Can Self Confidence be Learned?

Can Self Confidence be Learned?

            One of my friends recently suggested that self confidence can make or break you. She said that two different people could tell the same story, but the audience believe one more than the other if the story is told with confidence. I realized how right she was. I looked up this subject to find out what others said about this idea.

          I found a few video clips on confidence that were good for the point I am trying to make. In one clip  Dr. Ivan Joseph says that self confidence can be a learned quality just by using “Repetition, Repetition, Repetition,” Joseph(2012). He suggests that we must keep practicing the task at hand until we have mastered it. He then asks “how many of us bail after the first bit of failure.”  He uses Thomas Edison as an example. Edison tried somewhere between 1,000 to 10,000 times to invent the light bulb.  Joseph points out that it is very uncommon to get something right the very first time. If Edison had not kept trying we might still be without lights.  Dr. Joseph goes on to say that we should call it persistence not self confidence. Many people will try something once or twice, but very few will persist Joseph(2012)Then he talks about the inner voice in each of our heads.

          He talks about a “self- talk tape that plays in our heads” (TEDxRyson,2012).  Sometimes that self-talk tape is negative, and if we hear it enough, we will start to believe it.  He says “that there are enough people who tell us that we can’t do it, that we’re not good enough. Why do we want to tell ourselves that?” Another website talks about “What Does Your Inner Voice Say” (Self-esteem ,n.d.)  This is a website that also presents information on self-talk.

Positive self-talk is vital to self confidence. I have experienced negative self-talk, and know how it can affect me.  When I get overwhelmed, I tell myself that I can’t do whatever it is that I am trying to do. Then I start believing what doctors have told me all along that I can’t learn because of my injury. Heather Taylor, the coordinator of the McCann writing Center at Bethany College,  told me to stop telling myself that I can’t.  She said that if someone else told me that I could not do something, I would get angry and say “Watch me”, and do it just to spite them.  Her words made me realize that I should knock it off and get refocused when I start negative self-talk. That actually worked. It does sound funny, but doing it works.

Dr. Joseph’s next suggestion  is to “get away from the people who will tear you down.”  He says that because everyone around you will tell you when you make a mistake, you should not be too hard on yourself (TEDRxTyson2012).  Instead, you should tell yourself kind things, be positive, and focus on everything you do right, no matter how large or small.       

              David Rutherford suggests that, “Everything we do in life requires passion and commitment (2013). He explains that the greater your passion and commitment for something, the greater you will perform the task at hand.  He also says that we do not need to separate our personal lives from our professional lives. (2013). If you are truly passionate about your professional life both of these will bleed together.

            Self confidence gains people’s trust in what you are talking about. If you believe in yourself you will exude confidence which is very attractive to other people.  By being persistent, stopping the negative self-talk, getting away from negative people, and having passion and commitment, self confidence can be enhanced.

         

 

 

References

 

Rutherford, David(2013) Navy SEAL Motivational speaker David Rutherford’s Confidence Event Trailer. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPY8X1Xdf54.

TEDxRysonU(2012) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HYZv6HzAs TEDxTalks Dr. Ivan Joseph-The Skill of Self Confidence. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HYZv6HzAs.

University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center (2013). Self-Esteem.

http://cmhc.utexas.edu/selfesteem.html

Comm 311 vlog

a vlog that I had done for my Digital Documents class or COMM 311. Taught by Jason K. Smith. I did the edits in this video as a project that was due for this class

Can You COMPrehend What I'm Saying?

Can You COMPrehend What I'm Saying?

          What kind of test takes two days for the written portion and takes one hour for orals? The answer is: senior comprehensive exams at Bethany College.  Many students are fearful about taking comps, and have many questions about them. To get the facts, interviews were conducted with two teachers, Dr. Gary Kappel and Dr. Walt Turner. Senior Bethany student Eric McCarthy also contributed.

           Each professor was first asked the most basic question - how are questions for oral comprehensives developed?  Dr. Turner replied, “Well, if it’s an English comp, I have read the [student’s written] exams and so I’ll formulate questions from the exam.”

