Discuss a communication situation when you paid
close attention because you really had to, where the situation and what
was being communicated were extremely important. What kind of things did you
find yourself doing to help insure that you were listening effectively?

Week 2 discussin

As many of you may already know or will know
whilst taking Psychology, there are three basic components in Sigmund Freud’s
theory of personality: the id,the ego, and the superego.
While the id is made up of unconscious urges and the ego is charged with dealing
with reality, the superego is the part of personality that is made up of all
the internalized ideals that come from our parents and society. Freud suggested
that this component of personality is the last to develop, emerging around age
five. The purpose of the superego is to suppress the unacceptable urges of the
id and to make the ego behave morally.

The ego

The ego is the
component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality.
According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses
of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. The ego
functions in both the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind.

The ego operates based on the reality principle, which
strives to satisfy the id’s desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways.
The reality principle weighs the costs and benefits of an action before
deciding to act upon or abandon impulses. In many cases, the id’s impulses can
be satisfied through a process of delayed gratification–the ego will
eventually allow the behavior, but only in the appropriate time and place.

The ego also discharges tension created by unmet impulses
through the secondary process, in which the ego tries to find an object in the
real world that matches the mental image created by the id’s primary process.

The Superego

The last component of personality to develop is the superego.
The superego is the aspect of personality that holds all of our internalized
moral standards and ideals that we acquire from both parents and society–our
sense of right and wrong. The superego provides guidelines for making
judgments. According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age
five.

There are two parts of the superego:

1.
The
Ego Ideal: includes the rules and standards for good behaviors. These behaviors
include those which are approved of by parental and other authority figures.
Obeying these rules leads to feelings of pride, value and accomplishment.

2.

3.
The
conscience: includes information about things that are viewed as bad by parents
and society. These behaviors are often forbidden and lead to bad consequences,
punishments or feelings of guilt and remorse.

The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behavior. It
works to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego
act upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic principles. The
superego is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious.

The Interaction of the Id, Ego and Superego

With so many competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict
might arise between the id, ego and superego. Freud used the term ego
stremgth to refer to the ego’s ability to function despite these dueling
forces. A person with good ego strength is able to effectively manage these
pressures, while those with too much or too little ego strength can become too
unyielding or too disrupting.

According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a
balance between the id, the ego, and the superego.

[research source: httpss://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/personalityelem.htm]

Now, after having,
hopefully, read this lengthy explanation of the Ego, why do people believe that
being ego-centric is bad for their public image? What implications does
the ego-centrism of audiences hold for you as an individual who might
give a very important speech and how does this relate to the importance of analyzing
your audience?Please remember that you
must have at least2 FULLY
ELABORATED postings per threaded forum per week.

There are many different sources from which to
gather materials to help support your speech, including your own
personal knowledge and experience, the library, the
Internet, and interviews.

Which are you most comfortable with and why?

What are some of the pros and cons associated with
using each of these sources?

Week 3 discussion

TDA Discussion Topics for Week
Three

1 – Using Language

2 – Delivery and Visual Aids

3 -Open Forum

Remember, each week, I will
assign two to five discussion topics, and you are expected to participate fully2topics on a weekly basis. To do
so, you must contribute to2discussion topics
with 2different substantive postings to each, on at least two different daysthroughout the week (open forum
postings do not count).

What is effective
language? Why is it so important that speeches use effective language? Once
language is used effectively, the next step is to ensure that
“listening” takes place in order to know what message is being
conveyed by the speaker. Professor Loaiza

Week 4 discussion

TDA Discussion Topics for
Week Four

1 – Speaking on Special Occasions

2 – Speaking in Small Groups

3 – Open Forum

Remember, each week, I will assign two to five discussion topics, and you are
expected to participate fully2topics on a weekly basis. To do
so, you must contribute to2discussion topics
with 2different substantive postings to each, on at least two different daysthroughout the week (open forum
postings do not count).

REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR
THIS SECTION:

Speeches on special
occasions can provoke greater anxiety than everyday, business-related
speaking assignments. Yet the truth is that a request to speak at these events
is an honor. Your position, closeness to the people or events being feted, or
your distinction in your field are responsible for your place of prominence on
the occasion.

That special knowledge or
experience is what you should draw upon as you prepare and deliver your special
occasion speech. (For more on speaking successfully, download our cheat sheet,
“4 Characteristics of an Influential Speaker.”)

