Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Final reflection

This I believe

            Public speaking, a class that my parents wanted me to take during my Post Graduate Year.  They said this class would help me immensely in the long run.  My parents said this class will help me get used to talking in front of big groups and that it will help me speak clearer when giving a presentation in a classroom or in front of a company.  When getting into class on the first day of school I wasn’t sure how was going to like the class.  Speaking in front of a new group of people that I haven’t met was something that I really was not looking forward to.  Starting with the icebreakers to get to know each other turned into a lot of awkward laughter.  This not being a bad thing, it showed what the class was like.  There were going to be the awkward times but the awkwardness would not be forever because it would be shadowed with laughter. 
            I am speech.  This one the hardest of them all the reason being because it is the first speech in front of this new group that we were just getting to know.  There was a lot of practice leading up to the final presentation of the speech and with each practice it only became easier.  The class on a whole was coming closer together and the awkwardness and nerves were gone.  The final presentation of the speech came quite easy for all with just little experience.  One of the flaws with the presentations was the lack of memorization, that being said each speech spoke for itself getting a sense of where each kid came from giving you a background on their life.  Having this speech be our first one helped the class come together.  Getting a sense of who the person was and why they were here at Cheshire Academy.  The I am speech put us now on a new personal level with each other.  It taught me not to fear of speaking in front of a group of people because it only last for a short amount of time and being relaxed during this time makes it a lot easier.
            The next segment.  The debates, these were very helpful.  Debating on topics with very little research time and not much time made us have to be persuasive as possible.  Being put on the spot talking about a topic that you researched for maybe five to ten minutes could make one very nervous.  Through the first couple times we did these mini debates I feel that I was very edgy and had a tough time speaking the words that were in my mouth.  With more and more practice it became a lot easier, being more persuasive and getting you to believe why something is better than something else when it truly wasn’t.  This helped me tremendously because it made me speak of my brain and make it sound fluent and not choppy.
            Finishing my final speech in public speaking I feel that I have come a long way from where I started.  The nerves of getting up in front of the class to speak have completely vanished.   Yes, it is a small class but it is great practice to get rid of those verbal and physical ticks that I once had (ums and swaying).  Therefore if I had to speak on a larger scale in front of a bigger group I feel that it would not be too hard for me.  I have accomplished a lot in this classroom since the beginning of the year with some things that I still can work on but I now know what I have to look for.

             

Thursday, December 8, 2016

final project reflection

Thus far I would say that my progress with my final speech, the This I Believe speech is going very well.  I was able to think of my topic of what I wanted to write about very easily.  Being able to present my first draft was very helpful.  I received a lot of good feedback from my classmates.  Also you helped a lot with the beginning of my speech saying what to change to make it sound different that the other students who like to talk about the same topic.  Changing the beginning helped me change things in the rest of the speech so it was not repetitive and sounded like an original speech.  I feel that I have improved a lot of areas of the speech since the first draft.  It is a lot different than the first draft going in more depth of how I had to work for a lot of things in my life and how everything was not granted to me.  At this point with the speech I feel that I am pretty much complete with it.  I feel that I fix the things that I needed to, to make it a all around better speech.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

This I believe Speech

For my final speech i am going to talk about my family and how they have gotten me to where i am today as a person.

There are many high school kids that talk about how their parents were too strict or how one of their siblings was extremely annoying and the hate they had towards them.  This is the opposite for me.  My family has made me the person that I am today.  Yes my parents were a little strict as I grew up but this was for the better.  They were strict to where they got the point across that I shouldn't do something, other than that they let me make a lot of decisions on my own.  They raised me forcing the act of kindness into mind telling me to be kind to others and you will only receive kindness back.   Growing up in my house wasn't the hardest thing but my parents were always on me to get my school work done or to get better with my athletics.  I had to work for a lot of the things that I received, I was not just granted everything.  If I wanted to purchase something for myself I had to use my own money.  This led me to my first job when I was 16 years old, I have had this job since then working summers when I had time on top of baseball.  I also had to do a lot around the house which many kids do not have to do.  In the spring and summer it was cutting the lawn, the fall raking leaves every weekend till there were no more and then in the winter I would have to shovel my driveway, my walkway and deck.  I feel having a job and having to work around the house has helped me today to make me a hard worker.
It is not just my parents that have helped me get to where I am today.  My older sister Jess, my only sibling that I have has helped get me here today.  With sports she has pushed me more than my parents have.  She played softball in high school and then in college so she knows what it takes to get there and how hard you have to work.  She would always talk to me and tell what I am doing is not enough and that I have to do more if I want to play and succeed at the next level.  I know I can count on my sister to be there for me whenever I am in need of something no matter how mad I can make her sometimes.  We have gone through a lot of ups and downs and no matter how low the downs are we always seem to come back together and become best friends again.
My family has gotten me here today and I can not thank them enough for this.  They have been so helpful shaping my life to what it is today.  I love my family and wouldn't want them to be any different.

Reflection

What I have learned from the speeches that I have read today are that they can be really about anything.  They two that I read talk about past experience and how they have overcome that.  The writer makes you feel for what they have come from and how they achieved what they have.

What makes it good?

  • Strong start (introduction, state your name and what you're going to talk about)
  • Points out all the details in the speech 
  • Talking about an interesting topic, you don't want to bore the audience 
What makes it bad?

  • Weak topic
  • Weak intro, not introducing yourself
  • Not making eye contact with the audience 
  • Making sure the speech is clear

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Final speech

This I believe proposal

For my I this I believe speech I think that I am going to talk about my family and what they have done for me.  I know you said not to talk about our family and what they did for us but I feel like this is something that I want to talk about.  I think they are the reason I am where I am today and I am what I am today.  The way that they raised me as a kid helped me to become who I am today.  They were very strict on me as I was growing up this was because they wanted the best for me.  Them being strict on me taught me from what was wrong and from what was right. 
            If I ever needed to go to anyone for advice I know that I could go to my parents.  They would help me with anything that I needed guidance on.  They put me on the right path and have given me what I need to be successful.  They want to see me succeed in life and they will do almost anything to help me do this.  I just have to give them a good output.

