Week 9

Activity One

Narrator: The newly appointed MP Yasmine Schultenkamp is vowing to make the mining downturn into a booming business. With a push for the new mine to open, the MP believes this will boost employment and help Rockhampton pick up the economy. 

Yasmine Schultenkamp, Member for Rockhampton: "With over 700 job cuts in the Central Queensland mining business, it is really affecting the economy as no one can afford things anymore".

Narrator: Ms Schultenkamp states that since the mining downturn, many people have become unemployed. This has led to many people not being able to afford things, which leads to other businesses shutting down. The MP is pushing for the new mine known as Adani to open in Central Queensland. 

Yasmine Schultenkamp: "With the opening of the Adani mine, it will increase employment and improve the economy in Rockhampton. In my term, I hope to push as much as I can for this to happen".

Narrator: Many unemployed locals attended a rally on the weekend at City hall where they called for the region to do something about the mining crisis. The locals who attended the rally have pledged their utmost support in favour of the new MP.

Steven Porter, rally attendee: "If our Rockhampton member is strongly passionate about this issue, then she will always have my vote".


Activity Two

The following link is a recording of the audio visual news release draft.

https://soundcloud.com/user-235036193/audio-visual-news-release

I did my best to vary the different voices in the script. I used a higher and more casual voice for the talent and I used my news reading voice for the narrator. I believe I still need to articulate my words more, as I am slurrying certain words. My pronunciation becomes a little unclear as a result of this.


Activity Three

I have reviewed the entirety of my blog and fixed up any errors. All activities have been covered and all references are included and correctly referenced. 

Activity Four

The entirety of this assignment was very time consuming and difficult to complete. Although there were many complaints and issues with getting this blog completed, I got there in the end! There were many activities that I found beneficial to my learning. These included the recordings of a news script. These were really helpful as I was able to practice my speaking voice in the first week and compare it to the last week. From this, any improvement became evident. I really enjoyed the practical components of the blog as it let me put my knowledge in action. Ames (2016) explains that the way this course is presented is quite unique with a blend of very dense theory and practical orientation. 

Another activity I enjoyed was watching certain YouTube videos, comparing them and doing an analysis on it. I enjoyed this because it allowed me to view entertainment videos that interested me. For example, the Star Wars interview was very interesting to me to analyse, so I really enjoyed that activity. Lastly, I enjoyed planning the final assignment. This was so helpful to actually sit down and consider the maiden speech. Not to mention planning the final assignment was apart of the first assignment which is just so handy! Producing the powerpoint with ideas of what to include, to creating the first page of the script really helped me in that final assignment. 

Source: Miller, 2014

My speaking voice really improved over the course of the term as I learnt new techniques and recognised what was wrong with my voice.  As mentioned above, the script reading activities really helped improve my voice. It's still not ready to be on television or anything like that! But I believe it has improved since the beginning of the year.  Although I feel my voice has improved, I don't believe my script writing has improved. This is because I don't think I am far enough into the course to actually learn how to write a script. I believe that this will be learnt either next week or the week after (week 9 or 10). However, once I've been taught that, I am sure my script writing will improve. 

For every communications course I've taken since the start of 2015, blogging has been involved. I think I have created five blogs for five different courses. The most difficult blogging experience was by far Media Writing. I had perhaps 12,000 words and over ten weeks of work. This blog has been very similar but not has hard. I find the blogging assignments very helpful and practical in regards to my learning. Killic & Gokdas (2014) found that blogging is very helpful in educating students on certain topics. The various range in activities allows students to showcase their ability. Not only is there writing, but there is also practical activities such as producing videos and voice recordings. I think this keeps students (well me at least) still interested in the course and not bored out of their minds by just writing essay after essay. 

In regards to going into the last assignment, I believe I am somewhat prepared. I have a general idea of what to include in the maiden speech, which includes background on the speaker,  issues and so on. I feel confident in what a maiden speech is and what it should sound like. I have done research on the topic and I know what is expected. In regards to the media release, I am a little less confident. I am unsure of what to actually include in the media release and what it should look like. I am still waiting on a template and some more information regarding this. I will bring the issue up in class or send an email to the tutor and express my concerns. Overall, I am generally happy with the result of my blog and I think I deserve a good result for my hard efforts. 

References:

Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 12 - review, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniveristy e-courses. 

Killic, E & Gokdas, I 2014, 'Learning through blogging: use of blogs to enhance the perceives learning of pre-service ICT teachers', Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 1169-1177. 

