Good job, Washington

With all of the things I learned this semester, I can now confidently reaffirm that George Washington's Farewell Address is an example of good public speaking. Throughout the course, a speaker's ethos and a good delivery are requirements that have been greatly emphasized. Washington has a great deal of credibility, or ethos, with his audience so they wanted to listen to what he had to say and they trusted his advice. Also, he delivered his speech with confidence and commanded his audience's attention, which is a key element of being an effective speaker.

Although I was able to recognize an example of good public speaking from the beginning, I think I have learned how to be a better public speaker. Now I know how to apply the important skills I recognized in Washington's speech, to my own speaking. I am glad I took the time to revisit my first post because it gave me the opportunity to remember my thoughts and opinions from the beginning of the course. I am glad that now I know what goes into making a good speech, and more importantly, why these techniques work.