Lauren's Land

Persuasive Speech...

2006-04-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do my persuasive speech on human cloning. This subject has always interested me. I totally disagree with cloning! Although cloning sounds like a lot of fun...there are so many side effects that we don't realize! It's amazing to think that someday human cloning might actually become a reality. I hope that this will never happen. I can't imagine how much different our world would be! Ya, it might be great to have 2 Brad Pitts, but let's face it...God made us who we are and he has a plan for every single one of us...we shouldn't mess with our destiny!

Yahoo! Personals...

2006-04-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

This was super funny! I can't say that I have ever done this before. I filled out all my criteria for the "perfect guy," including his age, eyes, body type, income, activities, education, employment, and tons more! 431 matches appeared. I can't say that a lot of them looked my type, but I had a great time checking them all out! This is a great site for anyone who is looking for that special someone! I found a guy that sounded very compatible with me. It is so weird that people actually can find true love on the internet...who would have ever thought! If interested in finding "the perfect one" check out this website:
http://personals.yahoo.com/

Dear Mrs. Web...

2006-04-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Mrs. Web is a great website if one is seeking advice. Anyone can write Mrs. Web a question, and she will write you back. The advice ranges from wedding advice to baby-shower advice to work advice. One letter I read went like this: "My fiance just told me he was bisexual...What should I do?" Mrs. Web's response went something like this: "You should both go get tested for HIV, and if you knowingly marry a bisexual man, don’t be shocked if he acts on it." Another letter that interested me was this: "My best friend wants to be a singer when she grows up and she is really good. I 'm afraid that when we grow up, she might become famous and not remember me. What do I do?" Mrs. Web basically replied that the future is a long time away, so stay in the present and enjoy the now!

I believe this website offers good advice to any type of problem one might be having. I really didn't ever think of internet sites offering advice. I always knew that magazines did, but I guess the internet never crossed my mind!

Informative Speech...

2006-04-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to write my informative speech on wedding traditions that happen before and during a wedding. I had traditions that happen after the wedding as well, but when I timed my completed speech, it ended up being 9 minutes long, so I had to cut some of it out. It was a lot of fun researching this topic. It's amazing how much I learned...everything that happens in a wedding has a story behind it. There is even a story to why the bride stands on the left and the groom on the right during the ceremony! Taping the speech was a whole different story! I had to retape many times. The last time I did I taped it, I thought it was good enough to send in. Then i watched it...it was not a good sight! My teacher had cut off half of my presentational aids! I didn't know if I should have retaped it or not, but I was out of time. I had to leave for a track meet. I ended up sending it in. So over all, this speech was fun to make, but caused a lot of stress during the taping. I have one more speech to go...maybe this one will actually turn out OK!

Speech of Self-Introduction...

2006-04-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

Finding a topic for this speech was hard for me to do. I decided to focus on values, goals, and an experience that has changed my life. The values that are important to me are honesty and having a hard-work ethic. Being valedictorian of my class and breaking the long jump record at my school are goals that I want to accomplish, and volunteering at the local Thrif Shop is an experience that has made a huge impact on my life. As far as the speech goes, I thought I could have done a way better job. It just seemed really boring to me, but I really didn't know how to add some spice into it! Hopefully the next two speeches go better...I think being able to pick a topic that interests me will make it easier!

Speaker: Parents must talk to kids about sex...

2006-04-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

I found this article in the Omaha World Herald (written by Qianna Bradley), and just by the title I knew it had to do with communication. The article talks about how important it is that parents talk to their childern about sex. A speaker, sponsored by YMCA Powerful Choices, spoke to family's concerning sex, values, relationships, and abstinence at the All-N-One Restaurant in Omaha.

"In promoting the talk, the YMCA noted high teen birth rates in the Omaha area," (qtd. in Bradley). According to this article, about 21 out of 1,000 (aged 12-18) girls get pregnant in Douglas County. I think this number is huge and I agree that childern need to know what is out there! I know that this is addressed many times throughout high school, but I feel that kids think of it as a joke. I wish students would actually think about the consequences. One of the parents attending this program concluded saying, "They need to know what's out there, especially when they get to high school."

Online Research Exploration...

2006-04-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

I am familiar with NebraskaAcess; we use it in my school. I can't say I have used it very often, but after this exercise, I see how it would be helpful in many situations. It's nice to have another place to research your speech topics. While practicing on this website, I used the following three potential topics: fashion designers, thrift shops, and Oprah.

My results in the database were as follows:
*Fashion Designers: found 2491 recrods in all (1438 books, 85 articles, 40 websites, etc.)
*Thrift Shops: found 123 records in all (90 books, 13 serials, etc.)
*Oprah: found 704 records in all (311 books, 6 articles, etc.)