Miller, G 2014, Teacher reflection, digital image, viewed 9 May 2016, https://gregmiller21stcenturyleadership.wordpress.com/tag/teacher-reflection/

Week 8

Activity One

The following is a link to the powerpoint presentation created for the speech. 

http://www.slideshare.net/YasmineSchultenkamp/speech-powerpoint-blog-8-61606853

Source: B-Tv, 2016

Activity Two

Ames (2016) argues that PowerPoint is arguably the most frequently used presentation software in corporate environments. Berko, Wolvin & Wolvin (1998) also add that one of the most effective approaches to enhancing listener comprehension of a message is the development of well-supported points. In doing this activity, I found it very helpful for a number of reasons. Firstly, planning the assignment from introduction to conclusion will make it very clear with what I need to put in the maiden speech. Also, it is made evident what I am struggling with in understanding the assignment. I am then able to reach out to the teachers to find the answers of what I am unsure of. There is also a lot of time before the maiden speech is due, so it is good to plan now and have plenty of time to really consider everything involving it. 

References:

Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 8 - writing speech - speech writing, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniversity e-courses. 

Berko, R Wolvin, A & Wolvin, D 1998, Communication: a social and career focus, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 

B-Tv 2016, powerpoint presentation, digital image, viewed 3 May 2016, http://www.b-tv.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/powerpoint-presentation.png

Week 7

Activity One

Tolsen (1991) states that chat based programs is a term used to describe speech genre associated with television programming. Its initial attention to the genre focused on talk shows involving a host and guests. Ames (2016) explains that the type of talk that is heard on these shows is light hearted banter and is also important as the talk helps to construct some kind of community amongst its audience. Tolsen (1991) states that chat based programs revolve around three factors which include; personal, wit and humour and the risk of transgression underlies talk. The program featured above showcases Karl and Lisa (the hosts) interviewing Hamish and Andy. The 5 minute video is about the hosts asking what Hamish and Andy did over the summer break and what they will be doing this year when they get back to work. The whole video is very laid back and seems to be like a normal conversation occurring between the four people. Most comments are some form of banter and provide wit and humour. The conversation touches on more private and personal topics such as what the pair did in their Christmas break. In order to be an effective host on TV, I believe it is important to be natural and laid back to a certain extent. It is also important to have banter and be somewhat humorous to keep the audience interested and entertained. 

Activity Two

Below is the link for the piece-to-camera.

https://vimeo.com/165737125

In regards to the piece-to-camera activity, it was a bit nerve wrecking at first. It took a couple of takes until I was completely happy with the result. In the first few takes, I was moving unnaturally and in the last couple of takes, I didn't like my hair. How typical! Writing the script and remembering most of it was difficult and took a few readings out loud to get it into my head. Yin (2015) supports this by stating that piece-to-cameras take good memory and are not as easy as everyone expects it to be. I hate seeing and hearing myself on video, and especially uploading it on the internet! However, I overcame the issue and just did the best I could. 

Activity Three

The aim of this paper, according to Clayman (1990) is to find out what makes a question quotable, and to specify the impact that quoted questions have on the sense and import of subsequent political speech. He also argued that exhibiting interactional conduct through such quotation sequences, rather than describing it in vernacular terms is one means by which reporters can maintain a formally objective stance. Clayman (1990) states that news stories are assembled in big measures from the observations and accounts of legitimated institutional source. However, the study finds that source accounts are frequently produced through forms of spoken interaction. The paper tries to answer these questions:

• When do source quotations preserve the local interactional context in which a given statement was originally spoken?
• What additional information is made available to the audience, and how might it be used by them to make sense of the focal statement?

The author makes it clear that when news writers put together interview and press conference material into their stories, they both report only the public figure's remarks, even though these are frequently elicited by some of the reporter's questions. The article is split into a couple of different sections that include:

The structure of interactionally generated source quotations

Clayman (1990) points out that television news stories and newspapers usually contain verbatim from a variety of sources. Some of these come from written texts, many of them come from interactional situations. These include:

• Interviews
• Press conferences
• Public speeches
• Congressional hearings

The author also states that reporters have two options for incorporating interjectionally generated statements into their stories. These are:

• Using quote single statements in isolations from the ongoing stream of interaction in which they were produced
• Including aspects of the interactional context of source statements

Finally, an important aspect of this section is that rather than taking statements out of context and perhaps distorting them, reporters should keep the context of talk to give a more complete image of what was said.

