Personal Branding Speech

Good afternoon to Miss Cheryl and my fellow classmates. Today I will be talking about my personal brand which I’d like to refer to as a spectrum. So, what is a spectrum? Simply put, a spectrum is a rainbow of 7 colors which are red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo and purple. The more important question is why do I brand myself as a spectrum?

There is a very simple explanation to that, so, today I am going to tell you why I am a spectrum. My sense of style is very simple, but once in awhile I like to inject bold and fun colors into the things that I wear. I add in uniqueness through my accessories. I always keep it sweet and decent in terms of how I dress up. I put in effort to look my best on special occasions such as weddings, birthday parties and functions as a sign of respect for the host and the event that is being celebrated. But more importantly is the fact that I always have that splash of red at every point of time. Red is my color and my style. Whenever I need a boost of confidence or want to look extra good, it is my go-to color. Red makes up the first color in my spectrum.

When it comes to my personality, there are many parts of myself. Firstly, my online personality on social networking websites like Facebook. I am a very private person, I don’t reveal very much about myself. Like the indigo color in the rainbow, my online personality is shadowed. I don’t exchange many comments or post up a status regularly. However, when it comes to my pictures on Facebook, it portrays a more artistic side of me, one that is filled with spontaneity and fun.

Outside the virtual realm, I am very opinionated. I have a viewpoint towards almost everything in life. I take my own stand in life and I dictate my own beliefs. I am also able to conjure up many ideas and am inspired by many things because of my light bulb mind. With a click of a switch I can come up with new suggestions. I am very determined and hardworking as well. When I set my mind and heart into doing a specific task, I will ensure that I persevere until I complete the task. I work towards my goals by putting in the extra effort and hours needed. But at the same time, I have a very bubbly and enthusiastic character. The color orange is a symbol of all these qualities which is a combination of the happiness symbolized by yellow and the fiery determination of the color red.

I am different from others through 3 important qualities that I find are of much value to me whenever I find myself in situations that are difficult to overcome. My ability to balance my time between work and play as well as between family and friends is something that I find is somewhat exceptional. I am able to juggle my life well and to find that line of separation in most things that I do. I don’t take my anger or frustration towards an issue out on someone completely unrelated to it. I understand where to draw the line.

I am also very firm with my choices. No matter what decisions I make or what choices in life that I select, I am adamant to stick to it. I am not fickle minded, I know exactly what I want. When I have certain opinions about something, I will not waver about it without a strong and reasonable argument that proves otherwise. The last quality that sets me apart from others is my ability to listen. Most people can talk, but not everyone knows when is the time to swallow their words and listen to what someone has to say. When close friends of mine need a listening ear, I am ever ready to offer mine. My ability to balance, stay firm and listen can be symbolised by the color blue. I am just like the calm blue ocean waters that absorb all the sounds around it, that has tiny waves regular intervals and stays in its place, only spilling over in small portions.

I am talented in various different ways. I am creative in crafting words, artsy projects and small portions of designing. My creativity stems from the spectrum in which I view the world. My writings are flowery and full of colourful flair, so are the pictures that I take. I play the piano, and with every sound that the keys produce I paint a world of colors to immerse myself within. I always love to put in a lot vibrant colors into my work which represents the whole of the spectrum.  

For all of those reasons above, I brand myself as a spectrum of colors. This is because not only do I see the world in a colorful light, but because every aspect of my being is part of yet another color.

Persuasive Speech Draft

Good afternoon to my lecturer and fellow classmates. Today, I will be speaking on the subject “media provokes racism”. For centuries, the issue of racism has been haunting millions of people worldwide. Almost everywhere you turn you see some form of racism or another, it may be in subtle or direct forms, but racism exists indefinitely. It’s not a problem that is restricted to a specific region nor is it something that should be taken lightly. Most people have, at some point of their lives, made a racist remark or behaved in racist manner.  There is no single solid reason that leads to racism. In fact, there is a combination factors put together which results in these racist feelings that a lot of us harbour. One of these factors happens to be the media. From newspapers to movies, television and even advertisements. The media is surrounded by hints of racism. So, the question is how does media provoke racism?

