Sometimes the secret to good speeches are the devices that keep us interested--a good speaker knows how to use attention getters and peppers them throughout her speech! An unusual photo, a funny comment or even a startling statistic or moving quote are great attention getters--try two in combination=even better! For this blog think of a speech you have enjoyed or hated from the past and describe the way the speaker kept your attention. Was it effective? Why or why not? Please keep all comments politically correct!
35 comments:
OK So I will be the first to post my thoughts. I attend church on most Sundays and some speeches/sermons are more interesting and/or more effective than others. What I liked the most this past Sunday with the preacher's speech was that he connected with the audience both young and old. He used examples of R & B songs from the 80's and songs that were made just a few years back. Those that could relate or new the songs laughed as he said, "That's right you haven't always been holy." He also had the audience say funny stuff and serious stuff to the person sitting next to you on both your left and right side. I think that even if the content was not good, by having us communicate with the person next to us was enough to maintain our attention. The message was really great because the goal was accomplished to encourage, educate, provide guidance to the audience. I believe that all the goals were met. It was a highly effective message for both youth and elderly considering today's financial climate. The message theme was God, Faith and Money.
I hope this was politically correct.
@ Sandra Is that your Dog?
Last night I went to temple as a tradition every year for this date specifically. Reason being is in my culture and religion we praise the date 09/03 because there is a storyline behind this date back in Vietnam.
It's a long story but it was told last night by an elderly lady back when she lived in Vietman. Long story short a daughter committed a huge crime and her mother had to get her out of jail. Financially she couldn't do it living in poverty so she offered to do good deeds for the rest of her life but it wasn't good enough. So during war time, one of the army men was shot in the eye, so in good judgement she gave her eyes to the gentleman in return for her daughter. After her daughter came out from jail she (the mother) was killed in the war. So when this story was told it was heart breaking to me because the way it was told, how detailed and meaningful it was to me. It gave me alot of insight and much more respect for my mother.
So that being said for the date of 09/03 my religion is taught to not eat meat for the day and for those who still have a mother to wear a red rose on the left side of your shirt, and as for those who no longer have their mothers in their lives to wear a white rose on the right side. So with this speech it caught alot of my attention and effected me in every aspect. Although it's a repetative speech every year, it shows and keeps the story line going and for the new generations to acknowlege what we do and why we do it for this day.
oh and I forgot but my name is Whitney Nguyen, I'm the one that posted the comment beneath "Chrishendo." Have a great and safe holiday everyone! =p
@ Whitney you are the aunt of 97 nieces and nephews right?
Hmmm. I'll have to think on the last time I saw an interesting speech... Lol.
I guess I'll just talk in generalities becuase nothing else is coming to mind.
For me, I enjoy the speeches that don't really seem like a speech. When they first begin, they say something funny/something you wouldn't expect them to say as a way to grab your attention. Then they work what they just said into what they will be talking about-but they don't make it that blunt and boring. They use creativity to incorporate the concept which is cool becuase then you don't really notice what they're doing. When they get to the body of their speech, they repeat the main concepts, making sure it's embedded into your mind. Visuals are great and effective ( I like that too). Then when they tie it all up in their conclussion, they include another interesting fact/something funny/unexpected into what they were talking about.
I guess in general I like the obvious attention getters that include creativity. It makes the speech more interesting while still delivering their message. The only difference between their speech and someone elses is that it's more memorable.
I'll try to think of someone in particular that demonstrates these concepts in their speech. Hopefully this will work in case I don't think of anyone... XP
I remember seeing a few public speakers in high school. One of my favorites was one about tolerance. What I liked about the speech was that it was a little shocking and a lot like a performance. The speaker played a several general audience members by doing a short monologue, then add a shocking twist. For example he would be a football player, and share how he had to hide his homosexuality or he wouldn't be accepted. The several high school persona's/monologues he did were stereotypes the audience could relate to on some level. His performance was shocking, funny, and emotional at times. You left with insight, and in thought, which was effective.
