08 - Choices

You make choices throughout your entire life. Some you make are good choices and some are not so good, but you must choose paths in order to move forward and succeed.

Speechmaking is also about choices. What do you really want to accomplish and how are you going to do it?

What topic will you select? What evidence are you going to use to support your views and ideas? Where are you going to find evidence? How are you going to arrange your ideas into the best and most coherent pattern for your listeners?

Who are your listeners? How are you going to meet their needs? How do you find out their needs? How are you going to use their demographic information in helping you create your speech and make the greatest impact on the listeners?

Where is your speech taking place? How are you going to use the space? What equipment will you need? How will you get it? What time of day is your speech being given? How are you going to address the time?

Choices matter and your choices as a speechmaker are important because you and your ideas matter.

• How are you going to meet the task at hand and present the best speech you can?

• How are you going to use this opportunity to become a better speaker?

• What do you want out of this class and life?

• What are you willing to do to meet your goal?

• Are you willing to go outside your comfort zone and make mistakes during the learning process?

• Are you willing to try? (We believe you are willing to try because in the end—it is about you and the impact you make on this world.)

But choices are not happenstance—they entail a concerted effort on your part.

• You need to make the choice to improve as a communicator.

• That choice will be one of the most important ones you make in life.

Remember: Speechmaking is about choices. Life is all about choices. Choose well.