We reviewed the function of perception in our daily communication in chapter two in our course textbook, Communication Making Connections by William J. Seiler and Melissa L Beall. After having read this chapter, please blog on your thoughts on the following:
What kinds of perceptions are created in your speech? Can you discuss a time when someone judged you or created a false perception of you based on your speech? Was it your accent or some other quality of the tone of your voice (rate, pitch, volume)? Was it your word choices? Vocabulary? Sarah Palin, a current Republican Vice President Nominee has an Alaskan accent? Will you judge her capability or credibility for the role of Vice President by her voice qualities? Do you automatically jump to conclusions or have preconceived perceptions about someone based on a person’s speech qualities? Share with us briefly the situation, what was the incorrect perception, and your self-reflective thoughts on the incidence? Could you have created a different perception by changing your speech?
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Through our speech, we are able to form erception based on our voice, grammar and word choices. People’s speech patterns create images of age, competency, intelligence, cultural/ethnic background and gender. We also create images based on accent, speed, fluency and quality of people’s voice. It is said that “People judges us by the words we use,” they judge us by the words we use and don’t use.
A time someone created a false perception about me was back in grammar school. Growing up my parents taught me Portuguese, so when I went to school the English language was new to me, causing me to have a strong accent. So one time in math class we were learning about money and when I said ‘dollar’ this one girl made fun of me. She began saying that I was an immigrant and created a whole false perception about me. So needless to say, I began thinking twice before I spoke from that moment on, until about the 9th grade when I began getting comfortable with speaking out loud.
No, I won’t judge Sarah Palin nor anyone else by their voice. Because from my past experience I understand that depending on one’s culture, everyone has a different accent and way of speaking when expressing themselves and we should not be judging them. I believe that as long as a person expresses themselves thoroughly and gets their message across effectively, that all that matters, especially when running for a political position. I haven’t really ever jumped to any conclusions about people based on their speech qualities because I understand that every individual is a unique character.
When that girl made fun of me for the way I spoke and said many words with a stronger accent than others, I felt different. because up to that day no one had ever pointed out my accent and to me it felt natural, since it was the way I was brought up. But as I continued my journey through grammar school I was introduced to ESL program and understood that I wasn’t all that different, English language too. No, I couldn’t have created a different perception by changing my speech, because an accent is difficult to change especially at such a young age. If I were made fun of the words I said, yes that I could of changed, because I am in control of my choice of words, but not my accent.
-Cindy
Perceptions of people giving a speech are based off of what the audience has experienced previously and the audiences’ assumptions about the speaker. Perceptions such as the intelligence level of the speaker, sincerity, and the speaker showing empathy toward the audience. I can recall a time back in seventh grade when I had to give a presentation on a research report I had about the Panama Canal. I had been writing and researching the report and even practiced and noted what I was suppose to say in the speech about the project. When the time came to finally explain in detail about my research I froze up and stuttered through the report out of nervousness. The teacher and most of the class perceived that I didn’t know anything about what I was talking about, when In reality, I knew the information forewords and backwards I just wasn’t able to communicate it to my audience well enough. I wasn’t confident in what I was stating; I worried too much about forgetting key information and as a result actually did forget important information to mention. If I showed more confidence in my speech and myself during the presentation I would have gotten a better overall grade than I did.
Sarah Palin’s (or anyone's natural accent accent has little to do with my personal beliefs of whether or not she will be able to be a strong Vice President. I do however judge my opinion of her on her confidence and sincerity in what she says. It is very important to me for a candidate to be sincere and mean what they say and not just saying things the audience wants to here for votes. For example, during the democratic primaries with Hilary still in the race, I noticed in her speeches, depending on her current location, would alter her accent to better familiarize herself with, southern voters with a slight southern accent that she previously hadn’t had before. I jump to the conclusion that Hillary wasn’t being sincere in her words and just wanted the votes. Sarah Palin at least, most would say that she is sincere in her speeches and stands strongly on her opinions on issues so as abortion.
