School project

[sully72]

hey everyone,
as a sophomore in highschool we have to go through a speech unit and i hate speeches but i have to give a speech about 8-10 min and i picked something i was comfortable with which was the jeep to be exact the history of the jeep so if anyone has any good sites about this or anything throw it at me any help is great thanx.

Jim

[RUBICONN]

Hey Jim. Do a quick search on the net using google and you will get a plethera of sites.

http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/historyofjeeps/
http://www.off-road.com/jeep/early/history.html
http://www.jeep.com/jeep_life/legends/heritage/
http://www.californiajeeper.com/jeep-history.htm

These are just a few examples.

Maybe you could also go to Barnes and Noble and sit down and read a few of the books, since many of these may not be in the library.

Michael

[TJSUPE]

I found a pretty cool one. I was going to do a research paper on the history of Jeeps, but dropped the class. Shhhhhhhhhhh

I will have to look when I get home tonight. Its in my favorites.

[sarah]

hey everyone,
as a sophomore in highschool we have to go through a speech unit and i hate speeches but i have to give a speech about 8-10 min and i picked something i was comfortable with which was the jeep to be exact the history of the jeep so if anyone has any good sites about this or anything throw it at me any help is great thanx.

Jim

Will you get extra credit if we publish it on MJR?

[Sully]

You are going to have fun with this. I did a research paper on jeeps. Biggest pain in the arse ever but all research papers are. HAHA! Your going to love it! heh

[goodtimes]

No links to jeep history...but some advice about the speech. These may sound corny, but DO IT! Life will be much nicer...trust me.

The most important thing is to stay organized! Sounds simple, but I have had to witness many many classmates fumble along through a speech. Take a couple note cards with very BASIC notes on them....just a reminder to yourself of what the next fact/opinion you will be presenting will be (for my last speech, I had 5 statements written on a 3x5 index card....each of the 5 opinions I was going to discuss...nothing about them...just what they were)

The best way to prepare is to practice....out loud. Seriously. Once you get the speech written out, go someplace private (as to not make people think you are a nut job), get out a stop watch, and go through your speech...OUT LOUD!!! Adjust the length as needed. Repeat.....8 or 10 times over a couple days. Stand up and look out into the "croud" (your bedroom wall) while doing it. Don't just stand there....move back and forth....get a couple hand gestures in there (don't go overboard though)....but don't look like someone that is being forced to read a confession to a crime....you want to be slightly animated (it shows you have passion for your subject).

If you make changes as you go along (and you will the first couple times you read it), be sure you put them in writing, and practice from the updated speech. Keep practicing until you don't need to look at the paper anymore, and you can just rattle it off.

Once you get up in front of the class, you will be nervous as fawk!! But stand up strait, look across the BACK row of people....don't focus on any one individual...just stare at the general area of the back row.....scanning from side to side (when you look at the back row, it is hard for people in the front row to tell where you are looking--which makes them think you are staring at them, where if you look at the front row, it is very obvious to the people in the back row that you are not looking at them).

Start off with a strong opening statement (get their attention---then keep it by making each of them think you are looking directly at them....see previous hint). This should take no more than 30 - 45 seconds. If you don't have their attention by then, you never will. Use the bulk of your time to back up your opening statement with facts, then use the last 30 seconds or so to tie it all together (basically, you will restate your opening statement, now that you have established some facts)

Once you get going, it becomes very easy...because you know what your voice sounds like, and you know exactly what the next word out of your mouth will be (the whole practicing thing). You won't have to fumble for words, or try to remember what it was you were going to say....because you practiced it. You will know how long you have been up there, so you won't be worried about making stuff up as you go along to fill in the time allotted...you already know how long it will take you.

Any professional "speaker" you see, does not *read* a speech. they GIVE a speech. They reference notes, but that is it. They are moving, they are looking at the croud (not a stack of papers)...they are using body language to emphasize their most important points....they are showing passion for the subject matter (even when they don't have any....they act like it, and people buy it).

When I gave a 12 minute speech (final for a speech class in college), I never looked at my notes once I got started. I smoked that class......the prof came up to me a couple days later and told me it was one of the best speeches she has ever heard in that class. It wasn't simply the content...it was the presentation that got 'em.

