Final Reflection

Final Reflection

Overall the past 9 weeks has been a new learning curve for me. I have learnt and participated within activities that I never would have attempted if I wasn’t enrolled within this course. Speaking has always terrified me, whether it is speaking into a camera or in front of a big or small audience. However after working my way through the assigned activities, I believe that I have slowly overcome this fear. This can be seen through the activities that were completed within weeks 1, 3, 4, 7 and 9. During these weeks I was asked to either read or write a speech and then record myself speaking it. At the beginning of these weeks I wasn’t confident with my voice. In my reflections of these tasks I wrote that I spoke way too fast and due to this my voice wasn’t clear and I stumbled and skipped certain words. However when competing each new activity, I focused on these weakness and slowly became more confident with speaking. If it wasn’t for the repetition with these tasks I don’t think I would be as confident with my speaking.

At this stage of the course I feel that I have a better understand towards speaking and script writing. Before undertaking the activities within this course I would have never completed a fully written script. This could have been due to the fact that I wouldn’t have had the first clue on how to write a proper script. However after learning about the different types of speeches and what they entail, whether they are prepared speeches that inform an audience or if they are on the spot speeches that reflect or state a topic, each of these speeches require a different type of scripting. While I definitely believe my script writing has improved greatly due to the activities within this course, I still believe and know that I have a long way to go before mastering and perfecting my script writing abilities.

Another aspect of this course that I have found most useful was the idea that we display our work within the form of a blog. By breaking down the activities over a 9 week course, I found the activities not so daunting and more manageable. If I were to have seen this same task to be submitted within a different format (for example showing these activities within a word document, etc) I believe it would have felt more overwhelming. Another useful idea about blogging my work was that I got to see my progression over the 9 weeks. I was able to see my skills with speaking and scripting grow and develop throughout my blog, as it was all together in the order I competed it. My final reason as to why I found blogging my journey useful was that it helped me to develop and improve my blogging skills. This can be seen as I have learnt a range of different ways to upload videos, links and pictures within my blog that I didn’t know how to do before. For example I have slowly started to develop my skills within Sound cloud and Slide share, two useful and available programs I have never used or thought I could use before this course.

Overall after completing each of the different activities over the last 9 weeks, I feel more confident and have a much greater understanding of the requirements for Assessment Task 2. When I first read what I needed to do for Assessment Task 2, I had so much doubt within myself and was convinced that I wasn’t going to be able to complete the task as I had little to know idea what I had to do. However has I progressed throughout the final stages of my blog, I have gained a better and much clearer understanding of what is expected for the final assessment task. It was throughout the weeks 8 and 9 that I was able to understand the tasks that would later need to be completed. By starting to plan and discuss the task, most of my unanswered questions were addressed. While I do have a couple of questions and inquires remaining, I do have a starting point to work from and unlimited help from not only the course coordinator about also the help from my peers within the course forum.

Therefore overall with regards to the activities completed within my blog, I feel that I have gained and developed a range of new skills and greatly improved my understanding towards speaking and script writing (which I never would have been able to do if it wasn’t for the activities within this course).

Week 9 Activities

Week 9: A first look at my News Story Recording

 

The following link is a recording of my News Story Recording, https://soundcloud.com/beck_anne-user-606680066/news-story-recording-a-first (SoundCloud, 2016).

 

Below is a written copy of the recording.

 

News Story

News Speaker: Good Morning and welcome to Gympie’s local and latest News stories. I’m Mary Smith. Newly elected media adviser, Miss Rebecca Wade has just delivered her first Maiden Speech in parliament today. I’m now here with her, at her local town hall where she is now delivering a public speech that reinforces her key electoral issues.

 

Media Adviser, Rebecca Wade: Gympie has been a town that has not only been home to me, but has been a home ground for my parents, grandparents and great grandparents. I’m sure that this may be the case for many of the audience members that stand before me today. As a town we have survived a great deal, including, devastating floods that have wiped out our homes, business and community parks.  But we did not let the floods destroy us! As a community we re-built our homes, re-furnished our business and re-planted our parks.

 

News Speaker: Media adviser Rebecca Wade’s motivational speech touched the hearts of many local members and citizens of the Gympie region. Although she did not stop there, saving the best part of her speech until last, as she unveiled first draft plans of the new and improved model of Gympie’s local street.  