Racism stems from one root cause, anger. Media provokes this anger which in turn leads to racist feelings through a variety of ways. A recent case would be that of the headmistress of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Johor, whom reportedly made a racist comment regarding non-muslim students at a school assembly. She was reported to have referred to these students as “penumpang”. The headmistress was also reported to have made a comment regarding the prayer bands worn by Indian students around their hands and necks. The headmistress was reported to have said that the bands made these students look like dogs as dogs were tied in that manner. In another case, the headmaster of SMK Bukit Selambau made another racist remark by saying that the Chinese students should return to China if they could not respect other races. This remark was made in reference to the fact that the Chinese students were allegedly eating within the school compound during the month long fasting period.

For a non-muslim, such a comment would usually be somewhat upsetting and could provoke rage. I speak for myself when I say that I was none too pleased upon reading such an upsetting newspaper article. Although I may not consider myself to be an outright racist person, this comment did provoke anger within me and I own up to the fact that I did feel a pang of hatred subsequently. I was, however, not alone with my anger as I noticed similar reactions from some of my peers on this issue.

Another example of a situation in which media provoked racism is the case in which the word “Allah” was used in the Christian bible. Newspapers reported heavily on this issue regarding the racist attacks on the churches. Although the media might not have been the root cause of this issue, the constant reports all over the newspapers added fuel to the fire. There was, at the time, already plenty of negative energy between both parties and these reports build more anger within the concerned parties. This anger will most likely lead to racism at the end of the day. If put in the shoes of those people who read about how their places of worship were being burnt down in an attack, wouldn’t you be provoked?

Newspapers are only one example of how the media provokes racism. Advertisements that boast the superiority of White Americans in comparison to African Americans by portraying these both races in double standards provoke racism within society. Movies that often showcase stereotypical images of Hispanics ranking in the lower class society can provoke racism. This is due to the fact that no one fancies bearing witness to their race being compared unfavourably against that of a different race.

Hence, media might not have intentionally set out to provoke racism within the citizens but it is important for the media to understand that racial matters are often sensitive and may lead to unpleasant endings. It is important for the media to ensure that the material being published will not result in resentment between races. Media should practice equality throughout. Although media cannot be held fully responsible for the existence of racism, it does to certain extent cause racism.

However, this goes to show that media is indeed a very powerful source which has the ability to influence the minds and actions of millions of people worldwide. So, if media has the ability to provoke racist feelings, it should also have the ability to reverse the amount of racism by a fair bit. It’s a long shot, but in future, there is a possibility that media can reduce racism.

Interpretive Speech Draft

“An artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” These were the wise words of Emile Zola, a French novelist, critic and activist. What it simply means is that talent and ability is of no meaning if a person refuses to work on it. Some people believe that talent is inborn, but others believe that talent comes with hard work and a lot of practice. I’m a believer of the latter. To me, nothing comes without a substantial amount of effort put into it. Previously, I was terrible at speaking in public. When I stood up there, I had this tendency of losing my words and I would be seized by this sudden panic attack. But coming for this class and being pushed into presenting speeches on a regular basis is part of practice. So, even without the gift of speaking well, I am slowly improving myself to become a better speaker. I wouldn’t say that I’m good at it now but with work and effort I would be able to improve my presentation skills gradually.

You can have anything in the world but if you don’t work on it, it has no significance. This quote, “An artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work,” is a lesson for almost everything in life. For instance you could adopt this same idea for love. A relationship is nothing without love, but love is nothing without work. Love is something that is so fragile that you need to constantly work on it to ensure that it will last. You can’t just jump into a relationship without nurturing it and expect that it would love will prevail. The same thing works for money. If I were to give you 100 dollars and you were to do nothing with it but leave it as it is. In time the value of that money will decrease to become nothing. But if you were to work on that 100 dollars by purchasing 100 lemons and sell it at 2 dollars each it would become something. You could have the most amazing set of friends but if you constantly take that friendship for granted and you don’t work on it, you will eventually lose those friends. The most thriving people in the world don’t just turn wealthy and successful overnight. That too, comes with work.

So, “An artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work,” is a lesson that I will carry with me for life. After all, what is the point of life if you don’t work on it? What is life without working on happiness, on family ties, on relationships, on friendships, on knowledge? Life without work is not living because life comes with reason and purpose. Hence, if you do not work on accomplishing this purpose you would be nothing more than insignificant.