978-1260412932 Lecture Note Speaking Assignments

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PART TWO

Speaking

Assignments

28 PART TWO—SPEAKING ASSIGNMENTS

here are many kinds of speaking assignments that can be used in conjunction with The Art of

Public Speaking. Most of those described below are keyed to the course outlines presented

in Part One of this manual. When there are two or more options offered for a round of speeches

(Option A, Option B, etc.), you should select one option, so the entire class is performing the

same assignment during that round of speeches.

In addition to the formal speaking assignments presented here, the Exercises for Critical

Thinking in the book and the Additional Exercises and Activities in Part Four of this manual con-

tain a number of suggestions for speaking activities.

Introductory Speeches

Option A: A Two–Minute Speech Introducing a Classmate

The speech should be delivered extemporaneously from brief notes that occupy no more than one

side of a single 4 x 6 index card. Stress that students are not to read their speeches and should use

as much eye contact as possible.

In preparation for the speech, have students pair off and interview one another. The interview-

ing can be done in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the first class meeting. The assignment usually

Since the purpose of this speech is to give students a brief, initial exposure to speaking in

front of an audience in a low–risk situation, many instructors do not affix a grade to it. Others,

having found that students take the speech more seriously if they know they are being graded,

weight it very lightly—in some cases, the same as a graded homework assignment, and in no

circumstances more than 3 to 5 percent of the total grade for the class.

Option B: A Two–Minute Speech Introducing a Classmate

The speech should be delivered extemporaneously from brief notes that occupy no more than one

side of a single 4 x 6 index card. Stress that students are not to read their speeches and should use

as much eye contact as possible.

SPEECH OPTIONS 29

30 PART TWO—SPEAKING ASSIGNMENTS

Option E: A Two–Minute Speech of Self–Introduction Based on

a Newspaper or Magazine Article

The speech should be delivered extemporaneously from brief notes that occupy no more than one

side of a single 4 x 6 index card. Stress that students are not to read their speeches and should use

as much eye contact as possible.

To prepare for the speech, each student should consult a newspaper from the day they were

born or a magazine such as Time or Newsweek from the week they were born. They should then

they are being graded, weight it very lightly—in some cases, the same as a graded homework

assignment, but not more than 3 to 5 percent of the total class grade.

Option F: A Two–Minute Speech of Self–Introduction Based on

a Personal Object

The speech should be delivered extemporaneously from brief notes that occupy no more than one

side of a single 4 x 6 index card. Stress that students are not to read their speeches and should use

as much eye contact as possible.

In preparation for this speech, have students select an object that represents a significant as-

SPEECH OPTIONS 31

32 PART TWO—SPEAKING ASSIGNMENTS

Option D: A Speech of 5 to 6 Minutes in Which Students Explain a Significant Aspect of a

Culture Different From Their Own

Possible topics include social customs, family traditions, holidays, clothing, food, religious tradi-

tions, sporting activities, and the like. Students should turn in a preparation outline, but the speech

itself should be delivered extemporaneously from a brief speaking outline.

Research is required for this speech. If students have had direct contact with a different cul-

ture, they should be encouraged to supplement their library research with their personal experi-

ence, but the speech is not to be a travelogue or a presentation on “My Summer in Europe” or

“My Year as an Exchange Student in Brazil.” On the other hand, a speech on how Europeans

spend their summer vacations or on the educational system of Brazil would be fine.

Because students are sometimes resistant when they are required to speak about a different

to explain ideas clearly and to think about ways to relate the topic to the audience. Some instructors

require a visual aid for this speech. Others encourage the use of a visual aid but do not require it.

Persuasive Speeches

Option A: A Speech of 7 to 8 Minutes Designed to Persuade the Audience

For or Against a Question of Policy

Speakers may seek either passive agreement or immediate action from the audience, though they

should be encouraged to seek the latter if there is appropriate action for the audience to take. In

either case, students should be sure to deal with all three basic issues of policy speeches—need,

plan, and practicality. A complete preparation outline should be submitted. Delivery of the speech

is to be extemporaneous.

SPEECH OPTIONS 33

34 PART TWO—SPEAKING ASSIGNMENTS

Option A: A Two–Minute Online Speech to a Hiring Committee

The speech should be delivered extemporaneously from a brief set of notes that occupy no more

than one side of a single 4 x 6 index card. Stress that students are not to read their speeches and

should use as much eye contact as possible.

