help me!! i have to give a speech on cruises for class!!

lidodeck105 · #1 (**permalink**) October 12th, 2008, 02:50 PM

hey guys, i am taking a public speaking class where i have to give a demonstration/"How to" speech on any topic i want. of course, i picked "How to Book/Plan for A Cruise Vacation". im having a lot of trouble on what to talk about though and kinda need help, so that's why i came here. with my speech, i have to use a visual aid and demonstrate something (for example, most of my classmates speeches are like "how to bake a cake" so they are bringing all the ingredients in and pretending to bake it in a bowl). What visual aid can i bring in to help explain how to plan for a cruise? It can be more than one visual aid. So far, I've only thought of printing out a big poster board of an example of a ship's deck plan and explain where all the different stateroom types are (oceanview, interior view, balcony suite, etc) and basically just how to read the deck plan. any other ideas?

also, i need a creative intro that grabs the audience's attention. it can be really corny lol. right now im thinking about starting off like "bon voyage" or maybe "ahoy mate!" lol! im also thinking of playing cruise type music in the background like bob marley haha. oh, and i also need a conclusion. any other ideas of what i can talk about? i was thinking about making them a handout of all "cruise lingo" like gangway, oceanview stateroom, lido deck, muster station, etc. lol. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR YOUR IDEAS!!! any ideas are very much appreciated <3

Ainsley · #2 (**permalink**) October 12th, 2008, 09:04 PM

hi welcome to cruisemates. im ainsley. i wish that my speech class was the interesting. haha. but honestly you have alot of it already covered. have it compared for a family of four to cruise vs a trip to say disney world.. remember that all of your food and entertainment (other than gambling) is included in your price for your cruise vs having to pay for that and even your hotel for disney world. the bon voyage sounds great, but on my screen there is an add for carnival and it says "You've got a date with a tropical island, and boring is not invited." haha i really like that, but its totally up to you. If there is a local travel agent where you live go and get some cruise books and brochure's that will help with your visual aids. the handouts with cruise lingo is great and you could even print out pictures from online of cruise food =) cruise music bob marley would be great. if you have anymore questions feel free to ask.

mmerali · #3 (**permalink**) October 13th, 2008, 04:57 PM

hey and welcome. i'm Michael.

I would recommend the deck plan, some photographs of a ship or ships wouldn't hurt either. Cruise lingo and terms can be very helpful too. Remember, not all people know that aft means rear or midships means middle.

If you're using a specific cruise line, remember to include all categories that are currently open for booking. You may also want to be able to explain that ever so elusive guarantee category. You can also explain the two routes of booking: via a TA or by yourself through either the cruise line directly or an internet company. You can weigh the pros and cons of each, and you can show what an example of an online agency might look like.

For your intro, you could try using one of the cruise line slogans, or something of the sort (i'm not one for intros).

You might want to consider a factual close or opening by adding that cruising, while a vacation, is also a multibillion dollar per year industry. And that thousands cruise yearly with more and more cruising every year (as evidenced by behemoth ships like Oasis of the Seas).

You could also include tips to pick a cruise; since there are so many choices you might want to explain how to pick then how to book and make it an overall how to cruise tutorial.

Hope it helps,
Michael

c_m_alex · #4 (**permalink**) October 14th, 2008, 08:29 PM

thats a cool idea! more interesting than cake baking in my opinion. is there anyway you could hook up a computer to an overhead projector of some sort and walk the class through booking a cruise? are you allowed to use that type of thing? because, if i was one of your classmates, i'd find that a lot easier to understand than...say a poster. (for the booking part)
i like the ship lingo too. good luck!

lidodeck105 · #5 (**permalink**) October 20th, 2008, 10:22 AM

i love all these ideas!! thank you sooo much everyone. i'm seriously writing them all down on a pad of paper right now.

Ainsley- i love the carnival slogan...i think im gonna use it =) its sooo cute, how could i not? lol & i totally forgot i should mention how everything
(well most things like you mentioned) are included in the price. thats one of the many things i love about cruising.

michael- thank you so much for the idea of talking about booking online or the choice of through a travel agent. i didnt think of that. and its an 8 minute speech so thats definitely gonna help me fill up time explaining thanks

alex- great idea about the projector/overhead. im gonna ask my teacher if i can use one. hopefully there is one in the classroom already *crosses fingers*

thanks soooooo much for all your great ideas. i present next week, so if you have any more ideas keep em comin lol. i'm gonna try and email different cruise lines and see if they can hook me up with brochures or something.