Human Resource Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Human Resource - Research Paper Example ining close collaboration between the various functional departments and resolving inter-departmental issues are a matter of daily occurrence for an HR manager. An HR manager may be required to generate reports based on staff related issues on a daily basis or as required. An HR manager is required to weekly assess the performance of staff, identify the loopholes, suggest and implement corrective measures to improve the performance in the upcoming week. Also, the HR manager weekly reviews the expenses and verifies that they conform to the pre-defined budget for the specific activities. An HR manager attends monthly meetings among the project parties and represents the HR department in such meetings. An HR manager might be required to administer and review the progress of the research conducted by the organization on a monthly basis. An HR manager assumes a huge responsibility in conducting meaningful research. Project managers work in close collaboration with the HR managers in the allocation of budgets to various projects and the constituent activities every year. â€Å"Ensure compliance to the approved salary budget; give focus on pay for performance and salary benchmarks where available.† (Goyal, 2010). Besides, HR managers are consulted while selecting the staff to be promoted after an analysis of their past year performance. To me, the job of an HR manager is too serious and sensitive in nature to be interesting, though one always feels special being on such an authoritative position as that of an HR manager. However, an HR manager might find it interesting to learn the departmental issues and resolve inter-departmental conflicts. What is not interesting about the job of an HR manager is that many project managers tend to sideline HR managers as they view them as their professional competitors. As an HR manager, I can be very good at decision making because the decisions I take usually prove beneficial for me and for others in the long run. However, I need

The primary purpose of satire Essay Example for Free

The primary purpose of satire Essay Discuss the accuracy of this statement for the two texts you have chosen. Within all satirical works, there is a deeper seriousness beneath the text. Two such texts are Ben Eltons Dead Famous and Christopher Guests Best in Show, which both take a satirical viewpoint on contextual issues within society and have an underlying seriousness. Dead Famous is an early 21st century mock genre that satirises the idea of reality television. Dead Famous is set within a reality television series entitled House Arrest in which 10 inmates are put within a house with thirty television cameras for sixty-three days and compete for the publics affection, all of which is constantly overseen by Peeping Tom who controls what goes on within the house. Underneath this satire, the composer raises serious issues about societies obsession with reality television, how real reality television is, and questions what entertainment really is. At the beginning of the 21st century, the worlds obsession with reality television was rising to a peak. Many countries around the world had had a first season of Big Brother (On which Dead Famous was based), and had screened many other reality television programs such as Shipwrecked, Survivor and Temptation Island. The text takes the reality television genre and subverts it. This subversion comes about within the text by the composer by taking a reality television program and ridiculing. The major technique used by the composer to ridicule reality television is hyperbole. Within the text, all regular aspects of reality television (in particular Big Brother) have been taken to extreme proportions. This includes the overuse of sexual references within the text and the melodramatic events that happen within the house. These sexual references have been scattered throughout the text, much like those on reality television. However, these sexual references are taken to extreme proportions with the inmates coming very close to engaging within the act of sex quite early within the show. This hyperbole has also been used through the event of a murder that occurs within the house, this melodramatic event is one which would never occur on a reality television program, however has been included within the text as it is a gross exaggeration of the events that would occur within a Big Brother house. Dead Famous also questions the reality of reality television. The composer takes the idea that what is shown to the public on House Arrest (and other reality television programs) is not truly what happens within the house. The composer does this by showing the responder several points of view. The first point of view is that of the inmates and what really happens within the house on most days, in the sequence that they occurred. This point of view also allows the responder to see the thoughts and feelings on activities and situations that the cameras cannot pick up, or choose not to broadcast. This includes footage of the Confession Box (a soundproof room in which contestants can privately speak to Peeping Tom) that the editors manipulate and play selectively to the national audience. Kellys first visit to the confession box was selectively played in an attempt to make her the designated hate figure of the House Arrest series. Another point of view is that of the producers and editors within the editing room. From this perspective, the responder is shown how the footage within the house is manipulated to show the public what the editors want them to see, and how the editors are paid to look at what was actually said and find what we [the producers] want to be said. Within this perspective the viewers are shown the devices used by the editors to create a house favourite for the public to love and a designated hate figure or bitch for them to hate, and vote out. Through this, the responder is shown that not everything that occurs within the house is what is shown to them. The third perspective is that of what the investigators are shown through the daily show which is viewed by the public as a day-by-day account of what occurs within the house. Through the daily show, the responder is shown the effects of the editing room. They are shown the way in which the people they have seen through complete footage are shown to the public. The disgusting Woggle is an example of how the responder is shown his filthy habits during the actual footage, yet within the daily show all that is shown is what the public likes to see, his ability to stir trouble and cause conflict amongst other inmates, therefore making him the favourite housemate. The example of woggle is one that demonstrates how at all different points within the programming (inmates, editors and viewers) one person can be seen in completely different ways.

