In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Writing a speech is only one aspect of the entire presentation. You also need to practice the speech out loud. That’s because often, the way that you write things might not actually roll off the tongue easily.  Go over any parts that seem confusing or that don’t flow easily. Make any notes or changes that will be helpful when delivering the speech. Time the speech when you recite it. Give the speech to a mirror so that you can see how often you’re able to look up from your paper without stumbling. You can also practice the speech in front of a close friend and ask for feedback. You might have a lot to say, depending on your tenure at this place and how much it has meant to you. However, this speech is not the time to go into minute detail about it. Remember that people likely need to get back to work, or have other things they’d like to be doing with their time. If you do it right, you can make a powerful speech in a short period of time. A farewell speech should usually be about five minutes long. Ten minutes is acceptable in certain circumstances. More than that should be reserved for extremely special circumstances, such as when a head of state resigns. Many people get nervous when speaking in front of a crowd. There are plenty of tricks to help yourself battle nerves if you need to. Make sure to practice your speech many times; then, prepare yourself for standing in front of a group.  Know that you may make a mistake. Be prepared for this. Don't beat yourself up if it happens. Acknowledge it and move on. You can even laugh at yourself to help put the audience at ease. Focus on people who seem to connect to your speech. If they're nodding, smiling, or have their eyes glued to you, focus on them. Their energy will help give you confidence.
Summary: Recite your speech to yourself. Keep the speech brief. Speak with confidence.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: This is a common myth held by students. Particularly if you’re a slow reader, you may find it more effective to read the beginning and end of the chapter, along with pull-outs (information placed in a box, graph, or other attention-grabbing area on the page) and anything bolded or italicized in the text. Another common mistake students make is to read their textbook once and then never look at it again. A better strategy is to practice layered reading.  On your first read-through, skim the material. Determine what the main idea or goal of the text is (often signaled by the chapter title and subheadings), and mark any places that you didn’t feel as though you understood well. Read headings, subheadings, and other organizational elements. Textbook authors often construct their chapters so that it is very clear what the goal of each section is. Use this to your advantage. Read for more detail in later readings. Sometimes, students will just move their eyes along the page again and again and feel like they’re not getting anything from their “reading.” Reading is an active process: you need to be engaged, paying attention, and thinking about what you read. While it’s tempting to break out the rainbow of highlighters when you read through a chapter, avoid this temptation. Research has shown that highlighting actually can hamper your reading because you may feel tempted to highlight every single thing you feel is important without thinking critically about the ideas presented. If you must highlight, wait until you’ve completed your first read-through, and use the highlighter sparingly to point out only the most important ideas. It can be tempting to just read past words or elements you don’t understand in an effort to “just get it done.” This actually damages comprehension. If a dense textbook on Marxist economics has terms that you don’t initially understand, don’t just read on: stop what you’re doing, look up the word, and understand it before continuing.
Summary: Understand that you do not have to read every single word. Plan to read more than once. Understand that reading is not the same as studying. Know that highlighting is not ideal for first-time reading. Understand that you may need to look things up while reading.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Add 3 ¼ cups (768.9 mL) of flour, 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of baking powder, ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of salt to the bowl. Stir the dry ingredients thoroughly with a spoon. Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds. If the butter hasn't melted after 30 seconds, microwave it for another 15 seconds, or until it has melted. Add 2 eggs, 2 cups (473.2 mL) of buttermilk, and 1 tablespoon (14.8 mL) of vanilla to the bowl. Whisk until the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla are thoroughly combined. Stir everything together with a spoon until the batter is smooth. If there are any clumps in the batter, break them up with the spoon. If you’re making a cake with multiple layers, divide the batter into 2 or more silicone cake pans. Just make sure you’re only microwaving 1 layer at a time. Don’t worry about greasing the pan, the cake shouldn’t stick to the silicone. You can find a silicone, microwave-safe cake pan online or in the baking section at your local shopping center. After 2 minutes and 30 seconds, check the cake to see if it's finished. If there's any liquid batter on the surface of the cake, microwave the cake for another minute, or until it's dry and fluffy. It could take over an hour for the cake to fully cool. Don't frost the cake when it's warm or the frosting could melt off. After you've frosted the cake, cut it into slices and serve.
Summary:
Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt 2 sticks of butter in the microwave. Whisk together your liquid ingredients in a separate large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Pour the cake batter into a silicone, microwave-safe cake pan. Put the pan in the microwave and bake on high for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Let the cake cool completely before you add frosting.