Rachel Smith
I went to Laguna Creek High School, and I believe in 2002-2003 there was a horrible freak car accident right in front of the school. It was way past sundown, probably in the early morning. The driver was a student of the high school, he and his friend were going to go hang out at someones house I believe. In any case, the driver ended up driving the car into a tree going 50 mph. The car wrapped completely around the tree, and while the passenger survived the driver was killed instantly.
An assembly was called to order my junior year and this entire story was recited with much greater detail by the mother of the driver. There were about 600 people listening to the story, and I can assure you almost all of them cried.
The speech by the mom and a couple of other big-budget investments by the state were all a part of educating the current high school generation of the dangers of drinking and driving, speeding in suburban areas, etc. I think they conveyed the message really well and made everyone think twice next time they pass a flower bouquet laying on the side of the road next to a tree somewhere.
-Viktor Varnas
Hi there!, When i think back to the all the speeches i have heard, there is one speech that really stands out. My High School's valedictorians speech. It was so moving, so inspirational and remembering! The way the speaker talked was amazing, paused at the right moments, emphasized important words and used they used true emotions. They used real memories that we could all relate to and even used people we knew. They added quotes and it was great! The attention getter they used was a memory that we all knew and remember! I will never forget this speech,
Natasha Sharma
Man, this one time when I was little, I had to listen to some cop tell a few friends and I about why skateboarders are bad for society. Ok, maybe we were skating on school property. But we weren't doing anything that AFFECTED anything there, and it was way past school getting out. Maybe he has told us to leave before and we just came back another day. But maybe he changed his mind since then. And maybe one of my friends claimed to be pro, and gave him a fake name....i have no excuse for that one. Regardless, throughout his speech, he said how much he hated skateboarding because we always back talked and we were a main cause of marijuana smoking. I laughed at that, cause probably about 10% of actual skateboarders I've ever seen smoke, and they're garbage anyways. We were like "Sorry Mr. Police man (Ill leave officer White's name out of this to not put him on blast...oops) But we're not anything like the skaters you hate so much. He had no knowledge of the skateboard community what-so-ever. He was stating false facts, screaming like Mariah Carey the whole time, and not listening to anything we were trying to tell him. Then he ended the conversation by saying, "...so why don't you go skate by 7-11 and smoke your pot". What a preposterous statement. Anyways, possibly the worst speech ever given by a human being since the beginning of the English language. It was like a brick wall version of Shaq trying to give a lecture on shooting free throws. Just ridiculous in every aspect.
Oh yeah, he was fired from our schools police security the following year... d-(^v^)-b
Anywho, MostIneffectiveSpeechonthePlanet.net/officer_whites.
C.J. Mendez
I think that our Presidents inauguration speech was very effective.It really touched millions of Americans including myself.Its very important to get your audiences attention and being a president its important to use words to convey the message.I think it was the most inspirational speech i have ever heard.
-Zainab Torania =]
Ok, so I am so similar to you Chris! With attending church most Sunday's and that the church I attend the sermons are memorable and lively. The preacher always talks with soo much enthusiasm that you have nothing to BUT pay attention and NOT fall asleep. lol! The preacher keeps it REAL by giving examples that we HATE to admit, and it's funny because it's sooo true. I think those examples are the best. People don't like to hear the truth at times but when it's said in a humorous way, its much better. I think speeches that get my attention is when someone put humor and truth in it. =D
Response to Chris. Such a late reply but yes I'm the one with a billion neices and nephews. =)
Whitney Nguyen
I think one of the speeches that really kept my attention and had me laughing through the whole thing, is the speech in our very own class. The two ladies who spoke last class, I believe their name are Natasha and Kovel? Sorry if i spelled your names wrong ladies. The way that they first stated they were going to be a TV show had my attention right away. Then when the Poetry corner came out. I could not stop laughing. I think its was a really good way to relate to all of Us, Young and Older because we all know poetry/rap. They didn't even need to have a picture to help aid them in their speech. It was amazingly attention grabbing anyways. I believe it was effective because I can still remember how good it was. I love to learn by humor so when someone can have me laughing when I am learning about them, helps me remember what they have said. Great Job :-). --Camille Scott
Tara S
I'd have to say the most recent speech i could remember was at a wedding of a friend of mine. She was the maid of honor...and im sure most people know how those kinds of speeches go. Her speech was very heartfelt. You could sense it throught the entire speech. She showed much emotion, and you could tell the words were comming straight from her heart (obviously because her and the bride grew up together and were friends for 15 yrs). She used may past memories in her speech. After each memory that she shared, she paused. These pauses gave the audience such a vivid idea of what those memories were like. She did great because she related with the audience so well.