         Dr. Kappel answered similarly.  “If it is in my discipline I will have read the [student’s] writtens and that will give me a hint on something I want to ask. Perhaps if a student stumbled on a question or did particularly well”

         Next, each professor was asked what comps are designed to do.  Dr. Kappel said, “It forces the students to stop and look back on what they have learned over the past 4 years." Dr Turner responded, “Comps are about synthesizing information, so it’s not just your major but the entire liberal arts experience that the student is being called to reflect on. It involves the habits of mind that you have developed across the curriculum: such as curiosity, flexibility, openness, critical thinking - these habits of mind themselves; that is more important to me than the content.” 

         So, basically oral comps are to prepare the students to think on their feet and not to have any real expectations about what is going to be asked. This might be similar to and in preparation for a job interview.

          Dr. Kappel and Dr. Turner each stated that the failure rate for comps is low. They noted that students’ advisors will let students know if they are not ready to take comps, and students may put them off until they are better prepared.

          Comps can be taken in January or May of the senior year. Each of the teachers noted that there is no difference in the failure rate, although one advantage to taking comps in January may be that if a student fails in January, he or she can take comps again in May.

           Senior Eric McCarthy, who sucessfully passed comps in January, 2013, gives some advice to calm future comp-ers.  He remarked that he had not been worried about comps because he had taken good notes.  He said, "When taking comps, the main thing to focus on is making sure you answer every question to the fullest and not leave anything out.  Be sure to stay the entire time and re-read your answers." 

          Hopefully, you now have a better understanding about what to expect when taking senior comprehensives.  There is no need to be afraid as long as you are prepared.  Relax and join all alumni in the tradition of taking comps which will be excellent preparation for your future.

References

Dr. Gary Kappel, Professor, Bethany College

Dr. Walt Turner, Professor, Bethany College    

Eric McCarthy, Student, Bethany College     

What's Your Style?

What's Your Style

          Since my last blog was on a certain type of speech that was written about me, I decided to write this blog on the different types of speeches. I did not know there were different techniques for each type of speech. I thought that if you wanted to talk that you could. Much To my surprise there are various methods. The different types are: Informative Persuasive, Ceremonial, and Contemporaneous, to name just a few. according to Lennon (1999) Some of the speeches do not fall exactly into one of the categories but into several different categories. I will briefly describe each type so you can see the difference.

          An Informative speech is designed to tell the audience more information about a topic. The presenter will use visual aids to show points of their speech. This type of speech has a certain “format of an opening, a purpose, supportive points and a conclusion” Lennon (1999) says. For an example of this type of speech I chose a video of a male student, named  Rayan Al-Hothali, giving an informative speech on laughter to his class. The only issue that I have with this presentation is that he did not use not cards or visual aids. He therefore said um a lot and nervously paced the front of the classroom at George Mason University.  I think that if he had some sort of visual aid, this would have been a great presentation. The next type is a persuasive speech

          The persuasive speech type is how I plan on giving my speeches. I know that not everyone will agree with me, about wearing your seatbelt, so I will show the rehabilitation photos of before and after. I will show them to drive home the point that if you believe in yourself anything is possible, since my accident story sounds far too good to be true. Also, a persuasive type of speech is the most popular type given. Lennon, (1999) one of the first steps in writing this type of speech is to write a good opening paragraph. Grace Flemming (n.d) says this will let the audience decide in the first few minutes of your speech, whether it is going to be boring or exciting. You want to have a good hook in order to tell the audience why they should care about what you are saying, says Grace Flemming (n.d).Then, you should have a Thematic Statement stating your topic and your own personal stance on this issue. Now it is time to show your credibility with a personal website, or a published book. Lastly you want to go back over your three main points. On you tube. After searching several videos of a persuasive speech I found an example by a guy by the name George Scholey, who also goes by the name Jorge El Grande, to hold my attention. You Tube(May 2,2007)

      Next is the type called Ceremonial. Which come in various forms such as a toast, acceptance speech, keynote address, and a commencement speech. aca,(n.d.) This certain type is very successful when given to a specific audience at a certain occasion.  They revolve around the guest of honor and the audience according to aca (n.d) The speech should never have anything to do with the person giving the speech. This type of speech should be rehearsed since visual aids and note cards are not really supposted to be used.

