Fleetwood Mac Speech

[cristochango]

Hey Guys, for my speech class we have to do an informational speech on a topic that we want, so I chose the mac, but the thing is it has to be a narrow topic, and I think I know how I want to go about it, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to deliver a good speech on it. I wrote a thesis for it because we were supposed to, but if any of you guys want to A) Help me out with material I could use for my speech or B) Help me choose another topic that would probably be easier.
Thanks Guys, here's the thesis I'm using.

Fleetwood Mac is a band that has spent the past forty years drawing upon personal experiences both inside and out of the band to write meaningful lyrics that apply to all generations, as well as create music that is still played and listened to on the radio today... Forty years later.

Lemme know what you guys think I should do.
Thanks.

[Sahara]

Hmmh, interesting idea!

For English class a year or two ago I wrote an essay entitled: "Music lyrics: Poetry or rubbish?" Naturally the Mac were included and I mentioned a few other favourite bands and singers as well. My teacher said that what distinguished my essay from others was the fact that I namedropped lots of people and songs that readers would recognise to illustrate my points.

So perhaps it's worthwhile bearing that in mind and considering who your audience is. Stick to a couple of examples and the well-known songs that people will recognise from the radio, so that they'll be able to follow. Going in-depth into the secret meanings of songs they've never heard of or only vaguely know won't keep them engaged!

If it's for a younger audience, or you don't think they'll know the songs or the band well enough, perhaps you could take a broader look at your experience of being a Fleetwood Mac fan -- how you found them, what their music has done for you, special experiences, people you've met as a result, excellent online forums ...

Hope that helps. Good luck, and let us see the finished result!

[cristochango]

Yeah its to a group of 16 to 17 year olds

[David]

I think your thesis is both too general (the notion of songwriters drawing on personal experience applies to thousands of bands) & too vague (what is a "meaningful" lyric? That's a highly subjective notion, as is your view that FM lyrics "apply to all generations").

You need to write an informational speech & keep it narrow, right? How about using the Blue Letter Archives to research critical reaction to a single album or a single tour? Trace similarities & differences in press views of Tusk shows, or the Mirage album. (Most of the old tour reviews praise very similar elements.) Cite your sources (they're all provided in the Archives).

If you don't feel like reading press reviews, write a speech about your views of the transformative nature of motherhood in Stevie Nicks songs, from Sara (whose Biblical antecedent became a mother at a very late age) to Beautiful Child to Landslide to The Nightmare.

If all of that sounds like hooey (& it probably is), how about discussing the role of orchestration in post-1975 Fleetwood Mac albums, & contrasting it with pre-1975 albums?

[thatgirlwasme]

Hi Christo--I actually have been an instructor for a Public Speaking class, and I agree that your thesis is way to broad. How long is your speech supposed to be? The informative speech for the class I taught was supposed to be 7 minutes, which is not really that long.

If you are still wanting to do a Fleetwood Mac related topic, try to narrow it to a very specific aspect of the band that makes it unique and interesting. Off the top of my head I'm thinking about the fact that Lindsey doesn't use a guitar pick. I know this might sound too narrow, but you could talk a little more broadly about guitar technique and how a pick-less sound helped define the band.

Good luck with it--remember it's not necessary to overwhelm your audience with info, but your speech will be better if it is a topic you yourself want to learn a little more about.

A

[FMlex]

Originally Posted by thatgirlwasme

Hi Christo--I actually have been an instructor for a Public Speaking class, and I agree that your thesis is way to broad. How long is your speech supposed to be? The informative speech for the class I taught was supposed to be 7 minutes, which is not really that long.

Boy am I glad I'm out of my high school years!
I'm pretty sure for my ninth grade speech class, our informative speeches were about three minutes long.

Good luck though, cristochango -- let us know how it goes!