This assignment asks students to present themselves via the Internet to a hypothetical hiring

committee that is assessing the student for a job after graduation. Students can select the company

and the position for which they are applying. Most will choose something that reflects their major

or potential major, but that is not a requirement. Because students don’t know how their lives will

play out in the time before they graduate, they should feel free to imagine what their experiences

might be by the time they graduate (for example, a degree in accounting or an internship with a

well–regarded company), but they should not be totally fanciful.

While this speech does not require the same amount of research as the informative or persua-

sive speech, students should learn enough about the company to which they are applying that they

can relate their qualifications to the company’s objectives and culture. The speech should be care-

fully prepared, extensively rehearsed, and effectively delivered—just as if students were address-

ing a real hiring committee with a job on the line.

Students should also follow the guidelines for online speeches discussed in Chapter 19 of the

textbook. When explaining the assignment to students, be sure to discuss the differences between

recorded and real–time online speeches, and make clear which of the two they will be delivering.

If you assign a recorded online speech, stress that students should talk directly into the cam-

era, as they would for a real hiring committee. Have them record the speech and upload it to a

course–management platform where it can be viewed by the rest of the class.

If you assign a real–time online speech, be sure to work out the logistical details well ahead of

Option B: A Four–Minute Online Speech Designed to Persuade the Audience

to Make a Charitable Donation

A complete preparation outline or manuscript should be submitted, but the speech should be de-

livered extemporaneously and adjusted to the online environment.

SPEECH OPTIONS 35

36 PART TWO—SPEAKING ASSIGNMENTS

Option B: A Speech of 8 to 10 Minutes That Is to Be a Major Revision of an Informative

or Persuasive Speech Given Earlier in the Term

A complete preparation outline should be required. Delivery of the speech is to be extemporaneous.

Because time is often cramped at the end of the term, this assignment provides for a full–

length speech without requiring that students start from scratch in choosing and researching an

entirely new topic. It also gives students an opportunity to learn more about the revision process,

which is essential to speeches outside the classroom.

If this assignment is to succeed, you must tell each student which previous speech he or she is

to revise, must be quite specific in identifying for each student the kinds of revisions that are nec-

essary, and must make clear that major revisions—including additional research—are required if

the speech is to receive a grade of B or better. Otherwise, you are likely to get little more than

warmed–over rehashes of speeches you have already heard. Criteria for evaluation include all

major aspects of speech preparation and delivery covered since the first day of class.

Option C: A Speech of 8 to 10 Minutes Informing the Audience

About a Prominent Public Speaker

A complete preparation outline should be required. Delivery of the speech is to be extemporaneous.

Students can choose either a historical figure or a contemporary speaker for this assignment.

In either case, students should deal with the following points in their speeches, though not neces-

sarily in this order: (a) biographical background about the speaker; (b) the importance of public

speaking in her or his career; (c) major ideas of her or his speeches; (d) analysis of the speaker’s

techniques, including organization, language, and delivery.

Complex and challenging, this speech requires substantial research and allows students to ap-

ply the principles learned in class to established public speakers. Although it usually works best in

more advanced classes, it can succeed in the introductory course as well.

Make the assignment early in the course so students can work on it throughout the term. In

addition, give students a list of speakers from which they can choose. One approach is to have

them consult the Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century, which is available in Words of

a Century: The Top 100 American Speeches, 1900–1999, edited by Stephen E. Lucas and Martin

J. Medhurst. The list is also available through AmericanRhetoric.com. In addition, you can refer

students to such books as American Orators Before 1900 and American Orators of the Twentieth

Century, both edited by Bernard K. Duffy and Halford R. Ryan; Women’s Voices in Our Time,

edited by Victoria L. DeFrancisco and Marvin D. Jensen; We Shall Be Heard: Women Speakers

in America, edited by Patricia Scileppi Kennedy and Gloria Hartmann O’Shields; or Voices of

Multicultural America: Notable Speeches Delivered by African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native

Americans, 1790–1995, edited by Deborah Gillan Straub.

Encourage students to do all they can to make the speeches creative and interesting by follow-

ing the guidelines for informative speaking discussed in Chapter 15. Students who choose histori-

cal speakers may be able to use photographs or slides as visual aids; those who speak on current

figures might consider showing video clips of their subject in action. In either case, students

SPEECH OPTIONS 37