Evaluating Myself Giving a Speech

Process Speech Self-Evaluation

This process speech was very different from the types of process speeches I had delivered in the past. Before, most process speeches I had given were demonstration speeches, such as telling a group of children the rules of a game or trying to explain to a fellow employee how to use a new type of computer program at work. This process speech was entitled “The Decision-Making Process in Business Environment.” It was a more abstract concept than I had conveyed in a speech before, and because of that, I was nervous that the audience would not be interested. I think it would have been helpful if I had started with a quote or a fact that was particularly attention-grabbing. Instead, I focused more on explaining the concept, and I think I lost some of my audience’s attention in the process. I tried to do too much in the speech, rather than focusing on a few, core ideas.

I was very nervous and because I did not feel like my audience was engaged, I grew even more nervous. Another problem that I had was that I frequently became lost because my notes were too long and involved. Next time, I think it would be better if I had short, key phrases on my outline rather than writing out entire sentences for security, as I decided to do. I think it would have been helpful if I had more anecdotes, since sometimes it is easier to tell a story. Having the visual aid was useful and enabled me to relax and not be so focused on my script.

Eye contact was very challenging for me. I was not sure where to focus with my eyes, either one person or the audience as a whole. Because the audience was sitting so close, it felt even more intimidating than sitting in a darkened auditorium. I had trouble breathing and pausing and did not really enjoy the experience, so I communicated my discomfort and tension to my audience. Although I did practice at home, it felt so much easier there because I was relaxed. I was able to look away from my paper much more at home. I also was not sure how much to raise my voice in the room, given how close the audience was located.

In terms of the things I did do well, I think I was clear in signposting the different steps of the decision-making method. I think that my audience should take away from my speech a clear step-by-step understanding of a good way to make decisions at work in an objective fashion. Using the visual aid was helpful as a reminder of the different steps of the process. But I needed to convey a greater sense of urgency. Again, I think using specific examples, or a single specific example, would have been more helpful. I also would have made the speech easier to remember and enabled me to look away from my paper more frequently.