Finding and Evaluating Facts and Statistics

The previous post is about how to cite facts and statistics to enhance the material’s credibility in speech. Yet how do we know that these facts and statistics are reliable? In our text book, Coopman suggests that some government (@ gov) and organization (@ org) websites are more trustable in the particular fields (136). I remember when I prepared my research paper, whose topic was “Minimum Wage: Survival in Santa Carla County California with Welfare?” for the ESL class. In order to persuade my readers, I did visit many different government departments’ websites as well as researched some of academic institutions’ website (@ edu) to get credible information to support my viewpoint. Even though most commerce websites (@com) are less credible, due to the company’s profit upon anything else, I did cite some facts from media outlets, such as The New York Time. However, I don’t think all over world’s government websites are reliable. Especially, the facts are relating to political views in some communistic countries. Finally, we, as college students, should have a critical thought to be able to evalate an article’s credibility.

Effectively Citing Facts and Statistics in Speech

After watching speech buddies from the Interactive Videos of chapter 7 and 8, I found the most effective way to use facts and statistics is in the persuasive speech. When we need to convince our audiences our ideas, we must have strong evidences to support our viewpoints. Thus, facts and statistics, which are from reputable institutions, are helpful for us to strengthen our points, which are not coming from self-bias or “quantify” the extent problem. For example, the “Drinking and Driving” speech, Pete selects the credible statistics from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to persuade his audiences his main point that the drinking problem causes the most fatal accidents on highways.
Conversely, I would not use facts or statistics for my supporting materials in my informative speech. Because an informative speech is meaningful to my own personal experience, it is not necessary to cite a fact or statistics to firm my point. For example, my topic of the demonstration speech is rice balls. My responsibility for this topic is to teach my audiences how to make a rice ball and to introduce the history of rice balls. I believe if I cite a statistic about how many rice balls consume a year in Chinese society, this would not persuade my American audiences to eat rice balls, due to the diet cultural differences. For this reason, I believe the most effectively using facts and statistics is in the persuasive speech, not effective in the informative speech.

Responding and Learning from Speech Buddies: Chapter 7 & 8

In the video 7-1, Erin explains five types of the supporting materials: drawing narratives, making examples, explaining definitions, using testimony, and citing facts or statistics. Learning from this video, I would properly mix different types of supporting materials, such as narrative, example, definition, and fact, to reinforce my information source’s credibility. However, there is an example of mixing supporting materials in Katherine’s speech. First, she talks about a cultural story to relate her topic-Kosher, and then she gives a specific example of Jewish culture about the “Kosher.” Third, she defines the term of “Kosher” from the Bible. Finally, the most effective supporting material is the visual aids which are simply and clearly presenting on the slides.
In the video of chapter 8, I have learned how to break down the topic elements into subordinate to support the main point. Moreover, I should properly use the transition’s words to help my audiences easily understanding the topic. The example of using transitions has shown on Ganiel’s speech that he uses the ordering transition to organize his supporting materials.

Sociability

To be a successful speaker, not only the preparation of audience analysis and adaptation but also the presenting credibility with audiences is equally important. The part of chapter 5, “Developing Credibility with Your Audience,” has a significant point that audiences evaluate speakers’ credibility by the speaker’s competence, trustworthiness, dynamism, and sociability (p 92).
Particularly, the concept of the sociability with audiences is the first step that audiences decide to proceed listening the presentation. As the effective example of Queen Noor’s opening remark, “California has played a seminal role in my journey to the Middle East,” (93) is right away connecting with her Californian audiences. I recall having attending many lectures where most speakers gave their opening by talking about their images, experiences, or relationships with the places where they stood. For example, I once attended an astronomy lecture in Foothill College. The speaker, who was an astronomical doctor of NASA, said he was my astronomy professor’s friend, and he has been the campus many time. Despite his prestigious status, I immediately felt he was friendly and respectful, as one of my school folks. Finally, the lecture was successful because he had to respond a lot…of questions from the audiences.

Applying Audience Analysis in Speech

According to Coopman (2012), “Successful public speaking begins and ends with the audience” (p.79). Before reading the chapter 5, “Adapting to Your Audience,” I have never considered about my audience opinions about my presentations and care of their feeling. Most of my speech content was based on my personal interest or my assumption that my audiences would like them. This chapter really provides an important point of view about public speaking.
The audience analysis is one of the most important processes in the speech development because knowing your target audiences’ background and character, it could efficiently deliver your message to them and enhance your connection with them. For example, my next speech’s topic is a traditional Chinese food-Rice Balls, which can be made of a great diversity of materials. Therefore, in order to adapt my audience diet of habit and interest, I would adjust some of materials for them to have a healthy appetite.