 

Rebecca Wade: As a town I believed we have endured enough sacrifice and that is why I am able to stand in front of you today and reveal the last plans of a new, improved and flood free business plan for Mary Street. I give you Mary Street .02.

 

News Reporter: As you can see behind me the citizens of Gympie are all showing their support to Media Adviser Rebeca Wade as she opens the stand to questions and enquires to anyone who may have one after the big reveal.

 

Local Member of Gympie: TO BE CONTINUED…..

 

Reflection of News Story Recording

After writing and recording a first look at my News Story there are many factors that I have already noticed that I need to improve on. These factors include:

o   I NEED TO SLOW MY VOICE DOWN! I have a bad habit of talking way to fast and in order to make my News Story the best it can be, I need to slow down my talking.

 

o   I would like to look into changing my voice to represent the different people talking in my News Story. For example at the moment I have a News Reporter talking and then I have myself talking. I believe that it would be a good touch to alter my voice tone when talking as the News Reporter to show the different people talking (Or possible getting someone else to talk the part of the News Reporter).

 

 

o   In order to make this recording the best it can be, I think that need to add some visual aspects into it.  

 

By making these small and needed changes I believe that this News Story would be better executed and delivered.

Reference List: (Week 9)

SoundCloud. (2016). News Story Recording: A First Look. Available: https://soundcloud.com/beck_anne-user-606680066/news-story-recording-a-first. Last accessed 9th May 2016.



 

Week 8

Week 8: PowerPoint Activity

 The following PowerPoint Task can be seen on the following link:  

http://www.slideshare.net/RebeccaWade4/week-8-61605124 (Slideshare, 2016)

 

 Reflections

After completing Week 8’s Activities I believe I have a better understanding of the task that is required of me for Assessment Task 2 – Parliamentary Maiden Speech. After completing my PowerPoint of the speech I intend to write, I have a better understanding of the layout of my speech, the elements that will need to be addresses within my speech and a better understanding of what a Maiden speech is exactly. Before completing this activity I had only read the task sheet of this assessment task, and I had so many unanswered questions about what needed to be done. However by completing my PowerPoint I have cleared up these unanswered questions and have made a start/plan of what my Maiden speech will entail. Overall I believe that this activity was very supportive and useful to my learning and understanding of Assessment Task 2.

Reference List (Week 8):

SlideShare. (2016). Maiden Speech: A First Look. Available: http://www.slideshare.net/RebeccaWade4/week-8-61605124. Last accessed 2nd of May 2016.

 

 

Week 7

Week 7

Task 1: The Today Show’s interview/ Chat with Hamish and Andy

 

As argued by Tolson, chat based programs often contain features of wit and humour. After watching a short chat program of the Today Show interviewing Hamish and Andy, this statement by Tolson can be seen to be true. During this chat program humour is a main theme presented within the clip as the Today Show interviewers of constantly laughing and smiling throughout the whole interview. Hamish and Andy who are known for their humour, show wit and jokes throughout the interview (The Today Show, 2016). Based on this interview and the elements of humour and wit, to be able to be a host on the Today Show you would need to be able to wrap up a conversation when it’s going to long, have a sense of humour, not be easily offended and the ability to read a script. To be a host on Hamish and Andy’s show, would be slightly different from the Today’s Show. This can be seen as you would need to not only be funny and have a good sense of humour, you would need to be someone who is not afraid to try dangerous stunts and tasks, be a quick thinker (someone who can immediately think on their feet) and be good at improvisation. By possessing these qualities I believe you would be able to be a guest host on one of these two shows.

Reference

The Today Show. (2016). The Today Show Interviews Hamish and Andy. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypyI5r5QsiA. Last accessed 28th of April 2016.

 

Week 7

Activity 2

The following link is a link to my recording of Camera Practice. As I was unable to get some to record me, so I had to do it myself. My Recording is about me showing my audience the new flat I just moved into (Don’t mind the mess!)

 

Week 7

Task 3: Talk to Text

After reading the Talk to Text article the following key points can be seen:

 

 

o   Addresses that source accounts are forms of spoken interaction.

o   The article states that little is known about quotation practices and therefore raises the question, ‘when do sources quotations preserve the local interactional content in which a given statement was originally spoken?’

o   Newspaper and television stories include a variety of sources and were originally culled from speeches and audio.

o   The New York Times stated 70% of their information has come from oral sources (Clayman, 2016).  

