Brown Bag Speech

The first assignment for the students in the  West Texas A&M University Basic Speech class (COMM 1315) is to give a Brown Bag Speech.  This is a simple speech but it is a great place to start the students with Public Speaking.

The Brown Bag speech requires that the student bring THREE things that they present to the class and tell the other students what the things represent in their life.  This is done to help ease the students into Public Speaking and to help the  students get to know each other better.  Every semester I have at least one case where students have made a connection with each because of the objects they presented.

In the first class period I give a Brown Bag Speech of my own as an example.  I never pick the same items but the ones I pick usually represent the same things.  For my "speech" this semester I choose:

1) A Book - The book represents my love of reading and learning.  I read all the time, both Fiction and Non-Fiction.  Fiction is my key to experiencing new worlds, meeting new people, and feeling the emotions of others.  Non Fiction is my way to learn new things.  I firmly believe that you should learn something NEW everyday, and I so enjoy learning!

2) A Band-aid - I am FIXER!  Sadly I do better "Fixing" something than I am at doing it right the first time!  But all in all I am a Fixer, I can organize and make things right with ease.  While being a mother has heightened my skills, it has always been a trait of mine.

3) A Recipe Card - I love my family and I love to cook so the card serves both.  Many of my recipes have been handed down  for several generations and I love cooking them for my kids.  I have a recipe for Millionaire candy that belonged to my Great Great Grandmother, that has been a Christmas tradition for our family since the 1800's.

What is another reason for the Brown Bag speech?  Well it is also a way to analyze what objects around you  communicate to others.  This is classified as Non Verbal communications but it is a Non Verbal that speaks LOUDLY to others!

Look around, what do you value?  What do those objects represent to you?  What do they say to others?

Step into a friends room, look at their objects...........Observe...........What do these things say about them?  Are their Non Verbals saying the SAME things that their Verbals are saying?  You decide, but I think more often than not - You will HEAR the same message from both.