Speaking of...

This week was a chance for me to catch up on all of my work for ISM and focus! This week in ISM I solely worked on my Research Speech. I created my rough draft, my slideshow, chose images, rehearsed the final draft speech and gave myself time to relax before presenting. 

Throughout the week I gradually worked on my speech by creating an outline and looking at the assessments I have completed. My previous assessments were of great help to me as I was able to review my research and see how it contributed to my ISM journey. The assessments helped me save time and highlight key points I wanted to include in my speech. It also reminded me of my favorite parts of the research and the reason I chose those articles in the first place. My interview assessments also helped me introduce my interview and I reviewed the main takeaways of the interview by looking at my notes and reflection in my assessment.

Additionally, I made my slideshow and incorporated my personal brand colors into it. I made sure to add key points/ phrases to help the flow of my interview and images to reinforce my ideas and help my audience understand my topic further.

My biggest struggle for my speech was making it shorter as I kept exceeding the time limit and discussing too much in each subtopic of my speech. However, through practice and re-reading, I was able to cut it down and create a concise, but still elaborate speech.

I was very nervous to complete my speech, and I think that contributed to my performance as I was losing my train of thought and struggling. To remedy this, I looked at the printed copy of my speech and looked into my audience where they were very encouraging. Overall, even though I did not do as well as I had hoped, I am still so proud of myself this year. This speech will help me prepare and be even more confident in my public speaking abilities in the future. 

As this semester is coming to an end, I want to take some time to reflect and think about all that I have accomplished and my goals for next year. Although there have been some obstacles, there are still a number of things to be proud of and grateful for. I have worked on my time management skills and balanced having work and school at the same time. I have met new people and spent time with my friends. I have had opportunities to be a better person and student. Being in ISM takes courage and I am so glad I took the leap to be in this class. Until next year!