Speech on how to become a better version of my academic self.
Draft 1:
Hello everyone, as you probably already know, my name is Ryan, and this speech is about how I can become a better form of my academic self. Now, at first I chose this topic because I thought it would be the easiest one, however it made me realize how much I need to get my shit together if I want to be on schedule to graduate with the rest of my friends in the spring of 2025.
The first thing I decided to do was look up ways to be a better student. There were a lot of results, however the result that kept popping up the most was to keep a planner and to write down when assignments are due. I never did that in the past because I had online resources that told me when certain things were due, but I wouldn’t check it every day and would sometimes miss assignments and end up doing and turning them in late. Ever since I started keeping a planner this year I feel like every assignment I get assigned gets ingrained in the back of my mind because every single class I flip open my planner and write down the next assignment and am forced to look back at and read all the other assignments I have due soon; this helps me procrastinate less because I would rather know I have a bunch of work and get it done on time, then not know and get to it whenever I remember to.
Another thing that I am striving to do this semester is to stay on top of my emails. I noticed the past two years i’ve been here that I tend to stay on top of my emails for the first half of the semester, then not check them for a day or two, and then a few more days, and then I would develop “email anxiety” and literally get sick to my stomach anxious any time I had to check my emails. Luckily, this year that has not happened yet and I am still on top of my emails and I set up special alarms on my phone that make me check my email at least twice a day so that I keep up to date on everything and do not miss any emails that may be important to me.
Lastly, I have health issues, like ADHD and daily migraines that make it hard for me to pay attention during class and be an active participating member of the class, and even though I am on some meds that do somewhat help fix my mental acuity, I still do have trouble sitting still and paying attention during class. I know that a lot of my peers can relate to having issues like these that can make it hard for them to focus in class and study out of class, however I have noticed that with hard work it is possible to maintain focus and get work done if you put your mind to it. I use certain types of motivation to help me focus. One example is for every homework assignment I finish I get to eat a snack or candy. Or I even use other types of motivation, like if I get invited on a friend’s boat to go fishing and I have to finish my homework or else I can’t go, I’ll finish it. Now the key is to make sure that you are not rushing your work, and if you need breaks in between looking at notes and doing homework take those well deserved breaks, just make sure that you put in the effort; And that is the mindset that I am going going to have for the rest of my years here at UNE. Thanks for listening, and if anyone has any comments, questions, or concerns please feel free to let me know.
Draft 2:
Hello everyone, as you probably already know, my name is Ryan, and I’m here to talk about something that most of us can all relate to, and that is bettering my academic self. Now, at first I chose this topic because I thought I was taking the path of least resistance, however as I explored this topic deeper it became clear to me just how much I needed to get my act together if I want to graduate on time with my friends in the spring of 2025.
So, let’s dive in….
The first thing I decided to do was look up ways to be a better student. There were a lot of results, but the result that kept popping up the most was the importance of keeping a planner. In the past I relied on online resources to keep track of assignment due dates. However, this led to me missing deadlines as I would forget to login and check them every day. This year I finally started keeping a physical planner and this small and simple change has had a big impact on my academic life. Each assignment I am given gets etched into my memory as I write them down in my planner; and I have noticed a significant reduction in procrastination since I started using a planner. I never did that in the past because I had online resources that told me when certain things were due, but I wouldn’t check it every day and would sometimes miss assignments and end up doing and turning them in late. Ever since I started keeping a planner this year I feel like every assignment I get assigned gets ingrained in the back of my mind because every single class I flip open my planner and write down the next assignment and am forced to look back at and read all the other assignments I have due soon; this helps me procrastinate less because I would rather know I have a bunch of work and get it done on time, then not know and get to it whenever I remember to.
Moving onto the next challenge…
Another thing that I am striving to do this semester is my email management. I noticed the past two years i’ve been here that I tend to stay on top of my emails for the first half of the semester, then not check them for a day or two, and then a few more days, and then I would develop what I have coined as “email anxiety” and my stomach would get anxious any time I had to check my emails. Luckily, this year I have taken some proactive steps to ensure that doesn’t happen this year, such as setting up alarms on my phone that alert me to check my email at least twice a day. This approach helps make sure I keep up to date on my emails and avoid the anxiety that I used to develop.
Now, let’s address a more personal challenge…
Lastly, I have to acknowledge my health issues, including ADHD and daily migraines that make it hard for me to pay attention and participate during class. Even though medication does have some effects, I do still have trouble sitting still and paying attention during class. I know that a lot of my peers can relate to facing obstacles like these that can make it hard for them to focus in class and study out of class, however I have noticed that with hard work it is possible to maintain focus and get work done if you put your mind to it. I use certain types of motivation to help me focus. For instance, finishing a homework assignment earns me a snack or candy as a reward. I also use external forms of motivation, such as hanging out and fishing with friends, to ensure I complete all my work on time. The key here is to find the perfect balance between productivity and well deserved breaks while consistently putting your effort in.
In conclusion, I will use this mindset to help guide me through my remaining years here at UNE. I appreciate everyone’s attention and I’m open to any questions or comments you may have, thanks for your time!
Dry-Run Video Link:
Dry-Run Reflection (Journal 8):
Overall, I think my in class dry-run went very well, not only was I good on timing, but also did not act as fidgety as I thought I would and didn’t really stutter, which I was afraid of. I also got some very well needed constructive criticism from my peers after my presentation. The most important takeaways were to make the start of my speech, specifically when I talk about keeping a planner, a little more fluid and coherent because I ended up repeating myself a lot. Another big takeaway was to work on the memorization of my speech. During the dry-run I ended up relying on my computer to be able to present my speech, however since then I have been running through my speech at least twice a day, so I can memorize my speech and be able to keep my eyes on the audience and not my computer. The last takeaway was to work on my pauses in between paragraphs of my speech. I believe the biggest reason for this was because I kept losing track of where I last read and then would take a couple seconds to find it and get back on track. Since I have been working on my memorization, I have noticed that the transition between paragraphs is becoming a lot more fluid. All in all, I think my speech is really coming together thanks to my peers and am excited to present my final draft.
