Kristy+L.

September 22, '09 OI #2 Poetry Out Loud

My oral interpretation was on the poem “Cartoon Physics” by Nick Flynn. This poem is mainly based on comparisons between real life and what might happen in cartoons. Nick Flynn shows that children should cherish their imagination and notes that it inevitably goes away as one’s life progresses.

I think I did well on enunciation and speed, because I could understand everything that I said. In this oral interpretation, I also improved my eye contact, because it was easier to memorize parts of the poem so that I didn’t have to constantly look up and down as often as I did before. As for posture, it was good that I stood up straight and did not sway back and forth or make any unnecessary or distracting movements, but I noticed that like my first oral interpretation, I tilted my head to one side for most of the performance and hid my face behind my hair.

I could definitely improve on my facial expression and the tone of my voice, which I believe was especially hard for reading this poem; It was hard for me to figure out what mood the poet was trying to convey to readers. Looking at the video, I did not see any changes in facial expression or voice throughout my performance. I made a couple of hand gestures, which looked a bit awkward and abrupt. In future oral interpretations, I should work a lot on making it look more natural.

I think that I would grade myself a B, because I still need to improve on many aspects of my performance. I think I also went under the time that was specified, because my performance only lasted one minute and forty-five seconds. I learned that it is pretty difficult to interpret someone else’s words in a poem and make personal connections to it so that you can make it your own.

October 16, ‘09 OI #3 In OI #3, I recited a poem that I wrote myself, entitled “Memories”. I thought that this oral interpretation felt more natural, because I could easily relate to a poem I wrote, instead of having to make another person’s words and feelings seem like my own. Although this OI did not feel as demanding as the previous two, I still have not improved a few aspects of speaking in front of an audience in this oral interpretation.

I think that in this performance, I improved on my vocal and nonverbal expression, by occasionally changing the tone of my voice and face, and by making hand gestures that looked a little more natural. My enunciation was also good, because I could hear and understand everything that I said, although I started to mumble a bit at the end of my introduction.

I could work a lot more on my posture, because like my previous orals, I tilted my head to the side for the whole performance and hid my face. I noticed that this time, I stood with my legs apart. When I used certain hand gestures, I had a tendency to turn my feet inwards (for example, at 00:35: “Let’s take another” and 00:46: “Just one more, okay?”), which looked odd and somewhat distracting. In these two lines, I tried to turn to the side, but only shifted my feet instead of turning my entire body. Aside from this, I should also work on eye contact. During my performance, sometimes I looked down at my manuscript in strange places. Sometimes, I had to look down while I was doing my hand gestures, which made them less effective, whereas other times (out of nervousness?), I looked down when I did not need to. Another little thing I need to work on is my excessive blinking, especially in my introduction, when I tried to make eye contact.

I chose this poem because I connected to it the most out of the other poems I had written. I wrote this poem from personal experience, which made it easier for me to express it verbally, since I was reading and writing my own words. It also helped that my poem was short, so it was easier to memorize and gave me a chance to use a lot of eye contact. I think the only issue I had with this poem was that I could not decide whether to read the poem in a happier tone, or a more bitter tone. From this oral interpretation, I learned that it is easier to convey expression and changes in tone when I can relate to what I am reading, and speak in a natural way that feels like I am communicating with the audience. I also noticed that when I get too nervous, I start to blink too much, smile too much when I am not supposed to, or hide my face. These are all things that I can improve in future performances, when speaking in front of an audience becomes more natural. I also thought that I improved more on changing my face and hand gestures, because instead of making one or two awkward gestures throughout my entire performance, it was easier to incorporate more expression into my own poetry.

