Performance and Occasions

As discussed in the article, performance is influenced by the occasion. Individuals act differently depending on the situation. I do not have the same conversations with my friends that I have with my grandparents. While in high school, I was very active and gave a lot of speeches to a wide range of people, but two specific instances that stick out in my mind for being different are, talking to a group of farmers about my trip to Brazil, and giving the commencement address at my graduation.

I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Brazil the summer before my senior year of high school. As a result of the program, I had to address the farmers in the community about farming in another country. This was very difficult for me, because although I knew a little bit about farming, I was very worried about talking to farmers about how to better do their own jobs. The occasion was more of a roundtable discussion and very relaxed. Because the occasion was relaxed, I was able to better perform. All of my worries were pushed aside and I was able to better communicate what I had learned in another country to the farmers of my community.

On the other hand, I had the opportunity to give the commencement address at the high school graduation. This occasion was very serious, and one to not be taken lightly. I worked on my speech for about a month, and had it reviewed by schoolteachers, administrators and people within the community. I put a lot of pressure on myself for the performance.  Unlike my first performance, I made sure that I addressed every sector of the audience and worked very hard to make sure everything I was saying was politically correct.

From reflection on both of these performances I realize that the occasion definitely alters the performances. The two go hand in hand and it is impossible to have one without the other.