Friday, April 30, 2004
TGIF is all I have to say! This has been a rough last week and I am more than glad that it is over. I am also relieved that I have finally secured an apartment in Chicago for the summer. It was a huge ordeal and hopefully this one won't fall through like the others that I thought I had lined up did. So, I am very excited to do my internship for the summer now.
So I read some people's blogs and they just really have a blogging style. I wish I could have developed a blogging style of my own this semester rather than just posting totally irrelevant chatter. For example, I love that Kyle always posts song lyrics and that Nate is trying to have people post their favorite movie scenes...etc. I think its great that these people have used blogging to the full potential it has. I, on the other hand, will not be so sad to say goodbye to the blogosphere and just return to talking to people about my issues each day instead of sitting down to type them. Have a great weekend before finals!
So I read some people's blogs and they just really have a blogging style. I wish I could have developed a blogging style of my own this semester rather than just posting totally irrelevant chatter. For example, I love that Kyle always posts song lyrics and that Nate is trying to have people post their favorite movie scenes...etc. I think its great that these people have used blogging to the full potential it has. I, on the other hand, will not be so sad to say goodbye to the blogosphere and just return to talking to people about my issues each day instead of sitting down to type them. Have a great weekend before finals!
Thursday, April 29, 2004
So a couple of weeks back I think I blogged about meeting Andrew Firestone, the bachelor, in the Pittsburgh Airport with the Denison tennis team. Well we just got the pictures we took with him back and it is now going to be the wallpaper for my computer. I am just in love with Andrew Firestone and he seemed like a really great very real guy when we met him. On that note, we will be putting up signs about the regional tournament this weekend which is going to be held at Denison. I know that most people don't have finals till wednesday or thursday next week so if you have a chance you should come down and see some great matches. I know that some people hate when I plug events for tennis on my blog but really what the hell else is there to talk about of any importance and we really need some fans so that we can win and make it to the nationals in Memphis. I've never been to Memphis so I can't wait if we get the opportunity to go there. Alright well good luck with the end of the year crunch and god help you if you need to get a computer somewhere on campus because you are screwed.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
In other news, I guess that International Finance is the class to take. I talked with Ramanan today about how he really enjoys this class so I think that I will have to look into taking it at some point although I don't know when. I was excited yesterday to have gotten into Omicron Delta Epsilon, the economics honorary. It is a really big deal because unlike a lot of other honoraries, this one is international. It also is a huge resume builder which I could definitely use at this point. Since this is basically an econ post, I have to say how frustrated I am with Labor Economics. The material is really difficult and the professor is even more difficult. I think that I will be most relieved when the final exam is over next thursday. Well keep plugging away at all the work everybody.
The speeches today also went pretty well in my opinion. Nice job to Ben especially because his inflections were great and I really like his conversational style because it felt like he was talking to us directly. I also agree that some of the speeches are just too long. When you are given a time limit of 3 minutes, going over that becomes an unfair advantage. If we could have had longer than 3 minutes than we could have provided many more statistics and relevant information. I also am a little bitter that Gilbert told us to make our speech more "folksy" and simple. Other groups are using a much more elevated language than we were allowed to as well as using words and phrases that we were told to change. I just wish there was a little more consistency going on between the speeches here but oh well, I think our speech has shaped up to be pretty good even if it is "folksy"
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
In response to the speeches on the Idisk I think that all of them went well for the most part. Most of them are too quick and therefore there are a couple of mispronounciations and stumbles over content. The lesson that I would apply to my final speech advice is to make sure that the speech is at a slow, exaggerated pace so that the speaker can be sure not to trip up on anything. Other than that, I think that the gestures should have been more frequent and sincere than they were in most of the speeches from yesterday. I hope to be able to obtain more advice from the remainder of the speeches tomorrow.
In response to the speeches on the Idisk I think that all of them went well for the most part. Most of them are too quick and therefore there are a couple of mispronounciations and stumbles over content. The lesson that I would apply to my final speech advice is to make sure that the speech is at a slow, exaggerated pace so that the speaker can be sure not to trip up on anything. Other than that, I think that the gestures should have been more frequent and sincere than they were in most of the speeches from yesterday. I hope to be able to obtain more advice from the remainder of the speeches tomorrow.
