Avoiding Fallaceies in Argument

What should you avoid in your speech content after writing your speech outline? In the chapter 15, there is very important section, which is talked about the fallacies in arguments has brought me a new concept about my persuasive speech. Coopman has summarized the fallacies in four sections: claim, evidence, reasoning, and responding. After demonstrating some of fallacies in the speech buddy video, the pro home schooling, I found they are very useful. When I write my persuasive speech outline, I could go back this section to avoid common fallacies happing in my argument outline. We usually assert our opinions unconsciously by personal feeling or common sense, but we ignore our audience feelings. One of the examples in responding fallacy is “ad hominem-personal attack.” For instance, when you dislike a political party, you deny all of its historic efforts or positive contributions to our country. This kind of personal prejudice will be harmed your credibility in your speech. Therefore, we should pay more attention to this section to avoid a fail in our persuasive speech.

Question 2

Actually, I don’t remember that I have tried to convince my audiences on my posts. Most of the posts are reflecting my personal opinion about the topics. If I guess right, the example of persuasive post would be on one of the chapter 14 posts, which is how to become a more critical consumer. When I wrote the post, I did not have a strong assertion trying to persuade my audiences. I just wanted to share my experience. However, after reading this chapter, I went back to analyze the post. The specific purpose of the post is to convince my audiences to become more critical consumers. I use the example type of reasoning, which is understandable and practicable from my personal experience. However, I think the example reasoning does work fine to persuade my audiences to become more critical consumers because my personal experience is as an evidence of 'real world' situations that they could easily apply to their daily life.

Responding to Home School Pro vs. Con

The video 15.1 is very useful, and I have learned how they effectively organize their persuasive speech outline. They both have clearly established their claims, and have sufficiently cited credible evidences to support their conclusions. On the pro side of the speaker uses the emotional appeal by telling an example of child abuse in public schools to get her audience attention. She then provides many effective evidences which cite from variously credible experts assertions and statistics to support her claim. On the other hand, the con 's speaker presents a logical appeal by how and what do we do to educate our children. And this appeal has effectively influenced the audiences siding with him. Moreover, he uses the deductive reasoning to firmly organize his supporting evidences by questioning about the credibility of parent status as a teacher, and their roles to their children. In addition, he uses a fact to support his claim, a useful survey which is from the home school parents, who want their children at least to take part time in a public or private school. With this in mind, instead of asserting how many advantages in your claim, the opponent side’s drawback is the most effective support to support your claim.

Speech on Question of Policy

Since I decide to use the problem-solution pattern for my final persuasive speech, it is important for me to familiar with this organizational method. Therefore, I would like to discuss about speeches on question of policy, which is relating to my topic-Physician-assisted suicide. Different from question of facts or values, the speech on question of policy is more dynamic because its final goal is to motive audiences to stand up for the special position or take the special actions. As a result, the word of “shall” must be embedded in the thesis statement to motive the audience feelings.
According to the text, the first step is to actually reveal the significance of the problem’s existence. It is important to notice that if you establish an incredible problem, it will be harmful your entire speech. And the upcoming problem’s solution won't be meaningful. Although the problem/ solution pattern seems simple to apply in the persuasive speech on question of policy, it is not easy to get a strong thesis and conclusion.

The Problem-Solution vs. the Monroe's

The problem-solution pattern of organization is establishing a one way communication by a speaker identifying the problem and then provides a solution for the problem. In other word, the speaker explains why the problem matters, and gives the audiences a meaningful and proper solution to convince the audiences. On the other hand, the Monroe's Motivated Sequence pattern is like an interacted organization when speakers organize their speech outline based on the audience center. The pattern follows the five steps: getting the audience attention, describing a problem and presenting a practical and concise solution, allow your audience to picture the results, and make a call for actions. Accordingly, there are many commerce ads are employed the Monroe's patter to reach their goals. However, I would like to use the problem-solution pattern for my final speech because the Monroe's pattern seems not fitting for my topic. Furthermore, if I could effectively employ the problem-solution pattern, I believe it will get the same outcome as the Monroe’s.

