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• What about online exams? Many instructors are wary of putting exams online because of
students’ ability to cheat. Here are some ways to avoid that.
• Think of your questions differently. Questions that require memorization are easy to cheat
on. Questions that require higher-order thinking (for example, assessing a speech) are less
easy to cheat on.
class scored better than students who took the class online. This is because students taking
the in-class exam study more, while those taking the exam online spend a huge amount of
time flipping through their book for the right answer because they didn’t study.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
Journals and Blogs
These assignments can be very useful for students. Journals and blogs allow students to connect
concepts discussed in class with their own experiences. This can lead to deeper learning for the
students. If you use blogs, it is helpful to divide students into small groups of four to five so they
can have contained conversations about these topics.
Group Papers
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
Group Assignments
If instructors don’t use group speeches or group papers, there are other assignments that students
can do to get some experience of working in a group. For example, students might work on a
service project together, each then giving an individual speech either about their cause or about
their experience. Groups may work together to gather evidence for a speech, such as doing
interviews or collecting survey information to support their individual speeches later in the
semester. Groups may also work together on smaller projects such as some of the video
assignments in the chapters.
SPEECH ASSIGNMENTS
Introductory, or “First,” Speeches
“Telling a Story” Speech
• Time—Two to three minutes
• Objective—This speech gives students the opportunity to try giving a manuscript speech and
to start feeling more comfortable in front of an audience. Focus is on practice and vocalics.
• Directions—For this speech, students prepare a script (they write it themselves or prepare it
from an outside source) and then present it to the class. Grading this speech focuses
primarily on time and vocalics.
• Requirements—Students are required to turn in copies of their scripts before their
presentations with a marked beginning and end. Students must complete their speeches
within the time limitations and must be easily heard.
• Hints and Tips—If students use a children’s text, do not have them show the pictures. It
takes too much time and will cost students points for going over time.
Self-Introduction Speech: “It Represents Me”
• Time—Two to three minutes
• Objective—Students begin to practice speaking with an introduction, body, and conclusion,
while getting to know each other better. They will also begin to use objects as props in their
speeches.
• Directions—Students will bring an object (or a picture of an object) to class and deliver a
short speech on how and why it represents them. (Be sure to have students follow any rules
about objects—I ask them not to bring live animals, weapons or toy weapons, illegal
substances, alcohol, or other dangerous items.)
• Requirements—All speeches must have an introduction, body, and conclusion, meet the time
requirements, and use a visual aid in a way that supports the speech. Students must make eye
contact with the whole audience, and have good speech posture.
Informative Speeches
Demonstration Speech
• Time—Three to five minutes
• Objective—Students will learn how to structure an informative speech in a chronological
order and will effectively use a visual aid.
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
• Directions—For the purposes of this class, a demonstration speech is a presentation that
shows the audience either 1) how to do or make something or 2) how something works.
Students are allowed to choose whatever topic they wish as long as they are appropriate
(keep it PG and noninflammatory) and conform to the time limits (for example, “how to
rebuild an engine” would be too involved for three to five minutes).
• Requirements—Students must follow the time limit, hand in a full-sentence outline, use at
least two sources that are orally cited in the speech, use an extemporaneous speaking style,
and use at least one visual aid.
• Note: If you have requirements about citations (for example, no Wikipedia or about.com), be
sure students know about these limitations.
Informative Speech (General)
• Time—Five to seven minutes
• Objective—Students will learn how to structure information into a format that gives
audiences information without the intent of persuasion.
• Directions—Students will choose topics they wish to inform their audience about. They will
give speeches with a clear and well-organized structure using sources to support their
information.
• Requirements—Students must follow time limit, use at least one visual aid, cite at least five
sources orally and on a reference page, complete a full-sentence outline, have a clear thesis
statement and speech structure, use extemporaneous speaking style, and wear professional or
other appropriate dress. (If you require professional dress for all of your speeches, be sure to
say so at the beginning of the semester. For this speech, appropriate dress could be a
costume or uniform that relates directly to the speech.)
Persuasive Speech
• Time—Seven to ten minutes
• Objective—Students will construct speeches to change the beliefs, attitudes, or behavior of
their fellow students. Students will construct well-organized speeches according to one of the
speech patterns discussed in the text.
• Directions—The speech should be adapted to a specific audience—the student’s class at the
university—and the student should select a real-life, significant problem (at the university,
local, state, or national level) that has some sort of personal impact on the members of the
audience. The speech topic can be structured around a question of fact, a question of value, or a
question of policy as long as the student can justify his or her choice.