Monday, April 26, 2004
Here is my final blog post with some interesting ideas for excellent deliberative speeches:
Our speech on closing the gun show loophole can be categorized as a policy or deliberative speech. Since we have been fortunate enough to create the speech in all its facets and then deliver it to an audience, we have come to numerous conclusions on the correct way to write and deliver an effective deliberative speech. Speech writing is often considered unique to the speech writer’s personal style, however, there are specific elements that should appear in every written and delivered speech in order for the speech to achieve its persuasive status.
The first step in creating a deliberative speech is to define the specific audience that the speech will be directed to. This is a crucial step in that the speech should be tailored to fit the values and beliefs of the audience so that they do not reject the proposed ideas. The size of the audience should also be considered because the larger that the audience is, the more general and vague the argument has to be. This vagueness is beneficial in that it creates all-inclusiveness among the audience members. Once the audience’s beliefs are determined it would be helpful to develop a social judgment theory spectrum. This spectrum would allow the speaker to organize all the potential arguments on the issue at hand. The spectrum would also aid the speaker in determining what the audience’s latitude of acceptance on the issue would be. This determination is quite important for the speech to be effective because the audience will only accept mild persuasion to change their opinion on the issue and in most cases they cannot be moved radically in a new direction along the spectrum. Ultimately, the spectrum creates a more refined, directed argument with which the speaker can progress.
In a deliberative speech, the speaker must also keep in mind the ethos or character and pathos or emotional appeal of their argument. By appealing to these qualities of the audience, the speaker can expect a great reaction and interest by the audience. An interesting way to include ethos and pathos is to incorporate small stories or anecdotes that play on people’s personal thoughts and emotions so that they can better relate to the issue being discussed. Rhetorical figures can also be integrated here to create a specific impact on the audience. We learned through our gun control speech that personal examples and relating to the audience on a personal level created the best response to our speech.
In the writing of a deliberative speech it is necessary to keep the language and concepts simplified. By using common terms and ideas, the audience will be able to follow the speech much more easily because it is often difficult to follow difficult concepts that are only spoken. Similarly, the speech should use a great deal of repetition in an effort to keep stating the major points again and again. While a written text should not involve repetition, it is crucial to use repetition in a speech to ensure that the audience has grasped the point. Furthermore, the speaker should carefully construct the sentences of the written speech. At the basic level, the speaker should make sure that the sentences are not too lengthy and he or she should say the sentences aloud to determine if they sound correct when spoken. More specifically, the speaker should take great care to guarantee that no obviously controversial wording or phrasing should be included. Overall, anything that the audience might find negative or inappropriate should be left out of the speech.
When delivering a deliberative speech, the speaker should keep in mind the phrase, “All persuasion is a seduction!” In other words, each individual word is important to emphasize. With deliberative speaking it is also fundamental to use the proper inflections and duration on individual words so that they sound appropriate to the audience (See McGuffey’s reader for the correct inflection style). The speaker should also make sure to speak at a slow enough pace that the proper emphasis can be placed on each point. It is critical that the speaker involve all elements of speech delivery in a deliberative speech such as eye contact, proper gestures, a strong and clear voice, and a casual and conversational tone so as to not sound too formal.
After completing our own deliberative speech, I believe that it is very important to be confident and convincing in the delivery of the speech. While writing and re-writing the speech may be the most intricate part of the process, the final product is the spoken delivery. The audience often remembers everything about the delivery while they sometimes do not remember the exact message. With this in mind, a strong delivery which involves relating to the audience personally will most often be considered a successful speech.
In retrospect, we can learn a great deal about public speaking in general and deliberative speaking more specifically from a variety of sources. Various sites on the internet can teach us technique and listening to professional speeches in this genre can help improve our skills. Most importantly we can learn from each other’s experiences with deliberative speaking.