          The last type is Extemporaneous speeches. They have little or no structure and are often given off the cuff. This type is to be rehearsed and prepared for but without using any cues such as notecards. A speech I found that sort of represents this in my mind would be a wedding toast by Georgia Watson(April 28,2010) because in this speech she clearly had done some planning about giving this speech, much like I plan ahead if I know I have to give a speech. The only structure is just your basic speech structures which are: just to present information effectively and concisely. Lennon (n.d.) If you are someone who gets very nervous in front of people or you do not think fast on your feet this is probably not a good idea for you. I was in a couple of weddings and I had to give speeches, but I knew this ahead of time so I practiced what I would say. I kept it simple, something I could remember without needing flash cards or a visual aid since I do not think fast enough to do this type of speech due to my injury. I plan ahead so if I am asked to speak, I already have what I’m going to say mapped out in my head a little.  I know that is weird but since speaking is what I desire to do with my life, I have to always be ready. The types of speeches are not cut into stone. A speech may be in between types, you just need to figure out where the speech you plan to give falls, and be certain to follow the procedures of both types.

          These are just a few of the different type of speeches that someone can give. Now do you see what I meant when I said that not every speech fits into one category or another? They are a cross breed of the two speeches, which sometimes has to happen to get your point across. Stop trying to follow one type of speech if it is a combination of speeches that is ok, as long as it is not similar to combining apples to oranges. If you are giving a Eulogy do not try to make your speech an informative speech, but if you want to combine an informative and persuasive speech that is ok.

References

Aca (n.d.) Public Speaking The ACA Open Knowledge Online Guide. Ceremonial Speeches.

          Retrieved from http://textcommons.org/node/92

Lenon, Valerie. (n.d.) Types of Speeches for Public Speaking.

          Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_8440052_types-speeches-public

          speaking.html

You Tube. May 2,2007. Persuasive Speech on Being a Hero. Retrieved from

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYtm8uEo5vU

You Tube. April 28,2010. One of the best Maid of Honor Speeches I have ever heard.

          Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX9Y6OhkH1s

You Tube. November 13, 2011. Informative Speech Laughter is the Best Medicine by: Rayan Al-Hothali                             

          Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgsnFgnV6yY

Grace Flemming (n.d). Writing a Hook for your Essay. Retrieved from

          http://homeworktips.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/hook.htm

Essortments (n.d.) How To Give Extemporaneous Speeches. Retrieved from                

          http://www.essortment.com/give-extemporaneous-speeches-34205.html 

How should I Dress for Motivational Speaking?

          How should I dress to be a motivational speaker?

          Since I desire to be an effective motivational speaker, I have looked into different areas I need to be concerned with; such as how to present your speech, how you can make your story relatable to the audience in order to keep their attention, and how you should dress for the occasion.  When I looked up how to dress I went to forbes.com since that is a very good source for things related to the business world, I figured that would be the place to look up how to dress for a motivational speech, because they deal with entrepreneurs and business people. (Morgan,2011) They had advice on how to prepare your clothing for a speech.

          You don’t want anyone to pay attention to what you are wearing, instead you want them focused on what you are saying, not what you are wearing. If you are traveling away from home and need to pack your clothing, bring several options, in case something happens you do not want to paint yourself in a corner with no backup plan.(Morgan, 2011)

           Always be dressed better then the audience, because doing so will make it appear that you have authority and that you are someone who is professional. I know, that I am more apt to pay attention to someone who looks professional than someone who seems sloppily dressed.  (Morgan,2011) Even if you have a favorite dress outfit if it faded or really thin in any certain area go out and spend your money on a nice outfit. This is one thing you don’t want to skimp on. Darker colored clothes have a slimming effect. Your outfit says more to the audience then you realize. With that being said (if you are a woman) you do not want to wear shirt that show a lot of cleavage or a short skirt. Plus you do not want to wear dangly earrings or a flashy necklace, keep it simple. You want the audience to remember your speech not your body. (Daly, 2012)the thing you are going to want to gain in motivational speaking is creditability. Many speakers work for many years trying to obtain this but on a clip I found on how speakers should dress (Ryan,2009). He points out that even if you are not in front of a crowd it is very important to always be presentable because you might be recognized and your self-image is directly attached to the business that you are trying for. (Ryan,2009)

