Post Project Soapbox Reflection

To wrap-up this experience, you are each to write one final blog post. This is a required reflection, but I hope that you will find it a meaningful way to pull together your 3 weeks of writing, editing, and speaking. Overall, our hope is that Project Soapbox was not just a "summer school" experience, but rather was a time for you to feel like you really did make gains in improving your writing and public speaking skills. 

In the comments section, please write an extended, thoughtful reflection in the designated post that considers these questions as a starting point:
- How helpful was the writer's workshop in helping you improve your writing? Where did you improve? Where do you still see room for improvement?
-Did you find the blog useful? Did you enjoy posting on the blog and responding to your peers?
- How else did the workshop impact you? 

-Do you see yourself as a more confident speaker? 

-Do you feel the workshop helped you develop an understanding for effective communication?

-Do you see yourself now as an agent for change? How else did you grow?
- If you were to redo this workshop, which activities would you be sure to keep? Which would you change? What would you add/subtract? Why?
- Do you believe that you will continue to take action on your issue? Are you motivated to go forward and pursue the change you spoke up for? Why/why not?

Please go beyond just one sentence responses to each question - instead, use these questions as a springboard to deeper reflection. Remember you are SOPHOMORE Scholars now, and we continue to have high expectations for you, as you should for yourself.Now, check out opportunities for further action from the Mikva Challenge, the foundation that created Project Soapbox and has inspired you all to speak up for social change in your communities.

Congratulations

Congratulations, scholars!  You all did a fantastic job during our second annual Project Soapbox Speech Night. As facilitators, it was very rewarding for Emily and I to witness the outcome of all your hard work. Your dedication to the writing and editing process was evident during the three week workshop and your performance in reciting your speeches was a direct reflection of how much confidence you all have gained. The Schuler staff is very proud of your accomplishment.  

Public Speaking: Sick to Your Stomach?

"To the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."- Jerry Seinfeld on public speaking 

Why so Scared? 

We can all relate to the sick- to- your stomach feeling that approaches just before giving a presentation or a speech. Public speaking makes most people uncomfortable, so don't worry, you're not the only one. The anxiety that arises just before giving a speech is natural. We all have a deep rooted concern with how we will be perceived by our audience. This nervous feeling is heightened when we are before a large group or people we do not know. These scenarios increase the chances of being perceived in the wrong light and increases anxiety. I bet you never stutter or get a nervous feeling when talking in front of your closest friends or your family members. That's because you trust them; you are confident in their knowledge of your intelligence and the person you are. 

Have no Fear!

Everyone can overcome their fears of public speaking. Ever heard "practice makes perfect"? Well, it rings true with public speaking as well. When preparing for a speech or presentation, practice will build your confidence. Make sure you are prepared. Practice in front of a mirror, camera, or a group of friends. 

Also, in casual settings create as many opportunities for yourself to speak in public as possible. This includes raising your hand in class, talking to your teachers after class, and introducing yourself to new students. 

Remember! 

Shift your focus away from yourself. The audience wants you to succeed. No one will attend an event to watch you or anyone else fail- that's just weird and a waste of time.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/03/07/why-public-speaking-scares-you-and-how-to-overcome-your-fears/

http://www.wamda.com/2013/04/why-you-re-scared-of-public-speaking-and-how-to-overcome-it

COME ONE, COME ALL!

Don't forget to invite your family, friends, and neighbors to the Project Soapbox Speech Night. Remember, you all have important messages to send to your communities. Help make sure as many people as possible hear what you all have to say. 

Throwback Friday: A Reminder on the Rhetorical Triangle

Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. —Aristotle 


The following addresses writing and can directly be applied to creating a speech. 

From: 

"What Do Students Need to Know About Rhetoric?"
Hepzibah Roskelly 
University of North Carolina 
Greensboro, North Carolina 



The most successful writers use what Aristotle and his descendants 
called the appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos. 

They appeal to a reader’s sense of logos when they offer clear, reasonable premises and 
proofs, when they develop ideas with appropriate details, and when they make sure 
readers can follow the progression of ideas. 

Writers use ethos when they demonstrate that they are credible, good-willed, and 
knowledgeable about their subjects, and when they connect their thinking to readers’ own 
ethical or moral beliefs. Quintilian, a Roman rhetorician and theorist, wrote that the 
Special Focus in English Language and Composition: Rhetoric Speaker should be the “good man speaking well.” This emphasis on good character meant 
that audiences and speakers could assume the best intentions and the most thoughtful 
search for truths about an issue. Students’ use of research and quotations is often as much 
an ethical as a logical appeal, demonstrating to their teachers that their character is 
thoughtful, meticulous, and hardworking. 

When writers draw on the emotions and interests of readers, and highlight them, they use 
pathos, the most powerful appeal and the most immediate—hence its dominance in 
advertisements. Students foreground this appeal when they use personal stories or 
observations, sometimes even within the context of analytical writing, where it can work 
dramatically well to provoke readers’ sympathetic reaction. 

Writing!

Writing a speech is very different from writing an essay. Many of you already know my love for grammar, but do you know about one of my all time favorite websites?

Grammar girl is an awesome tool for helpful writing tips. You can either listen to her pod-casts, read, or both. Here's a link to her website: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

The helpful tips don't stop there, because there's another section of the website dedicated entirely to public speaking. Here's an example about how to end a speech: http://publicspeaker.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-end-speech.aspx

I encourage you to look over the website, because she addresses a variety of questions and topics. 

Day 5 Homework: Research Findings

Click. Find. Share. 

In the comments, share something you learned from your research today. Feel free to include links to interesting sites. Also, take some time to look through the information shared by your peers. Comment on at least one other post.