 

Reference

Clayman, S. (1990). Talk to Text. Available: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/clayman/Site/Publications.html. Last accessed 28th of April 2016.

 

 

 

Additional Task: Extra Task

Additional Task

(Extra Task)

News Script Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-dNfttJvA0

After watching the above news interview link, there were many aspects of this news interview that were well throughout and suited the style of interview. The interview is about a young soccer player named Daniel Cappellaro (7 News Perth, 2014). The interview used a range of different approaches. During the beginning of the interview, the interviewer is just heard as a voice over to Daniel Playing soccer. His voice is well spoken as he has a clear voice, uses a range of different levels of sounds, emphasises his voice on certain words he wants to draw attention to and speaks in a very formal tone. However the interviewer isn’t just a voice over throughout the whole interview, as he does appear on the screen during certain sections of the interview. When he appears on the screen he uses many different techniques to engage with his audience. Some of these techniques include, giving direct eye contact to the camera, using his hands to show different gestures and portraying his voice in a way that gets is main message across. The news interviewer also conveys a formal interview by asking Daniel important questions that are related to his soccer career and also addresses and signs off his interview formally by letting his audience know that he is from Channel 7 News. Over all this interview was well constructed and executed.    

 

Reference

7 News Perth . (2014). Interview and Video Shoot with 7 News. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-dNfttJvA0. Last accessed 28th of April 2016.

Week 6

Week 6

Assessment Task 2 Outlined

Purpose: The purpose of this assessment task is to write our Member's parliamentary maiden speech, which will contain key newsworthy points. From here we will need to come up with ideas on how this speech will be delivered and then we must also justify the script/speech.

Audience: The targeted audience for this script/speech will be aimed towards members of the community and other state politicians. The audience for the news story will be every member of the community who as access to a TV and or media devices.

Information: The information that will be recorded within this script/speech will include what the Member is passionate about and what they as a Member aim to achieve while in the positon.  This information will also need to benefit the community and what the community aims to benefit when electing this Member. This same information will need to be seen within the news recording/script, but will also need to be eye catching and bold.

 

Formal and Impromptu Speeches

 

 

 

Formal and Impromptu Speeches Link https://soundcloud.com/beck_anne-user-606680066/week-6-formal-and-impromptu (SoundCloud, 2016).

 

Reference List (Week 6):

 

SoundCloud. (2016). Formal and Impromptu Speeches . Available: https://soundcloud.com/beck_anne-user-606680066/week-6-formal-and-impromptu. Last accessed 18th of April 2016.

 

Week 5

Week 5

Task 1: Notice your own talk

When it comes to my own talk there are many things in which I say and used often. For example when I greet people I was always taught from a young age that it was impolite to not introduce myself. Having this drilled into my mind when I was little from my parents every time I meet someone for the first time I say, ‘Hello, I’m Rebecca. It’s nice to meet you’. When leaving I say the same thing every time, which includes, ‘Aww well it was very nice to meet you/you all again. Thanks for having me and I will see you when I see you’.

When it comes to uncomfortable moments including moments of silence, I tend to panic and over talk, about random stuff and half the time I can tell the other person has stopped listening. When it comes to humour, I tend not to use it with people I only just meet. I don’t use it because I have a fear that they won’t get it or think I’m weird for saying something funny that they don’t get. However having said this, I do use humour around people I feel comfortable around/ or people I know. 

 

Task 2: Comparing a News Interview with an Entertainment Interview

Questions	News Interview	Entertainment Interview
How was the interviewee introduced?	The interview was introduced by giving the viewers a background of the robbery, which was then followed by introducing the interviewee, by first of all thanking them for their time and asking how they were (Today Show, 2016)	Ellen’s interviewee was introduced by dancing her way onto the stage as Ellen introduced her (The Ellen Show, 2015).
What questions were asked?	o   How are you guys? o   What were you doing before the robbery took place? o   What did you do throughout the robbery? o   Did you feel like your life was at risk?	o   Why don’t you move to L.A? o   Do you like it here? o   What did you do last time you were in L.A?
Conflict?	No conflict was seen throughout this interview	No conflict was seen throughout this interview.
How Humour evident?	Throughout the news interview, humour was evident as the interviewees put an Aussie spin when telling their story of the robbery. This humour can be seen by the reactions of the interviewers as they were all laughing and enjoying themselves.	Throughout Ellen’s interview humour was definitely used. This can be seen both Ellen and her live audience laughed along with the interviewee as she told funny stories of her time in L.A.
How was the interview concluded?	The news interview was concluded by thanking the boys for sharing their story with the Today show.	The entertainment interview was concluded by Ellen thanking her guest for joining her show and then letting her audience know what was coming up next.
Differences?	o   More serious interview o   Based on a news event o   Split screen to show both the Today Interviewer and the interviewee as they were not in the same town when interviewed.	o   Less serious interview o   Based on the life events of a famous person. o   The interview took place in Ellen’s studio with both the guest and Ellen within the same room. o   A live audience was used.