Introduction to Prophet Muhammad

Introduction to Prophet Muhammad The choice of the topic was prompted because of the numerous impacts and transformation the leadership of prophet Muhammad had made to humanity and the world in general. So many scholars and historians such as Michael hart calyle in his book the hundred and mahatma ghandi even though they were not Muslims they made so many assertions that the world had never witnessed a leader who has achieved so much in all spheres of leadership ; socially, economically and religiously like such as man (Muhammad SAW). An Arab man who does not know how to read or write, but was able to transform the whole of Arabian Peninsula in less than three decades. He was able to change the mind of Arabian people who happens to be so barbaric during the jahiliya period killing one another. They fought so many battles due to ethnicity, ignorance and land disputes which usually last for decades. As he came in, he was able to unite them, change their focus so as to love one another as it was reported in one of his tradition that: none of you is a complete believer unless he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. In the glorious Quran, Allah the most high says: O mankind, I have created you from a single male and female and made you in to nations and tribes; so that you man know one another. None of you is greater than the other except he who fears Allah the most. Hence all are equal before Allah. From the aforementioned, I can categorically say that prophet Muhammad SAW is a role model to leaders of all kind; politically, economically, psychologically and religiously. Therefore all leaders in the world should learn and embrace the method of his leadership, this is because he conquered the whole of Arabian Peninsula without fierce battle except where they fought against him then he fights back in defense of his territorial sovereignty. I also choose the topic because he was able to liberate women from the bondage of becoming extinct. The world over, there is no religion that has given women the liberation, respect and recognition than the religion of Islam with its leader Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as it was enshrined in the holy book of Allah. But before the advent of this great leader, a female child born to a family is considered to ne a cause as such, they were either killed or buried alive. This was mentioned in the glorious Quran where Allah says; whenever one of them is giving a glad tiding of a female child, his fact would become darkened in sorrow in high state of grief. He will separate from his people the bad tidings he was given should he bury it in the earth. But he was able to bring liberation to the female folks, not only to the female folk but to humanity in general as stated in the glorious Quran we do not send you expect as a mercy to the world. Introduction: Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him his progeny) is the Prophet of Islam and the last prophet that God sent to mankind. He is considered the Seal of the Prophets, which means the bringer of the final revelations from God, and God will not send another prophet after him. Brief life history of Prophet Muhammad. He was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, then called Hijaz, in 560 A.D. Shortly after, he became an orphan, and was raised by his uncle, Abu Talib. He had no formal education and there is no documentation that he was taught to read or write before he declared his prophet hood. The Arabs of that region  were very backward, illiterate, immoral, and cruel. They were polytheists and idol worshippers. As a young man, Muhammad kept aloof from others and did not participate in pagan rituals and popular cultural activities. He frequently went to a cave known as Hira in order to meditate and seek nearness to God. At the age of forty, he received the first revelations from God, through Angel Gabriel. From that point on, he declared that there was only one God and that he was the Prophet of God. The pagan establishment vehemently opposed him. They offered him authority, honor, gold and silver, and any earthly pleasures that he desired, in order to stop preaching about one God and preaching against idol worship. Prophet Muhammad outright refused these offers, stating that if they put the sun in his right hand and moon in his left hand, he would not renounce his mission to preach about the one God. His followers were tortured and some of them were brutally killed. He and his followers were banished from his home city, isolated, and faced hardship and hunger. He finally emigrated to Medina,  where he was welcomed, and there he established himself. Muhammad as a youth. He refused to associate with people of his age in vain and immoral cultural practices of his time. As a young adult, he was dignified, soft-spoken, and considerate. He was so honest and trustworthy that he gained the respect of his peers  and the society, and earned the title of al-Amin, meaning the trusted. Muhammad the Prophet: He was focused, consistent, extremely patient, kind, and forgiving. He withstood the hatred and insults of his people and never retaliated in kind. During his banishment, he and his followers were socially and economically boycotted, and they underwent hunger, deprivation, and isolation. He kept the morale of his followers high and bore the hardships equally with the rest of his people, with full trust in the Divine Will. Muhammad the Statesman. He conducted