Ok, I already di my speach and I had a horrible attention getter!!! ' hey i'm nervous!'....
-Maria Perez
The presentation I remember the most is the one I heard from one of the senior, who did her senior presentation in a same room as mine. Like me, the girl just moved to the United States about seven years ago. Although her accent was not perfect, her words were clearly said, and could heard her from the back of the room, where I sat. She showed facial expression, gave gestures, and used different tone. Also, her posture was great. She tood straight; her hands holding the index cards, and her clothes were very formal and appropriate for the speech. Overall, her speech was very well prepared and delivered for her power point presentation was in perfectly timing with her speech. Moreover, she showed not sign of nervousness, and speak with total confidence.
After all, I think that the girl had done a lot of practicing and preparing before she delivered her speech. And, that is a good lession I have learned from her.
Hoa Nguyen
Eric here I don't really remember any public speeches that has happened right in front of me. I however agree with Kayla i don't enjoy speeches that are long and drab I like speakers who get into what they are talking about which in my opinion doesn't happen often. I think the last speech i really enjoyed was the inaugural speech of president Obama he was lively and ecstatic.
So i was a freshman at florin high and we all had to do a timed english presentation. It could be about anything. My presentation was about how to cheat on tests. It was sooo funny and corny but i had all the right tools on how to cheat. for instance writing on a piece of paper and slipping it in behind the logo of a bottled water, wearing a hat to test days so the teacher cannot see your eyes wonder around while your head is down, and also to write answers on a rubberband, then simply roll over the rubberband on your wrist when teachers are coming. I noticed if you need to complete a presentation on a certain amount of time you should always have visuals so then you can spend time explaining what you are presenting. Visuals helped me with killing time when even if i did not have much to talk about. I'd be good to use this to your advantage if you do not have a lot to talk about a particular subject.
- CJ Domondon
I remember this one time when i was in middle school, students from the high school public speaking class would come and rehearse their speeches with our English class. Most of these speeches made me want to go to sleep! It felt like the students would just talk on and on for way longer than they should have. I kept waiting for a speech i actually wanted to listen to, but nothing was interesting. Maybe a bit of humor would have helped.
The most presentations that I have been too have used some sort of comedy and that seems to work most of the time. When it doesn’t work it’s because the speaker doesn’t know the audience very well, and that’s awkward. Mentioning a fact about a well known leader has also worked (an in house leader works best). I ‘ve also noticed that short surveys in the middle of a presentation keeps us alert because it provides some interaction and at different times in the presentation this can serve as an ice breaker when it gets too quiet. Another way to keep our attention is when towards the end they mention that they will be giving out some sort of item such as a poster or pin etc. I’ve noticed that this always works. Who doesn’t like to get free things? We all do. And yes, I also agree with Kayla and Eric the best way to keep people’s interest is to speek with passion about the topic. - by Lilia
I just remembered another way which is similar to one that Chrishendo mentioned (very interactive and fun). The speaker has the audience turn and stare at another audience member for a few minutes. Then the speaker has both turn around and change a certain amount of items from themselves, such as taking off an earring or pulling a pant leg up. Then the speaker indicates when both of them are to turn and face each other. At this point they are to look at each other again and find the changes on each other. Funny huh? - by Lilia
So Ive been racking my brain this entire week this blogs been up for a speech I can relaly remember. And Ive had no luck. Except for our classes speeches! No one had any visuals, but I really liked and remembered pretty much everyones speech. I liked how it seemed as if we are all really open and friends even though we've all barely met mostly. Everyone brought out some type of comedy in their speech in their own special way. And I also like how we all connected with our class themes being 21, Vegas, and I forget the other one. haha Everyones speeches were so good, and I will definately remember a little tidbit about each person!
