The artifact I have chosen for Oral Communication is the video on My speech on Education Reform. This video was created in November of 2022 for Public Speaking. I took the course in a seated classroom, and I attended in-person regularly. It was a 16-week course, with lectures taking place in every class and us working on our speeches. 

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The artifact is an 8-minute-long video that dives into my vision for Education Reform. In the video, I dive into the current problems of the education system and how schools are punished for falling short of standards. I outline how those schools are forced to meet rigid standards while receiving less resources for their underperformance. Naturally, this is counterproductive since if a student is failing with already inadequate resources to help them, who gives the idea that they will somehow succeed with less resources? I also explain how teachers move into more affluent school districts for higher salaries, which leaves the students in other districts with less skilled teachers to aid them. From then on, I explained my solutions, such as providing incentives for educators to move into less-affluent areas or reallocating federal funds towards struggling schools, and left the audience with a lasting impression, in hopes that they would reflect on my words for a time.  

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My goal that pertained to this assignment was to find an assignment that showed the best case of me orally giving a presentation to a group of people. My video on education system reform accomplishes this well, since not only did I meet almost all expectations required of me, but I also completed the speech without notecards. I had to overcome almost all of my nervousness so I could give the presentation with minimal stuttering, pauses, and whatever other interruptions that could have arisen. Another goal that pertains to this assignment is that the topic I spoke about is highly relevant. The video accomplishes that in it can be seen through constant studies and news articles that the quality of education is declining in many parts of the US. This is an issue that not only affects current generations of children, but also future generations. Many teachers are barely paid enough to get by and must factor in the need to maintain their classroom. What does not help is that many students do not encounter many learning opportunities at home, which only exacerbates the problem. 

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What I learned regarding Oral Communication is that it is a key skill needed to present ideas and just to get by in day-to-day life. Your oral communication can leave a lasting first impression, especially when you are being interviewed for a new job or if you are simply trying to impress someone. A person who can confidently present a formal presentation to a large group of people is often the type employers from a vast variety of fields seek for. Employers do not want someone who will stutter every 2 seconds, is always not at ease, and simply gives off an aura of little knowledge and not seeming to know anything about their topic. Referring to my artifact, it was difficult to work on. It took me weeks to formulate the concept I wanted to give my speech on, then going on to work on the speech itself and practice it in front of a variety of people, including my parents, classmates, and even my friends. 

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Despite all the rehearsals and preparation, I was still extremely nervous on the day of the speech. Some of the presenters evidently felt the same way, since some of them did not show up to class on that day. I had to soldier through that nervousness, listen to others’ presentations so I could critique them, and then give my own presentation. While there were times where I paused and seemed as though I was at a loss for words, I gave the best presentation I ever did in a classroom. I hope that anyone who views this page will have a positive view on my artifact.