This is the blog for COM315, a course at Purdue University that works to enhance students' abilities to communicate technical information comprehensively. We work collaboratively to develop projects online and offline and enhance our skillsets.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Dwight's Speech
What was the significance of the Office episode we watched today? What advice dead you pay attention to in the episode, both good and bad? What should we take away from this episode, as speakers-- and educators?
The significance to me was kind of hidden. And i think that is because i found it hard to take this video seriously. That was the first time i have ever watched the office and it was humorous to me and i didn't pay attention to detail. I was also trying to take in and figure out how all of the characters related to each other.
That's okay, Allie. We can spend a couple of minutes in class talking about this too. Although it's pretty humorous, I think we can find some points of relevance-- and it's perfectly understandable, given that it was your first time seeing the show!
I too had trouble finding significance in Dwight's speech, as I was distracted by the absurdity of its delivery and the way he gave it. The only thing I took away from it that were of true academic value was that sometimes hand gestures are needed to inspire or keep the attention of your audience.
If one thing I got from the show was that it's very stressful and scary to speak in front of a large crowd. And speaking for the first time especially scary to have every eye on you and to entertain them and keep it interesting.
That's a good point, Derrick, and one I hadn't planned to address--most of what I think we should discuss are the types of advice that are given when public speaking. Although it was pretty funny, a lot of misconceptions about giving speeches were presented.
The episode also highlights the need to have advance preparation for a speech-- both in the contents of the speech, as well as conducting audience analysis (which we discussed in class). Dwight seemingly had no concept of his audience, and that was reflected in his delivery. Further, his presentation wasn't really adapted to them at all. Although we saw a lot of cheering from the audience, likely due to his enthusiasm, we didn't actually see a tailored presentation.
The significance to me was kind of hidden. And i think that is because
ReplyDeletei found it hard to take this video seriously. That was the first time i have ever watched the office and it was humorous to me and i didn't pay attention to detail. I was also trying to take in and figure out how all of the characters related to each other.
That's okay, Allie. We can spend a couple of minutes in class talking about this too. Although it's pretty humorous, I think we can find some points of relevance-- and it's perfectly understandable, given that it was your first time seeing the show!
ReplyDeleteI too had trouble finding significance in Dwight's speech, as I was distracted by the absurdity of its delivery and the way he gave it. The only thing I took away from it that were of true academic value was that sometimes hand gestures are needed to inspire or keep the attention of your audience.
ReplyDeleteIf one thing I got from the show was that it's very stressful and scary to speak in front of a large crowd. And speaking for the first time especially scary to have every eye on you and to entertain them and keep it interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, Derrick, and one I hadn't planned to address--most of what I think we should discuss are the types of advice that are given when public speaking. Although it was pretty funny, a lot of misconceptions about giving speeches were presented.
ReplyDeleteThe episode also highlights the need to have advance preparation for a speech-- both in the contents of the speech, as well as conducting audience analysis (which we discussed in class). Dwight seemingly had no concept of his audience, and that was reflected in his delivery. Further, his presentation wasn't really adapted to them at all. Although we saw a lot of cheering from the audience, likely due to his enthusiasm, we didn't actually see a tailored presentation.