October 25, '09 OI #4 In OI #4, I read a passage from __A Wrinkle In Time__, by Madeleine L’Engle. Since this passage was much longer than the past three, I struggled with memorizing parts of my script and maintaining my eye contact, volume, and posture. I could also work on memorizing my introduction, so will not have to think as hard as I did in this performance to get the words out, or pause to remember what to say next. Based on this oral interpretation, I still need to improve many aspects of my performances. I noticed that, even when I do not think I am doing it, I tilt my head to one side and keep my hair in front of my face. This made it a little harder for me to see whether I was making eye contact or not. I did not do well on keeping eye contact with the audience, because I felt that I did not know my script as well as I should have. Whenever I looked up from my manuscript, I quickly looked back down because I was afraid that I would lose my place. I could also keep my volume at the same level, because it gets softer as time progresses. When my voice is loud, however, it sounds shaky. I thought that I did well on rate, articulation, and expression, although I could definitely improve on these aspects too. Sometimes I should emphasize the articulation more on passages that the audience might not understand, such as “Puller Prush Person”. For the most part, I could understand everything that I said in my performance, because I did not speak too quickly. As for my expression, sometimes it looked a bit awkward, because I tried to add hand gestures in places that I did not feel comfortable with. I chose a good passage from my book, because the actions in this selection made it easier for me to incorporate more hand gestures and facial/oral expressions into my oral interpretation. From this oral interpretation, I learned that I really have to exaggerate changes in my tone, facial expressions, and pauses, because what I saw and heard on the recording was extremely different from what experienced while I was speaking. I think I deserve a B-, because I did not fully connect with my reading, and I did not know my script well enough to communicate comfortably with the audience.

November 1, '09 SPEECH: Hands-Only In this oral presentation, we each chose simple tasks that we could teach others how to do. I felt much more nervous about this oral than the previous ones, because I could not read off a manuscript. A large part of the performance was based on hand gestures, but I still had some difficulty making them look natural. I thought that I did fine on articulation and the volume of my voice, because I could understand everything that I said, but like my last oral interpretation, my words would have been clearer if I spoke in a louder voice. Since I could not look at a manuscript, I spent more time making eye contact than looking down at my hands, like I did in my previous performances. I did, however, look at my hands at unnecessary times (for example, when I said “…and then you wait, and wait, and wait”). Not having a manuscript with me made me feel extremely nervous, because it meant that I actually had to interact with the audience, and speak in my own words. I had problems with doing this, because I have a hard time wording my sentences correctly and remembering what to say next. I noticed that in the video, my voice got shaky, I blinked way too much, and I swayed from side to side, something that I do not do often. In this performance, I also still could not break the habit of tilting my head to one side. Overall, my posture, eye contact, and voice could use a lot of work. I thought that teaching the class how to fry eggs was not a good choice, because I honestly do not cook very often. I was not completely familiar with the process, and as a result, I had to pause various times throughout my performance to think of what to say next. On the other hand, I thought it was a good choice, because it was easy to act it out and make the demonstration fit within the time limit. From this performance, I learned that even though I do not have to read or memorize exact words, I have to practice a lot more for extemporaneous speeches, because I tend to feel a lot more nervous when I do not have anything to read from. Overall, I think that I deserve a B-, because I did not look or feel prepared for this oral, and I had a lot of difficulty coming up with things to say, especially in my introduction and conclusion.