--For some information on Classical Greek Rhetoric that helped to form the speaking we do today:
www.towson.edu
www.bedfordbooks.com
--For general delivery and writing tips for all genres of speeches:
espeeches
speechtips
delivery
--For examples of professional deliberative speaking examples:
Nixon and Ford
americanrhetoric
--For some great insights from Comm 101 students:
Scott's words of wisdom
He does an excellent job of bringing an acting perspective to public speaking and there are some good techniques he includes that I would have not thought of.
I will look to add other classmates' advice when it appears...
Our speech on closing the gun show loophole can be categorized as a policy or deliberative speech. Since we have been fortunate enough to create the speech in all its facets and then deliver it to an audience, we have come to numerous conclusions on the correct way to write and deliver an effective deliberative speech. Speech writing is often considered unique to the speech writer’s personal style, however, there are specific elements that should appear in every written and delivered speech in order for the speech to achieve its persuasive status.
The first step in creating a deliberative speech is to define the specific audience that the speech will be directed to. This is a crucial step in that the speech should be tailored to fit the values and beliefs of the audience so that they do not reject the proposed ideas. The size of the audience should also be considered because the larger that the audience is, the more general and vague the argument has to be. This vagueness is beneficial in that it creates all-inclusiveness among the audience members. Once the audience’s beliefs are determined it would be helpful to develop a social judgment theory spectrum. This spectrum would allow the speaker to organize all the potential arguments on the issue at hand. The spectrum would also aid the speaker in determining what the audience’s latitude of acceptance on the issue would be. This determination is quite important for the speech to be effective because the audience will only accept mild persuasion to change their opinion on the issue and in most cases they cannot be moved radically in a new direction along the spectrum. Ultimately, the spectrum creates a more refined, directed argument with which the speaker can progress.
In a deliberative speech, the speaker must also keep in mind the ethos or character and pathos or emotional appeal of their argument. By appealing to these qualities of the audience, the speaker can expect a great reaction and interest by the audience. An interesting way to include ethos and pathos is to incorporate small stories or anecdotes that play on people’s personal thoughts and emotions so that they can better relate to the issue being discussed. Rhetorical figures can also be integrated here to create a specific impact on the audience. We learned through our gun control speech that personal examples and relating to the audience on a personal level created the best response to our speech.
In the writing of a deliberative speech it is necessary to keep the language and concepts simplified. By using common terms and ideas, the audience will be able to follow the speech much more easily because it is often difficult to follow difficult concepts that are only spoken. Similarly, the speech should use a great deal of repetition in an effort to keep stating the major points again and again. While a written text should not involve repetition, it is crucial to use repetition in a speech to ensure that the audience has grasped the point. Furthermore, the speaker should carefully construct the sentences of the written speech. At the basic level, the speaker should make sure that the sentences are not too lengthy and he or she should say the sentences aloud to determine if they sound correct when spoken. More specifically, the speaker should take great care to guarantee that no obviously controversial wording or phrasing should be included. Overall, anything that the audience might find negative or inappropriate should be left out of the speech.
When delivering a deliberative speech, the speaker should keep in mind the phrase, “All persuasion is a seduction!” In other words, each individual word is important to emphasize. With deliberative speaking it is also fundamental to use the proper inflections and duration on individual words so that they sound appropriate to the audience (See McGuffey’s reader for the correct inflection style). The speaker should also make sure to speak at a slow enough pace that the proper emphasis can be placed on each point. It is critical that the speaker involve all elements of speech delivery in a deliberative speech such as eye contact, proper gestures, a strong and clear voice, and a casual and conversational tone so as to not sound too formal.
After completing our own deliberative speech, I believe that it is very important to be confident and convincing in the delivery of the speech. While writing and re-writing the speech may be the most intricate part of the process, the final product is the spoken delivery. The audience often remembers everything about the delivery while they sometimes do not remember the exact message. With this in mind, a strong delivery which involves relating to the audience personally will most often be considered a successful speech.
In retrospect, we can learn a great deal about public speaking in general and deliberative speaking more specifically from a variety of sources. Various sites on the internet can teach us technique and listening to professional speeches in this genre can help improve our skills. Most importantly we can learn from each other’s experiences with deliberative speaking.
