Week 4

Activity one

Below is the link for my second attempt at news reading:

https://soundcloud.com/user-235036193/week-4-newsread-attempt-no-2

Activity two

From reviewing this week's recording, it is evident that there is massive improvement from the first recording I did of the news script. In the first one, I talked very fast and mumbled my words. In the second recording, I made an effort to pause more and emphasise words of importance, such as places and people. I also emphasised words at the end of most sentences. The main technique that was used in the news reading was performance. Performance is an individual's use of language (Ames, 2016). I noticed that I was able to turn my performance voice on and do my best to sound professional, as I am now aware of the techniques involved.

Source: 123rf, 2016

I also tried to enunciate my words a lot more and cease mumbling. Ames (2016) states that articulation is using all the components of your tongue, mouth and lips to create sounds that are clear and distinct from other sounds. I have found that my articulation is improving a lot, now that this concept is in my head and I try to remember it whilst speaking. I have also tried to lower the deepness in my voice this time. This is because Re, O'Connor, Bennett, & Feinberg (2012) explain that it is important to have a deeper voice in news reading than a high pitched voice. Another key technique that Ames (2016) discusses is projection and resonance. I find my projection to be quite good, as I have always been able to speak loudly. I also believed my breathing was more controlled and not obvious. In my first recording, my breathing was not concealed and could be easily heard. I believe my recording this week was much more professional and put together. I was less nervous as I knew the script better this time. However, I still feel that my voice is not 100% ready and is still very rusty in certain aspects.

Activity three

In a World is an independent film that showcases a young female vocal coach competing with her father for the voice-over trailer of a high budget movie. In the film, the director has used the world of voiceover to explore how society has accepted stereotypical gender roles (Henderson, 2013). Particularly, the domain of voice-over is seen to be a man's world and is not meant to be for women. The story is more about how the use of conversation and speech has made up identities, rather than the story of a daughter challenging her father for the voiceover. The movie demonstrates that Carol's voice is very professional and is trained well. She is able to provide voices for any type of trailer and is very adaptable. She can also effectively turn off her regular speaking voice and turn on her voice-over speech when required. Throughout the film, there are various techniques that have been used to alter the sound of a voice-over. An interesting technique that was used was Carol's diet where she would eat certain types of food to help her voice. Another technique that I was aware off before watching the film was to gargle warm water in your mouth. This clears the throat so there is no croakiness in the voice. Some other techniques included screaming with a wide open mouth, pronouncing vowels while moving the lips and jaw and also with a cork in her mouth. In the real world, everyone uses their voice in some way. Whether it be for a voice-over job on a trailer, or just speaking to a friend. These techniques used in the film can be applied to everyday life and can help improve the quality and effectiveness of speaking.

Source: Cerritos, M 2013

References:

Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 4 - performance, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniversity e-courses.

Cerritos, M 2016, In A World, digital image, viewed 29 March 2016, http://www.hypable.com/in-a-world-lake-bell-interview/

Henderson, O 2013, In a World movie review and film summary, viewed 1 April 2016, http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/in-a-world-2013

Re, D, O'Connor, J, Bennett, P & Feinberg, D 2012, 'Preferences for very low and very high pitch in humans', PLoS ONE, vol. 7, issue 3, pp. 1 - 8.

123rf 2016, news presenter, digital image, viewed 1 April 2016, http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/news_presenter.html

Week 3

Activity one

Source: Greatest audiobooks, 2012

Rhetoric, according to Ames (2016) is the 'art of effective persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques'. When I was reading Aristotle's Rhetoric, I wondered if Aristotle ever thought he was writing a staple book that would be studied for many centuries after his time had passed. Aristotle's views on rhetoric are extensive and need a lot of time to analyse the entirety. However, his general views transcend through time and are applicable to today's age, even though it was written thousands of years ago.  It is evident that rhetoric is a very powerful tool used in persuasion and arguing a truth. However, one important point that Aristotle points out is that rhetoric is very useful. This is because this tool is basically using the truth and the truth usually has a natural tendency to prevail over any lie. Since Aristotle highlights rhetoric as an art of discovering the accessible means of persuasion, and not the consequence of persuasion, his theory emphasises the organisational parts of rhetoric. Hanford, Hardest & Kidwell (2015) explain that Aristotle was one of the first theorists to identify what rhetorics method is.