November 13, ‘09 Inspirational Speech In this performance, we also were unable to read off of a manuscript. Instead, we had to form our own sentences out of a certain amount of words and/or symbols we had on a note card that was simply there to remind us of what to talk about next. I thought that although I did not have a manuscript to rely on, I felt more comfortable at the podium, mainly because the audience did not see my whole body. For the most part, I could stand any way I wanted. I thought that I improved on my posture, eye contact, and articulation. I saw that I did not tilt my head to one side, as I usually did. Not having a manuscript was actually a positive thing, because I did not have to constantly look up and down to read exact words. My articulation was good; it was easy to understand most of what I said. I still need to work on my volume, rate, and vocal and nonverbal expression. Even though I was speaking about something that was personal to me, I did not use much vocal and nonverbal expression to convey my feelings effectively. I did not use any hand gestures at all, because I was much more concerned with trying to remember what to say. At times, it got a little more difficult to understand what I was saying, because I tend to speak a little too quickly and some of the words started to get lost. The microphone helped me project my voice, but I still could have spoken a little louder. I chose to talk about my brother moving to California, because it was an inevitable hardship that changed my life and my ways of thinking. I think the speech would have been more effective if I used a more recent event, because it happened so long ago that I do not remember the details of it, and I was not completely sure of how I felt at that moment in time. I learned that speaking at the podium was drastically different than performing in the classroom. I felt more comfortable in the chapel, especially because the microphone helped magnify my voice. I also learned that it was important to learn how to speak on the spot, without thinking too much about it, so that I can recover when I forget what to say next. In certain parts of my speech, I actually did not know what to talk about, so I said things like “it was important” or “umm…”. Overall, I think that I deserve B, because I improved on a lot of aspects of my performance, but I still need work on speaking comfortably without a manuscript.

December 5, '09 Culture Speech: What Makes Me Me This was the first speech that required us to research about our topic. In this performance, I talked about how my Chinese culture made me into who I was today. I found that this speech was difficult, because it required a lot of practice to incorporate research about my culture (including what I learned in my interview), how it influenced me, and my visual with smooth transitions. Unfortunately, I felt that I did not get enough practice. In addition to the lack of preparation, this speech was especially difficult for me because I felt much more nervous being the first person in class to say my speech. I think that I did well on articulation and changes in my voice, because I could understand most of what I was saying, and my speech was less boring because I did not speak in monotone. I also felt that in the beginning, I had good posture, because I did not make any unnecessary movements that distracted from what I was saying. However, after my introduction, I began to sway from side to side almost every time I paused or looked down at my note card. I also did well on eye contact; I kept my eyes on the audience a majority of the time instead of gluing my eyes to my note card. I need to work on many aspects of my performance, including non-verbal expression and volume. I noticed that throughout the speech, I kept both of my hands on my note card because I was nervous, when I could have just held it in one hand. As a result, I did not make any noticeable hand gestures. At times, when I tried to emphasize something by using a hand gesture, all I did was move my hand a little bit, keeping my fingers on the card. I also noticed that I had trouble speaking loudly, because on the day of the speech, I noticed that my voice became extremely shaky. What also may have caused me to speak softer was that I lowered by head as time progressed, so that I somewhat had to look up at the audience. I also noticed that when I picked up my incense, it looked awkward, because I still tried to keep both of my hands on my note card. After I finished talking about it, I kept holding it until my speech ended. I also noticed that I have a bad habit of blinking excessively when I get nervous, which can get distracting. “Everything would be lost, and my parents would feel like they’re not accepted anymore.” This definitely was not an effective ending. I felt like there was more to talk about, but I just could not think of what to say (I somehow decided not to include my conclusion on my note card). Since I already within the designated amount of time we were allowed, I decided to just end it instead of struggling for words. I chose to talk about my Chinese culture, which I thought had a very large impact on my life because I am full Chinese. Instead, I figured out that although I practice Chinese traditions, I do not fully believe in them, and I was not sure how it had a large impact on my life, or if it truly did at all. I think that I should have chosen a culture more familiar to me in everyday life, such as school or music. This speech taught me that what I say or do while I practice is drastically different than what I do on the day of the performance. For example, while I practiced, I did not have problems with blinking, swaying, or holding the card with both hands. During the performance, the things that I practiced went out my head. Practicing much more to overcome my speech anxiety would definitely help me avoid this. Overall, I think that I deserve a C, because I felt thoroughly unprepared and nervous, and I “described” my culture much more than showing how it made me who I am today.