Everyone judges people. It is a fact of life and no one can say that they have never done it. We all have perceptions and views of people before we meet them or speak to them or even have them speak to us and how we view them at first glance is what we expect to hear when the speak to us. If a presidential candidate comes to the podium to speak and he/she is dressed in their pajamas, what will we as the receiver think? Most likely we would think they were unprofessional, not interested, and lazy. If that same person came up the next day wearing a suit type outfit we would perceive them completely different. They could be giving the same exact speech but we would most likely be drawn to listen to the candidate in the suit type outfit. I remember one time unparticular when I was in a public speaking class my senior year two months after I was hit by a car. I was in a wheelchair, I had medical bandages covering my freshly stitched scars, my face was swollen, and I had a back brace, and a cast on my leg. Every single person kept asking if I was ok to speak, if I needed help, or if I could handle myself without help. They perceived by what they saw with their eyes of my physical injuries that I was incapable of speech, even though they new perfectly well I could speak because I had told the story of my accident the day I came back to school. I wheeled up to the front of the class and my teacher said I gave one of the best speeches I ever gave throughout the term. Everyone looked shocked and surprised that I could speak; simply by the way I now looked and they made assumptions that were clearly wrong. Perceptions may be correct sometimes, but do not rely on them and don’t judge others just by the way they look, you can be surprised at some things you discover by not assuming facts but rather gathering them.
Speech is one way we communicate amongst ourselves. We use it in our everyday lives on a conversational level, not just to an audience. It can be perfected and takes years to become a skilled fluent speaker. No matter who you are people always tend to have perceptions of you based off looks alone and I feel it is your duty to change or alter that notion through speech. I grew up in a urban city , but unlike some of my friends, neighbors or colleagues I was exposed to so much more. I went to public schools in Trenton, NJ all my life and when I tell people this they look at me like I'm the stereotypical ghetto black girl or automatically feel sympathetic. I was very involved with a lot of networking groups( such as Boys and Girls Club, National Honor Society, Leadership Program, etc.) so I had to be the public figure and talk in front of peers from all over this country. One time I had to speak in California at a convention on the topic of racism. I was nervous , but tried not to let it show and it went well, but my adviser said I looked mad and needed to smile, because I came off angry . When I speak i tend to be very real and can come off judgmental or opinionated. Instead of seeing someone who is passionate for what she believed in or spoke about, they saw a girl from Trenton who didn't know any better! I guess by the way I pronounced my words in authoritative tone or my selection of words that were deep and very hard hitting made people have that perception of me!I am not able to vote , but if I was I wouldn't judge anyone off their speech or accent including Sarah Palin because that has nothing to do with how she will help run the country. I have in the past judged people off their speech qualities, but as I get older I realized it's not as easy for some as it is with others and it's all in their actions.
Perceptions of a persons quality usually is thought of within the first few minutes of a speech. Many of which are seen less eminent generally based on the intonation of the speaker. Each person will automatically create an assumption as to the lecturers notability simply due to the capability to comprehend the speaker; if the audience is not able to grasp the concept sufficiently they will quickly dismiss the matter. People will primarily acknowledge concerns that directly effect themselves while disregarding other issues if they are unable to understand.
I have jumped to conclusions based on different circumstances, from not being able to apprehend the focal points of the presentation to just dismissing the matter because it weighed little to no importance in my life. I would guess there are many perceptions made based on my tone, and enunciation of certain words. Some even based on the mere fact that I live in Newark. Every time a person gets up to publicly speak the immediate task is to sway the audience away from the created judgement to the information needed to be presented.
Preconceived perceptions are naturally learned human traits. It is naturally learned in the sense of it being practiced in front of us habitually making it second nature for us to act upon it. Granted at times people will make judgements that may sometimes prove to be accurate, but with this notion of perception, judgments, and beliefs to ones self limits our ability to carry out our goal of communication competence. With a mindset of a persons quality set by the visual and/or audition sense of the person, comes a mental block to further the communication amongst each other.
Most of the time when I ha d given a speech the only thing people would see is that I am really nervous and I just did the project because I had to. I do recall one time the class had to do a report about a song of our choice. Most of the students picked “cool” songs, but I chose a slow pace song filled with feeling. After I did my report and people heard the song, everyone thought I was a really smart geek, but I’m no smarter then anyone else. I just really liked the song so I did well on it. I do believe that since I was not nervous my tone of voice was different and maybe the confidence in my voice had an effect on what people thought. I know I used simple words so that is not what made me sound smart.
Vice President is a very big and important role. That person would need to be very clear when speaking to the public or when giving important decisions. Sarah Palin does have an accent, but she is still very clear in what she says. If it was heavy and I had troubles getting what she said, it would affect my views on her as a Vice President. I don’t have anything against accents I just feel that to take on such an important role, I would be a little afraid of things that are taken the wrong way just because of a simple misunderstanding.