My results in FirstSearch Database were:
*Fashion Desginers: (ArticleFirst) Found 315 records
*Thrift Shops: (WorldCat) Found 47 records
*Oprah: (World Almanac) Found 11 records

As far as Google goes, I had no idea that I could find as much information as I did. I almost always use Yahoo to search, just because it is my homepage at home, but now I think I will switch over to Google! In the News section, I researched these stories:
1. Update 20: South, Midwest Begin Massive Storm Cleanup
http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/04/04/ap2645733.html

2. Update 8: 3 People Die As Crane Collapses in Boston
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/04/03/ap2643917.html

3. DeLay resignation unlikely to affect election-year dynamics
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14263023.htm

I did not find very much information in the U.S. Government search. There was a lot on DeLay, but not the other stories. I probably wouldn't use this search, for the fact that I am really not interested in our government. The "more" tab was awesome! I never knew it existed. I really like the images Google has to offer. This will come in handy in many more situations!

Self-Inventory Worksheet...

2006-04-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

I just completed my self-inventory worksheet and some of my responses are as follows:

1. Places I travel or visit-Cancun, Acapulco, Maui, Florida, Colorado, Chicago, Mall of America, Boston
2. Things I value: family, friends, faith
3. Dream jobs I'd like to have: actress, famous fashion designer, talk show host
4. Issues I care about: underage drinking, airport security, terrorism
5. People, authors, or characters that interest me: any celebrity, Oprah
6. Sports I like: gymnastics, volleyball, dance, track and field
7. Jobs I've held: gymnastics coach, babysitter
8. Volunteer jobs I've held: Thrift Shop, Good Samaritan Center, any service that National Honor Society takes part in
9. The type of giving I do: picking up trash on the highway, organizing Senior Citizen Proms
10. Classes I've liked: accounting, math classes
11. Magazines I read: People, In Touch Weekly, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan
12. Newspapers I read: Polk County News, York Times, Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha World Herald
13. Books I read: I only read books when I have to for a class!

*Well as far as speech topics go, I could pick a few out of this list. If I were to write a speech on one of the above topics, I would choose Oprah or famous fashion designers. This was a fun exercise! It is something I will use in the future.

english presentation...

2006-04-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

I had to give a 50 minute presentation on cake decorating to my classmates! It went pretty well. I first informed the class on the background of cakes...wedding cakes, groom cakes, and cakes just for fun! I found it interesting how cakes originated, and I hope the class did too. Then I had the class decorate their own cakes. Overall, the class paid attention and had fun learning how to decorate a cake. I did find it hard to use up 50 minutes of class time. Of course I talked fast and skipped a few important directions, but when don't I when I'm in front of people!?! It's a lot easier for me to talk in front of my class, rather than people I don't know. This assignment made me realize how hard it is to teach! I don't think I could ever teach for a whole day. I have a new found respect for teachers.

Motivated Sequence Pattern...

2006-03-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

The motivated sequence pattern is a pattern of organization specifically designed for persuasive speaking that combines logic and practical psychology. The following five steps are invovled: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action.

I feel like the clothing store The Buckle uses this approach every time a new customer enters the store. The worker (let's say his name is Bob) gets the customer's attention by showing the customer (Jill) a new outfit. Bob then explains to Jill that she needs this outfit. The satisfaction step is used when Bob tells Jill the benefits of wearing this outfit. Next, Jill trys on the outfit. This completes the visualization step; Jill sees herself in the outfit. Finally, the action step takes place as Jill purchases the new outfit.

I have never been into The Buckle without a worker coming up to me and trying to pick me out an outfit. One has to realize this constant attention is due to the fact that these workers are paid on commission. I have so many friends who have said that workers have talked them into buying an outfit by saying, "Wow! That looks great on you!" It goes to prove how companys use the motivated sequence pattern to sell products; I do think this approach works wonders!!!

Listening Self-Assessment...

2006-03-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

I just got finished taking the Listening Self-Assessment. I read about this assessment in my Communication book. It had me answer 28 questions concerning how well I listen. I could choose from these answers: almost never, rarely, seldom, once in a while, occasionally, sometimes, fairly often, usually, very frequently, and almost always. A question would sound like this: I, the listener, respect others' ideas and words regardless of our business, social, or economic status. I got a 70% on my overall profile, a 66% on empathy, 70% on attention, 73% on respect, 78% on response, 78% on memory, and a 60% on open-mindedness. This test stated that hearing is not the same as listening, which I read about in my book. It also said that good listening is an acquirable skill, and that unless one has some form of listening training, he/she cannot be considered a good listener.

Tests like these challenge me to be totally honest with myself. I think this score reflects myself almost exactly. I scored high on memory and on response, which are strong areas for me. I'm not a perfect listener, but I think people can talk to me and I will be a sincere listener.

If you wanna check out how good of a listener you are, go to this web site: www.highgain.com/SELF/index.pho3

Clooney denies writing blog...

2006-03-17T17:08:00.000-08:00

I thought this article was interesting, since we are all creating a blog for Oral Communications! I found it in the Omaha World Herald. It talks about a blog George Clooney supposedly created on Arianna Huffington's website. Clooney denies this! He says he did not write a blog, though he did give Huffington permission to use a collection of his critiques concerning the Iraq war for her web site. A disclaimer on her web site claims Huffington assembled a "sample blog" for Clooney from his interview answers relating to the war, becuase he didn't really know how a blog worked.