          You don’t always need to dress up like you are going somewhere, but from all the information I have gathered, you should not go out to the grocery store in your pajamas and slippers. Because you never know when you could run into a future employer, or someone who recognizes your face, and they won’t hire someone who is dressed like a complete slob. They want to hire a well put together person because after all your in a business that tries to encourage others.

References

Daly, Annette (2012, September 3) Tips for a Powerful Presence From The Stage. Your                               

            Wardrobe Wizard Feel Your Fortune, Look Your Best. March 25,2013,

Retrieved from  http://yourwardrobewizard.com/tips-for-a-powerful-presence-from-the-

stage/.

Morgan, Nick(2011, July 18) What Should a Speaker Wear? Forbes.March 30,2013,

Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2011/07/18/what-should-a-speaker-wear/

Ryan, Alex C.(2009) Professional Speaker Dress Code- Public Speaking Tips[video

file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR6Ott0JAWE

My Favorite Motivational Speaker

             My Favorite Motivational Speaker

The motivational speaker who is my favorite is Les (Leslie) Brown, born on February 17, 1945.  He has a twin named Wesley Brown. They were adopted by a cafeteria worker named, Mamie Brown, who did not have much in the way of money. Les Brown grew up just outside of Miami living in the low economic end of town. (“Les Brown”, n.p.)

            Les Brown tells the story that he was told by teachers that he was an educable mentally, retarded child.  He started to believe this. When he talks about this, he tells his audiences not to let others’ opinions of you become your reality. He talks specifically about one high school teacher who changed his mind about himself. This teacher told him to go up to the board and follow his instructions. Les Brown responded that he could not because he was educable mentally, retarded. The teacher got upset with him and told him to never say that again!

             He goes on to say that our own negative self-talk stops us from doing a lot of things in life. The more I thought about this concept that he mentions, the more I realized how correct he was. After graduating high school he “became a morning radio talk show host in Ohio promoted to broadcast manager; from community activist to community leader; from political commentator to three-term legislator; and from a banquet and nightclub emcee to premier keynote speaker  only to become a nationally known speaker telling about the obstacles he had to overcome. (“Les Brown”, n.p.) 

          I am drawn to listen to him. I want to pay attention to him because of how good his personal story is.  In 1989, he received the National Speakers Association's highest award - the Council of Peers Award of Excellence, making him the first black man to ever receive such a prestigious award. He then became the highest paid motivational speaker. (“Les Brown”,n.p.)
              I am so drawn to this man because he too faced adversity. He has no problem talking about his situation just as I have no problem talking about mine.  But I would have never in a million years guessed that he struggled in life.  The fact that teachers labeled him as an educable mentally retarded child bothers me, because he was not mentally retarded.  When people say things about me that are true, it stings little, but it hurts even worse when what they are saying is not true.  This is why I encourage people to just come ask me if I do something they are curious about.  I do not want them to make up a story in their heads.  I want them to come and ask me, please.  I will give them the most truthful answer that I can or I will get back to them after I ask one of my doctors.

I would have never guessed Les Brown’s teachers had labeled him as educable mentally retarded because he is very well spoken and confident.  I am glad that I researched my own favorite speaker, or I never would have known about Les Brown.

            I would like to encourage you to find whatever it is you are interested in, find your motivation or inspiration in one of the experts in that field and learn something about that. Do not take someone else’s idea of the best at that subject. Go out and do some digging of your own and find your favorite!