When giving a speech you should take control of your voice so the audiences can percept the speech correctly. Your voice is not the only part that needs to have power over, the way you stand and dress can also alter an audience’s perception of you. When I give a speech I sense that people think I’m nervous which I usually am, however, my good choice of words changes their perceptions of me, which makes a balance between my nerves and vocabulary. When giving a speech people should practice on giving the tone needed in the speech, for example, if the speech were about politics, they should give a persuading speech and a serious tone when speaking. When I worked a s a secretary last summer, anytime I would speak on the phone, people would ask me my age , because I sounded like a little girl, when I tell them I’m 18 they are very surprised. The volume of my voice also gave them a perception that I was a young girl, because it was rather low. However, my choice of words confused them because they were rather mature. Sarah Palin, a Vice President, has an Alaskan accent, but I don’t think it would give people the wrong perception of her, because she has a powerful voice. People are not always judged by their accents but rather their vocabulary and their power of voice. Sometimes I do jump to conclusions on a person’s speech, for example, if their vocabulary was rather bad, I would think they were not to intelligent. If their voices were low I would believe they didn’t care or were nervous. You cannot judge people right away until you get to know them, many are nervous when speaking in front of an audience filled with people they don’t know. I could change people’s perceptions of my speech, if I practiced on speaking louder and had more confidence.
“Perception is the process of understanding the sensory information. In our textbooks it is stated that, “Perception is the heart of all communication. It can also be argued that without communication, perception could never exist.” This just proves to us how important communication and speech are and how they play hand in hand with the viewpoints of others. Everyone is judged repeatedly whether it is by a friend, a parent, or even a teacher we are all critiqued. We are also guilty for doing the same thing, we also judge people everywhere we go almost every day we look at someone and immediately comment on them. For instance let’s take the example of food you could have a plate of food in front of your that is decorated so beautifully and looks so stunning that it takes your breath away but when you try it takes like garbage, nothing you would’ve expected. it could also be vice verse the plate in front of you looks so messy and has an awkward smell so you automatically think it probably tastes just as bad, without trying it your already judging it, but after you try it you realize that it actually taste pretty good. However as the saying goes “never judge a book by its cover” we all still manage to do it. We base our judgments on past experience and also others opinion. Perception can be based on many things such as cultural background, gender, media exposure, even your age. No two people have exactly the same experience of one event; even if you are twins or best friends we all view everything differently through our own eyes. Many times we even stereotype people based on the way they look or how they speak or even where there from.
I was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. I am originally from India and as many of you may know India is known for its diverse culture. Growing up my parents did not want me to forget about my heritage and where I was from so they brought me to the temple with them. Ever since I can remember I’ve been going to the temple every Sunday even till this day I still go and there we conduct many events to celebrate various Indian holidays (Diwali for example). On one occasion one of the older girls came up to me and asked me if I would prepare a speech to present in front of the elder women that come, she told me to talk about the Indian culture and for me to mention anything and everything I know. I was quite excited for this because I loved to talk and I still do, at the time I was around 12 years old. That night when I was to present my speech all the ladies wouldn’t give me the proper attention I deserved. They judged me as soon as I got to the mic they thought that since I was born here I probably don’t know anything about India but I proved them wrong and by the end of the speech I had everyone’s attention.
I am one of the seventeen year olds in the class and I will not be voting this year sadly, but if I did have the opportunity to vote I would not judge the current Republican Vice President Nominee, Sarah Palin just because she has an Alaskan accent. To me it doesn’t matter if you have an accent or not that is not as important as what you are delivering in your speech, what are you saying, what are your goals, what do you wish to do for us? Those are the things that matter. I wouldn’t judge her capability or credibility based on her voice that’s foolish. Her ability to speak with or without an accent has nothing to do with how she is going to help this country progress. I have judged people before and felt idiotic for doing such a thing. What I want to see from Sarah is confidence, poise, belief, assurance and also I want to see that she knows what she is talking about, that’s basically all that matters. No I do not judge to conclusions based on someone’s speech qualities I use to do that before I hit maturity and realized that it was completely wrong and no one should do it.
