed: to inform and persuade the audience to consider my opinion. It seems more like a show of opinion than an actual task. Because of those reason I feel like the Problem/Solution organizational pattern would be better for me. I like the simpleness of it. Problem solving is a main point in many conversations and I think that many people would better understand me if I used that pattern. "Clearly establishing that a problem exists provides the foundation for persuading the audience that the solution should be implemented." This is the plan...

Week 12 Question 3

One thing that I read this week that I found interesting albeit simple was to not use offensive or aggressive language. One would think that it was a given but some people tend to still be aggressive when speaking. The book talks about the language used can spark different emotions. These emotions can be good or bad. If they're bad, the speaker looks bad because of what they said. Language that provokes negative emotions can't be used effectively in a speech. It can damage your credibility with the audience. It's better to just stay neutral and if you're being persuasive, try to stay on the positive side. You will get a better response from the audience. It's sort of a catch more flies with honey that with vinegar. You can teach someone something more easily with being nice than with being rude or obnoxious. Neutral is better, stick to it.

Week 12 Question 2

I took an English class a year or so ago and we discussed in detail "gender roles." I have come to the consensus that no one will ever be completely happy with where they fall, or what kind of language is used. I do think that we should try to be as neutral as possible in our speaking, if only to sound more professional. The book basically says to try to remain neutral. The Flickr pages show a lot of different opinions, some similar to myself-I feel that it isn't insulting to call a grown woman "girl." So many of the "acceptable" and politically correct terms have been changed as to not offend anyone. One day there won't be anything left to choose from. It is frustrating to me that we are using so much of our time on this when we could just be speaking about our topic. I plan to use as neutral of terms as I can. Someone may always be offended. You just have to try your best.

Week 12 Question 1

The videos this week showed some interesting tactics of voice usage but I didn't like these as much as some previous ones. I do believe that sometimes it's not what you say but the way you say it. An audience will pick up on anything that seems out of place, whether it's a slip in jargon or saying 'um', they will notice everything. I think it's important to not use slang or things that could be misinterpreted. When I speak, I tent to use a lot of 'me' or 'I' which is not the best thing. Having the ability to use language correctly is very important in good public speaking. In the tribute speech, I am looking forward to giving a speech that is moving, that someone will really enjoy. I can still remember some of the great ones. That means that the speaker made such an impact that I still think of it. Language is a wonderful tool for speaking well. Hopefully my next speech will contain language that is appropriate and lingering.