--For some information on Classical Greek Rhetoric that helped to form the speaking we do today:
www.towson.edu
www.bedfordbooks.com
--For general delivery and writing tips for all genres of speeches:
espeeches
speechtips
delivery
--For examples of professional deliberative speaking examples:
Nixon and Ford
americanrhetoric
--For some great insights from Comm 101 students:
Scott's words of wisdom
He does an excellent job of bringing an acting perspective to public speaking and there are some good techniques he includes that I would have not thought of.
I will look to add other classmates' advice when it appears...
I think that the speeches went really well this morning and much better than I would have thought. I want to congratulate Adam for a job well done for our group's speech. I have noticed on some of the blogs namely Liz and Andrea's that there is some political discussion going on. I want to agree with Liz's interpretation of CommUNITY fest. I was not able to attend this year because I was at Oberlin for a tennis tournament but I did go to last year's festivities and I found it very uplifting. I agree that the reason that it might not have been as interesting as last year is that we were fortunate enough to not receive the negative energy from the church group. I think that we should count that as a success in and of itself. I really think that Denison needs events like the UNITY fest so that we can be more involved in the gay community as a campus. I was involved in some of the planning for last year's event with my honors homosexuality class and I really wish that I could have been there to participate in the event this year. I also was interested in the politics in Andrea's post about the march on Washington. I totally agree with her points and would support John Kerry like Ms. Clinton endorses. So on a less than political note, I went to Fiji Island on Saturday also and found that it wasn't all that great. It was pretty cold and so muddy and I almost got trampled getting to the bus on the way home that I think I'll skip next year's Island chaos. I hope people had more fun there or wherever this weekend than I did.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Today is going to be another one of those days where I think I can finish all the work I have but I still somehow end up getting more work piled on that I can't get out from under. The women's tennis team is leaving today for our conference tournament at Oberlin. I have to say of all places we could go, Oberlin is definitely the most interesting. They have such a diverse and eccentric student body that something unexpected is always bound to happen. Anyway, so the speeches are starting to get on my nerves by now. If I have to hear our speech on gun control again I may have to scream. I thought that everybody else did a good job and Gilbie is being overly picky for our first times giving this type of speech. I wanted to say good job to Sam for sticking it out up there as he made you read the same line over and over again. I'm sure you will get it how he wants it and you'll end up with a great grade. Well I guess I need to find some links for this whole final paper fiasco so I better get going on that. Have a nice weekend!
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
I found it so strange when I opened up Gilbie's page today and found this story about Kyle. I had almost the exact same thing happen to me at a tennis practice. The mention of the heart rate having to be started again that was how mine was and when I went to the hospital the doctor proposed that I get an electrophysiogram or something like that. This test would be the cathater experience that Kyle was referring to. I do hope he's alright and I have had numerous tests done and all that I could talk to him about as an alternative to the invasive procedure which should be a last resort. Funny, I guess that no one really understood the severity of my situation at the time in early March because it was never mentioned as Kyle's situation was. I'm glad that Gilbert made a mention of it because heart issues at our age are quite serious and we should take them seriously as his friends and peers. Well I guess its off to class again...only 6 class periods left, the countdown has begun!
Monday, April 19, 2004
Well I just returned today from Chicago from an awesome weekend. I went to the Cubs game vs. the Reds and it was such a great time. Since I was out of town I missed Relay for Life this weekend. I really wish that I could have done it because it seems like a really great event but unfortunately it was our only weekend off of tennis so I felt the need to take advantage of it. To find out more about it...check out Sian's blog because she seems really into it. Anyway, I am so excited about my internship for the summer but I can't seem to find anywhere to live for the life of me. I'm starting to run out of patience with this housing thing. On a different note, I hear that we are not actually doing the speeches until Friday so I guess I didn't miss much in class today. I hope that with all this work I have that I can make it through the next couple of weeks. Best of luck with all the work to everyone.
