Practice Speaking Skills With Impromptu Speeches

Impromptu speeches refer to those times when you get up in front of people and speak about a topic without preparation, or with very little preparation. An impromptu speech is a fancy phrase used to indicate speaking for an extended length of time about a topic. Practicing impromptu speeches can help you or your class prepare for at these common tasks: Weddings or other celebrationsIn class when a professor asks for your opinion about somethingJob interview questionsSmall talk at partiesExchanging opinions at a business or other meetingsSpeaking in publicMaking new friends and exchanging ideas Practicing Impromptu Speeches In order to become comfortable giving impromptu speeches, practice giving impromptu speeches in front of the mirror, in class, with other students, and so on. Here are some techniques to help get used to speaking without preparation. Think in Terms of a Well Written Paragraph Although writing is not the same as speaking, there are some common characteristics shared by impromptu speaking and well-written paragraphs. A well-written paragraph contains: An IntroductionA Main Idea or PointSupporting Evidence / ExamplesConclusion Speaking successfully about a topic should follow the same basic outline. Introduce your topic with an interesting antidote, quote, statistic or other information to catch the listeners attention. Next, state your opinion and give some examples. Finally, make a conclusion by stating why this information youve provided is relevant. Heres an example of someone stating her opinion at a party to a group of friends about a film. The language may be more idiomatic than in writing, but the structure is quite similar. Example Opinion or Impromptu Speech The new James Bond film is so exciting! Daniel Craig looks amazing and hes such a good actor. Ive heard that he does all of his own stunts. In fact, he was injured making the last film. Hes also so tough, but at the same time so suave. Have you seen the trailer in which he jumps onto a moving train and then adjusts his cufflinks! Classic Bond! Not all James Bond films are great, but its amazing how well theyve stood the test of time. Heres a breakdown of how this short opinion parallels basic paragraph structure: An Introduction - The new James Bond film is so exciting!A Main Idea or Point - Daniel Craig looks amazing and hes such a good actor.Supporting Evidence / Examples - Ive heard that he does all of his own stunts. In fact, he was injured making the last film. Hes also so tough, but at the same time so suave. Have you seen the trailer in which he jumps onto a moving train and then adjusts his cufflinks! Classic Bond!Conclusion - Not all James Bond films are great, but its amazing how well theyve stood the test of time. Clearly, this opinion would be much too informal for a written essay or business report. However, by providing structure, it is possible to speak with confidence, as well as get the points across. Give yourself 30 seconds to prepareTime yourself: try to first speak for one minute, then two minutesGet correctionsTry, try again Rules for Practice Here are some rules that I find helpful for practicing impromptu speeches on your own or in your class. If possible, get someone to help out with corrections in class for both the overall structure and common grammar problems. If you dont have anyone, record yourself. Youll be surprised how quickly you improve keeping these simple tips in mind. Give yourself 30 seconds to prepareTime yourself - try to first speak for one minute, then two minutesGet correctionsTry, try again Finally, here are a number of topic suggestions to help get you started practicing impromptu speeches. Impromptu Speech Topic Suggestions Why are habits or routines helpful? / How can habits or routines lead to boredom?How does the weather affect your mood?Why did your favorite team win or lose the last game, match or competition?Why are you looking for a new job?What happened to make your break up / end your last relationship?Tell me something about a hobby or a subject in school?Why dont parents understand their children?What makes a good parent?What suggestions would you make to your boss to improve the company?If you could take a year off from work or school, what would you do?Why are governments in such trouble around the world?Why did you enjoy or not enjoy your last date?Who is your mentor, and why?What should the teachers do more / less often?Why did you do well / poorly on the last homework assignment or test?

Dbq the Renaissance - 818 Words

The Renaissance was primarily thought of as being a period in which the revival of learning flourished, and the arts changed for the better and ideas became more focused life on earth. It was a time when new ideas of individualism, the thought of secularism and the interest in human ideas jumpstarted a new and freer lifestyle for everyone. The new ideas formed in the renaissance made enough impact on the world them and ever since that it deserves to be called its own era. The medieval times was filled with ideas based just around the church. As the Renaissance began, the arts developed into a freer and move creative society based on more Greek and Roman ideas. â€Å"Finding the feudal and ecclesiastical literature and Gothic art of the†¦show more content†¦Also in the learning of the period ideas of Human Anatomy started to emerge as well as geometry and orbits (documents 6/7). With the Renaissance coming back to the â€Å"real world’ it marked a change in history . All aspects of life have changed thanks to the ideas that started in this time period. As well as some of the greatest artist and philosophers to ever live. The ideas that came out in the Renaissance where Cleary enough to call its own period in time. The revival of learning flourished, the arts and ideas became more focused life on earth. Though exact start and end dates are not clear everyone should be able to comprehend the importance of this Renaissance and say that it the information provided is enough to prove that The Renaissance period has a place in history which is completely different then the MedievalShow MoreRelatedRenaissance Dbq1271 Words   |  6 PagesRenaissance DBQ During the Renaissance time period, each man and woman needed to strive to meet the â€Å"ideal† image that was expected by society. If this image was not met, the person would be judged by society. Both males and females had different goals that they needed to meet in education, as well as in their lives. 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12 Angry Men a Review of Dysfunctional Teams free essay sample