Three Ways to Become a Critical Consumer

No one can escape from massive persuasive messages which come from everywhere, such as family members, friends, commerce, and politics. Especially, the most amount of persuasive message comes from commercial ads. Therefore, in order to become a more critical consumer, there are three principles that I have practiced in my daily life to avoid trapping into their elaborately persuasive ads.
First, you must realize that there is no free lunch; everything you get, you have to pay its price. Thus, you should not trust commercial ads.
Secondly, when you go shopping, you should have a shopping list with you. For example, when I go to Costco, there are many eating sample sites. My principle of resisting these attractive foods is which I try them but not buy them. Moreover, I would walk away from someone who tries to sell me something.Finally, the most important part is to compare other brand products. When you compare two products, you should not only compare their prices but also their qualities, ingredients, and quality. Based on these three principles, you would become a critical consumer.

Sexist Language

The language use in public speaking is different from ordinary conversation. In order words, we can not just say what we want to say without caring about some particular audience feelings in public speaking. As if we, sometimes, unintentionally use sexist language, “you guys” to greet our audiences. What’s wrong with the words of ”You guys?” When I came to the U. S., I have heard many people said, “You guys,” to address more than one person. Thus, I usually greeted my audiences, “Hi, how are you guys doing?” And I have never thought about the problem for using the words, until I read an article, “Why Sexist Language Matters,” by Sherry Kleinman, a sociological professor of the University of North Carolina that the word of “You guys, represents on e of the gender inequalities, equally to “freshman,” and “chairman.”
Occasionally, we do not intentionally emphasize one’s status, but we just speak out without thinking. Thus, although I don’t know much about sexist language words, I will just use gender-neutral pronouns to avoid using sexist language in my speech.
Finally, my opinion about the topic, I do agree with Rippie’s comment, “that’s not true. the problem exists…but it’s not a problem with Flickr” when he responded to Gimli_36, who said, “To my mind, the discussion can’t find any solution…because there are no problems:)”

Audience-Centered Language

I found the concept of audience-centered language is very useful, and it is one of the most effective ways to succeed in speech. In other words, the audience-centered language is to custom your speech language focusing on your audience needs and their expectations. According to our text, there are five strategies to develop the audience-centered language in your speech: “Put your language in context, Personalize your language, use inclusive language, use visual language, and spark imagination with your language” (p.197).
First, put your language in context is to stimulate your audiences’ interested in your speech by mentioning them to your speech context.
In order to maintain your audience attention in your speech, the next step is to personalize your language by referring a specific person or group in your audiences.
The third strategy of using inclusive language is to avoid hurt particular audiences by using stereotype or discriminated words in your speech.
Using the visual languages of simile, metaphors, parallelism, rhymes, alliteration, and antithesis in your speech can enhance your ideas in your audience’s visualizations.
Finally, telling a joke and asking your audiences question to light imaginations in their minds are two technical languages to advance the audience-centered language.
These five strategies are easy to understand. Yet in order to effectively employ them in my persuasive speech, I have to work hard and make sure that I don’t make mistakes.

Learning and responding to the Videos of Chapter 10&12

The main points in the videos of chapter 10 are effectively choosing language and using audience-centered language. In the video 10-1, using audience- centered language is focusing on referring to current events, using dialogic language, using visual language, and sparking imagination with your language. Moreover, using meaningful words, balance between clarity and ambiguity, being concise, building in repetition, and don’t get attached to words are the main aspects of effectively choosing language.
The good example of using imagery and rhyme to advance speech is Stacy in her “Fallen Soldiers.” In her speech content, she repeats the words, “it’s hard for me to imagine,” to emphasis her purpose, instigating her audiences’ emotion for fallen soldiers. In addition, she employs meaningful words, such as courage, honor, pride, and patriotism to highlight her topic.

In the chapter 12, properly loud volume, low pitch, right rate, vocal variety, and articulation and pronunciation are the principal elements of vocal delivery. The strengths of Janeece’s speech are speaking loud enough and at an appropriate pitch, using conversational tone, and pronounce words correctly. The most main drawback of her speech is vocalized pause that she has too much “ah” causing her credibility.
Besides the vocal delivery, the physical delivery is another main point in the delivering your speech that are eye-contact, facial expressions, gestures, body movements, and appearance.
The good example of physical delivery in Lisa’s speech are maintaining good posture and dressing appropriately. But her weaknesses are no enough eye-contact with her audiences and no facial expression. On the other hand, David is presenting well by eye-contact and facial expressions. But he needs change his clothes to fit the occasion.