Emily Merz, an English education major at Southeast Missouri State University, was chosen to speak at the 15th annual COMMrades Spring 2017 Speaker Showcase. COMMrades hosted the SC 105 Speaker Showcase Wednesday in the University Center Ballroom.

Merz was chosen for the event because of a speech she presented previously in her Fundamentals of Oral Communication class. The theme of Merz’s speech was, “Just Take an Art Class: It’s Fun and Wise.”

Within her speech, Merz talked about the arts and how they can help with creative thinking and build a foundation for getting a job.

“Being an artist isn’t a dream job anymore,” Merz said.

Even with arts programs being cut from schools, Merz explained through facts and statistics that painting, architecture and photography jobs are expected to increase by 11 percent by 2018.

Merz provided examples of how the arts benefit students. Music helps with visualizing how 3-D objects fit into a space. Drama increases students’ understanding of human behavior. Dance increases persistence, self-confidence and can help with social development. Visual arts help us see the world in different ways.

“From visualizing how to write your term paper, to figuring out how arrange your furniture in your small dorm room, the ability can help anyone succeed,” Merz said.

The purpose of the event was to inform students on how to properly and effectively give a speech. Jeanne Harris, instructor of communication studies, concluded the event discussing Merz’s speech in depth. Harris talked about her topic, structure, development, PowerPoint presentation and her delivery of the speech.

“When you’re picking a topic, you want a topic you and the audience will love,” Harris said.

While discussing the structure of Merz’s speech, Harris mentioned five key points every speech should have, including a thesis, preview, bullet points, transitions and review of the subject matter.

A thesis statement should be a single declared sentence that provides an overview of the topic. A preview should be a taste of what the subject is and to keep the audience attention. Bullet points contain the main plot of a speech. Transitions are used when moving from one subject to another. They are used to make the speech easier to listen to, tie into the previous subject and follow to the end. A review is the total package of a speech.

Harris also talked about the use of PowerPoint and facts. Harris said the key to using PowerPoint is to streamline content and not go overboard with information. She added that the content must be supported by facts and credible sources.

Harris concluded by talking about the delivery of Merz’s speech. Harris said that the steps to good delivery in a speech involve a good pace, taking time, coordinating the speech through PowerPoint, appropriate language to the audience and making eye contact.

“What I liked most about your delivery was the way you tried to connect with your audience,” Harris said to Merz.