Self-Evaluation 2- Informative Speech

The purpose of my speech was to inform my audience about what dreams are, how to interpret them, and how dreams can be controlled and remembered. I believe I achieved this purpose in my speech. I could have expanded more on how exactly to interpret your dreams, rather than just using an example. I felt a lot more comfortable and confident while presenting this speech compared to the last one. I rehearsed my informative speech much more than the demonstration speech. If I could do it over again, I would have rehearsed twenty more times until it was perfected. I could improve the content of my next speech by focusing on three main points instead of four so I could have supported each one better. When delivering my next speech, I should also try to write less on my notecards so I am not tempted to look at them so much and can have better eye contact with the audience. I looked at my notecards more than I should have, but much less than my first speech. The tone of my voice was more enthusiastic than my first speech. I did not use any visual aids this time, which could have helped the audience be more interested. I went over the time limit on both of my speeches, but this time only by 30 seconds. On the last speech I went over the limit by more than 3 minutes, so this was an improvement (although I still need to work on time management).

After watching my video, I noticed I swayed from side to side a lot, which was very distracting. A few people even mentioned this in my peer evaluations, but I’m not sure what made me do this because I did not sway like that in my first speech. During the course of my speech, I mentioned all 4 source citations. However, I got most of my information from one of them, so I could improve on this next time by getting sufficient and valid information from each of the 4 sources. Although I mentioned them each once, I think I should have gave my sources more credit throughout the entire speech. On my last self evaluation, I rated my eye contact a 4 out of 10, but this time I think I improved and would rate it a 6. I prefer using my notecards to aid me instead of memorizing my entire speech- I think speeches sound more “smooth” and believable this way. Yet, I still need to work on eye contact because I know I can do better than a 6.

Overall, I thought my speech was a lot better than my first demonstration speech. I felt more comfortable, had better eye contact, and the content of my speech was very organized. The negatives included going over the time limit, not having a visual aid, and looking at my notecards more than necessary. With this being said, I would give myself a B+ because on the last speech I gave myself a B- and I believe I made several improvements. I had a good introduction, supported my four main points with valid information, and had a good conclusion. I think the infractions I made were minor and shouldn’t bring my grade down that much. Anyhow, on my next speech I will make sure to improve on the delivery and time management again and more so than I did the first time.