Nick Andriese

5th Gallaway
Comm 1020 Reflection
SKILL GAINED: I took COMM 1020 to improve my speaking skills particularly as they relate
to my future job, to my future missionary service, and to improve my overall communication
skills. I learned many things in this class but I would like to emphasize two skills: A) how to
organize a speech and B) how to deliver a powerful and memorable speech.
A) Organization is essential to delivering a great speech. Before I took Comm 1020 I gave many
speeches in church. I knew very little about public speaking and just wrote down what I thought
made sense. Ive since gone back and read my speeches and have noticed how unorganized they
are. My speeches may have made sense to me but my audience could have been lost. I know now
that organization is key to connecting to the audience to the meaning of the speech. For example,
a hook is needed to captivate the audience. A thesis statement is crucial so the audience can know
what message you are trying to get across. A preview is necessary to make sure the audience
doesnt get lost throughout the speech. A body that follows after the preview is necessary
likewise. A refutation is great for persuasive speaking because it shows the audience that you
recognize the other side of the argument, yet you have reason why it is untrue. Finally a
conclusion is vital to a speech because it weaves everything together and provides the audience
with a call to action, motivation to do something. My knowledge of organization has increased
my speaking capacity and has made me a better speaker.
B) Speaking is a powerful tool to convey messages and to persuade others. I know I needed to
improve my speaking skills so I could influence others for the better. A powerful speech is based
off of rhetoric: logos, ethos and pathos, or respectively, logic, ethics and emotion. To connect to
the audience and give a powerful speech one must include all of rhetoric. Logic is needed to
connect different points of the speech in an understandable manner. Ethics is needed to establish
credibility so the audience knows the information is valid. Emotion is needed to connect to the
audience, to make the speech actually mean something, to genuinely promote change. If all of
rhetoric is taken into account, speeches become more powerful and the audience will remember
how you made them feel. I have learned how to incorporate rhetoric in my speeches and know
this has made me a better speaker.
RELATE SKILL TO ANOTHER CLASS: Most classes require some form of verbal
presentation/reporting in front of the class during the semester. For example, in my English 1010
class we were required to give a short speech. I felt confident in my speaking skills and was
prepared to give a great speech. I delivered my speech with confidence and felt good about it. In
Financial Literacy I gave a presentation of future goals, since I knew about organization from
Comm 1020 I was able to deliver a great message and help my classmates understand my goals.
In seminary I now know how to deliver powerful messages that can connect to my audience and
make sense to them because Comm 1020 has taught me how to make valuable eye contact,
prepare speeches with organization, and to use voice inflection to put emphasis on various words
and phrases.

RELATE SKILL TO JOB:

Again, one of the reasons I took COMM 1020 was to improve my speaking skills for my job.
Right now I work a Caf Zupas as a line server. I am required to constantly speak to many
different people and to sometimes persuade them. Comm 1020 has made it easier to
communicate with people with less pressure and also to communicate with them better. Later in
life I am hoping to be a Chemical Engineer. Engineer regularly have to present their ideas and
innovations to small and large audiences. I know that Comm 1020 has prepared me for this by
teaching me how to be passionate, eloquent and meaningful with my speeches, how to keep
proper eye contact while speaking, how to be organized and keep to a keyword outline when
speaking and how to keep composure while delivering my message. The things Ive learned in
this class will help me deliver excellent speeches in my future work place so I can be a more
successful and valued employee.
SELF-REFLECTION
Last year as I was signing up for classes I noticed that Comm 1020 was available. I talked to my
dad about it and he mentioned that he took a public speaking class in college and that it really
helped him be more confident as a speaker and in delivering oral messages. He mentioned that it
was a skill he wished he had learned earlier in his life because public speaking is so prominent in
the work force and as a missionary. So I decided to take the course although my schedule was
already plagued with college coursework.
I knew I needed a lot of work in the area of public speaking. I usually would just right out a full
speech whenever I need to give one and my presentation would be really choppy and not very
genuine. I never really had much fear of public speaking but I knew I lacked confidence when it
was my turn to deliver a message. Through this class I know that Ive improved so much in the
field of speaking and know how valuable the skill is.
This next year I am serving an LDS mission in Mexico. I know that this class will enable me to
be a better missionary and touch the heart of others through my speech. I am extremely grateful
that I took this class and learned the many things I did. I know these skills with stay with me and
help me throughout the rest of my life.
My experience in COMM 1020 has been a like rollercoaster, one that is only going up. It took
lots of work and dedication but I know that public speaking is an integral skill for life and Im
glad I could dip my feet in these waters.