Works Cited

 Brown, Leslie (2013)  Get Motivation. Retrieved on February 28, 2013

            from http://www.getmotivation.com/    

"Les Brown Biography." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 February 2013. <http://biography.yourdictionary.com/les-brown>.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXS4tWHtItY

how to write a good motivational speech

Writing a Good Motivational Speech

          I am very interested in learning about what the professionals thought about what you have

to do to become a good motivational speaker. I looked up exactly that and came up with a few

different websites. They all said the same thing which was basically that you need to come up with a speech topic that will inspire people. A person needs to find a way to present a speech so that it is memorable. Using a personal story with each of your three points used to prove your main speech topic makes it worth-while for people to attend your speech (Howard, 2010).  You should find a life experience that you believe others can learn from. Walker (n.d.) says that if you cannot think of a reason from your own life, use someone else’s life story.  Tony Robbins uses Sylvester Stallone, playing Rocky in one of his speeches. Rocky is a movie about a champion fighter, who never gives up.
          According to Walker (n.d), "Make your speech memorable and compelling so it will leave a memory."  Use vivid details, by using appropriate adverbs to describe the feeling or situation, to make your experience more real for the listeners, when giving your motivational speech. Have a purpose for you speech, have a reason for sharing your story. What do you want your audience to remember about your speech?  
          "Now you need to find three main points that are similar but different." (Howard, 2010).  Do not give a speech on how to lose weight and as one of your arguments talk about amusement parks. Try to stay on point, to have three different topics, but all relating to the main

theme, much like writing a three paragraph essay. "Try to include a personal story for each of

your points, so that your speech seems more relatable to the audience. Try to stay up on news

relating to your topic, as valuable as your time is, so is the audiences." (Howard. 2010). 

        Members of your audience could be doing so much more, make it worth their while to be

there listening to you. You always want to be ready to give or appear ready to give a speech because you never know when you could be  meeting a potential new client that may hire you to speak. And, if you do meet a potential client or employer, give them all your contact information, but be sure to get all of theirs too. Do not try to play hard to get, by not returning their phone calls or e-mails right away. You are selling yourself; do not leave a bad impression. Basically you always want to act and dress very professionally.  
          The audience can spot someone who really does not know what they are doing from the start.  "Your charm and humor will only go so far so make sure you know what you are speaking on." After your speech, it is time for questions.  You better be able to back up your facts (“Get More Gigs”, 2006).  As it turns out this job requires more than I thought it did.
          These are some tips I found on how to be an effective motivational speaker. I learned most

of these in my speech class that I took my first semester at college. Even if you do not plan on

going into this career I highly suggest you take a speech class. That way if you are ever

presented with that circumstance, you will know how to act, since the majority of people get so

freaked out when it comes to public speaking. Some speakers suggest picturing the audience in their underwear or naked. I find this method to be quite stupid. I also get freaked out but then when I get up in front of the audience, I say to myself , “It is game time!” I push all the scared and nervous feelings away and realize that it is time to get serious.

References

Get more gigs. (2006).  Tips for all speakers Motivational-Depot Retrieved from http://www.motivational-depot.com/speakers/tips/more-gigs.htm

Howard, T. (2010). 5 easy steps to creating a dynamic motivational speech.

Retrieved from http://www.tyhoward.com/5_Easy_Steps_to_Creating_a_Dynamic_Motivational_Speech.html

Walker, T.J. (n.d.) how to give a motivational speech. Retrieved from http://www.howcast.com/videos/505099-How-to-Give-a-Motivational-Speech-Public-Speaking-Training

Accident Blog

My Accident

On November 10, 2003, my junior year of high school, I was the passenger in a bad car crash, which left me in a coma for three months and paralyzed on my left side. Due to the injury sustained from the crash, I was left with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). After I awoke, I had to relearn everything; I had gone back to an infantile state.  I had to relearn to walk, talk, eat, swallow, and use the bathroom. I knew from the day that I woke up that I had to get busy getting better because I wanted to live a “normal” life, not a life how the doctors told me I had to live. The initial therapy took almost a year. I spent three months in a facility and a lot of outpatient therapy once I got to go home. Now, after almost 10 years, my left side has regained motion, except my left hand. Now when I need to complete a task that would normally take two hands, I just figure out a way to do that task with only one good hand. Now I live in my own apartment, go to school full time, and have a work study job.

