musings for speech 111

attending a public speaking event

Yesterday evening, I attended a speaking event presented at our church.Rev. Billie Jo Watts spoke about marriage and communication within the marriage.
Situation: the presentation was at 8:00 p.m. after a 7:00 banquet style meal.The type of speech was fitting for the location, was tailored to enhance valentine's day, and was applicable to the crowd in attendance.
Speaker: the speaker was knowledgeable about the subject, (married for 20 plus years), well prepared, and enthusiastic. At times , it seemed he was talking to fast. One thing that bothered me was that he seemed to be gazing out above the crowd, instead of maintaining eye contaact.
Message: His message was sincere, he had several humorous comments, and was not too long.
Channel: The channel he used was just speaking loud; he didn't use any electronic aids; the room was the correct size for the size of the crowd and his speaking style.
Listener: The audience was a group of married couples, the range of marriage was from a few weeks to more than 55 years.
Feedback: The audience applauded some of the speakers points, and laughed at his humorous comments. I did not see anyone who was bored or preoccupied. I even managed to stay awake throughout the entire pressentation, after working a 12 hour shift that day. (and I once slept through a Quiet Riot concert.)
Interference: There was very little interference, only the catering people were seen occasionally behind the speaker cleaning up. The room was quiet, with no windows, not even a clock.
Conclusion: I would have tried to maintain more eye contact, rather than gazing above the audience, and spoken slower, had I been in his shoes delivering this presentation.

posted by kevin @ 11:15 AM