December 17, ‘09 Impromptu Speech Unlike the previous speeches, the class did not have a chance to prepare thoroughly for this speech outside of class. We were given a random topic, and roughly two minutes to prepare a note card and organize our speech. The topic that I received was, “What is something you would like to see in your lifetime?”I think that the biggest difficulty for many of us in class was to stay within the time limit. I think that I improved on some aspects of my performance, but there were still things that I needed to improve on. I thought that I had a decent volume in this performance, because I felt more comfortable with speaking to the audience about a simpler topic, and because my voice did not shake. I also did well on articulation, because I could clearly understand everything I said in the performance. My facial expression and voice were okay, because I did not speak in monotone and occasionally changed my expression throughout the speech. I also think that I improved a lot on eye contact, because I spent far less time staring at my note card than looking at the audience. Looking at this performance, there are many things I need to improve on. The biggest problem for me was staying within the time limit. I began running out of things to say after one minute because I had difficulty figuring out how to elaborate on my topic. I also noticed that I need to work on my posture. Since we used note cards again in this performance, I kept both of my hands glued on the card in front of me, and fiddled with it for most of the speech. As time progressed, I gradually moved my legs farther and farther apart, and kept rocking on my feet. I also made awkward hand gestures and used fillers at the end of the speech (“Errrg” at 1:09), when I could not think of anything to say. I felt that I should have talked more about the funny things I would like to see in my lifetime, like what I began with in my speech. The next two points that I talked about really changed my mood, and I believe that I was overly emotional when I wasn’t supposed to be. It was difficult for me to come up with a way to tie all of my points together to make a decent conclusion, because my points ranged from wanting to see my dog use the toilet, to more serious topics such as not wanting to see my friends leave in the future. From this performance, I learned that it is extremely important for me to think on my feet, and continuously plan what to say next as I am speaking. Otherwise, I tend to get lost in my thoughts, use fillers, or completely blank out. I also learned that it would be better to come to a conclusion and end the speech early than to waste time at the end with numerous fillers. Overall, I think I deserve a B. I felt more comfortable with this speech, but I used numerous fillers at the end and did not make it within the time limit.

January 13, 2010 Book Talk Speech In this speech, we had to pick a specific audience to speak to about our outside reading book this quarter. Our goal was to convince our audience whether or not they should read the book. At the end of the speech, the audience took two minutes to ask questions about the book. The purpose of my speech was to convince high-school English teachers to add __Things Fall Apart__, by Chinua Achebe, to their students’ reading lists. There were many aspects of my performance that I needed to improve. For example, in this speech, I had a tendency to stand with my weight on one leg and rock from side to side. Keeping my hands glued to my manuscript and note card, I did not make any hand gestures at all. Even though I concentrated a great deal on eye contact during my speech, I did not look up from my manuscript long enough, out of nervousness and not enough preparation. I noticed that when I had trouble remembering what to say, I used “umm” as a filler and pointlessly looked down at my manuscript. A couple of things I did well on were articulation and rate. I stumbled over a few words, but overall, I spoke clearly and did not rush through sentences. I think my volume was good, although it’s hard to tell when I can adjust the volume on my computer. As usual, I could have improved by speaking a little louder. __Things Fall Apart__, in my opinion, was a good book to recommend to high school English classes, because it is used often and is commonly classified as a “must-read”. One of the difficulties I faced was organizing my speech. I noticed that some of the quotes that I used were misplaced or off-topic, and therefore, I had trouble trying to tie everything together. For example, when I said, “In __Things Fall Apart__, there’s violence and a lot of action,” I was previously talking about the story being short and simple. After I finished the quote, I immediately jumped to my next topic, which was abrupt and awkward. I learned that, apart from the actual performance, I have to concentrate on organization so I don’t confuse my audience. In addition to improving organization, I should try to feel more confident and less nervous in speeches, or at least act like it. I think I deserve a C on this performance because I did not stay within the time limit, and as I was speaking, I was not concentrating much on my posture, volume, or non-verbal expression.