Friday, April 16, 2004
I can't believe that this week has finally come to an end. And if I never see another MCGuffey drill for the rest of my life it will be too soon. Congrats to everyone for being able to survive it! Well, I have an exam today and tennis practice and then I am off to Chicago. Its kind of strange that I will be gone every weekend from now until the end of the semester so I guess I won't be enjoying the nice weather and weekends at Denison but somewhere else. I have made a good dent into my semester long research paper so that is pretty encouraging. I want to make a little plug for the guys tennis team. Come out today at 4:00 and see the guys play Case Western Reserve. Good Luck Ethan The girls team will be playing at home next Tuesday against Oberlin so you should all check it out as one of your last opportunities to see us. "O Sailor, O Sailor" I just can't get that out of head now...ahhh have a nice weekend everybody!
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
I am soooo happy to be out of class. That McGuffey reader thing is so annoying and I agree with Scott that I loathe the exercises too. I absolutely hate the inflections and circumflexes and what not. I can't wait to be done with them after Friday. Anyway, this week is going by so slowly...so much work to do. I have to say that I am so excited that we only have to post 3 days a week from now on. Hopefully, I'l be able to find something more interesting to talk about on those days that I post rather than the pointless babble that I currently engage in. I'm sure that the blogosphere just won't be the same after this semester when I don't visit it everyday! I hope that everyone doing relay for life is getting excited for the weekend...it truly is such a great cause and I'm sure it will make a big difference in your life. I did one in high school that really got me thinking about things. So I'm off to tackle my work again...enough procrastinating.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
I just woke up and its wet and raining again...I can't believe it. Maybe our tennis match will be canceled then. I am really excited because I found out yesterday that I got an internship with a commercial real estate firm in Chicago for the summer. The only problem is that I have no idea where I'm going to live. If anyone has any ideas or knows about any housing in Chicago please send it my way. I'm actually going to Chicago this weekend too. I'm planning to go to a Cubs game and they are playing the Reds I believe. I guess Sam will be watching that game since he seems like such a Reds fan.
I admire that because the Reds haven't always been so good so that take guts on hit part. Well I'm off to work on the research paper again...wish me luck.
I admire that because the Reds haven't always been so good so that take guts on hit part. Well I'm off to work on the research paper again...wish me luck.
Monday, April 12, 2004
I first of all want to say thank you to everybody who gave me some encouraging words about my fight with my roommate...things are getting better so I think we can stand each other until the end of the year. I just got back yesterday from a great tennis trip to Madison, Wisconsin. We had a really great time bonding together and I am realizing that as much as I complain about missing the weekends here at Denison while I am off travelling with the tennis team, that I will really miss the tennis trips the most when I graduate. So, I was lucky enough to come home to my friends cooking an easter dinner for me at the DG House last night. It was amazing. Last year I decided to cook dinner for them on Easter and so this year they opted to carry on the tradition which was so sweet. The dinner they made was just what I needed. I could not handle Huffman on Easter Sunday(or anyday for that matter....check out Fatima's discussion on the evils of the dining hall )Well, the time left in the semester is getting shorter so I better get on to some work before it swallows me up!
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Since its already Thursday morning I am going to count my last post for Thursday and this one for Friday since I will be in Madison, Wisconsin tomorrow night. We have our big tournament this weekend (even though it is Easter weekend). I am so lucky that Ethan was able to string my rackets for the tournament because I didn't know how that was going to get done. Right now I am putting off packing for the trip because packing and unpacking are like my least favorite thing to do in the world. I'll get around to it eventually. I hope everyone enjoys class on Friday and has a great weekend because I am outta here....in the direction of the snow!
Well today was quite an interesting day. I got into a huge fight with one of my roommates and all I have to say is that I won't have to deal with her next year and for that I am grateful. We have lived together for the past three years but this year everything fell apart. I think we have just outlasted our friendship together and that we should both move on with our lives. One of the main issues we have is that anytime she is pissed at me about something she resorts to putting up some away message about what a horrible person I am. That makes me so angry that she broadcasts it to everyone before dealing with the problem. Well we had a talk about it and things seem to just be worse after the talk so I have no idea what's going to happen. I think its definitely that time in the semester where everyone is on each other's nerves and really stressed out. I feel Scott's pain about living in such close quarters. I think that could be our problem too....