         When I graduate from Bethany College, I want to become a motivational speaker. College

 is definitely a struggle. College is a welcomed struggle, which will pay off in the long run. This

 journey is different for me than most, because I never know exactly how long walking up the hill

 to get onto campus will take. I usually leave around 20 minutes early to make sure that I am in

 class on time and prepared. Or I might have to work that much harder than my fellow students to

 get the intended meaning of the lecture that the professor gives. On bad days, when my left knee

 is causing me pain, or it is very slick outside because of ice or snow, I just call Bethany Security for a ride. To this day I do not drive a car, because my reaction time has significantly slowed down, so much that it would not be safe for me to drive.  These are some new rituals that I have developed to succeed in a college setting with the huge challenges in my life deriving from the accident.  Anthony Robbins, in his motivational speech, points out that the rituals of life are very apparent to success, and you have to make your own rituals and habits and do what you have to do even when you do not want to do it (Robbins, 2011). In addition, Robbins says that essentially you have to think for yourself and not allow others’ expectations to limit you or your possibilities (Robbins, 2012).In other words don’t allow others to figure out what you can or cannot do, learn to fight for what you want.

           Hopefully I will become a motivational speaker, just to offer a different point of view to others. I know that helps me sometimes, just to hear a different side to a story.  Sometimes I joke about being crippled or handicapped, but after seeing Aimee Mullins’ speech, “The Opportunity of Adversity” has made me see how hurtful words can be. I will think before I throw words around as if they are no big deal. But if you think about it each word has a specific meaning and we often try to use a word improperly to mean what we want it to mean, when a single word could be very offensive to someone else. 

            I really hope that after reading this that you were able to take something away from this.

That is the only reason for me to share my story.  But if not then please feel free to tell me your

opinion on how I can maybe deliver my story in a more effective way. Thank you for reading

this!

References

Mullins, Aimee (2009) The opportunity of adversity [video file].

Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_the_opportunity_of_adversity.html

Robbins, Anthony (2011) Motivational speech [video file].

Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-hJyD6qo8M

Robbins, Anthony (2012) Tony Robbins reveals greatest secret ever [video file].

Retrieved from  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJwEZ_D3ggo

The Power of a Single Word

The Power of a single word

            Most of the time we say words, without realizing, the actual meaning that come across. We might not actually mean the definition of the word it actually means, according to a dictionary. In today’s society we have become very lazy, by using hurtful words to mean something else that we mean to say and since everyone else uses those short cuts we just think that it is ok. A very personal example will be my first story, then the story of Aimee Mullins

          I was very, very bad about using inappropriate slang. I have a handicapped parking sticker, so legally I am handicapped but I joke about that word all the time because I work so hard, go to college full-time, have a work-study job, live on my own. So I ask am I really handicapped? But I am in some physical ways, but I can still do most things that I need to do to get through the day. But I realized that I feel that way because I never try to do things that I know I would fail at, I know that I cannot drive so therefore I do not try to drive, In that sense I am really handicapped. In everyday life I can do everyday life things: washing the dishes, getting dressed, showering, putting clothes on, putting my shoes on, showering, walking, and talking. That is why I do not consider myself handicapped, because being handicapped in my mind is when you cannot do anything for yourself. But just like everything else in life there are different levels of handicapped severity.

          According to Webster’s handicapped means “having a physical or mental disability making participation in certain of the usual activities of daily livingmore difficult.”(websters)   I never thought much about it until I watched Aimee Mullins speech on, how hurtful words can be (Mullins,2009) so I had the meaning of being handicapped, as something much worse than it actually is. Watching Aimee’s’ speech was very humbling to watch.(Mullins,2009)

          I use to throw the words “that’s gay” or “look how gay” but I did not mean it really. But the last time I threw that word around, I was in one of my professors office for his student hours, I had drawn a picture of something that we had learned about during class. I thought the picture was sort of stupid and I said without realizing what I was saying, “look how gay the picture I drew is.” He is in fact gay, but he did not say anything to me right then. So we went over my questions that I had, Right before I left his office he told me that I should watch what I said because he knows that I did not mean what I said but to people who do not know me, they might get offended. I was completely clueless so with my jaw on the floor, because I am very fond of this teacher, and to think that I had said something that would hurt him in anyway broke my heart, so I had to ask “What exactly did I say?” With a smile he told me gently “before you showed me your picture you had drawn, you said want to see how gay?” my heart broke right then I felt so small, because I try to be the bigger person and never put anyone else down. But he forgave me or simply has forgotten about what happened. Or maybe he has not, but I will never forget about it.