A time when someone judged me based on my speech was back in high school during senior year. It wasn’t just one person it was actually 600 people and it was quite embarrassing. In my senior year I was part of a lot of clubs and one of them happened to be the Gnome Staff or as you may know the year book committee. We would host class meetings with all the seniors’ at least once every two months to inform the seniors about the yearbooks. In one of our early meetings in October my adviser asked me if I would like to do a speech and I volunteered to do so. My job was to basically sell the yearbook I was suppose to try and convince 600 seniors why they should buy a book that cost $90. If you think about that is a hard task and not many people are into school spirit so I was a bit nervous. I knew everything I wanted to say but I didn’t write any of it down. So when time came to give my speech I stood in front of that loud, noisy, crowded auditorium full of obnoxious 17 - 18 year olds and began talking. The mistake that I had done with my speech was I began talking to fast, my nervousness kicked in and I started speeding through and ended up slurring half my words. I was fully prepared I had examples of how teens waste money on unnecessary things and I had my research done but because I jetted through it everyone took me as a joke. Luckily my adviser talked to the seniors after I did and got the job done, but still it wasn’t right. They judged me because of my speech and it was incorrect. The rate of my voice confused everyone. Eventually everyone that I knew realized that I know what I’m talking about but still those few minutes were devastating. Yes I believe that I could have created a different perception by slowing down a little and making sense of my words, instead of rushing through if I did my speech how I practiced and hoped to do it, it would’ve been perfect.
I am unable to identify the perceptions in my speech because I only hear myself in my head and not through the minds of the listener. A recent time I was judged on my speech was a presentation I gave in a previous class and I was commended for my speaking quality and fluidity of words.
Governor Palin's accent is the last thing she will be judged upon during the run-up to this year's Presidential election. The only time her accent will be scrutinized is when Tina Fey portrays her on Saturday Night Live (which she does quite well). Also, her record – or lack thereof – completely overshadows her pronunciation of words and overall tone, so I do not and most people probably will not base their choices on any particular accent.
A person's quality of speech is dependent upon many factors: upbringing, culture, education, et cetera. A person may appear to be uneducated when they speak but that could be because they are from a different part of the country or from a different country all together. A person should be judged not by their speech or language but by how effective they are able to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and opinions.
SNL Palin/Hillary Open link:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/
When we speak, everyone will think something different about us because of our diction, pitch, or volume. People will also base their opinion on you, if you speak with an accent or use any types of slang words. Many times in the past and there will be many times in the future, I have been judged by how I talked. One time in particular, when I was in 8th grade, I was giving a presentation on a book that I had read. I had read the whole book, and had studied very hard on what I was going to present and the particular order I was going to explain everything, and then I even practiced giving my presentation. When it came time for me to present I started getting really nervous and started forgetting what I was going to say. When I began speaking I was talking really low, and I was stammering a lot. The class began to lose interest and started talking and not paying attention to me. I still got a B on the project, but when the teacher gave me my critique she felt I could have prepared myself for the presentation. I felt like she thought I just “winged” it and was really unprepared. I also felt like the class thought of me as less intelligent because I was really quiet and took a lot of pauses and said like and uh a lot.
Sarah Palin is a very qualified for the role as Vice President. Even though she has an accent she has her own unique views and agendas, which she is still able to get across. She shouldn’t be unjustly judged because of the fact that she is a woman or because she has a unique accent.
There have been times, and there will probably many more, when I have judged someone based on the way they spoke. In particular, in my sophomore year at high school, I was sitting in class and a kid I didn’t know raised his hand to answer a question. When he spoke he talked with a Spanish accent. As he was speaking the some other students and I started laughing cause of his accent and we started making jokes that he wasn’t as intelligent as other students. This perception couldn’t have been further from the truth because he turned out to be a really nice guy and did very well in the class. Now I try not to make false perceptions of people because of their speech, but I know I still will because everyone does it.
Every time you start speaking weather it is in front of one person or one hundred people, perceptions are formed. People might think you are unintelligent if you use slang words, or nervous if you stutter. False perceptions can be formed based on word choice or even an accent.
A time when a false perception was based on me was on my first day of high school. I was late to my first class and when I was trying to explain my situation to the teacher, I was stuttering. I had nothing to hide and it was a schedule mistake but since my words were getting mixed up she figured I was lying and I was a trouble maker. Had I just pronounced all my words better and took a second to think of what I was going to say, the teacher never would have created s false perception of me.
Sarah palin is a good example of someone who receives criticism and a false perception based upon her accent. It is ridiculous to pass judgment on someone based on how they speak, instead of what they say. Content is more important then how it sounds in my opinion. Weather it be a Vice Presidential candidate or a stranger off the street, a persons actions are stronger than words.