March 14, 2010 Now and Then: Social Issues Speech For this performance, we were assigned partners and asked to make a speech comparing and contrasting a social issue in the Elizabethan era with how it appears today. The topic my partner and I chose was teen depression. I thought that this speech was fairly difficult, because we had to learn to work with a partner and present using a powerpoint. My eye contact improved a little bit in this speech because I practiced a lot in order to know my topic well. However, I still had issues with blinking excessively out of nervousness. My posture somewhat improved, because I did not tilt my head to the side as much as I did before. My articulation and volume was decent, because I could understand most of what I said, but I could have improved more by speaking louder. Although I improved on some aspects of my performance, there are still a lot of things I need to work on. One of the most obvious things that I needed to improve on in this speech was staying within the time limit; it almost lasted eight minutes. There was also a technical difficulty in the powerpoint, because the pictures on one of our slides did not show up, although I think it was good that we did not lose control or spend too much time trying to fix it. At around 3:42, I stumbled over words because I forgot how to phrase what I wanted to say in a way that made sense. I also had problems with fidgeting. Throughout the speech, I held the note card with both hands and occasionally ‘twisted’ my foot (4:47 and 5:44). Furthermore, I frequently used fillers when I got too nervous or forgot what to say next. Obviously, the content of my speech should have been cut down a lot more. For example, stating and explaining all five types of depression in the introduction felt too lengthy and was more difficult to memorize. The section about statistics of teen depression today was awkward, because I felt like I was simply reading everything off the powerpoint slide. I learned that since I feel nervous and have more difficulty when I am doing impromptu speeches, it is better if I actually write out a manuscript and try to practice my speech using that. I also learned that partner speeches actually made me feel a little less nervous; it was easier standing at the front of a room with a partner, instead of being alone. Also, while my partner was speaking, I had time to compose myself and think about what I was going to say next. Overall, I think I deserve a B minus. I went overtime, and I needed to improve on many aspects of my delivery. I also needed to prepare more for this speech, because I was too fidgety and had almost no non-verbal expression.

April 17, 2010 A Call To Arms Speech In this speech, we had to inform the class about a social issue of our choice that impacts the community. We also created a powerpoint to support our topics. I chose to do my speech on teen abortion, because I know someone close to me who has experienced this, and because it is a widely-known issue. In this speech, I will point out the good and bad aspects of my speech, comment on my choice of the topic, and describe what I learned from this performance. I did well on a few aspects of my speech. For example, my posture was decent, even though I occasionally shifted my weight from side to side. I also spoke at a good pace and articulated well. I improved a little on my eye contact, but I could have looked at my notecard for a shorter amount of time instead of staring at it while I spoke. I think I broke the habit of blinking excessively, although it was hard to tell because my hair covered my eyes; in the next speech, I should pin it back. Looking back on this speech, there were several things that I needed to improve on. First of all, I had a tendency to twiddle my fingers and fidget with my note card. I also realized that almost every time I had to look at my note card, I brought it close to my face and lowered my volume, which should have been a lot louder throughout the speech. When I was not sure of what to say next, I often used fillers such as “so” and “um”. Like in my previous speeches, I still tilted my head to one side while I spoke. There was some good and bad involved in choosing my topic. Unfortunately, while preparing for this speech and the social issues essay, I could not figure out whether to focus on teen pregnancy, abortion, or motherhood. As a result, I began my research by focusing on all three. Therefore, I had way too much information that I couldn’t organize. It was good that I narrowed down my topic to teen abortion, because there was enough information on it, and it was a widely-known issue. In the end, my speech and my paper were pretty well-organized. From this speech, I learned that I need more practice on improvisation. Since I practiced this speech by memorizing it word-for-word on a manuscript, I panicked when I stumbled over words or forgot what to say next. For example, when I said “She also faces eating disorders” at 3:06 and could not know what to say next, I panicked and gave up on trying to remember. I also learned that I needed to be extremely familiar with my topic. That way, I get less nervous during my speech. For this speech, I would give myself a B- or a B. I think that my speech was fairly well-organized and had a lot of information, but I went overtime, and there were still a lot of aspects in my performance that I needed to work on.