Speech Reflection

I feel like for this project, my main downfall was my preparation. I didn't create an exact script or practice a lot because I wanted to come across as natural as possible. I don't think a script was a necessary, but it would have been better to have practiced a few more times. I think the beginning was a little too choppy, but I smoothed it out as I went on. I also think I should have used a slightly higher pitch when speaking. It seemed slightly as though I was mumbling at some points (which I often do in normal conversation), but I think I could have avoided that with a clearer and higher tone. In regards to movement, I think I did pretty good being natural. I should work on not shifting my weight as much and not "pacing" quite as much. I think what I can do to fix that is to walk longer in a specific direction at a slower pace to avoid quick, repeated pace-like movement.
When it comes to information as a whole, I completely agree with the comment that I did not clarify enough what I wanted to do for the project. I think the main reason for this is I actually didn't think enough about what I specifically wanted the finished project to look like. I only had the general idea and was relying too much on having creative partners to bring ideas to the table. I think having this speech on video for reflection and future reference is a great idea. I will definitely use this tactic to my advantage for future speeches.

Questions I Hate Answering

As I have stated in class many times, my hobby is drumming and it is a pretty large part of my life. Although I do enjoy playing drumset in a "rock" band setting, my favorite type of music to play by far is snare drum in a drumline. Not many people know much about drumline and what playing on a line is like, but many people have seen the movie drumline. I cannot tell you the number of times I have been asked the questions: "Have you seen the movie Drumline?! So can you drum like Nick Cannon?!" My response: "Yes, I have seen that movie. And no, I cannot, nor will I ever, play the snare drum like Nick Cannon." The movie "Drumline" gives off a poor representation of what being in a drumline is actually like. Although this might sound arrogant, I think it agreeable with all real drummers that Nick Cannon is not a good drummer. Sure, he can do a lot of stick tricks and look confident in his playing, but in the things that actually matter--sound quality, rhythmic accuracy, and height control--he lacks talent. Unfortantely, this movie has skewed many people's ideas of what a talented snare drummer is, so whenever I perform for an uninformed crowd I feel the need to add stick tricks upon stick tricks upon stick tricks. Yes, stick tricks are cool, but they aren't what I tediously practice for hours every day and it is disappointing when hard work cannot be seen to the inexperienced eye.

Another hobby that I have is that I love watching anime. I have found out that a lot more people than I initially expected actually enjoy anime. But when I talk to one of the few people (usually guys) that don't watch it, I almost always get the question, "Oh, so you like anime porn?" I can't help but laugh when writing this, but it humors me that to people that don't watch anime the first thing that comes into their mind is all anime is porn. It's kind of hard to get around suggestive scenes in shows because basically every anime has some degree of inappropriateness in it. But I in no way enjoy these scenes, because frankly, that's kind of weird. So my response to these people: "Absolutely not. I do not like anime porn. "