Throughout the past couple years, I've had several opportunities to build my public speaking skills. Whether church related or school related, I have had various public speaking experiences that have highlighted both my strengths and my weaknesses.
While I have plenty of room for improvement in each aspect of speaking, I have noticed lately that my tone and voice inflection are primary areas of concern. Sometimes I focus too much on the words I'm using and not enough on the way I deliver them. I think I need to work on fluctuating my volume level and pitch throughout the speech, and that should help the audience better understand which concepts I'm trying to place emphasis on. It will also ensure my audience doesn't become bored through a monotone delivery.
There are a few strengths I've noticed in my recent public speaking experiences that I would like to build upon. I feel that one of my best skills is the ability to memorize my words without slipping up or reaching extended pauses. As a result, I try to avoid note cards, and this allows me to connect to the audience with substantial eye contact. I hope to fully develop this skill and use it to help my main weakness. If I truly have my lines memorized by heart, then I should be able to focus more on my voice inflection while maintaining eye contact with the audience.
If I am able to enhance and refine my memorization skills, I should be better equipped to tackle my primary weakness of voice fluctuation. By achieving this, I will develop a better connection with the audience, and I will effectively convey the points I'm trying to make with emphasis. I don't want to put my audience to sleep with a steady, monotone voice, so I must focus on attacking this weakness as I prepare for my next public speaking opportunity.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Planned Obsolescence and its Effects on Consumer Culture
With the current state of American consumer culture and the earth's depleting resources, planned obsolescence is a topic that must be discussed. While this deceptive business strategy of designing short-lived products originated during the 1920s and 1930s, its practice has developed into a widespread phenomenon that is influencing American culture now more than ever. Here is a working thesis: Since planned obsolescence developed midway through the twentieth century for industries to maintain sustainable profits, it has instilled values of greed and discontent in the American market that have reshaped consumer culture.
The essay will first focus on when and how this shift occurred in American industries. Before planned obsolescence, most manufacturers took pride in designing the best product possible. However, as the market became saturated due to consumer satisfaction, industries were forced to find a new way to maintain profits. The beginning of this essay will examine the automobile industry and its yearly design changes that sparked a need for new products. This among a few other examples formed the foundation of planned obsolescence.
The essay will next explore how this practice developed over time and has now become a staple of American industries. Planned obsolescence takes different forms, as products need replaced when they lose their function or when they go out of style. This deceptive business strategy represents the greed of American industries, as most manufacturers (such as Apple) are not forced to implement this technique to simply stay afloat financially.
Furthermore, this paradigm shift has instilled values of greed and dissatisfaction in American consumers. This trend reflects a cultural shift where product replacement occurs at a blistering pace. Americans are never content with the product they currently have, even if they just purchased it; this draws them back to the market to satisfy their craving.
Lastly, this essay will focus on the direction of planned obsolescence and where it may be heading due to the earth's depleting resources. Links to online resources are listed below.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Planned Obsolescence or the Fall of "Cool" Smoking
They don't make them like they used to. Do you ever hear your parents saying this when something breaks or somehow loses its functionality? Maybe it's just a cheap piece of plastic, but maybe it's something as valuable as an automobile. And whether the product wears down to worthlessness or simply goes out of style, we all have possessions that will eventually (and much sooner than we would like) become useless or outdated.
Planned obsolescence is a strategy employed by industries that involves intentionally designing products that will have a very limited life span, and it represents a distinct paradigm shift within the American industrial system. Taking its roots in the early to mid twentieth century, planned obsolescence has become an increasingly prevalent practice in the world today. There is clear reasoning (however corrupt), for why this system developed. If the perfect product is sold by a manufacturer, then consumers must only buy it once, and it should last them for their lives. To combat this financial pitfall and establish a dependable mode of profit that may last over time, manufacturers now sell products that are bound to break or become outdated, forcing consumers to return to the market much sooner. This paradigm shift is a clear development in the US that affects the life of every consumer.
...
Do you remember when it was cool to smoke cigarettes? It's likely that you don't! At least you don't remember such an era during your lifetime, that is. Midway through the twentieth century, smoking was often viewed as the "cool" thing to do. Whether you were with your friends, relaxing, or starring in a movie, it was popular to have a cigarette in your hand.