Although the story revolves around a young 18-year-old Latino boy who has been accused of stabbing his father to death with a knife, the viewers are carried through the plot by observing the dysfunctional behaviors of the jurors. The five characteristics of a dysfunctional team according to Patrick Lencioni are absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. Even though this team experiences each of these obstacles, the strengths of the individuals overcome to reach the unanimous not-guilty verdict. This paper will highlight the individuals’ strengths and weaknesses and will provide insight on the decision making process that applies to working on a team. The evidence of absence of trust is clear from the beginning of the film. None of the jurors trust each other. Juror #3 and Juror #8 exemplify a lack of trust throughout the film. During a heated debate Juror #8 finally confronts Juror #3 and asks him, â€Å"Are you his executioner? Perhaps you’d like to pull the switch. † Clearly these words show how extreme the lack of trust is. Juror 8 does not believe that Juror #3 is making his conclusions based on case evidence. Because Juror #8 knows that Juror #3 has misplaced intentions, he cannot trust him. Because Juror #8 has the integrity to ensure that a not-guilty verdict is unanimous, he uses his Influencer personality type to persuade Juror #3. An Influencer personality has the strength to persuade those around him. He forces Juror #3 to examine the reason why is so quickly judges the young boy. He further exclaims from the scene mentioned above, â€Å"Ever since you walked into this room, youve been acting like a self-appointed public avenger! You want to see this boy die because you personally want it, not because of the facts! Youre a sadist. † Juror #8 convinces Juror #3 to divulge that his true motivation is misplaced. Juror #3 is misdirecting blame to the young boy for acts that were committed by his son, and Juror #3 is looking for someone to be held accountable. Because Juror #8 was insightful and an Influencer, they overcame the absence of trust to gain a not-guilty vote. Fear of conflict is predominant with Juror #2. Throughout the film Juror #2 runs from the conflicts and heated debates. He is easily persuaded and seems to agree with the group decisions. He is intimidated by Juror #8 and silenced multiple times. It is during a heated argument between Juror #3 and Juror #8 that he observes and eventually concludes that the young man is innocent. Although it may seem that Juror #2 serves as a weak team member, he brings the strengths of Creator to the group. A Creator tries to make sense of the world or views different possibilities than others. Juror #2 internalizes the motivations and reasoning behind the case and his cohorts. Once he is confident that the young man is not guilty, he begins to share his ideas. For example, he convinces the group to see the knife again because he does not believe the young man could have stabbed the victim based on each of their heights. Once the team conducts this experiment, some more jurors see Juror #2’s perspective and decide upon innocence. Lack of Commitment is exemplified in Jurors #7. Juror #7 is only interested in voting guilty, ending the debate, and attending a baseball game later that evening. He immediately encourages the foreman to hold a vote quickly. Juror #7 displays a persona of a poor Influencer. He attempts to convince the group of a guilty verdict for his own personal gain. He provides little insight to the group and is only concerned about his own personal agenda. Once the majority changes to not-guilty, Juror #7 settles with the majority in order to end the process more rapidly. In contrast, Juror #11 questions Juror #7 about his incentives that changed his vote. As an immigrant, Juror #11 is patriotic and thinks the jurors should use their vote as a privilege and with respect. He exemplifies the persona of an Equalizer, someone who stabilities situations ethically. Even in the beginning of the movie, he contends that the secret ballot needs to remain private. He is compelled to allow whoever voted not guilty the discretion they were promised. His strengths as an Equalizer help the jurors conclude a unanimous verdict based on the proper reasoning. Avoidance of accountabilty is predominant in Juror #10. He refuses to accept that his decisions are made on personal biases and does not have accountabilty for his own biased beliefs. He is the racist of the group and clearly portrays his view points on the group early during the deliberation. This is evident during his racial tirade when he states, â€Å"Look, you know how these people lie! Its born in them! † Refusing to accept that he is basing his opinions on experiences that have occurred in their past, this causes the group to dive further into turmoil during the process. Even though Juror #10 tries to convince the jurors that the young man is guilty, Juror #5 uses his strengths as a Teacher to contradict Juror #10’s influence. Juror #5 grew up in the slums and works in Harlem hospital. By providing his valuable insight to the group, he enlightens the jurors’ understanding. It is Juror #5 that specifically explains how to use the switchblade in question. This allows the team to have a different perspective on how the attack actually occurred. Inattention to results is visible in Juror #4. Throughout the film Juror #8 provides multiple examples that exemplify reasonable doubt. Juror #4 was not willing to acknowledge these results until the end of the film. He finally acknowledges that the female witness could not make an accurate sighting without the use of her glasses. Team members like this will cause failure amongst the group because of their unwillingness to understand the results in front of them. Juror #4’s strength was his attention to detail that is usually found in an Equalizer. He relied on the hard evidence of the woman not wearing glasses in the court room to determine his not-guilty vote. His level-headed thinking style and practical view of the case allowed him to make a well informed decision. The juror portrays multiple group dysfunctions throughout the film, including absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. 2 Angry Men is an accurate portrayal of dysfunctions that occur on a daily basis with teams. It is only through their individual strengths that as a team they overcome these obstacles, and come to a not-guilty verdict. Teams can learn from this film on how to avoid these dysfunctions and overcome many of the issues that were faced.