Although it is not generally considered one, Aristotle discusses rhetoric as a science. He especially believes it is important to study for many reasons such as assisting in the defence of truth and justice. It also convinces a less intelligent audience that's unsuccessful in comprehending intellectual demonstration, as well as both sides being considered. There are three factors that contribute to rhetoric:

• The personal character of the speaker
• The mood that he provokes in the audience
• The arguments themselves

Aristotle adds many separations in Rhetoric, but he evidently puts rhetoric into three categories which include:

• Political assembly
• The law courts
• The ceremonial occasions 

However, there are many further categories that Aristotle has included in the book, along with methods of amplifying someone's rhetoric. Rhetoric has had a lasting influence on many people throughout the centuries. Many still consider the book to be a very useful and helpful guide for speakers. 

Activity two

The link below is a recording of activity two. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-235036193/week-3-rhetoric-example

Source: Mimianddeunice, 2016

Activity three

In defence of rhetoric was made with a series of interviews and opinions from university graduates in regards to what others think of rhetoric and what it really is. There were many key arguments that I extracted from the video and that stood out to me. Initially, one of the first points that was made was that some people thought rhetoric 'was the art of bullshit'. It is evident that many people have thought down on the concept. This is evident as Hohman, Crano & Niedbala (2016) have stated that there have been various critics over the years that have thought poorly on rhetoric. This is purely because it is a sort of trickery and is often misunderstood as being this.  However, the video then goes onto defend rhetoric and dispel, define and answer what rhetoric really is. 

Rhetoric according to the video is basically the art of effective and persuasive language. The video explains that rhetoric teaches us to be self aware of what we do and to use it effectively for different circumstances. Kupor & Normala (2015) support this by explaining that we use rhetoric in most everyday situations in order to get people to understand, believe or agree with us.  Lastly, another important point is that rhetoric helps break down language and argument. 

References:

Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 3 - rhetoric, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniversity e-courses. 

Greatest Audiobook 2012, Rhetoric by Aristotle, digital image, viewed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt6Ai0FNN70

Hanford, J Hardest, D & Kidwell, B 2015, 'More than a feeling: emotional contagion effects in persuasive communication', Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 52, issue 6, pp. 836-847. 

Hohman, Z Crano, W & Niedbala, E 2016, 'Attitude ambivalence, social norms, and behavioural intentions: developing effective persuasive communications', Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, vol. 31, issue 2, pp. 209 - 219. 

Kupor, D & Normala, Z 2015, 'Persuasion, interrupted: the effect of momentary interruptions on message processing and persuasion', Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 42, issue 2, pp. 300-315. 

Mimianddeunice 2016, persuasion, digital image, viewed 21 March 2016, www.mimideunice.com

Week 2

Activity one

I believe a professional voice is a voice that has a good vocabulary and knows exactly when to use certain words. If someone used simple and colloquial words, it would come across as uneducated and unprofessional. As well as vocabulary, the sound of the voice is one of the most important factors in regards to creating a professional voice. If the person speaking doesn't sound pleasant, the message behind the voice is over taken by that particular voice. For example, last week we looked at Julia Gillard's voice. Her voice has many negatives to it, including over articulation of vowels and very slow pace. From this, the audience has focused more on the voice then her actual message. If a voice has a good tone, pitch and isn't too distracting, this can be considered very professional.

Ames (2016) states that there are many assumptions and attitudes that have been created to associate with a person's ability and class based on how they speak, which was seen with Julia Gillard. Another example is that the ABC had a rule of speaking with an 'educated voice' for a long time. It is known that many people are conscious of the way they speak and it certainly has an impact on their image and confidence. If people can get a sense of who they are as represented by how they sound like to start with, they can work out to what level they need to 'perform' to be seen differently by others (Ames, 2016). For example, someone might have a broad Australian accent, but it is important to try and sound developed to help the chances of becoming a professional speaker.

The following video showcases some tips on how to speak professionally.

Activity two

In regards to this activity, it was required to reflect on powerful speeches. For this, I watched Nick Vujicic's speech he gave to a group of students. Dean (2011) wrote about 5 steps to producing a successful speech on his blog. I found Vujicic to be successful in fulfilling these steps. Firstly, I discovered this speech to be very effective and engaging. Vujicic focused on the audience for whom the speech was intended. He realised that they were young students and used language that they can relate to. He was very interactive by asking how the students are and what has been happening in their lives. He used anecdotes to engage with the audience and keep their attention. Anecdotes, according to the Cambridge Dictionary (2016) means 'a short, often funny story, especially about something someone has done'.  He also was exciting and fresh by using humour and expressions. It is clear that Vujicic didn't rely on a PowerPoint presentation and didn't read of a piece of paper, but instead had rehearsed his speech. Overall, his speech was very engaging and effective and is an ideal example of an outstanding speech.

