Analyzing Dr. Apt's Speech

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For my second live speech reflection response, I evaluated an astronaut's speech about his experiences in space. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to listen to astronaut Jay Apt. Dr. Apt has been on four Space Shuttle missions, performed two space walks, and spent over 847 hours in space. His speech was titled “What It’s Like Up There”. Dr. Apt talked all about preparing for his missions, what it was like in space, and even what coming back to earth was like for him. While giving his speech, Dr. Apt displayed a good visual aid, included numerous anecdotes, and comfortability. To begin, one of the first things that I noticed was Dr. Apt’s impressive visual aid. His speech was formed around it, which made following along extremely easy …show more content…

Apt did well throughout his speech sharing lots of stories and anecdotes. The majority of Dr. Apt’s speech was short anecdotes about his trip to space. This was great for myself and other listeners because it was engaging. When Dr. Apt began his speech, he started off by sharing a quick story about how he first became interested in space. He told us that his love for space began when he was a young boy. Dr. Apt elaborated on this by sharing a few children's book authors that inspired him. After telling that quick story, Dr. Apt shared some stories about his training and preparation for his trip to space. Dr. Apt then told stories about his experiences in space. These anecdotes included all of the issues he and his crew encountered, along with some of the fun memories they made together. Additionally, Dr. Apt shared about what it was like to come back from space and the lasting effects of his trips. These anecdotes greatly improved the quality of his speech. I believe this because Dr. Apt was sharing about a topic that nobody else in the room had experienced. His anecdotes illustrated his points and provided details to the audience. Though nobody could relate to what his speech was about, and by sharing stories I personally understood better. Lastly, everyone in the room was able to learn new information from his stories. Lastly, it was clear that Dr. Apt was comfortable and had basic public speaking skills, I believe this because throughout his entire speech, he held a natural pace. Often, when speakers are uncomfortable, they will speed up. Dr. Apt never sped up or slowed down too much. Another reason why I feel as though he was confident in his speaking skills is because he had great body language. Typically, when public speakers are not confident, they will fidget or become tense. As I observed Dr. Apt’s body language, I noticed he had an open stance. Additionally, he used facial expressions and hand gestures when emphasizing certain

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