We are all hypocrites in some way though. No one likes having a false perception based upon their speaking, but at one point we have done it to other people. I do it all the time when I am working. I am a cashier and I always try to be friendly and say "have a nice night" or some form of goodbye. When people do not respond I get angry and think they are rude and inconsiderate.
This is a society where everyone is being judged with perceptions. Many of these perceptions are developed through our speeches. It may be a good or bad perception. We often tend to get false perceptions based on our speeches. There are many times when someone created a false perception about me. One time was when I made a speech about the Moroccan Culture. Sometimes when I speak it may be very fast. Some people might not understand me. During my speech I spoke so fast, not one person understood what I was saying. I only had one chance for my oral presentation, and I blew it. Everyone just looked at me with big wondrous eyes. At the time, I felt my speech was perfect. Not until after class the teacher pulled me aside and asked if I was nervous. I wasn’t nervous at all. He told me it seemed like I wanted to get it over with. It created a false perception of me that I didn’t want. I came to realize he was right. By the rate of my speech, the whole class might have gotten the same perception he had. I could have created a different perception if I only spoke a bit slower. I don’t judge anyone by their voice quality because it isn’t your accent that determines whether you are intelligent or not. My mother has been living in this country for 30 years now and she still has an accent. It is very hard to get rid of and I don’t think anyone should be judged based on this.
I have preconceived perceptions about someone based on a person’s speech quality, and it is not always a bad perception. Someone might have made and excellent speech with proper grammar, eloquence, and enthusiasm. On the other hand someone might be lifeless and have no idea what they are talking about which gives their audience a negative perception. Although we hate to admit it, we make perceptions about people every day.
When someone gives a speech, we are able to form our perception of the person by the pitch of their voice, the grammar that is used, word choice, and how the person presents him or herself. Unfortunately everyone in today’s society is guilty of judging people before meeting them. We judge people by the way they look, talk, walk, etc. Everyone’s mind is made up before the person can say hello. If someone went to a job interview dressed in sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt, the person that was interested in hiring them will think that they are unprofessional and they would mostly likely not get the job based on how they looked. Everyone has their own quirks which make each of us unique. For Sarah Palin, maybe it is her Alaskan accent. We should not judge people before hearing what they have to say. It is not how the person looks or talks when delivering the message, it is the importance of the message that is being delivered.
A time someone created an artificial perception of me was when I was in grammar school. When I was younger I had a speech problem, I could not pronounce words such as school, so my parents sent me to a speech teacher. When I would try to pronounce words such as school the kids would make fun of me, and then when I would go to the speech teacher the kids would make fun of me calling me names such as stupid because I needed extra help. The kids began to think I was stupid creating a false perception all because I could not pronounce certain words correctly. By the time I was in first grade, I no longer had problems pronouncing words and kids began to realize that I was not stupid. When I no longer had speech problems I began to feel more comfortable speaking in front of my classmates.
I will not judge Sarah Palin based on the way she speaks. From the past experiences I have had I would not want anyone else to feel uncomfortable with the way they speak. I base my opinion on the message that is being delivered not on the person who is delivering it. Many people judge everything that George Bush says just because they do not like him when that is not the correct way to perceive people. When people read articles prior to knowing who the author is they receive a better perception of what is being said instead of who is saying it.
Every person has different perceptions based on the way they were raised, their personal experiences, and many other factors. These factors influence the way the audience reacts in different situations and the way a person judges what is happening around them. No two people will perceive a situation exactly the same. One person might pay more attention to the tone of voice, where another person might pay more attention to the actual wording. This will happen numerous times through out the day beings no two people’s frame of reference is the same.
From my frame of reference the way a person presents themselves is more important then the accent one has. One of the most important things when giving a speech is appearance and confidence. If someone were to give a speech in a presidential campaign, I would not think of them the same if they were to give the speech wearing ripped jeans. It is also important for people to portray a high level of confidence. They should speak loud, clear, and to the audience not the paper. I have developed many of these opinions based on how people have judged when I was speaking in the past.
When I used to give a speech in front of a large group of people I know they would often pay more attention to what I was doing, rather then the information I was presenting. I had a tendency to be extremely quiet when I spoke, which gave the false impression that I did not know what I was talking about. After coming to the realization that the way I was presenting myself was leaving a stronger impact then what I was saying, I knew that some changes had to be made. With these changes, people have noticed I am more confident while speaking. This left the impression of being fully prepared and knowing what I was talking about when I gave a speech.