the affairs of state with a great amount of diplomacy and wisdom. He sent emissaries to Roman and Persian monarchs and other governments near and far. He received ambassadors and delegations from other countries. They went away impressed and, in many instances, embraced his teachings. Muhammad the Commander in Chief. He fought wars, planned strategies, and actively participated in armed conflicts to defend himself and the new faith. A single defeat in any of the wars would have resulted in his death and an end to his mission. Muhammad as Judge: He judged impartially, with due consideration to all the parties involved. His decisions were based upon justice, compassion, and strictly upon divine laws. He did not permit nepotism, favoritism, or partisanship to interfere with justice. The rich, the poor, the lowly, the mighty, the privileged, and the downtrodden felt safe and secure under his administration. Muhammad the Lawgiver. Under his administration, criminal and civil laws were established based upon the Quranic injunctions. These laws were comprehensive,  addressing all situations. Many of the laws were based upon established Abrahamic and Mosaic religious laws. Muhammad as a teacher. His knowledge and understanding of the Quran was unmatched. He taught morals, ethics, mannerism, and civility to the uncultured Arabs of his time. He had remarkable tact and never belittled even the most ignorant and uncultured inquirer. Muhammad the family man. He was kind and respectful to his wives and promoted respect and kindness to parents. Arabs at that time used to bury alive their newborn girls out of shame. He forbade that practice, and taught that the education and raising of daughters was a virtuous act. He dealt with his wives with kindness and compassion, and  was frequently seen participating in house chores. Muhammad the ruler of Arabia. From an orphan, to pauper, then persecuted, then a refugee, then head of state, and finally the ruler of nearly all Arabia, he did not change  his demeanor. He continued to be humble and unpretentious. He was readily accessible. Bedouin Arabs used to call upon him, and even sometimes rebuked him based on their poor understanding of Islam. He showed the utmost amount of patience in dealing with them. Muhammads mission accomplished. In his lifetime, the religion of Islam as taught by him was completed and perfected. Islam became the religion of most of Arabia. This accomplishment is unparalleled in the history of mankind. No prophet before him could claim success like that of Muhammad. During their lifetime, their own people essentially rejected the two great prophets, Moses and Jesus. Great discoveries. Based on the teachings of Muhammad, the Arab Muslims made great strides in various fields of human knowledge. At the time when Europe was in the dark ages, universities and schools in Baghdad, Iraq were busy in research and discoveries in nearly all field of human knowledge, including astronomy, physics, mathematics, and medicine. Students from all over the world came to study there. During his prophet hood, as the Quran was revealed to him, he recited the verses to his companions, usually explaining their meanings to teach them. It must be noted that this is one of the prophets responsibilities. Elements of the prophets explanations are; Clarifying verses whose intents are not understood Indication of names, places, times etc. which have not been mentioned in the verse Restriction of meanings which have been given as absolute Reconciling expressions which seem contradictory Although scholars including ibn Taymiyyah claim that the prophet has commented on the whole of the Quran, others including Ghazali cite the limited amount of narratives, thus indicating that he has commented only on a portion of the Quran. These interpretations have not been collected independently in a book; rather, they have been recorded in hadith books, under the topic of tafsir, along with other narrations of the prophet. The leadership qualities I find most admirable were his humility, his recognition of talent, and his ability to think counterintuitive. When the prophet received his first revelation, he trembled with fear. He was fully aware of the awesome responsibility. So fearful was he that he could confide only to his wife Khatijah. In an era where females generally and wives in Particular were mere chattels of men, that he took her in confidence was remarkable. It reflected his inner strength and Confidence in judgment, regardless of the prevailing norms. He trusted and respected his wife, a rare trait in that time and place. It also reflected his deep humility. Lesser mortals who thought they had been chosen by God would undoubtedly Proclaim that fact loudly for the world to hear, a la George Bush, Jr., or Pat Robertson. True to his humility, he preached initially only to his close family and friends. He was fully aware that his message would Literally turn his society upside down, transforming it for the better. He risked dividing his community in the process. Allah in His Wisdom did not choose His Last Messenger randomly. Long before Allah had chosen him, Muhammad had already demonstrated his noble and sterling character. He was Al Amin, the Trustworthy, to his community in preaching, the Prophet was careful in ensuring that his followers memorized only the divine revelations, not his commentaries. He forbade what would be considered today as a personality cult. Had he not done so, every Muslim home