Well there's really nothing else to write about today except the housing lottery last night. Somehow...I have no idea how my roommates were able to get the very last Sunset room in Sunset C with my pick of 35 while I was at the tennis match. When they told me I was so shocked because I never thought there would be Sunsets left all the way to 35. I am so excited that I can't even believe yet. I have always had bad numbers. Freshman year I had 187 and Sophomore year I had 143. So this year my luck turned around with 35 and I really couldn't have picked a better year for that to happen. I hope that the people on East Quad got some nice suites which I'm sure they did so those will be fine. And to Kristin it doesn't really matter what you get Junior year because you will get a suite even if it is in Shep which is where I live this year and you'll have your own bathroom and stuff so its not that bad. Oh did I mention that I wish we didn't have class and that I was sleeping right now. ahhh...Happy Wednesday!
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
I am so angry at the housing office...this is so ridiculous. I went in yesterday to get a proxy for the lottery because I have a tennis match tonight and since I didn't get a proxy two months ago they told me I had to forfeit my senior housing. This is so stupid...I really feel like Donna Davis and Michael Bates are on some sort of power trip because they can screw all seniors out of good housing and feel great about it. I wasn't even arguing with them, I just wanted a proxy so that I can be in a room wherever it is...what a mess! Anyway, I will probably end up in Shep again like Christine Oh well! In other news, the tennis team is heading to Madison, Wisconsin this weekend for some matches which is going to be forever. My roommate is planning on cooking an Easter dinner which will be so sweet to come home to. I can't wait for that...at least it will be a nice end to a long and stressful week.
Monday, April 05, 2004
So I'm sure all the upcoming seniors in the class are feeling the pain that the housing lottery brings. Our best number is mine which is 35. Any other year that would have been a great number however this year we won't be able to get sunset or stone with that number and we'll most likely end up on East Quad again. The worst part about that is that we'll be forced to be on the meal plan again and I really can't stand Huffman for another year. If anyone has any ideas on how to get off the meal plan please send them my way. I heard Ethan got pick number 19 which is awesome so he better be inviting me over next year while I'm drowning my sorrows in Shep or Beaver! Also thank goodess that class was canceled today because I somehow became sick last night and I still feel awful this morning so at least I got a couple more hours to rest.
Friday, April 02, 2004
Its finally Friday morning...I have to say that this has been one of the longest weeks of the semester and I really didn't have an overload of work so I'm not really sure why. I am so excited that my dad is coming for the weekend tomorrow. We have DG Dad's weekend and I guess Sig Ep does too which I found out reading Ramanan's page. Don't worry Ramanan...somebody's Dad will adopt you! Anyway my dad is going to get to see some tennis matches and then go for dinner at Cherry Valley which I am really looking forward to. We'll probably watch the basketball games as well (which between my boyfriend and my father I know all about this year). I'd also like to say that I feel the job search pain. My internship search this year has been a pain in the ass and even if I get one of them they are mostly in Chicago where I have no place to live. If anyone knows of anybody who has housing available in the Chicago area please send it my way because I am running out of options. Have a great weekend everybody and check out the women's tennis tournament going on at Denison.
Thursday, April 01, 2004
I figure that everyone will blog about the date auction last night at Brews so I'll follow the trend. While a couple of the biddings were fun, I have to say that overall the night was not all it was cracked up to be. The good news is that they raised like $3000 for charity so that was a success but there were hust so many people there that it was too hot and too crowded to be any fun. We had to wait at the bar for a half hour to get a drink so it was better to just stand there and watch everyone else who was already drunk. I'd like to congratulate Matt Petersen for getting naked on the stage to raise $280. That was gutst everyone has to admit. I was expecting to see Gilbie there actually...there were definitely some non-college kids there that were a little friendly! I just want to say yea for the cause and for everyone who came out to support it.