Responding to the Drinking and Light Pollution Videos

After watching these two video, I have learned both advantages and drawbacks of speech from them.
Overall, the speaker of the light pollution seems lacking confidence in her speech because she hurriedly read her note without her eyes connecting to her audience. Even though she surprised her audiences that the light pollution is one of most important pollutions affecting our environment and economy, she did not establish a credibility of the light pollution and reliable resources to support her ideas for convincing her audiences.On the other hand, the speaker of the drinking speech is more persuasive than the light pollution’s for three reasons: effective attention getter, the credibility of academic research, and reliable statistic information.First, he well plays as a drunk person to get his audiences attention and to immediately get into his topic-Drinking.Second, he points out of a significant message, “33 percent of all college students now drink primarily to get drunk.That is one out of three of you," from Columbia University to get connection with his audiences. Accordingly, he is doing well in analyzing and adapting his audiences- college students.
Finally, he presents many statistics information from variously reliable institutes to support his ideas.

When to Start Evaluating Your Research Materials?

The chapter 6, “Researching Your Topic,” talks about the processes of researching topic. It lists all the details for efficiently researching topics: gathering research materials from maximizing our search of library and Internet resources, conducting research interviews, evaluating our research materials, and so on. However, I was wondering why the process of evaluating research materials is not before the process of the maximizing research. For example, I followed the processes to maximize my research topic, and I got a lot of information from various search engines. Unfortunately, I got stuck on the process of the evaluating research materials because I could not answer to the critical questions, which is based on the principle of “three evaluation criteria: reliability, validity, and currency.”(Coopman 116) Especially, some of the author’s background and purpose are not clearly revealing in these resources. Therefore, I don’t know whether I could use these materials from uncertain of author’s information for my research topic. Accordingly, when should I start to evaluate my research resources? gathering materials first or after?

Responding and Learing from Shaura's Video

After watching the Shaura’s video, I really like her introduction in which she talks about her nightmare, “surrounding by a huge terrestrial pulmonate gastropod,” to naturally introduce to her topic-slugs of speech to get audiences attention. Moreover, she selects the topic, which she is familiar and has known about. Overall, the content of speech is well organized in every detail about the slugs. Accordingly, I believe that she has done many researches to prepare the presentation.
In my opinion, there are two drawbacks in her speech that the power-point is insipid, and she doesn’t use any oral citation or references on the power-point to firm the valid information about the slug.
However, in the preparation process for my speech, I would like to access Internet resources because it is the fastest way to acquire a lot of information. To gather my speech material, first, I will select reliable websites, and then evaluate these materials by asking myself using critical questions, which are on page 117 in our text book.

My Experience with Research Interview

Actually, I do not have any experience with conducting research interview. But I did have interviewed with my clients applying the customer’s satisfactory survey from my company, which is a security company, sixteen years ago.
Therefore, before interviewing my clients, I, as a security supervisor, didn’t have to do many preparations, such as determining the interview’s purpose, selecting interviewees, and developing questions.
To accomplish this work, collecting customer satisfactory survey once three months, I would inform my security guards, which was the most important part of preparation for the interview, about the interviewee background, habits, and their available time to schedule.
During the interviews, I would ease interviewee by creating a friendly atmosphere; so, they would honestly answer my questions and tell me what our services should improve while I wrote down exactly their suggestions to show that I was seriously regarding their opinions.
Finally, to complete a perfect interview, I would send a thanks card to them after the interview. This was my experience with satisfactory survey interviews.

Learing from Jessica

I have learned many significant concepts about how to give a successful presentation from Jessica's self-introduction video.
In this video, Jessica has well organized the content of her speech structures. Particularly, she uses her own experience, having an unexpected Down's syndrome brother, to deliver her main point in her thesis statement-"When one door of happiness closes, another one opens." She gives Helen Keller’s experience and Emily Kingsley’s metaphorical example to support her thesis statement.
Also, her note card is an excellent method that I have never thought about presentation note card should be well organized in this way. I think this method will reduce my anxiety about looking notes to find next subjects during speech.
Besides the remarkable thesis statement and content, Jessica has performed decently in her body languages, such as her eyes contacting with audiences, her arms movement with purpose, and her voice controlling in a proper level. From what I have learned from this video, I would do better in next presentation.

Two Useful Concepts

Personally, the whole chapter two is very useful for me to overcome speech anxiety, especially using the strategies of visualization, relabeling, and relaxation, to increase my confidence (Coopman 28-30).
As a senior college student, I have been given many class assignment presentations. Diaphragmatic breathing was the only way that I have learned how to reduce the high level of speech anxiety during a presentation. Even though I have many times done breathing exercises, I still couldn’t overcome why my face was still red as a lobster and my voice was quavering, and my heart was trying to jump through my throat.
Visualization is one of the handy strategies that Coopman details how to visualize your-self having a successful speech from preparing speech to after giving a successful speech. Also, his suggestion of relabeling has given me another point of view to avoid the increasing rate of anxiety. I recall having saying some negative words, such as “I am sorry about my poor English, or I am so nervous,” before starting my presentation. And during the presentation, I was still nervous. Therefore, I think I should change my attitude toward a positive view.
Finally, the most significant concept in this chapter is “Speaking of Can-do Language” (29), and I firmly believe that we could do everything better when we are willing to do it with “enthusiasm.”