 

News Interview Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR2OWrOc8xk

Entertainment Interview Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgX2HY2iyVQ

Reference List (Week 5):  

The Ellen Show. (2015). Amy Schumer. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgX2HY2iyVQ. Last accessed 4th of April 2016.

Today Show. (2016). Robbery Heroes . Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR2OWrOc8xk. Last accessed 4th April 2016.

Week 5

Task 3: Key Points

After reading Chapter 18: Interaction en Masse: Audiences and Speeches in Heritage, the following key points were seen. These include:

o   Eye contact is essential for effective public speaking, as you gain more attention from your audience.

o   Audiences have the power to ‘make or break’ your speech. This can be judged by their reactions, such as cheering, nodding, writing down notes etc.

o   Applauses can show whether or not your speech was strong and or weak. Atkinson research showed that if an audience applause lasted for 8 or more seconds the speech was strong, however if the applause didn’t last for 8 seconds or more the weak was classified as weak.

o   Lists are important in speeches as they show the kind of emphasis and projectable necessary for audiences to react.

o   Structure of speeches helps maintain the audience’s applause. This is done in three stages and or levels. Arguments, rhetoric and a micro-structural level if intonation, rhythm, timing and gesture.

o   CONTENT DOES MATTER!! (Clayman and Heritage, 1969).

After recoding the key points that emerged from the research of this chapter, there are many points  in which I could and should take into count when writing my own speeches, to ensure that my speeches have the potential to be effective. These points will include the aspects of making sure the content of the speech makes sense and is interesting, ensure that when the speech is being spoken that eye contact and body language will be used to draw the audience attention in and also to structure my speeches effectively to ensure the audience does applauses when needed to.

Reference List (Week 5):

Clayman, S. and Heritage, J. (1969). Talk in Action . Available: http://ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/connect?session=scnGr6kpklL3Ezt5&url=http://library-resources.cqu.edu.au/cro/protected/comm12033/comm12033_cro7870.pdf. Last accessed 4th of April 2016.

Week 4

In a World Film

In a World is a 2013 film that follows the life of a struggling vocal coach, Carol after receiving a job to be the voice over for a movie trailer. The movie addresses many themes and one of these themes includes how a female makes her mark in the voice over world which was originally controlled by males. As the movie progresses we get an understanding of carols life and her family, and it is clear that her father (the voice-over king) is consistently reminding and encouraging carol to give up on the voice-over world as she doesn’t have what it takes and that the industry isn’t for a female. However after the movie trailer is released, carols voice is the one chosen to be used as the voice over. From here carol choses to use her vocal coach training to coach females with squeaky and or too feminie voices, to make their voices heard in a world which was once ruled by man (In a World, 2013).

The performance techniques used within this movie include:

o   The face. This is continuously used by carol, her father and Gust when they are getting ready to speak. It is their warm up.

o   Volume and projection. This is used throughout the film to let the listener know when and what to feel. For example when carol raises her voice we know that she is angry and or excited. Her feeling is then showed by how she projects her volume and the way in which she does it.

o   Breathing. This is shown within the film just before Carol does her voice-over for the movie trailer. This can be seen as she takes a minute to focuses on her breathing before she starts talking.

o   Gesture, eye contact and posture are other techniques used within the film that act as a visual picture to the words being said.

Some important techniques used to alter voice-over include:

o   Creative devices (when a human voice is used over images)

o   Educational or descriptive devices (used when a video is not shown)

o   Commercial devices (used within TV advertisements)

o   Translation (used within TV programs)

o   Character devices (when a narrator tells the story) (Stonely, 2015).


Reference List (Week 4):

Stonely, T. (2015). Voice Over. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice-over. Last accessed 31st March 2016.