would be adorned with his portrait, cities named after him, and statues erected in his honor. For added measure, Muslims would be sporting amulets bearing his name or likeness for protection and good luck charms. During his prophet hood, as the Quran was revealed to him, he recited the verses to his companions, usually explaining their meanings to teach them. It must be noted that this is one of the prophets responsibilities. Elements of the prophets explanations are; Clarifying verses whose intents are not understood Indication of names, places, times etc. which have not been mentioned in the verse Restriction of meanings which have been given as absolute Reconciling expressions which seem contradictory Although scholars including ibn Taymiyyah claim that the prophet has commented on the whole of the Quran, others including Ghazali cite the limited amount of narratives, thus indicating that he has commented only on a portion of the Quran. These interpretations have not been collected independently in a book, rather, they have been recorded in hadith books, under the topic of tafsir, along with other narrations of the prophet There are several factors that caused Muhammad SAW to be a successful leader. They are: 1. Belief (faith) is strong, recognition (justification) with the heart, sounding, by the tongue, demonstrated through action and body. 2. Fair, able to cause a sense of justice equally to all people without exception. Justice of the Prophet is never sacrificed in the name of any such reflection of Allahs teachings, Do not make your hate to a nation that will make you do not apply fair (QS 5:8). Prophet aware that justice is the correct window in order to realize a prosperous society. 3. Affection, he actually led with the touch of love, empathy and sympathetic that there is no counterpart that is presented to all the people. Prophet Muhammads unique communication and leadership style led to the spread of Islam, not only within Arabia but also outside to the north, south, east, west and southwest of Arabia.   As a leader during wartime or as a leader during peacetime, Prophet Muhammad proved to master skillful techniques with which he accomplished his goals in delivering the message of Islam. Prophet Muhammad communicative values of liberty, justice, modesty, and politeness were matched with practical deeds. The people saw this action of his and identified with.  Prophet Muhammad skills as manifested in his speeches demonstrated to the eyes of all humankind that he was indeed a great leader worthy of note. His skillful use of rhetoric demonstrated his commitment for meaningful competent communication for humankind in general. His speeches demonstrated that he sought to see all humankind from the lens of kindness, modesty, moderation, justice, liberty, gentility, generosity and love. Regardless of religion and political affiliation, Prophet Muhammad use Islam as a channel to preach kindness. This study has shown through his manifold communicative talents that he tried to influence thoughts by advocating kindness in our dealings with one another. By indicating to his wife Aisha that she should love the poor, it was an indirect way to teach all humankind to share love and kindness regardless of a persons economic background. This same implication in the speeches of the Prophet can be discerned in his notion of modesty.   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   The world today is far from modest. Political factions and all sorts of social and economic discrimination have segmented the human race. People now think more in terms of class. Modesty is exclusive to members of the club. If you do not belong you can neither be heard nor seen. Prophet Muhammad speeches on the need for modest behavior and his exemplary behavior seen throughout this study have a significant meaning to our lives. When he said that every religion must have some kind of meaningful character, he laid emphasis on the fact that Islam was a modest religion.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚     Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   On the other hand, he was calling on all Islamic believers to question their conscience whether by following the belief system of Islam; they were practicing its basic tenets of modesty. He who is not has to examine his conscience and choose the rightful path and not be a hypocrite. This is how significant Mohammads message is to the world of today. This is what he intended to achieve in his message. Since modesty is akin to moderation, the Prophets communication themes also laid emphasis on it.   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   His speech about abstaining from extremism in the practice of Islam has a greater significance to our world of today. His intended his message about religious extremism to be upheld through out the lifespan of humankind. He was so emphatic about this issue because he believed that by practicing extreme Islamic rituals or ideals, the person or persons doing so would be following something else than Islam and that kind of attitude could send a different signal to his enemies. And the only way to show to potential followers of Islam that by practicing extreme Islam, they were not true followers of Allah, he said: Those people who went to extremes (in practicing their religion) were destroyed. (This therefore, shows in no ambiguous terms that Prophet Muhammad condones extreme religious practices. The findings on the Prophets