Resumes and cover letters

Everyone getting a job in the world today needs to have a resume and cover letter. If the person seeking a job has these things they are more likely to get the job. To managers these documents give them an insight into what skills you possess. It gives them a quick preview of what you are capable of to see if you are best suited for the job position available. The cover letter gives the employer an insight into what type of person you are and what your goals are. This helps them ensure they are hiring the right person for the job to benefit their comapany while keeping efficiency and productivity high.

Critical Thinking

This weeks module was about critical thinking. Critical thinking is defined as the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion. Even though we don't normally realize it we use critical thinking every day. An example I came up with was driving. We have to use critical thinking when we're driving and coming up on light and it turns yellow. Right then we have a split second to analyze how far we are away from the light which determines if we hit the gas and go through or stomp on the brakes and stop for the safety of ourselves and everyone else at the intersection. In that process we analyze what we should do, synthesize what could happen in each situation and evaluate what we did. Critical thinking helps strengthen our decision making skills. It is a vital part to excelling and improving ourselves in life.

Speeches

Informative Speech Recap: I think I did very well overall. The speech topic was interesting and important/relevant to the audience, I didn't stumble over my words too much, and I feel like I impacted the audience a little with the information I told them about. There are still some things I could improve on and I looke forward to working on them. My biggest challenge will be making sure I rehearse enough before the speech to know how it flows and is supposed to sound.

I'm excited about the next upcoming speech about persuading the audience. That speech, to me, will be more challenging because of the impact you have to make on the audience. Not only are you giving them information and talking to them, you have to make what you're saying relate to them so they feel like they need to take action in some way. It could turn out good if you motivate the audience but it could also turn bad if they don't react or relate to what you're saying in the speech. Overall though i'm looking forward to giving this speech and doing my best to quell the last bits of communication apprehension I have.

Speech 2 down for the count!

So i've finished my informative speech for this week. I chose to do it about the paperless office. It was helpful for me again to have members of the audience that I knew. It made it easier for me to relax and focus on the information I was trying to inform them about. I still have quite a bit of communication apprehension because I kept looking at my note cards a little too much. I always get frustrated when I start to fumble my words too. Although I had small mistakes like that I think it was more successful than the last one. Little by little i'm learning new things through this class that help me with giving speeches and becoming more comfortable in a group setting. I'm thankful for the things i've learned because it will help me when I acquire my degree and get a good business job.

Speech Week

This week we are supposed to give a speech to our audience to inform them of something. It took me the longest time to actually find a topic I was knowledgeable about that was in the news recently. I scowered several newspaper type websites and finally found an article that I liked. My speech topic is the paperless office. Since I work in an office I see how it is VERY important to have copies of everything for our files but I also see the side that millions of billions of trees are being cut down to serve our needs. There are a lot of things that we could do to make ourselves paperless but I don't see that we're even trying. In turn this would save the company a lot of money as well as save our planet. It's crazy how detrimental cutting down trees is to our way of life and our lives themselves. Without the trees we can't breath... I'm excited to give my speech because I think that with the information i've found it will be informative AND interesting. I hope that I present the information the best I can so it makes a difference to at least one person in my audience.

To move or not to move?

While giving a speech you have to take many things in to consideration. Who is your audience? How do you present your information? How long is the speech going to be? Do you move around or stand in one place? In most speeches what you're saying is more important than what you to do present it. Even though that may be true, people can be distracted by your actions. If you stand in one place you may come off as boring. Moving around too much you could be perceived as jittery. The important thing is to have the perfect balance of both. Move around so your audience stays interested and listens to what you have to say but don't move too much so they get sidetracked and lack focus.

Speech Settings

Knowing where you are giving your speech is just as important as the speech itself. For instance, if you are in a big meeting hall you would have to project your voice louder if there wasn't a PA system to amplify your voice. If you are in a small business meeting your tone could be more firm, your voice softer in volume, and possibly longer in length to explain all the necessary details. If you don't adjust your presentation of the speech in these different settings your speech becomes superfluous. Remaining vigilant in your speech setting will eliminate any shortfalls with your audience.