Now, IMO, and FWIW, and all that crap....I avoid speeches about factual subjects. They are generally boring, because your target audience is not interested in the same subjects you are. I had written my final speech about the OHV industry, land use, etc. I couldn't get it to work in the time allotted. I would have needed much more time....you may have the same problem (or you may not.....). I find the exploration of opinions to make much better subject matter for speeches. People will either agree with you, or disagree with you...but either way, it is easier to keep their attention. It is also easier to write, because you are expressing a opinion, not fact....so there is less research to do (just make sure your opinion is based on facts, not hype)....and no one will stop you and say...no, Willys did not copy the Ford designs for the jeep....they both were given access to Bantam's blueprints that were provided to the government 5 days after requesting bids from 135 manufacturing firms.... blah blah blah......

Ok, that probably isn't what you were looking for, so I'll shut up now.

[SodyClack]

hahah nice, i did a speech for speech class earlier this year on the history of jeeps, it was around 4 mins though. Good luck !

[sully72]

hey

hey all thanx for all your help i havent been able to get on lately cuz they're throwing all these finals at us but i think it will go ok i some of the info and sites you gave me thanx for all the input we'll see how it goes. our teacher passed around a sign up sheet and and signed for last and thinking about it now probably wasnt the best idea so im gonna see if i can switcg one of my buddies anyways thanx for the help and have fun ridin!
Jim

[sarah]

Goodtimes - I think you are 100% correct. Especially about the opinion thing, then you can just wing it! I did a speech once on "Why Warner Brothers cartoons are better than Disney's" ... the prof didn't think I could pull it off, but I earned an "A." Hehe.

Sully72, good luck with your decision, and your speech!

[blackZZR]

perhaps a multi media event with a bunch of pictures of jeeps starting from the 40s to the current, with each slide have music of the era, like big band music with the jeeps of the 40s and early fifties going into early rock, late sixties would be summer of love music, southern rock in the 70s etc etc etc, no narration, just let the music interact with the pictures untill you get to the current.

just a thought

[4x4garage]

Arch Brown has written a couple of books I believe. Jeep the Unstoppable Legend is a good one... Lots of pics and good history.

Of course there was my first Jeep book by Nancy Shaw... Sheep in a Jeep. If you love Jeeps and have kids, shame on you if you dont have this one!

[Kaffa]

I recently had to do a research paper on any topic we decided on...


that may not sound very interesting so keep on reading..... the teacher partnered us with another student in the class... we decided on a topic and flipped a coin..... heads had to write a paper supporting the topic.... tails had a write a paper against it.

I ended up writing a paper supporting steroid usage in humans. Got a B, but had a good time entertaining the class with my obvious bullsh** like increased aggression would cut costs on groceries due to the fact a natural instict in humans would kick in and hunting would become a daily routine.


It went on for 8 minutes. Most fun I've had in english so far......................

[goodtimes]

Of course there was my first Jeep book by Nancy Shaw... Sheep in a Jeep. If you love Jeeps and have kids, shame on you if you dont have this one!

HA! I was out wheeling with a group this weekend (doing some tread lightly training, rock climbing, wheeling, etc)...one of the guys out (IIRC it was Greg from Via Terra) had that book for his kid...the book too f'in funny! Everyone should have it for their kids. Hell, I'm going to buy if for other people's kids. Gotta start 'em young.....just be sure to let them know that not all jeeps end up in a heap (sad ending)....

[4x4garage]

My oldest daughter is 3 1/2 and she has wheeled Miller, Yellojacket, no name trails in Palmdale/lancaster, Truck haven and all over Borrego, John Bull, Deep Creek... She is a pro... I even let her steer sometimes... sshhhhh don't tell

I just love the time on the trail with her... She has such a good time..

oops sorry for hijacking the thread... back to the topic....

[sully72]

SHE FAILED ME!!! i switched with a friend to go 7th instead of 11th and she said it was unacceptable and she failed me so i guess ill just keep this stuff for my own knowledge thanx guys and gals with all your help i worked rea;;y hard on that stupid thing but i guess we all learned one thing here. Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot. hahaha im probably laughing by myself. thanx for your input

Jim