Activity three

After reviewing the news script voiced by Kate Stowell, I noticed that she emphasised her words quite a lot. I underlined every emphasised word and noticed that it was after every word that was before a comma or full stop. In comparison to my version of the news reading, I saw that I didn't emphasise my words in a pattern the way Stowell did. I didn't really emphasise my words at all. I think this made my version a bit difficult to hear as I slurred my words onto the next sentence, instead of pausing at the full stop for a second. Stowell also clearly annunciates her words, something that I really need to work on.

Source: 123RF, 2016

References:

Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 2 - perspectives on speech, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniversity e-courses.

Cambridge Dictionary 2016, anecdotes, viewed 14 March 2016, http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/anecdote?q=anecdotes

Dean, F 2011, '5 steps to a successful speech', blog post, 1 December, viewed 14 March 2016, http://thespeechwriter.typepad.com/onspeechwriting/2011/12/5-steps-to-a-successful-speech-part-1.html

Real Men Real Style 2012, 5 tips to improve your public speaking, video, viewed 14 March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RDnl3NFgsY

Vujicic, N 2011, Nick Vujicic - DVD Part 1/11, video, viewed 14 March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snDQe3tWwRQ&feature=related

123rf 2016, newscaster, digital image, viewed 14 March 2016, http://www.123rf.com/clipart-vector/newscaster.html

Week 1

Activity one

What are you views on Julia Gillard's voice?
I find Julia Gillard's voice to be so typically 'Aussie' as she over articulates her vowels and I also find her to be quite quite nasally (Frenkel, 2011). According to the Oxford Dictionary (2016), over articulate means 'to articulate too much or to an unnecessary degree'.  Her voice is very strong and she speaks with real confidence. I also find her voice to be a little bit aggressive at times. However, I find her pace to be quite slow. Australians are known sometimes to speak very fast so it is interesting to hear her speak so slow and almost robotic like (Frenkel, 2011). Her tone in voice really lacks any smoothness, so I can imagine many people would try to avoid listening to her, to prevent discomfort.

Consider her 'Misogny' speech - what is your reaction to this speech?
Personally, I think Gillard had many good points and is a topic that needs much more attention, particularly in parliament. However, although she seemed very passionate about the topic, I still found it hard to focus on the important message that she was discussing. This is because her nasally and discomforting voice distracted me from the message. I feel like I am sounding very harsh, but it is just my honest opinion. Nevertheless, I applaud Gillard for her efforts and for the message she put out to Australia and the world about women.

Would your views be influenced if Gillard sounded different (like actress Cate Blanchett, for example)?
I think my views would be influenced differently if someone else had voiced the speech. Cate Blanchett for example, has a very smooth and relaxing voice that is able to deliver a speech and let the audience understand and really soak the message in. Blanchett can deliver this speech without bringing too much attention to her voice like Gillard unfortunately would.

Source: ABC, 2011

Activity two

The link below is my recording of myself reading the news script.

https://soundcloud.com/user-235036193/week-1-newsread

By reviewing and listening to my voice, I have found various strengths and weaknesses in it. To begin with, I think my recording wasn't as great as it could have been. This is because I have never read the script before. This made me a little bit nervous which is evident in my voice. I also do not enjoy public speaking of any kind which is something I need to strongly work on and become comfortable with. When I was young, my school teachers had recommended to my parents that I start attending sessions with a speech therapist. It was clear that I had trouble with pronunciation and was mumbling my words. My speech improved within a few sessions, however I still find myself to stumble and mix up my words every now and again. This is why I don't enjoy public speaking, especially improvised speaking. As a result, I talk very fast and will want to say a word, but unfortunately another word might come out of my mouth. It can be very nerve-wracking and sometimes embarrassing!

I believe my voice has a good tone and pitch and is not too high or too low. However, I do not enunciate my words enough but instead, I slur and mumble my words a bit. According to the Cambridge Dictionary (2016), enunciate means to 'pronounce words or parts of words clearly'. At times, I also talk too fast which makes the understanding of my words hard to hear. From talking to fast, I then sometimes stumble on my words, which makes me talk slower. So in order to improve my voice, I think I need to keep a steady pace and enunciate my words a little more, rather than slur them. There is a lot I can see that needs to be improved, and hopefully by the end of the course my voice has changed dramatically and more professionally.

References:

ABC 2011, Julia Gillard, digital image, viewed 8 March 2016, www.splash.abc.net.au 

Cambridge Dictionary 2016, enunciate, viewed 8 March 2016,  http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/enunciate

Frankel, D 2011, 'Drop the Gillard twang: it's beginning to annoy', The Sydney Morning Herald, viewed 8 March 2016, http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/drop-the-gillard-twang-its-beginning-to-annoy-20110420-1dosf.html

Oxford Dictionary 2016, over articulate, viewed 8 March 2016, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/overarticulate