values of moderation revealed that he placed a lot of weight on mannerism. Humankind has to match words with deeds. Believers were not to say one thing and do the other. When told by some of his followers that they will abstain from women and devote their entire energy to prayer, he responded by stating that he was married. This was like an indirect way to inform the speaker that there was no room for pretense. By choosing to abstain you open yourself to irresistible temptation. Getting married would therefore serve as the means to shun sin and other forms of temptation. This is certainly the landmark of difference between Muhammad and other spiritual and secular leaders of his time and today. To begin with, some other spiritual leaders remained unmarried and by deciding to do so created a pattern for their followers to follow suit. But experience has shown that most of these followers could not faithfully follow their religion without falling into the te mptation of bodily pleasures. This could have been unwelcome by Muhammad. He foresaw this kind of contradiction and so taught by examples. It was like doing justice to natures calling. The Prophet was in essence advocating justice between sexes.

A Separate Peace :: essays research papers

â€Å"†¦It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart.† The background of â€Å"A separate Peace† is the Second World War and the focus of book is a group of sixteen-year-old boys who are moving towards a war. The extract comes from the end of the book where Due to what Gene had done to Finny, he has been made to look at himself and now sees the war differently from the other boys. Gene has been forced to face his own â€Å"ignorant heart,† and he now feels that he understands that people can be evil and hurt those who love them. Gene now knows that wars are created not by generations but by the human â€Å"ignorant heart†. In â€Å"A separate Peace† there are two wars being fought. The major war is Word War Two while the other war is the one that Gene tries to create between himself and Finny. This is war is always a single sided battle, as it is both created and fought in the mind of Gene.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of this novel Gene is very â€Å"Ignorant† of his heart. He constantly lies, not only to others but also to him self. Finny on the other hand is a very honest person, he never lies about anything to make him sound or feel better about himself. An example of this is the incident where the boys are asked their height and Genes says he is 5’9 and Finny corrects him by saying, â€Å"no your five foot eight and a half, the same as me.† This quote shows the honesty that Finny possesses and that Gene lacks. Gene refuses to admit that he isn’t tall while Finny openly admits it. Gene refuses to admit that he isn’t brave or that his motives for injuring Finny where entirely false. Gene cannot face what he is and this leads to tragedy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because Gene is dishonest he imagines that everyone else is as well. Gene imagines that Finny’s character is exactly the same as his, which of course it isn’t. Gene builds up hate, anger and fear of the character that he has given to Finny. Since this is his own character and not Finny’s at all, the emotions that Gene feels towards this character are really what he feels towards his own character.

Community Development Essay

Achieving gender equality and empowering women are necessary to achieve social, economic and political development. Today, girls and women continue to benefit from health and education services with women surpassing men in enrolment and academic achievements in many situations. Women in Malaysia are also more actively involved today in politics and numerous other national initiatives. Malaysia’s commitment and dedication to the advancement of women is evident in many of its programs and policies in the last two decades. In 1985, the Government of Malaysia formulated the National Policy on Women as a guide for women’s participation in the development process. The Policy helps enhance women’s quality of life by overcoming challenges through poverty eradication and education. The stature of women became a primary objective of the 6th Malaysia Plan (1991 – 1995), where a special fund for the development of women became a significant and integral step towards empowering women in Malaysia. Subsequent Malaysia Plans continue to focus on the needs of women with recommendations to advance their position in society. By agreeing to the commitments set forth in the Beijing Platform for Action at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women (1995), the Government promised to 1) enhance the national machinery for women’s advancement; 2) increase women’s participation in decision-making; 3) safeguard women’s rights to health, education and social well being and 4) remove legal obstacles and gender discriminatory practices. In 1995, the Government also ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW). In 2001, the Government created the Ministry of Women and Family Development with a mandate to address issues on women and uplift the stature of women in the country. Malaysia’s Constitution was amended in August 2001 to prohibit discrimination in any law on the basis of gender. The Government continues to play a crucial and supportive role in achieving greater gender equality in the country, by providing a healthy environment for the advancement of women at both national and international arenas. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development which is responsible for addressing women’s issues in Malaysia has had its budget increase from RM 1.8 million (US$ 0.5 million) in 2001 to RM 30.5 million (US$ 8.6 million) in 2005, demonstrating the country’s serious commitment to the cause. Future challenges to be considered include: addressing the continued poverty among female-headed households; combating violence against women; raising the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming strategies; reducing women’s risk of contracting HIV; removing attitudinal challenges that impact capacity-building; and raising the level of women’s participation in the labour force, in business and in politics and government. KPWKM is headed by a Minister, currently held by Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (UMNO). She is assisted by a Deputy Minister, currently held by Senator Heng Seai Kie (MCA). The following departments and agencies are under the purview of the KPWKM: * Department for Women’s Development  In 1975, the Government set up the National Advisory Council on the Integration of Women in Development (NACIWID) as the machinery to ensure the involvement of women in development. In 1983, the Secretariat for Women’s Affairs (HAWA) in the Prime Minister’s Department was established to take over the tasks of the NACIWID Secretariat. From 1997, HAWA functioned as a department under the former Ministry of National Unity and Social Development. In 2001, the Department was placed under the then newly established KPWKM and restructured as the Department for Women’s Development (DWD). By 2002, the DWD had set up branch offices in every state in Malaysia.[7] * Social Welfare Department  Initially set up in 1946 as the Community Welfare Department of Malaya, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) has evolved in fulfilling its role in national development. From initially being involved in mitigating the social problems brought about by the immediate post-war period, the role and functions of this department have expanded to cover prevention and rehabilitation services in social issues as well as community development.[8] * National Population and Family Development Board  The National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) was established in 1966 to improve the reproductive health status of women and men and encourage family planning. It has since evolved to include policy and advisory roles by assisting planners and programme managers to integrate population and family development into sectoral development programme planning as well as facilitate policy makers to consider population and family development factors in the formulation of national development policies and strategies.[9] * Social Institute of Malaysia  The Social Institute of Malaysia was set up to promote professional and semi-professional training in the field of training and research as well as social education to all social workers from various levels and groups from within and outside the country including non-governmental organizations. It currently operates from a 50-acre (200,000 m2) campus in Sungai Besi that was completed in 2001.

Usage Examples of Anecdotes in Speeches and Essays

Usage Examples of Anecdotes in Speeches and Essays An anecdote is a short scene or story taken from personal experience. Anecdotes can be useful for setting the stage for a speech or personal essay. An anecdote often relays a story that can be used as a theme or lesson. Pronunciation:  AN -  eck  -  doh​t​Also Known As: incident, story, narrative, account, episode. Examples of Usage The story below could be used as an introduction to a speech or short story about personal safety: After the long Ohio winter, I was so happy to see the first signs of spring that I ran outside as soon as I saw our first flower blooming. I plucked the dewy, white blossom and tucked it into my hair band and went about my day with joy in my heart. Unfortunately, I didnt notice that my big white flower had been host to a dozen or so tiny bugs, that apparently enjoyed a new home in the warmth and security of my hair. I was soon itching and twitching like a scrappy dog. Next time I stop to smell the flowers, Ill make sure Ill do it with my eyes wide open. The anecdote provides a lead-in to the overall message of your speech or essay. For example, the next sentence after the anecdote could be: Have you ever delved head-first into a situation and run straight into trouble? Using Anecdotes to Set the Stage See how this anecdote can provide a moral or backdrop for a speech or essay about staying alert? You can use many small events in your own life as anecdotes to set the stage for a greater message. Another time when anecdotes are often used is during a seminar. For example, a seminar covering race car vehicle suspension may begin with a story about how the driver or engineer became aware of a strange problem with a car. Although the subject of the seminar may be highly technical, the introduction story - or anecdote - may be simple or even humorous. School teachers and college professors will often use anecdotes as a way of easing students into a complex issue. It could be argued that using anecdotes this way is a roundabout way of introducing a subject, but people use examples in everyday speech to make a subject more easy to understand and to clarify the more complex part of a narrative to follow.