Why Non Verbal Communication Is Important free essay sample

What is communication? It is a process that involves exchange of information, thoughts as well as ideas and emotions. Based on the channels used for communicating, the process of communication can be broadly classified as verbal communication and non verbal communication. Non verbal communication is the most important method of communication that we have available as human beings. It is estimated that 55% of our communication is based on the non verbal communication methods, and only 38% is attributed to vocal communication, whereas written communication comes third with only 7% of our total. The process of communication involves a sender that encodes and sends a message, which is then carried via the communication channel to the receiver. He/she decodes the message, processes the information and sends an appropriate reply via the same communication channel. This process is similar whether we are employing verbal or non verbal methods of communication. Communication includes written and oral communication, whereas the non verbal communication includes body language, facial expressions and visuals, such as diagrams or pictures, all of which are used as a means of communication. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Non Verbal Communication Is Important or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Important non verbal methods of communication There are eight main methods of non verbal communication. Generally we are very familiar with the idea of body language. But this is a general term which covers different types of non verbal communication such as Gesture, Posture and Eye-Gaze. 1. Eye gaze Eye contact can indicate interest, attention, and involvement. Gaze includes the actions of looking while talking, maintaining eye contact while listening, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation and blink rate. 2. Facial expression Universal facial expressions signify anger, fear, sadness, surely and disgust. If you smile, frequently, youll be perceived as more likable, friendly, warm and approachable. 3. Posture Your posture, including the pose, stance and bearing of the way you sit, slouch, stand, lean, bend, hold and move your body in space. It can immediately affect the way people perceive you. 4. Gesture May be articulated by the movement of hands, arms or body, and also includes the movement of the head, face and eyes such as winking, nodding or rolling ones eyes. Speaking without gesture, can be seen as boring, stiff and unanimated. 5. Haptics The word given to touch as it refers to communication, includes handshake, holding hands, kissing, backslapping, high fives, a pat on the shoulder and brushing an arm. The meaning conveyed from touch is highly dependent upon context, the relationship between communicators, and the manner of touch. 6. Paralanguage This term refers to the non verbal cues of the voice. Acoustic properties of speech such as tone, pitch and accent can all give off a non verbal cues . Proxemics This refers to the non verbal study of space and distance. The concept of territorial space refers to the area around the person that another person is not allowed to enter without consent. For example, the intimate zone is said to be up to 2 feet around the person and is reserved for close friends and loved ones. 8. Clothing and bodily characteristics Finally, elements such as physique, height, weight, hair, skin colour, gender, odour and clothing send non verbal messages during interaction. They cannot be ignored. Geraldine M. Kilbride is a Business Psychologist and owner of http://CrucialSkills4Leaders. com, Europes foremost resources for developing your leadership talent. Working with executives to understand and realise their unique leadership potential, CrucialSkills4Leaders uses classroom situations, experiential workshops as well as individual and group coaching to develop performance. The coaches and facilitators employed by CrucialSkills4Leaders are all regularly called upon by the London Business School, Number 1 for MBAs. Bibliography: Kilbride, G 2010, Why Non Verbal Communication is Important, EzineArticle, .