KatieJeanArellano
Hi Sonal here!! I am really nervous when I have to talk infront of other people. It's like when I see the audience I tend to freak out and mess up the speech. I do adore speeches made by politicians, The President, sometimes even my peers. Hopefully by taking this class I will be able to control my fear and make speeches that's funny and at the same time entertaining.
I listen to a speech every friday as a religious prayer and i gotta say most of them make me want to zzzzzz but last friday there was a professor from Sac State that gave the speech and from the very beginning he had my attention. He opened with a story of one of his own students which really got me listening because i was really able to relate to it. He kept his points clear and repeated them multiple times so that the audience doesn't forget. He had great transitions that didn't leave you with a question mark over your head. By the end of his speech, if he was persuading me to jump out of an airplane with no parachute, I would have been pretty convinced.
-Abdalla Ahmed
Tiffani Scott
I have seen many effective speeches and a few terrible ones. Confidence is probably one of the most important things that keeps me interested in a speech. If someone even pretends that they are completely knowledgable on their topic it works... During our class I really enjoyed all of the funny things people said. Humor helps keep the audience interested and entertained.
Hi my name is Antonio Rangel aka "nervous". I also like to go to church like to go to church and listen to televangelists, and I have to say that Joel Osteen is one of my all time favorites. You know how a lot of preachers are sometimes hard to understand? Well this man of God is very down to earth, very funny, and very positive. As he gives his sermon he keeps a smile on his face the whole time. Pastor Joel Osteen teaches his audience how to stay positive in this time of recession and calamity. Besides his awesome characteristics he has an awesome huge church of 30,000 members! What's catchy about his speeches is that he is always smiling which draws you in, and always in every sermon he has a joke and a personal testimony to project the effectiveness of putting Gods word into practice. I encourage ya'll to try it.
Can some one give me some feedback please. Thank you.
The most memorable speech I have ever seen was made by an internet comedian. He started off by reading verbatim the contents of one of those Nigerian scam e-mails. The rest of his speech was extremely witty without detracting from the information he was presenting.
Sarah Bronson
I am not neither Catholic or Buhda, so I have barely go to church or temple. I remembered that I went to the church one time with my boyfriend. During the mass, I felt asleep and my boyfriend had to wake me up because the priest talked too much and i couldn't understand it. That was the first and the last time i wnet to church.
Trang Duong
Ive witnessed a few speeches given priodically over my high school years they may not have been the most professional speeches given but it helped me in a way to figure out which tatics may work in a speech and which arnt as successful. People who were nervice played it off always seemed to do good, as for the people who were nervice and choked up during the presentation didnt do as well. I think inputting so participation by the class such as in voting on a question can grab the classes attention and keep them intrested. I hope i can learn from all the speeches to come on how to perfect my own speeches. -Michelle
Its been a loooong time since i've scene a speech but what does come to mind is one of my classes last semester History of Architecture. It was a 7pm to 10pm class late for anyone and most of the students had came from a 8hr day at work or been at school all day so you can imagine we were all zombies. But that wasn't the case. Why? Because of the instructor every class he would start with a quote, a song, an outrageous stunt, anything that would get our attention. And it did! Its like it snapped us out of whatever trans we were in and made us excited and ready for the night. Though it was a lecture in a class it was as effective as a speeches attention getter.
HI this is Monique Diez..posting from Kayla's identity!!! :) so please give me credit!!! thanks!
A very good Attention Getter was actually a Youth Convention Conference that I took part in was in year 2005. At the Sacramento Convention Center. It was about keeping students drug free the "way to be" we asked students so whats the reason why you should smoke. It's crazy how we got answers such as "because my parents do" and a student finally said "there is NO good reason toO" im like finally someone who gets it! but i love how ppl ask questions in the beginning of a speech, and not too serious toned.
@ Lilia yeah that would have been pretty cool to see how much you pay attention to detail.
@ CJ Mendez you are truly hilarious, cool story. I really think we have to have one of the most exciting class groups that I have ever seen.
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