Tell the stories
that theselisteners will
find interesting. In particular, reveal your personal connection with the
honoree(s). But most of all—be honest. What the audiences at these events want
is sincerity, not polish. The best man speech at a wedding, or the father of
the groom speech at a rehearsal dinner, always succeed more from genuine
emotion than a demonstrated skill at making toasts.

How Honesty Trumps Show
Business

A few years ago, one of my
wife’s relatives died in his early fifties, leaving his mother and three
siblings. At his wake, the family asked me to read the eulogy his
brothers and sister had written at his mass to be held the following day. They
reasoned that I would do a good job because of my background as an actor.

I told them I would be
happy to do so if they insisted, but that I felt it would mean much more to
everyone if one of them read the eulogy. Eventually they agreed. And though the
brother who spoke the words was not a polished speaker, he tapped into
bittersweet emotions for the relatives that I would never have been able to
approach.

When it comes to public
speaking on special occasions, honesty trumps show business every time. It
isn’t the wisdom of the ages your listeners are hoping for—it’syou.So be
confident in your worth as a valued contributor, and speak from the heart.

Here is some advice on
specific occasions requiring toasts, awards speeches, and testimonials:

• The
  Toast. This
  is one occasion where eloquence is expected. Yet that doesn’t mean that
  you must suddenly morph into a New York sophisticate. If you stay simple
  and true, conveying your honest affection for the honoree(s),you will be eloquent.
  The toast is also the ideal place to use quotations, either from persons
  known to the listeners or famous people. A word to the wise: Beware
  of alcohol, which may be flowing freely at your table by the time you
  stand to speak.
• The
  Roast. Introduce
  yourself if you aren’t known to everyone in the room. A general rule of
  roasts is that the closer you are to the “roastee,” the deeper you can
  slip the blade—all in good fun, of course. Remember that self-deprecating
  humor is always welcome at a roast, since it shows that you can take
  it as well as dish it out.
• Master of
  Ceremonies. Maintain a firm but light touch. Don’t make the mistake
  of thinking that just because you’ve been invited to be the MC, this is
  about you. It isn’t. Learn the names and titles of the people you’re
  introducing and then let them do their own thing. Perhaps most important:
  speak beforehand with your host to see what he or she wants you to do.
  Then give exactly that—no more and no less. And be sure you know how
  you’re expected to dress.
• Blessing,
  Grace, or Benediction. A successful blessing combines the true and
  eternal with the particular. Prayers and profound thoughts from the
  Bible, poetry, and the wisdom of other religions and cultures are always
  appropriate. Bear in mind that you can also go outside the “expected”
  sources if you find something appropriate and refreshing. A beautiful
  feature of a prayer, for instance, can be your own addition, something
  original that you’ve thought up for the occasion. That’s a way to take the
  eternal and link it to the special occasion of the gathering.
• Acceptance
  Speech or Response to a Testimonial. Here, less is definitely
  more. Nothing sours an audience’s goodwill more quickly than a too-long or
  self-indulgent acceptance speech. Think Oscars, and you’ll know exactly
  what I mean. So: humbly thank your sponsors, mention others as
  accomplished as you who didn’t win the award, and make a graceful exit.
• Eulogy. The sometimes surprising
  truth about eulogies is that they don’t have to be sad and somber
  set-pieces. Eulogies represent a wonderful opportunity for all
  present to celebrate
  the life of the person, not just mourn their passing.
  Here again, heartfelt emotion is the key. I wrote and delivered the
  eulogy at my mother’s funeral, and I had to stop speaking more than once
  because emotion overtook me and closed my throat. But I simply paused,
  collected myself, and went on. At one point I even thanked everyone for
  being so patient!

If you deliver a eulogy,
find a way to tap into the joy that this person’s life made possible. In the
movie Mr. Saturday Night,Billy
Crystal’s character—a professional comedian—gives a hilarious and bittersweet
eulogy at his mother’s funeral. The fact that everyone is laughing throughout
his presentation in no way diminishes the deep affection the survivors have,
and are busy showing, for the deceased.

Threaded
Discussion Question:
Think about the different speeches of presentation and acceptance that you have
seen in your lifetime–at a campus awards ceremony or on a television program
like the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, or MTV Music Awards. Which speeches do
you find most effective? Least effective? Why? Give an example to support your
position.