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by thatgirlwasme

Hi Christo--I actually have been an instructor for a Public Speaking class, and I agree that your thesis is way to broad. How long is your speech supposed to be? The informative speech for the class I taught was supposed to be 7 minutes, which is not really that long.

When you are in High school 7 minutes in front of the class equals years of intense nervousness. Nowadays though I could talk for an hour in front of people with no problem.

[thatgirlwasme]

I was actually an instructor for a college course, so yes, I guess 7 minutes might be long for a high school class. It really goes by quickly, though, especially if you want to convey a lot of info.

A couple of other ideas for topics:
-how Stevie influenced fashion
-changes in line-up influencing a band

Also, is there an assignment for a commemorative or celebratory speech? Fleetwood Mac might be better suited for that type of assignment. Just a thought!

A

[cristochango]

Yeah the maximum is about 7 minutes long.
I wouldnt be into the whole stevie fashion thing but I think the lindsey using finger pick would be really chill, or that idea about comparing the tusk and mirage shows.

I was also thinking of doing speaking on how the band had transformed from 1975-1987, then into 2003, keeping up with the trends of the music busniess at the time, while still being able to keep their "signature sound"

I think that might be my best bet right there

[LB Freakazoid]

I teleprompt over a thousand speeches a year - and I can always tell when the presenter "wrote" their speech and then they read it to the audience. The written word and the spoken word are two totally different things.

I would recommend that once you decide what you want to talk about - put it down in bullet points and then, while in front of a mirror, talk out your presentation while a video cam or digital recorder is running. Play it back and listen to what you're saying... do this several times to hone the copy. When you finally get to your final draft - transcribe it to paper - use dash dashes and comas galore! They are for pacing and voice tone. It might look strange on paper but no one else is going to see that except for you. Tape the final version and watch it back - Are you interested in what you are saying? Also, don't rehearse it too much. Sometimes I see people run thru their speech so many times that by the time of the actual presentation, they are on auto-pilot. If you sound like you're bored, the audience will be bored.

If you're going to use powerpoint along with you speech - NEVER say, "And as you can see on this slide" You just gave the power of your speech to the slide!! Slides should support what you're saying, not the other way around.

Also - don't drink or eat dairy the morning/day of (that frog will find a way to your throat in the middle of your speech!).... no cold water, just room temp (keeps the throat loose).... stay away from carbonated stuff (I've seen people down a soda and then go do their speech only to have an occasional burp come out during some words)... and hum your favorite song before you go on - it'll loosen your throat and relax you.

Good luck!

[cristochango]

Fleetwood Mac was able succeed in the evolution of music by adapting to the distinct types of style heard within each decade the band was active.

this is what im using now as my thesis. what do you guys think of it?

[TrueFaith77]

Originally Posted by cristochango

Fleetwood Mac was able succeed in the evolution of music by adapting to the distinct types of style heard within each decade the band was active.

this is what im using now as my thesis. what do you guys think of it?

You should never use passive or "be" verbs in a thesis statement.

Fleetwood Mac succeeded in the five decades the band was active by adapting to the styles of the times.

The problem with this is that it really isn't much of a thesis because it doesn't really prepare the reader/audience for how your argument will be made.

very rough alternative:

In its five decades as an active band(?), Fleetwood Mac adapted to popular styles in each era: blues in the 60s, psychedelic and California pop in the 70s, New Wave and synth in the 80s, adult contemporary in the 90s, and indie rock in the 00s.

That would establish that the presentation/paper will be organized in terms of each decade and those styles, which can be defined therein and the Mac's adaptation to each style detailed. Note: I cut out the word "succeed" as you would have to define "success," and why get bogged down by that.

Of course, then there is the question of whether or not it is true. Or, rather, the larger question of why they did it. To be marketable? To target certain markets? They didn't go grunge in the 90s. They went nostalgic (as chiliD would point out) with THE DANCE, which certainly sold, and went full out a/c-soft with BEHIND THE MASK which I think some would not consider a "success," much less very timely.