Having a way with words

Even at the very beginning of public speaking, we have learned about the importance of certain words when it comes to perfecting this skill and not just in this class, but also in the real world.  The first exercise of the class was practicing how to pronounce a certain phrase and the important terms we needed to focus on were articulation & diction, pacing, projection, and emphasis & delivery.  Articulation and diction are very similar in the fact that in order to give a speech, the words that are chosen need to be able to clearly convey the message the speech giver is trying to get across, but these words need to be chosen carefully for the appropriate audience.  Certain audiences will require different word choices or phrasing, like for example, if a student were giving a speech to their fellow classmates and teachers, the words and phrases chosen would need to be sophisticated enough for the speech giver to be taken seriously, but also not too advanced where they might be in danger of losing their audience's attention.  In order to give a great speech it is important to maintain a steady pace, which is the speed at which the speech is spoken.  It is habit for a speaker to begin to speak faster and faster as they get more nervous, and sometimes a speech can be too slow when the speaker is focusing too much on slowing down.  It is important to keep a steady pace that is not too fast or too slow, so your audience can understand what you are saying, but also aren't getting bored with a speech that seems to be in slow-mo.  Projection is the volume of which you give your speech.  It is important to be loud enough for the audience to be able to hear and understand the entire speech.  Lastly is emphasis and delivery.  It is important to stress the most important words in regards to the meaning of the speech in delivering it because it will help your audience to pick out those specific words giving them a clear depiction of the meaning being portrayed in that particular speech.  Another two important terms that need to be considered when giving a speech are audience and purpose.  Before giving any speech it is important to consider the group of people that will be on the receiving end of the speech.  Depending on any audience, the tone, language, style, topic and many other aspects will be affected by whoever will be listening to it.  It should be interesting to every member in attendance, but also as informative as need be to in order for it to be successful.  After audience is considered, the purpose comes next.  It is important to appeal and persuade the people to whom you are speaking, on whatever topic or opinion you wish to present.  The purpose needs to be clear to all members of the audience and should be performed in a way that everyone will understand, enjoy and later reflect on if given successfully.  After reviewing all of the important terms from this weeks class, I have been able to clearly plan out any speech I am thinking of giving and I think when taking all of this information into consideration, my speeches will gradually become better each time.  I also think this will help me to fulfill my goals for this class this year.  I wish to be more confident and to give a solid, informtative, presentation by the end, and all of these terms are just pieces of what it takes to achieve this goal.