Speech #3 Presentation

 Attachment Theory 

Informative Speech #3

Preparation Process

I have spent five days in total preparing this speech. I practiced three days out of 5, during which I had to modify my speech outline once. The three body paragraphs were too much to fit into  8 to 10 minute interval. I had to delete the third main point, which was about different ways to resolve insecure attachment issues. It was less important than my two other main points about four attachment styles and four common attachment disorders. 

Moreover,  also had created a Power Point, which included key points that helped me explain Attachment Styles. I think my slides were loaded with information, but I split it up by creating more slides for one subpoint, so that my audience does not get distracted by the information on the screen, but pays attention to my narration. 

During practice, I would try to eliminate distractions by letting my cat outside while I practiced. I also practiced in the room where I actually presented my speech to my audience. The TV with PPT was adjusted so that the glare would not bother my audience on Microsoft Teams.

Regarding my speaking outline: I rewrote my notecards about six times, so that the information is easy to read. Every time I practiced, I would mark up where in the speaking outline I should delete words or add reminders to switch a slide.  

How did it go?

Some things that I thought went well were:

1) I didn't have any issues with internet and technology. My TV was cooperating and my wireless screen sharing worked well throughout the presentation.

2) I didn't rush my presentation. I spoke clearly and loudly, so that people on Teams and in-person could hear me. 

3) My note cards did not fall apart, because I numbered them in a correct way. 

4) I kept forgetting to switch slides during practice, but I didn't have that issue during my actual presentation.

Some things that did not go well:

1) I could not eliminate distractions, because my pets decided to have play time during my speech. Since it was Saturday, my washing machine was on to do laundry, so that provided extra noise that disrupted my train of thought. At one point it made me laugh, because the little song came on to signify that the machine was done washing. 

2) My eye contact with audience was lost when I had to cite sources out loud. I also had people in the room, which I didn't share a lot of eye contact, because I was focused on the people online. 

3) My heart kept rushing, but I managed to calm down. However, I kept stuttering and starting off with a wrong sentence- this situation prompted me to starting over.  This made me nervous and anxious, because I didn't want to repeat my sentences, so that lead to more grammatical and sentence structure mistakes within my oral recitation of the speech. 

 Why didn't it go well?

I believe that I was too busy practicing for the speech, that I didn't pay attention to different noises that could distract me. I had way more practice than I needed to, but I was scared to forget to say something and decided to ignore the environmental noises. If delayed laundry for after the speech- I would have eliminated noises that distracted me. 

 What can I do to improve next time?

To improve my stuttering, I plan on organizing my thoughts in an informal mental outline/map. Since slowing down did not help me decrease my stuttering- I think it would be more beneficial to write down my thoughts and organize them in a way that is easy for me to remember during the actually presentation. 

Also, every time I practice- I need to record myself and then view it to provide feedback for myself. Listening to my  recorded voice gives me to anxiety, but it is necessary to record a practice speech and then make minor adjustments to make my speech flow more gracefully. 

To improve my stuttering, I plan on presenting my speech to a friend before the formal presentation date. I did this with Speech #2 and it helped me gain confidence for the actual delivery in front of multiple people. 

Do I feel more anxious than I did when delivering my first speech?

I do not feel as anxious presenting in front of people as I did during my Speech #1. However, if there is an external noise that disrupts my thoughts- I panic and this in turn causes my stuttering and brings about my communication apprehension. I have mastered speaking in front of people and now I need to improve my resistance to external noise. 

Did I follow my plan to manage communication apprehension from my last speech #2?

To be honest, I did follow most of it, but I couldn't practice in front of my family member, because I felt too shy. Also, I did not practice without my flashcards as I planned to, because I needed them to cite 6 sources orally. I couldn't memorize every single source's name and date, so I will abandon this technique, because it is impractical since I will have to cite more than 6 sources in future speeches. 

What will I do to improve for speech #4? 

1) I will keep practicing slowing down my rate of speech as to improve my clear pronunciation of words and sentences. 

2) I will keep pronouncing my words and sentences clearly without cutting off the endings of the words during practice.

3) I will spend more time on eliminating distractions. For example, during practice I will pay attention to which side I move and where I should take a pause to collect my thoughts and move on to the other point.

4) I will record my practice speech and re-watch it. I will write down feedback for myself on a piece of paper and adjust my speech accordingly.