However, as the dangers of smoking became more aware to health administrations and the public community, a clear paradigm shift occurred within American culture that would reshape the perspective of this popular trend. American attitudes towards smoking have changed dramatically in less than a century, and today's society is being warned against its dangers and harmful health effects through public education and media. This paradigm shift has reshaped cultural beliefs and influenced the lives of countless Americans.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Opinion vs. Identity: the Tragedy of Modern Rhetoric
Do you remember that time you were having a conversation with someone, and when you disagreed with something you just kept quiet or mildly agreed? Maybe you didn't want to offend the person or start a conflict because it was "their opinion", and you didn't want to mess with it. Perhaps you assumed that any argument you could make contrary to their beliefs would be futile and only result in hurt feelings, so you just kept your mouth shut and awkwardly tried to change the subject.
If you can relate to this situation, it may be because you struggle to distinguish a person's opinion from his or her identity; this is one of the most critical flaws in modern rhetoric. We tend to make the false assumption that an individual's opinion is woven deeply into one's self, so that the two are one and the same. This assumption leads to two roadblocks that stand in the way of effective communication. First, one may choose not to disagree with someone to avoid offending the person. After all, if that individual's opinion is intimately bound to his or her identity, than any contradiction could upset or irritate the person. Second, this belief may lead one to believe that any argument will be utterly useless and ineffective; you can't change who someone is.
However, if we view opinions as ancient rhetors did, we see that they can be changed. Indeed, using the appropriate appeals to change another's opinion is one of the primary goals of rhetoric. Ancient rhetors thought opinions were of great value because they were communal beliefs, but that didn't make them unyielding truths that characterized each individual's personality. Rather, opinions could be swayed through the persuasive techniques of rhetoric.
In order to reestablish effective communication that solves problems and seeks answers in the modern world, society must return to this ancient perspective by learning to distinguish between opinion and identity; only then will people learn to speak out when they disagree.
If you can relate to this situation, it may be because you struggle to distinguish a person's opinion from his or her identity; this is one of the most critical flaws in modern rhetoric. We tend to make the false assumption that an individual's opinion is woven deeply into one's self, so that the two are one and the same. This assumption leads to two roadblocks that stand in the way of effective communication. First, one may choose not to disagree with someone to avoid offending the person. After all, if that individual's opinion is intimately bound to his or her identity, than any contradiction could upset or irritate the person. Second, this belief may lead one to believe that any argument will be utterly useless and ineffective; you can't change who someone is.
However, if we view opinions as ancient rhetors did, we see that they can be changed. Indeed, using the appropriate appeals to change another's opinion is one of the primary goals of rhetoric. Ancient rhetors thought opinions were of great value because they were communal beliefs, but that didn't make them unyielding truths that characterized each individual's personality. Rather, opinions could be swayed through the persuasive techniques of rhetoric.
In order to reestablish effective communication that solves problems and seeks answers in the modern world, society must return to this ancient perspective by learning to distinguish between opinion and identity; only then will people learn to speak out when they disagree.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Touring the College Football Playoff or Sampling Deep Conversations about Life
Passion is what keeps life interesting. Without it, we would all find ourselves in a cycle of boring routine, constantly working towards some meaningless goal without drive or purpose. Passion is what makes us get out of bed in the morning and give this thing called 'life' a try. However, passion need not be strictly bound to our careers or life goals; it can be found in something as simple as an idea.
While I put forth my best effort each day at school in hopes of achieving my dream job, my true passions lay not with my Chemistry homework or my English paper; they are embedded in the things I know I can’t live without.
So, as I contemplated the potential options for my Passion Blog, two distinct topics came to mind. The first is a concrete and popular phenomenon that could be shared and discussed collectively among sports fans throughout the country: the College Football Playoff. If I were to write this blog, I could go in depth each week, providing critical analysis of the weekend’s top games, dramatic upsets, and playoff implications. I could provide valuable insight to each team’s path to the championship, address my own opinions on the nation’s top contenders, and make predictions for the coming week. This would without a doubt be an incredibly enjoyable blog, as I would be free to publish commentary on my favorite sport, taking on the esteemed role of a college football analyst.
The second option for my blog is much more abstract and far less conventional, but it has potential to be just as much fun and exceedingly rewarding. One thing I can honestly say I live for is deep conversations about life; I’m talking about the types of conversations that change your viewpoint on life and blow your mind. I have shared a mere handful of these conversations with my closest friends, and I would love to put a small portion of my thoughts on paper. Each week I would offer my insight on a certain concept, such as what really matters in life or inherent goodness in humans.
Of these two contrasting choices, only one will be the topic of my first real blog. But which will it be?
This image is compliments of John David Mercer.
This image is compliments of Bill Watterson.
This image is compliments of John David Mercer.
This image is compliments of Bill Watterson.
Friday, August 28, 2015
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