Some functions of quoted questions

Clayman (1990) argues that forms of talk such as interviews and press conferences consist largely of questions and answers that are allotted to reporters and their sources. However, newspaper accounts of these encounters often quote answers of their components without the question that elicited them. Clayman found that in Schegloff (1984) statements can be semantically unclear when considered apart from the interactional contexts in which they were originally spoken. An interesting point is that paraphrased questions serve a variety of more specialised communicative functions that can hard to perform. The section discusses the following topics:

• The statement as an 'answer': exhibiting an external impetus for its occurrence
• Relating the answer to the preceding question: the reply as prompt or delayed, confirmatory or rejecting
• Non-answers

The article concludes that embedding practices constitute fundamental journalistic tools-of-the-trade, for it is through them that reporters and their audiences together build the sense and import of reported speech. In conclusion, the article has supplied many tools and tips to constructing a political speech. These tools and advice can be used in regards to the final assignment. 

Source: Just Jared, 2013

References:

Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 7 - genres of speech - media, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniversity e-courses. 

Clayman, S 1990, ‘From talk to text: newspaper accounts of reporter-source interactions’, Media Culture & Society, vol. 12, pp. 79-103.

Just Jared 2013, Megan Fox news reporter on teenage mutant ninja turtles set, digital image, viewed 27 April 2016, http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/2914715/megan-fox-news-reporter-on-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-set-01/

Schegloff, E 1984, 'Sequencing in conversational openings', American Anthropologist, vol. 70, issue, 1, pp. 1075-1095.

Stefanovic, K 2016, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee - Today Show, video, viewed 27 April 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypyI5r5QsiA

Tolson, A 1991, ‘Televised chat and the synthetic personality’, Broadcast Talk, pp. 178–200. 

Yin, Z 2015, 'The use of cohesive devices in news language: overuse, underuse or misuse', RELC Journal: A Journal of Language Teaching and Research, vol. 46, issue 3, pp. 309-326. 

Week 6

Activity one

Ames, (2016) explains that PAIBOC is a useful way to map out the speech before starting some of the things that need to be thought about. It won't help someone structure the speech but help them think about 'the things you need to think about'. The following shows the PAIBOC method in regards to a maiden speech and news release/story. 

Source: Lynch Coaching, 2013

Maiden Speech


Purpose: Mccooey & Lowe (2010) explain that a maiden speech is the first speech given by a new member of parliament. The speech usually explains the political beliefs and background of the individual and basically, is in an introduction of the person and why they have entered politics. The maiden speech also allows politicians to explain their hopes and visions, acknowledge people who have inspired them, thank the people who have helped them and also discuss the needs of their state. The purpose of the speech also depends on what the individual is striving and believing in. For example, in my maiden speech, one of my main points is that I will showcase my passion for new jobs, better roads, tourism in the region and a better healthcare system.

Audience: The maiden speech is directed to the House of Representatives and the speaker. The audience may also be Rockhampton locals and fellow individuals who want to see a change in the current methods. Other audience members can be the media or even the opposition.


Information:  The maiden speech will host a range of background information on the speaker through personal experiences to become likeable. The speech will explain key issues affecting the people of the certain region and state. In my own maiden speech, I will discuss issues such as improving the healthcare system, better roads, helping unemployment with youths and improving tourism within Rockhampton. It will also highlight political beliefs and justify behind the decision of the career in politics. The speech might also thank supporters and certain people for their role in either the community or in the rising of the politician. 

Benefits: In order for the audience to hear 'what is in it for them', it is important for the maiden speech to identify key issues that concerns the audience (Jen, 2006). Therefore, the entire speech should be centered around these issues and the possible solutions of addressing the concerns. In this case, I will  discuss the importance of changing the current healthcare system, tourism, producing better roads, and creating more employment.  This can be achieved through past experiences, emotive language, emphasis on words, repetition and using rhetoric.

Objections: I believe the Rockhampton locals might not all believe in the importance of the issues I want to change. Some may feel no need for change. However, by discussing a range of different topics, I feel like the audience may be drawn to at least one of the issues mentioned in the speech. 

Context: The speech is not only made to the House of Representatives and the speaker, but it is also made to the supporters of the particular region and state. In saying that, the supporters of this town may not have any interest in the concerns that were mentioned. As a result, the speech would not be received well. 

News Release


Purpose: According to Saltz (1996), a news release is directed to people of the media in regards to announcing something that is considered to have news value. In my own news release, I will particularly discuss the announcement of the member of parliament's maiden speech, including their passions, their visions and a little bit about them.

Audience: The audience of the news release is the media or news organisation that will consequently announce the story on the news. This might be The Morning Bulletin or Win News.

