File
The next workshop on public speaking is Oct. 24.
By James Russell
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The speech workshop “It’s as easy as 1, 2, iii,” lays out the ground work of how to write a good speech outline.
A good speech or essay has an introduction, a body and a conclusion, but to get to that, there must be attention-getters, transitions, establishment of credibility and topics to cover in the speech, a speech instructor said in a workshop Sept. 18.
Speech Instructor Esther Pais led “It’s as easy as 1, 2, iii,” which laid out the groundwork of how to write a good speech outline.
She gave an attention-getter for a speech she made up on the fly.
The speech topic she used was the dog breed Doberman pinscher, and the attention-getter pertained to a story about a young girl meeting a dog for the first time.
The audience listened to Pais’ storytelling of a young girl meeting a dog for the first time.
A young girl is adopted and her new parents have what seem to be the largest dog of all time in the girls’ eyes.
The child then grows up knowing information of how to take care of the Doberman and by having one always throughout her whole life.
Not only had Pais displayed the introduction seamlessly, she had given an example of a transition sequence, clearly displayed the three topics of the physical characteristics, temperament, and maintenance of the Doberman.
She established her credibility by showing pictures of her own Doberman and transitioned into the main body of the speech by saying, “When you are considering adding a pet to your family you might consider this breed. In order for you to better understand a Doberman pinscher I’m going to tell you about some of their characteristics, the temperament and maintenance these animals require. So first let’s talk about characteristics.”
In an interview after the workshop, Pais gave her reason the workshops help students.
“Students get different perspectives than what is in their class. Hearing perspectives from other instructors exposes them to different viewpoints,” she said.
To explain the process of the outline, she said,” If students have the ability for someone to break it down for them, it shows them it’s not as bad as they made it to be and that if they take things in bite-sized pieces they won’t have to worry,” she said.
Business freshmen Diego Coronedo said he learned to elaborate on topics, what to write in a speech and how to write it properly as well as to be confident when delivering the speech.
The fourth workshop, “Conversational Skills” is 3-4 p.m. Oct. 24 in Room 203 with speech Coordinator Ashley Click.
The final workshop with a guest speaker will be 3-4 p.m. Nov. 13. in the theater in McCreless Hall.
Students in speech classes may receive extra credit for attending the workshops.
For more information, call Click at 210-486-0481.