Councilman urges speeches to be personal, use technology

By Chan Mon/reporter

Writing a speech should start with the heart, not the head, TR students were told Sept. 26.

“I learned a long time ago that if you speak to your heart, the words will come out,” Fort Worth City Councilman Sal Espino said during a Riverside Chat discussion.

Espino, in his fourth term representing District 2 that includes TR Campus, also spoke about learning the importance of technology as a tool to access information and to put it to use.

“Communication is very important,” he said. “I use all kinds of communication — social media, Facebook, a website, chat and texting.”

Espino told how he has used social networking, local organizations and churches to communicate with people in his role as a councilman.

Daniel Soto, speech instructional associate, then asked three groups of students to brainstorm about modern technology and ways it can be used to accomplish personal goals.

“There are different ways you can give a speech with the use of technology,” Soto said while giving an example on YouTube. “It is not even necessary to be at the same place or at the same time [as the audience].”

Student Moses Gomez said technology is a way to communicate and to research.

“Absolutely, it will help you to find the topic and narrow it down for translating into a speech,” he said.

Experience in public speaking is good no matter what one’s field, Espino said.

“You must be able to write a speech or give a speech,” he said, “no matter what major or career.”

A speech’s delivery can be just as important as the content, Soto said.

“A speech must be persuasive and must be powerful,” he said.

Espino also emphasized the effect of a strong ending.

“The last part of a speech or conclusion is the most important part,” Espino said, “and using a visual presentation is also helpful to your speech.”

Students then put what they had heard to work, writing the thesis for a speech and outlining the first, second and third points before making a presentation in front of the audience.

“I am really shy, and this workshop really helped me to collect my thoughts,” student Kahleia Hawkins said after her first-time speech. “And I totally learned more than what I expected.”