Information: The information the news release will contain information about the member of the parliament and what was included in their speech. The main issues addressed and that will be fought for will also be briefly mentioned, such as a new roads, tourism, better health system and so on. 

Benefits: The news company will be benefited by receiving the news release in a number of ways. Firstly, it will be a story and could contain some juicy information that the public might find entertaining. Also, the news company may want to report on the soon to be election and might find this news release very helpful in this.

Objections: Some objections that the audience may have is that they are simply not interested in doing a story about the member of parliament and their maiden speech. They may have a bias towards another person and only want to give them certain attention and not this particular person.

Context: The news release should discuss the person giving the maiden speech and their visions and passions. Depending on what the news release is centered on, this will determine how well the news release is received. 

Activity two

The link below is a recording of activity two regarding formal and impromptu speech.

https://soundcloud.com/user-235036193/formal-and-impromptu-speech

Source: Quotesgram, 2016

References:

Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 6 - genres of speech - corporate, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniversity e-courses.

Jen, K 2006, 'Asian Australian citizenship as a frame of enactment in the parliamentary 'first speech', Journal of Intercultural Studies, vol. 27, issue 1/2, pp. 187-211. 

Lynch Coaching 2015, 4 types of informative speaking, digital image, viewed 19 April 2016, http://www.comprofessor.com/2011/03/4-types-of-informative-speaking.html

Mccooey, D & Lowe, D 2010, 'Autobiography in Australian parliamentary first speeches', Biography, vol. 33, issue 1, pp. 68 -83. 

Quotesgram 2016, impromptu quotes, digital image, viewed 19 April 2016, http://quotesgram.com/impromptu-quotes/

Saltz, L 1996, 'How to get your news release published', Journal of Accountancy, vol. 182, issue 5, pp. 89-91. 

Week 5

Activity one

In regards to greeting people, it really just depends on who the person is. If it is someone I've never met before, I will usually say something like "hi, nice to meet you" or "hi, how are you?" If it is someone I know very well, I will usually just say a simple "hey" and then begin my conversation with them. My tone of voice also depends on the person. If I'm unfamiliar with the person, I will talk in my normal and professional voice. However, if I know the person very well, I will sometimes talk in a funny and silly voice to joke around with them. My own talking voice also differs in regards to saying goodbye. If the person is unfamiliar, I will say something along the lines of "It was very nice to meet/see you. I have to go now though. Cya later". If the person is well known to me I will say "I gotta go now, I will text you/talk to you later. Cya". My language simplifies a bit when I talk to someone I know well as opposed to someone I'm unfamiliar with. This is because I am more comfortable with them and know how I can speak around them.

Source: Animal fair, 2013

I really hate uncomfortable moments with people and especially, awkward silences. If I'm feeling uncomfortable around someone, I will either wrap up the conversation and say I have to go, or I will try my best to keep the conversation going. Sometimes, if I feel really uncomfortable, I will resort to my phone and pretend to text someone. This makes me look busy and makes me feel less uncomfortable. I will only do that however if I am in a group of people, otherwise it will come across rude. One thing I realised I do when I am nervous or in an uncomfortable moment, is that I will laugh nervously at what the other person says! It is such a bad habit and sometimes the statement that was said was a serious subject and not humorous at all. Awkward!

Activity two

Entertainment interview

Institutional talk, according to Drew & Heritage (1992) is that in which a person's institutional or professional identities are made relevant to the work activities in which they are involved in. Media interviews are seen everywhere, whether it be on television or on radio. These interviews use institutional talk. Ames (2016) explains that news interviewers ask certain questions to cause particular types of answers (those that will make the news). Therefore, news interviews are different to an entertainment interview because they are aiming for diverse responses. The first interview is an entertainment interview. The two interviewers are from a talk show and are interviewing Daisy Ridley who is the main character in the new Star Wars film. They introduced Ridley by stating that Star Wars comes out next week and this will be her debut film. Ridley then comes out to many cheers and applause. There are a lot of jokes and banter being said between the interviewer and interviewee. There is also a very laid back and casual interview style. The questions that were asked revolved around Ridley's first day on set and what it was like. They also asked questions to do with what her character was like. Apart from asking questions about the new film and the character of Rey, the interviewers complimented Ridley on her new tattoos and how famous she will be. The interview concluded with the interviewers thanking her for coming in and reminding everyone that the film comes out next week. The interview ends with the crowd cheering and applauding. 

