Chapter 11:

The first thing with chapter 11 that I immediately noticed was that I should go back and fix my outline for my speech. I think in my outline it was missing the correct form for the sub-points and main points. The one quote that I will take with me not only through this class, but also in life is, “In essence, the introduction of a speech tells listeners where they are going, the body takes them there, and the conclusion lets them know the journey has ended” (78). Speeches are similar to essays, but they are also completely different as well.

After reading this chapter, I also realized that I need to work on my transitions. This is also something that I tend to struggle with in my school essays, but is a whole new level when just talking to people in general. Sometimes in my speeches I tend to “squirrel” and start going off track. This chapter was really helpful especially when it gave a list of possible transitions to use for our speeches in the future.

Chapter 12:

First off, I really enjoy the checklists in this book because they are more helpful then I thought they would be. Also this chapter has made me realize that there is a lot more that goes into speeches than what I have been putting in. I didn’t know that there were so many different types of organizational rules for various speech genres. The one quote in this chapter that stuck out to me was, “Whatever the structure, simply telling a story is no guarantee of giving a good speech” (95). Sometimes if I am unsure of my organization, I solely rely on my presentation. But I have learned through this chapter that that doesn’t ensure that the audience will take away what I am trying to voice. Organization is much more important to speeches than I thought and I will definitely be looking back at this chapter for guidance in the future for more speeches.