I never knew what blogs were before this class. I guess I am in the same boat as Clooney...besides the fact that I had to figure it out on my own :) It's amazing how many rumors one can find about famous people. You wouldn't think a rumor about blogs would actually be in the news...but what's not in the news these days!

Honest Communication Helps the "Waiting" Game...

2006-03-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

I read this article in the Lincoln Journal Star. It talked about the reason patients have to wait so long for their appointments is because once some of them get in to see the doctor, they use this time and then want to talk about other illnesses or things and thereby use the time of other patients, making everyone run late. There was a story that followed:

A girl needed to see a doctor for a follow-up on her hip replacement surgery. It took her two hours to be driven to the appointment and once she was there, she had to wait two more hours to be seen! Once the doctor finally saw her, he talked for ten minutes and then she had drive two more hours to get home.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous how long some have to wait in the waiting room to see a doctor, but we all need to be patient. I've been there before, complaining about the wait many times! Maybe the hospital needs to space more time in between visits, or maybe we all just need to take a chill pill!

slang...

2006-03-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

Slang can be defined as language used by groups to keep the meaning of the communication within the group. Slang words change frequently and are specific to specific regions or groups. I think slang words are fun, so I decided to look some up. Here are some really wacky words that I never knew existed!

1) abdabs: terror, the frights, nerves
2) ay-up: a greeting, hello
3) daft as a brush: very silly, crazy
4) docky: a snack
5) double bubble: doubletime
6) laik: to play
7) luzz: to pass or throw
8) pally: friendly
9) pukka: excellent
10) zapper: TV remote control
*To check our more slang words go to http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/

Self-expectation and the expectations of others....

2006-03-05T16:56:00.000-08:00

Where do I begin? I feel like I'm living my life to please everyone else. Do you ever feel you are only doing something because of the amount of pressure others put on you? Because I got 2nd at state track when I was a sophomore in the long jump, the amount of pressure for me to do well the next year just skyrocketed! I was no longer jumping for myself, rather jumping to make everyone else happy...to fulfill their expectations. I believe the amount of pressure everyone put on me actually made me worse. I did terrible at state my junior year! I can only hope that people will back off of me and this coming season will be successful. I have high expectations of myself, but sometimes I think my family and coaches have higher expectations.

Facework...

2006-02-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

Facework is defined in our communications book as "a term that is used to describe the verbal and nonverbal ways we act to maintain our own presenting image and the images of others." I believe we all act different when we are by ourself verses when we are with others. I don't know why we all can't act ourselves around everyone...it's kind of like we try to impress others by acting a way we think others will like! When I'm around my friends, I feel like I have to be giggly all the time...I have to play the "stupid blonde" stereotype! When I'm around my family or people that are/were close to me (ex-boyfriend), I act normal. I'm not always happy. I don't have to impress my family or my boyfriends to like me...they will no matter how I act! I think it's impossible to act the same around everyone...but maybe that's just because I care about what everyone thinks...

Introductory Speech...

2006-02-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

I did not like making this speech, because I hate talking about myself! I would much rather speak about something that interests me, for example sports or clothing :) Several days were spent contemplating what to talk about in my speech. After 3 days of having my friend try to tape me, I decided my best bet would be to do it at home! Everytime I tried to talk in front of my friend, I coudn't stop laughing. Saying my name just makes me crack up...lol. Has that ever happened to you?

relationships....

2006-01-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

Best Friend: Recently my best friend moved away to college in Omaha to pusue her dream as a comsmotologist. I hate not having her around, but the memories will never leave. I remember when we were little with our lemonade stands, sleep overs, truth or dare games, home videos, etc. Not a day goes by when I don't think about our fun times. When I was with her, the hours were spent giggling! From now on I will have to live by this quote: "Side by side or miles apart, dear friends are always close to the heart."

Mother: Me and my mother's relationship is hard to come by! I mirror her in every way...I am my mother's daughter. We are very close, and I love having her to talk to. When one of us is having a rough day, we help eachother to get through it. I try everyday to make my mom proud...I can only hope one day to be just like her!

Sister: Wow, where do I begin! Being a year apart makes this relationship hard. Jealousy has been our #1 weakness. We love eachother very much, but there is always that "Oh, I hope she looks fat tonight" attitude towards each other :) One lesson that I have learned is to not date your sister's ex...it only leads to bad relationships!

I will leave you with a quote: "True friends are those who are there for you unconditionally. Never do they question, but always offer support no matter what the circumstances are. Best Friends are the people worth living for. "

A lil bit about myself...

2006-01-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! This is my first blogging experience, so I hope it goes well! My name is Lauren and I am a senior at Osceola High School. I have a sister that goes to Doane and my brother is a junior at OHS. My future plans are to attend UNL and major in Fashion Merchandising. Right now I am very busy with Basketball and Dance. Missing an episode of Laguna Beach or the O.C. is a sin at Osceola. After a while the drama starts to rub off on all of us; our school is like a soap opera! My weekends are spent hanging out with my friends and of course shopping.