Week 4

Week 4

Activity 1: Re-recording of News Script

https://soundcloud.com/beck_anne-user-606680066/week-4-re-recording-of-news (SoundCloud, 2016)

Activity 2: Reflection

After being able to re-record my take on this News Script, there are definitely many areas in which I was able to improve my professional voice and performing techniques. During my first attempt on this recording I summarised that my weakness included:

o   That I spoke to fast

o   I stumbled on words

o   I left words out and sometimes added more words in

o   And also that at times my voice wasn’t very professional and or clear.

However after being able to re-record myself I was able to improve these weakness I had. After listening back to my recording I was able to hear that I slowed my voice right down to a speed that was clear and professional, just as heard within the original recording of this News Script. I didn’t stumble on as many words within this recording and to make my voice sound more professional I emphasised certain words to draw the listener back in. With regards to performance techniques, I believe that my new recording contain a variety of different performance techniques which included:

o   Clarity of my voice. I was able to speak clearly and strongly as I managed to control my nerves and not let them show within my voice.

o   Projection of my voice. I was bale to project my voice clearly and at a volume that would be heard but at the same time was not too loud.

o   Breathing. I was able to control my breathing within this recording, therefore I didn’t sound like I was running out of breath or gasping for air during any point of this recording.

Overall, when comparing my second recording to my first attempt it can be seen that I have improved many areas of my voice.

Reference List (Week 4):

SoundCloud. (2016). Re-recording of News Script. Available: https://soundcloud.com/beck_anne-user-606680066/week-4-re-recording-of-news. Last accessed 29th of March 2016.

 

Week 3

Activity 1: Rhetoric

After reading Aristotle’s Rhetoric the following key points of his speech were summarised as follows.

Rhetoric:

o      Is a form of dialectic

o       Includes the modes of persuasion

o      Persuasion is the only true element of the rhetorical art.

o      Rhetorical study showed persuasion is a sort of demonstration (people are easily and or are fully persuaded when given a demonstration).

o      Demonstration is the most effective mode of persuasion.

o      Rhetoric is useful based on the following three points:

-          Things that are true prevail over their opposites.

-          Knowledge will make it easy to produce conviction (Knowledge = Instruction)

-          To employ persuasion is to use strict reasoning.

o      Rhetoric is not made up with a single definite.

o      Rhetoric is as universal as dialectic and clear and useful.

o      Rhetoric can be defined as the ability to observe, however rhetoric included the power to observe the means of persuasion on any subject.

o      Some modes of persuasion belong strictly to the art of rhetoric. 

o      Modes of persuasion include as follows:

-          Personal character of the speaker.

-          Positioning of the audience in a certain frame of mind.

-          The words of the speech itself.

o      As well as the modes of persuasion there are three means of persuasion as well. These include as follows:

-          To reason logically

-          To understand human character

-          To understand emotions.

o      Rhetoric falls into three divisions. These include:

-          Political

-          Forensic

-          Ceremonial oratory of display.

o      These three kinds of rhetoric refer to the three different kinds of time.

o      Rhetoric has distinct ends and views for each of its three kinds (divisions) (Aristotle, 2016).

 

Therefore based on Aristotles rhetorical speech overall it can be seen that rhetoric is a form of dialectic that refers to persuasive speech (how we persuade people). 

 

Reference List (Week 3):

Aristotle. (Unknown). Rhetoric by Aristotle. Available: Rhetoric by Aristotle. Last accessed 23rd of march 2016.

 

Activity 2

Recording of my own use of Rhetoric

https://soundcloud.com/beck_anne-user-606680066/week-3-recording-of-my-own-use

 

Activity 3

Short Review on Rhetoric Video

After watching, In Defence of Rhetoric: No Longer Just for Lairs, it was seen that the main key or purpose of the video was to define the actual meaning of Rhetoric and dismiss the untrue definitions associated with Rhetoric. The video contain a range of highly reparable sources, who explained the actual meaning associated with the term Rhetoric. The video’s which again was aimed to dispel any negative perceptions associated with Rhetoric also was designed to defended the study of Rhetoric and answer the ultimate question, what is Rhetoric? Throughout this short video Rhetoric was defined as the study of the technique using language effectively. In other words used within this short video, Rhetoric was described as how we persuade each other or how we present arguments to each other, not just by the way we say it but also by the gestures we use to convey it. It described many example and demonstrations when rhetoric was and wasn’t used and how this affected the outcome of the initial decision.