Public speaking is like a conversation  in several ways. I like to think of it as a more refined and defined  type of conversation. When delivering a speech, you want to be engaged  with your audience, much like you would in conversation. This is done  through proper eye contact towards the audience throughout the speech.   Some key details furthering the separation of informal conversation and  a speech are: the delivery, the way words are spoken, and the structure  in its entirety. For example, let’s reference my personal life and  personality. Being raised in a family of southern women we talk with our  hands and call people (even strangers) pet names like; honey, sugar,  and darlin. While this is widely known as good ol “southern charm” in a  speech or any kind of formal speaking it is frowned upon, considering  the target audience for such things are far and few in formal speaking.  As for the hand gestures (that would significantly have to be dialed  down in my case) our text states that using certain gestures and motions  is perfectly acceptable in a speech, but if one does not use such  gestures in daily conversations they may come off odd and unnatural  (Lucas, 2015, p. 70). When I consider the differences in structure,  delivery, and words spoken I remind myself of these. I generally speak  in a somewhat elevated volume and have a mid-range tone. The downside is  that I tend to speak rather quickly. This may pass for friendly  conversations, but according to Lucas listeners tend to respond  negatively to unpolished words and the speaker should be heard clearly  throughout the audience (Lucas, 2015, p. 8). This means slow down,  annunciate, and speak at a clear volume. After reading this week’s  chapters I’ve gained a stronger understanding of the specifics to  becoming a better public speaker. The similarities of the two are there,  but as I said before, they must be refined and defined to deliver a  proper formal speech.

WC# 330

Reference:

Lucas, S. E. (2015). The Art of Public Speaking (12th ed.). New York, NY : McGraw Hill Education

I need a response to this post minimum 150 word count along with the instructions below.  Support your ideas with details, examples, and quotes (cite your sources  as well). Proper academic writing is expected. Be sure to include word  counts at the end of each posting and response for maximum credit 

• . You should not just repeat the same thing the earlier  poster said. Instead, aim to continue the conversation, bringing in new  material from the book, other sources, and your personal experience.                                                                                               The posts should say something.
• They should expand the conversation.
• They should pose thoughtful and interesting contributions to a  continued discussion. In other words, agreeing with and repeating what  the prior student posted does not count 🙂