Issue Identification

After much thought of my second speech, the controversy that I felt was appropriate is the current debate on birth control insurance coverage. This is a very relevant, especially because I am a woman and in college. With the 2012 election coming in November, this is being debated heavily between the Republicans and Democrats. Barak Obama is very much for it and the Republicans are against it. According to Yahoo News, the Republicans are "not hesitant to do anything". The debate is whether or not birth control should be covered by health insurance. The Senate has just rejected the drastic measure that "would have allowed employers with moral objections to opt out of birth control coverage and other services." 

The moral problem lies within the Catholic Church. They believe in not taking artificial contraception. Their form of birth control is Natural Family Planning where couples perform periodic abstinence to prevent having a child. They believe that if they become pregnant, that is God's will. Therefore, by making birth control covered by insurance, this is going against their religion. As for the approach that was shot down by the Senate, pretty much gave the freedom to fire women working at a place with Catholic morals if they were taking birth control.

The other side of this argument is that men are making these decisions, not the women. Also, there is the population control problem. And women having the right to make their own decisions and privacy.  This topic has been discussed in Sexuallities and Communication class. After hearing about it there, I realized that this is a current and relevant controversial issue that is worth speaking about in class. 

This is my little piece of heaven that I made for myself. It may not look that amazing to others, but to me it is my home away from home and I place where I feel safe and happy. This picture was taken at night which the time of day changes the way my room looks a bit. The sun rises in my window and sines through my curtains unlike at night when they serve as a darkness to help me sleep. My room is in Golden Bear South; being on campus changes how I decorate and what I do with my room.
Last year I shared a room with another girl so I couldn't completely express myself through my room. But now that I have a room to myself to do with what I want, I have made it everything I wanted. I thought about how I wanted my room before I moved in. I knew the layout and did exactly what I wanted. My bed against the window, desk next to bed and my closet to the far wall (which isn't seen in this picture).
Using Mehrabian's Framework: arousal, pleasure, and dominance, I can see why I enjoy my room so much. The lighting was made to be very dim and romantic. On top of my closet I have a string of lights that I light before I go to bed which makes me relaxed and tired. Being a small room, I don't need very much light; therefore giving it a much more intimate setting.
Now that I have my own room, I can play the music that I want to hear and the posters that I want to see. When I lived with my roommate we had to see what colors we were using so that we could match. Now that it is just me, I use the colors blue and green which are calming and make it a pleasurable environment.
I only have one chair in my room and that is my computer chair. So when I have guests come over they either sit on my bed or pull my my little stool. If it is just me and another person, we will both sit on my bed, making it all a very intimate setting. Although, when there are many people in my room, I will sit on my bed which is higher up and they sit below me on my chair and stool.
I like for people to remember that this is my room, I made it to make me happy. I don't want anyone doing anything to mess it up or take that away from me. My room is my slice of heaven!

Persuasive World

Persuasion is seen everywhere when you look for it; begging for a later bedtime, asking for an extension, asking for a raise, presidential campaigns. Persuasion can be used for good in those situations, but there are other are more casual times when it can be used effectively. Such as swaying an indecisive friends or standing up for something that is right. How I see it, persuading is successfully having someone understand and see your argument or opinion. I believe that some may have a different definition and a different way of of using persuasion. It isn't always used in a positive way. Actually I think that most people use it to get what they want or for power. (i.e. Hitler) If someone is very good at persuading, their abilities can get them the things that they want, then turning them power hungry and using their skills for their own sake instead of thinking of others.
Making an argument persuasive is being fully dedicated to one side of the argument and being able to back up the facts that need to be presented to convince others to see that side. some types of evidence come directly for the source such as a statistic or research. When the facts come straight from the controversy, they are more credible to the audience. As for something found on Google from a blog, isn't a credible source to back up an argument. No one will take that information seriously when it could be made up. If it makes sense to the audience and they have no reason to no believe it, they will start to see that side of the argument. 
When an arguing a personal subject, it is something that is closer to home and makes one more passionate on the persuasion. 
I'm still unsure of what exactly drives me in a persuasive argument. Although I am in Sexuality Communications and that is about sexual preferences and the different types of sexual preferences. The one thing that drives me the most is gay married. I believe that gay men or lesbian women have more drive to marry because they value it since it is hard to get and they have a right just as any other human. Everyone has the right to love who they want. This is the drive I have for my first persuasive speech.

Nonverbal Posture

The one aspect of myself that has been brought up to me about my nonverbal is the way I walk. In high school I was made fun of because people would tell me that I would "strut" down the hallway. To me, I didn't see that as a problem but to everyone else, they saw it as me being cocky. Others thought that I had this high opinion of myself and that I thought I was above everyone else. In my head, I just wanted to come off as confident instead of insecure. Some people wouldn't take me seriously because they thought I didn't care about their opinions or feelings. 
I still some times watch myself strutting down the halls, but I still see it as better than looking as if I have low self-esteem. Especially in the business world, I believe that it is important to look confident and as if you mean business. 
As for other non-verbals, I think that my face expressions can be very big at times and I think people might get the wrong message when I react. Since I have started taking communication classes, I have become more aware of my reactions in situations. That is something I have been working on; I have to be aware of what faces I am making and to have them match them to the situation instead of how I might actually be feelings. For example, it is rude to look bored if someone tells you their dog just died. I need to learn how to look more genuine, rather than trying to fake the emotions.

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