Source: Wood, S 2015

News interview

The second interview is a news interview and is on a much more serious note. The news story is about a woman attacking an uber driver. The woman actually comes in to be interviewed about her actions. The interviewer introduces the woman by showing the video of what happened and describing the attack. He then proceeds to tell the audience that they have the woman in the studio today. The camera then pans on her. The questions that were asked revolved around the incident and what the woman thought of it now, as she looks back at the video. The interviewee said that it wasn't like her and that she was having a bad day. The interviewer then goes onto state that it's not an excuse. The interviewee fully agrees and says that she has taken full responsibility for her actions and has apologised to the uber driver. There is absolutely no humour in this video and is certainly not produced for entertainment. The potential for conflict was managed by the interviewee blaming herself for the incident and taking full responsibility for her actions. She wasn't offended by the interviewers questions at all and answered questions as respectfully as she could. The interview concluded with the interviewer saying that it's not easy to admit our mistakes and he also then thanked her for coming in. 

The main differences in the interviews is that the entertainment piece was purely designed for entertainment. Therefore, it is appropriate to have humour and small talk between the interviewers and interviewees. The news interview was on a much more serious and formal note and would be inappropriate to have banter and humour between the two people. The crowd was also a big difference. It would be unsuitable to have a crowd applaud the woman who attacked the Uber Driver. However, it is very appropriate to have the crowd applaud Daisy Ridley for her wonderful job in the film. Overall, it is very important to ask certain questions and have different kinds of institutional talk for different situations. 

Activity three

Through analysing Interection en Masse, it is evident that there are various key points that can be used in effective speech writing. In the first paragraph, one of the first important points the author has stated is that political speeches are far from ordinary discussion, and is also aloof from doctor to patient communication and presidential press conferences. This implies that political speeches are somewhat a little bit complex. Another important point which is stressed strongly by Atkinson (2005) is that eye contact is essential in order to speak effectively in public. Receiving applause from the audience is an important factor in the overall speech. It proves that the audience understood the message and also enjoyed it (Susman, 1997). The authors have developed various points that can be included into a speech and that also invites applause from the audience. These are known as formats for inviting applause. 

The first point from formats for inviting applause is contrast. Contrast is a rhetorical device used and is an important aspect of the speech. This is because it gives the audience extra time to set up for a reaction while they are waiting for other audience members to be doing the same. There are various types of contrast and these include:

• Contradictions
• Opposites
• Comparisons
• Phrase reversals

The second point from formats for inviting applause is lists. Lists provide the kind of emphasis and projectability needed to allow audiences to react. The important point about lists is that they tend to include three parts both in ordinary talk and in speeches. The different types of lists are:

• Three identical words
• Three different words
• Three sentences
• Three phrases

Puzzle solution is the third format of speech and is where the speaker excites the audience by giving them a problem or a puzzle. Then the speaker will deliver the point as the solution to it. By doing this, the speaker emphasises the point while also giving the audience a warning that an applaudable point is coming. As a result, this invites applause at the first possible point from when the solution emerges. This format offers chances to combine humour with a political message and also generates laughter, along with an applause. The last format is combinations which is a mixture of contrasts, lists and puzzle solutions. The author also discusses that not every contrast or list has the desired effect. Sometimes the speaker will not receive the applause they want. Sometimes politicians will re-do the formats in order to have a second chance at applause. From this research, it is evident that there are many formats that can be incorporated into speech writing to increase the potential for its effectiveness.

Source: Vognetwork, 2012

References:

ABC News 2016, Uber attack caught on camera, doctor speaks out, exclusive interview, video, viewed 5 April 2016,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPOpYGIAwYg

Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 5 - institutional talk, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniversity e-courses. 

Animal fair 2013, dog greeting people, digital image, viewed 3 April 2016,  http://animalfair.com/dog-greeting-people-greeting-funny/


Atkinson, J 2005, Lend me your ear, New York, Oxford University Press.

Drew, P & Heritage, J 1992, Talk at work: Interaction in institutional settings, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 

Susman, K 1997, 'Six key indicators guaranteed to reduce audience stress and increase your applause', Records Management Quarterly, vol. 31, issue 3, p. 18. 

The Entertainment Place 2015, Daisy Ridley talks 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' on Live! With Kelly and Michael, video, viewed 5 April 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKBQ8a_WJvs


Vognetwork 2012, futurama applause, digital image, viewed 5 April 2016, http://www.vognetwork.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=22


Wood, S 2015, Star Wars Force Awakens poster, digital image, viewed 5 April 2016, http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/star-wars-the-force-awakens-poster-caused-a-disturbance-in-the-force/118644