Through speeches many perceptions are created by the way a person talks, the information being given, and how a person presents. Perception is not only based on what a person says but by what they are wearing. The more professional a speech, the better an audience will perceive you.
I remember a time during my senior year of high school. I was giving a speech in English class. A few days ago I had broken up with my boyfriend and was still distracted by it. I practice my speech a few times each day for about three days. U was positive I knew what I was saying. Of course that morning he contacted me and put me right back into my distracted state of mind. It was time for my speech and the beginning was going okay, but I became distracted halfway through thinking about my personal issues. I began to forget the information that I was presenting. I was using the words and uhm and uh. I would lose my place and have to tell the class and teacher to hold on. It was quite humiliating. I could the teacher and my whole class thought I throw this whole presentation together in homeroom. No one ever said to me that it was bad, but it was evident not only by the reactions on their faces, but the grade I received. No one ever got to hear the perfect speech I had written because I let my personal issues interfere with my school work.
When it comes to vice president candidate Sarah Palin, I would never judge her on her Alaskan accent. He accent has nothing to do with what she can do for this country. When I listen to her speak I judge her on what she brings to the table. I want to hear her long term goals for America. I believe the only thing anyone political leader needs in order to have support is, reasons for why they want to be in whatever position, intelligence, and assurance for the American people.
Perceptions are created within the very first seconds of hearing someone based on their speech. The way in which a person talks and the situation in which they are talking about may cause another perceive to perceive them in a certain way. For instance, when an individual is lying to me I usually have a preconceived thought that they are lying if they are stuttering or speaking too quickly. Their voice, word choices, rate, and pitch reflect whether or not in my opinion, they are being honest. A time that someone created a false perception of me was when I was having a conversation and was said to have an attitude because of my rate, choice of words, and pitch. I didn't have a problem with the girl I was speaking with she was actually my friend, however, I was aggravated which made it seem as though I was being rude to her because of the tone and rate of my speech. I couldn't help but be upset because it was an upsetting matter and I even told the person that I wasnt trying to give them an attitude. I could've probably prevented it by not getting so upset but I'm not sure it was possible in that instance or just discussing it with the people I was really upset with so my anger was not misdirected.
I was a freshman in High School and I was chosen to give a speech over the loud speaker in the morning about Marin Luther King Jr. to remember his birthday that was coming up. I was nervous, but very excited about this new task I had. So I gave my speech and when I went into the hallways to meet up with some of my friends, they sarcastically “mocked me”. Laughing and telling me I sounded like someone from the “burbs” as they referred to the suburbs. Honestly, I just didn’t want to sound illiterate in front of the whole school; that was the reason why I recited my speech so proper and profound. About a week went by, and my English teacher made a comment about the slang we use and how our speech and ability to correctly communicate will be an important part of my life, if we acknowledge it or not. He insisted it was probably one of the honor students who gave such a prestigious speech about Martin Luther King Jr. He probably didn’t hear the name and made an accusation that it had to be someone extremely smart who gave that speech. His perception of who gave the speech was incorrect and I took offense to the fact that he believed that none of the students in front of him, me to be exact could be capable of speaking grammatically correct. I never told him I gave the speech; I just let his ignorance decide his conclusion. After a while, I thought that maybe if I spoke properly, people would view me as someone educated instead of another one of the hoodlums running the halls. I changed my speech and the way I communicate with people and their perception of me as a person changed just because I talked different. I still was the same student, my grades were always good and I wasn’t a trouble maker, but because I spoke differently than many of my peers, everyone’s perception change toward me.
Perceptions created in my speech are mainly that I’m educated, I know what I’m talking about and my facts are correct based on the soft but alert tone I use when speaking, plus I have an ability to counter argue if necessary. I believe Sarah Palin’s accent will not affect her speech. We have become such a diverse country over the years, a proper and grammatically correct speech is the only thing important other than personal qualities in one’s own communication; not accents so I believe that Sarah Palin’s accent will not affect her speech.
Sometimes I do jump to conclusions because of my natural human nature but I try not to let someone’s speech qualities shape the way I view them.