          To tie this into the theme of my blog channel are similes, “it is a direct comparison of dissimilar things”( Expert village. 2008) Just be careful what you are comparing and meaning are what the actual word means, not what you mean by saying that word. This term is the main one that gets a lot of people in trouble. Instead of saying look how stupid or juvenile my picture, I drew is, I said look how gay and that is not actually what I meant.

 

Works Cited

Gardner, Andrea. (n.d) The Power of Words [video file].

Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU

Mullins, Aimee. (2009) The opportunity of adversity [video file].

Retrieved from

http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_the_oppurtunity_of_adversity.html

Expert village. (2008) Word Choice for Public Speaking: Using Similes in Public Speaking

[video file].Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzHVbO37CtI

Miriam Webster (2013) handicapped [web page].

Retrieved from  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handicapped

What Does "Normal" Really Mean?

What Does Normal Really Mean?

          After doing my blog about the power of words, Aimee Mullins talked about how when she looked up the word disabled how it listed definitions that really hurt her, because she had never taken the time to look up the actual words’ meaning. (Mullins,2012)  That really got me thinking, what exactly is normal? I had an idea but the dictionary definition is always very different from the meaning that’s in your head. So I looked up normal in the Webster’s on-line dictionary and it had a lot of different categories under the word Normal and they were Psychology, Biology, Medicine/Medical .and Mathematics. Then under each of those were subtopics which were alphabetized. I can already tell that this is not going to be an easy word to find a definition for.

          I looked under the Medicine/Medical section just to see what their definition of normal was because I know that I do not fall under that category. It had an A and B under the words Medicine/Medical. A:free from any infection or other form of disease or malformation, or from experimental therapy or manipulation. B. of natural occurrence”(Webster, 1995) I knew that I was not normal but I did not know exactly how right I was.  Because I would say on a whole I am pretty normal, I do most things that everyone else does, I function throughout the day very successfully, I do not make irrational decisions, such as cursing out loud in class or hitting a fellow student. I consider myself as pretty normal except for the fact that half of my body is impaired significantly. So after reading the dictionary’s definition I said to myself that is not a very practical reasoning.

          Then I want to find out how society labels someone as Normal or not so I went to howstuffworks.com and got a definition that was closer to my definition of Normal and it said that to be normal is to act the same as most people of that society acts. (Scheve, Tom, n.d.) I understood this to mean that if you are a person who has not much personal hygiene that if you were invited to the President’s house; you would clean up nicely, since that would be the norm for that family, which leads perfectly into the next point of this website that as sane human beings we adapt to the different norms in different situations, so it is normal to act in a different manner around a different crowd of people.  

          I now understand more clearly that there is no such thing as a normal person because normal to someone may be very taboo to another.  Basically as long as you do not do anything too drastically different from everyone else and you have working limbs and pretty much fit in the cookie cutter idea of a human and how they should act you are “Normal”. I say the cookie cutter idea because that is how today society works. You do not notice it until you all the sudden don’t fit that anymore, but almost everyone here on the campus of Bethany College has accepted me and my injury, but when I go to Florida to visit my mom that is when I really do feel handicapped. Because that is not the norm for that state but back here it sort of is normal to see good ol’ Sydney the girl who walks funny.

Works Cited

Scheve, Tom.(n.d.) How do we define “Normal”? [web site]

Retrieved from http://how stuffworks.com/define-normal.htm

Mullins, Aimee.(2012) PARALYMPIC RECORD BREAKER, AIMEE MULLINS SEEKS TO REDEFINE THE WORD “DISABLED”[web site]

Retrieved from http://epicvictories.com/athlete-and-actor-aimee-mullins-seeks-out-to-redefine-the-word-disabled-she-instead-is-differently-abled/

Webster (1995) Normal[web site]

Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/normal?s=t