            For the rest of the speech I will talk about more of what they have done for me and why I am here today.  I will go in depth more and I will also talk about how my sister has shaped me into who I am today. 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

How to catwalk

Facial Expressions

Set your chin slightly down
Act like there is a string at the top of your head holding you up, don’t droop down
Natural position
Keep the face in the natural position, you want to keep your face relaxed, mouth closed, NO SMILES!!
Eyes
Keep your eyes on an object in front of you
Don’t look around!!

Find a focus point

The walk
Posture
Its all about posture!
Tall is key, slight lean back so your legs go first
Pretend you are walking on a tight rope, one foot in front of the other
Arms
Let them swing naturally, not too stiff.
What is being worn will help with the walk
Rhythm
Let the music take your body, move with the beat

Posture 
Attitude
Lean on one hip with lots of attitude
Be flirty 

Sources 
Source 1: RetroKrystle. "Walk Like a Catwalk Model." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.
Source 2: Http://secretmodelbeauty.com/blog/author/admin/. "7 Tips For The Perfect Runway Walk." Secret Model Beauty. Secret Model Beauty, 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.


s point

Monday, November 7, 2016

How to throw a baseball

Source 1: "by griping the ball in this fashion, those 4 seams will help keep the ball in the air longer".
By Gripping the Ball in This Fashion, Those 4 Seams Will Help to Keep the Ball in the Air Longer and Keep the Ball Traveling Straighter (assuming the Player Can Throw It with 12-6 Rotation - See Graphic Belo). "Playing Catch - Throwing The Baseball." Baseball Coaching: Playing Catching. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

Source 2: "the elbow starts and ends at a 90 degree angle".
"How to Throw a Baseball: Kbands Throwing Progression Drill." How to Throw a Baseball: Kbands Throwing Progression Drill. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

Source 3: "Find your target and position your body perpendicular to it - your shoulders, hips, and feet should be pointed directed at your target".
"How to Throw a Baseball | ISport.com." How to Throw a Baseball | ISport.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

Source 4: "as you move your legs simultaneously rotate your upper body so your chest faces your target".
"Proper Baseball Throwing Techniques." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 05 July 2015. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

Source 5:  "when taking the ball out of the glove, keep it facing the ground as long as possible".
Https://www.facebook.com/ProBaseballinsider. "How to Throw a Baseball, Part 2: Mechanics of Throwing." Pro Baseball Insider. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.




d

Monday, October 31, 2016

Revision

Hello America, I would like to address our nation today about the issues in this world that I am going to resolve when I am elected into office.  I believe that what I have to offer to this country with my business and government experience is one that no other can offer.  Out of college double majoring in political science and economics I landed myself a job on Wall Street.  Here I would only spend a few years because of the great interest that I had in our government.  I would work in the city government of Boston until I was appointed mayor.  This brings me to now.  In front of thousands of people discussing why I am the best candidate for the next president of the great country, the United States of America.
I want to discuss three major points that in my eyes this country needs to fix.  First our economy, second the war on terrorism and lastly the war on drugs.  To fix our economy I will use my knowledge from school.  I have also put a team together that is analyzing what is wrong with our economy and how we can fix this.  This isn’t going to favor a certain group of people; this is going to help everyone.  For the fight against terror I have already put a team together of people in our government that know a lot on the topic.  We are going to take the aggressive approach and weaken them till they are no longer a threat against us.  For the last topic, the war on drugs.  We are going to strengthen our boarders and crack down on the flow of drugs into the U.S.

So please America, vote for me I can assure you a better way of living.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Reflection

Joseph Bramanti
Public Speaking
10-27-16
Reflection

I feel that this speech went a lot better than the first major speech we were assigned a couple weeks back.  I feel that this one was a lot easier to write because of how much we have written over the past two months.  Presenting the speech was also easier than the first time.  I feel like this is because how much we have practiced speaking through debates.  The debates force you to act quickly when you are talking and they put you under pressure making a longer speech a lot easier.  I still feel that I have a lot to work on in the class.  I feel that I need to take the time to learn my speech.  Reading off paper or an Ipad is not too easy.  This being because you often lose your spot and it’s tough to find where you were.  This causes you to repeat yourself and stutter.  I feel that on my paper my speech was written very well.  It just lacked memory on my end that when presented it fell behind.  Learning my speeches is going to be my biggest goal for the rest of the semester. 

            The learning process thus far has been great.  I feel that public speaking is one of the easiest classes to see when you do things wrong.  I say this because you are constantly speaking aloud and you can hear what you do wrong and drill it into your mind that it needs to change.  I feel that you have done a good job telling us to stay away from the um’s and the ah’s.  I haven’t heard many of these lately.  I haven’t even heard these for fillers in speeches when kids lose their spot in their speech.  Watching the debates have also has helped me pick up on things that I should not do and that are annoying when speaking.  For example when Trump is always sniffling this is very unappealing to the viewer.  I feel that Hillary uses way too many hand motions this takes me away from what she is saying and makes it difficult for me to enjoy the debate.  I have also seen that interrupting someone during a debate is very rude and unappealing to the audience.  It makes you look like a bully and this would make the people of this country not want to vote for you.  I feel that I will continue to learn a lot more over the rest of the semester and by the end my speeches wont be able to compare to where they are today.  I feel that memorization will come a lot easier and I will be able to read my speeches off the top of my mind without having to look down at a piece of paper or my Ipad for help.