I cannot recall a time where someone’s perception of what I was saying was any different than I intended it to be. What I can recall are a few times that I have perceived something different from what was actually being said to me. What really gets to me is subtle sarcasm. If I’m asking someone a question, no matter how obvious, I would like to get a real answer. I cannot stand when someone is being sarcastic and I am unable to tell. So I just go along thinking that the way we are doing things is working for both of us. When actually I just keep on, looking like a fool because I perceived the situation to be different.
The idea of judging someone by their speech patterns is very relevant in society. I mean judging someone because of the way they speak can keep the interpreter from finding out the pure intelligence of the person. There have been many people throughout history who were not the best when it came to putting sentences together. These same people had no problem inventing the light bulb, or the cotton gin. Someone who may not be the best speaking may turn out to be someone who could change our world.
Most people are usually given a "clean slate" when introduced to us. If anyone has ever had a flase perception of me, it could be due to the people I may have associated with during that time. My rate, pitch and volume do however impact my audience, but I personally have rarley ran into these problems. Adults usually like slower rates and higher volume for clarity purposes. While children and younger generations, on the other hand prefer vocal variety and a rate which is semi-fast and to the point. My word choice is usually relevant to the age group. I assume an adult should have a well-rounded vocabulary while a child has a basic one. To avoid confusion I usually avoid words above an 8th grade reading level. I believe Ms. Palin is a generic choice as a candidate. She has no major character traits and seems to me as a stock-character to fill the position so McCain can take full reign. I do jump to conclusions about Ms. Palin hoever i did find out she is a "cut-throat" hunter and has a few children. Maybe this will make her seem more compassionate, however, she doesnt really spark me as a people person. Previously, I thought she was just a stereotypical, honest living stay at home mom with minimal experience in her job as a govenor, but now I think she is not only more politically involved, but purposely stays inconspicuous to fellow candidates to avoid being seen as a threat.
When I first met my boyfriend I thought he was just some guy that had no substance. I judged him because he was into video games, as a loser. I would always think he probably went to starwars conventions but it turns out that he's just a big kid at heart. He's a really social person and just happens to have very good hand-eye cooridation and gets very bored after work and/or school. The only thing about himself that he could have changed to make me perceive him diffrent is his tone. A soft tone sometimes allows me to think the person is an easy push-over.
Through our speech people can make assumptions about our age, our race, our education, and how much we know about that with which we are speaking of. Every summer I work for the mayor of my town and many people make assumptions about me based on how I sound on the phone. Many people assume I don’t know what I’m talking about because I’m younger which is a false assumption. I would guess that it was my tone of voice that would make people think I was a lot younger. Although I try not to jump to conclusions I can become irritated with a person based on the way they talk and I shouldn’t do that. One instance of me jumping to conclusions about a person based on their speech was when I was working as a waitress and one day a couple came in to the restaurant. They were barely talking to me whenever I came to the table and I assumed that they were unhappy with me. They wound up leaving me a 25% tip so I definitely made an incorrect assumption about how happy they were with me as a server that night. One of the things people can do to change anyone’s perception is to try to change your speech once you realize people aren’t responding positively to the way you are speaking.
Speech is a major influence over the image we give off to others. Throughout my life, I have had many experiences with people forming the wrong perception of me. As I have mentioned before, I am Puerto Rican and my culture has been instilled in me by both of my parents. However, many people’s perceptions of what a Puerto Rican should look and sound like are often disproved once they meet me. I work for a promotional company, and depending on the event I am working at, there are times when the promotional managers do not check the pictures of people they are hiring. This was the case last summer, when I worked for Chevrolet at a carnival in Elizabeth. For this event, the client was looking for bilingual staff, and had called me to confirm I was fluent in Spanish. After speaking to the promotional manager, I showed up for work bright and early the next week. When greeting my manager for the day, I was met with a bewildered and confused look. After a moment, he regained his compose and said, “Sorry, I guess I’m just a little surprised at how….white you look. After speaking with you on the phone, I guess I was just expecting something different.” That day was one of the many instances which have shown me how greatly one detail or factor can affect an individual’s perception. I believe that Sarah Palin’s Alaskan accent has nothing to do with issues being discussed in this year’s election, and it would be unwise for someone to base their opinion of her on the way she speaks. Instead of focusing on her gender, speech, or overall appearance, I will be paying attention to her views on America’s most controversial issues. I come from a home where I’ve seen my family and friends judged many times by their accents and way of speaking, so I can’t really recall a situation where I’ve formed a wrong perception of someone based solely on speech, because I do my best to not do the same to others.
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