• Requirements—Students must adhere to time length, use at least one visual aid, use at least
four sources orally cited in the speech and cited on a reference page, complete a full-sentence
outline with a clear thesis statement and a clearly stated specific action for the audience to take,
use a extemporaneous speaking style, and dress professionally or otherwise appropriately.
Group Speech
• Time—Three to four minutes per person (Group of four: twelve to sixteen minutes; Group of
five: fifteen to twenty minutes)
• Objective—To give a well-constructed, well-presented speech that is written and presented as
part of a group.
36
• Description—This project gives students the opportunity to work with three to four of their
peers on a presentation. Each student is responsible for speaking for three to four minutes
and speech structure, use a extemporaneous speaking style, and dress professionally or
otherwise appropriately.
Special Instructions for Online Speeches
Online speeches are possible, even wonderful, but there are some things instructors can keep in
mind.
• Be sure you have the students upload an “introduction” that is graded as credit/no credit. This
Toastmasters meeting.
37
GRADING RUBRICS
“TELLING A STORY” SPEECH
Speaker Name:
Best
Good Needs Work Score &
Comments
exactly.
due to time.
instructor.
/10
Total Manuscript Points: /10
Speaker was
easily heard.
Speaker was
easily heard with
some exceptions.
Speaker was not
easily heard.
/10
Total Speech Points: /20
The following aspects are NOT FIGURED into the grade
Eye contact
Stance
Vocal variation
Emotion— vocal
Emotion— facial
Nonverbals
(gestures, use of
hands, etc.)
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
SELF-INTRODUCTION SPEECH: “IT REPRESENTS ME”
Speaker Name:
Best
Good
Needs Work Score &
Comments
Speaker used no
more than two
note cards with no
more than 30
words on each
card.
Speaker used
more than two
note cards and/ or
had more than 30
words on each
card.
Speaker wrote out
speech word-for-
word on the note
cards and/or had
more than 100
words.
/8
Speaker turned in
note cards in a
folder.
Speaker did not
turn in note cards
in a folder.
/2
Total S
p
eech Packet Points: /10
Speaker had a
solid,
recognizable
intro, body, and
conclusion.
Speaker had a
recognizable but
weak intro, body,
and conclusion.
Speaker did not
have an easily
recognizable intro,
body, or
conclusion.
/5
Speaker remained
within the 2- to 3-
minute time range.
Speaker remained
within 30 seconds
of the 2- to 3-
minute time range.
Speaker exceeded
30 seconds over or
under the time
range.
Time:
/5
Speaker used a
visual aid to
contribute to and
support the
speech.
Speaker had a
visual aid but it
was distracting or
hard to see.
Speaker did not
use the visual aid
to support the
presentation or
had no visual aid.
/5
Speaker made
appropriate eye
contact with
everyone in the
room.
Speaker made eye
contact with
most people in the
room.
Speaker did not
make any eye
contact with most
people in the
room.
/5
Speaker was
easily heard and
clear at all times.
Speaker was
easily heard or
clear most of the
time.
Speaker was not
easily heard or
clear through most
of the speech.
/5
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
SELF-INTRODUCTION SPEECH: “IT REPRESENTS ME” (continued)
Best
Good Needs Work Score &
Comments
Speaker maintained
a solid speaking
posture: feet planted,
no fidgeting or
pacing.
Speaker mostly
maintained a solid
speaking posture; a
bit of fidgeting or
pacing, shifting of
weight, etc.
The speaker did not
maintain a solid
speaking posture;
movements such as
fidgeting or pacing
distracted from the
speech.
/5
Total Speech Points: /30
Overall Comments:
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
DEMONSTRATION SPEECH
Speaker Name:
Best Good Needs Work Comments Score
Intro
Speaker used
an effective
and interesting
attention-getter
to draw the
audience into
the
demonstration.
Speaker used
an attention-
getter to start
the
demonstration.
Speaker used
no attention-
getter.
/2
Speaker
tailored the
presentation to
reflect the
interests/
knowledge/attit
udes of the
audience in a
way that made
the
demonstration
highly relevant
to listeners.
Speaker made
an OK attempt
to tailor the
presentation to
reflect the
interests/
knowledge/
attitudes of the
audience.
Speaker did not
attempt to
make the
demonstration
relevant to the
audience.
/2
Speaker
provided a
preview that
presented the
main points in
order,
connected to
the thesis, and
told the
audience what
to listen for
during the
demonstration.
Speaker
provided a
brief or
incomplete
preview of the
main points.
Speaker
provided no
preview of the
main points.
/4
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
Body
Main points/
steps were
presented in a
clear and logical
order.
Main points/
steps were
presented in a
discernable order.
Main points/
steps were
presented in a
disorganized or
hard-to- follow
order.
/4
Best Good Needs Work Comments Score
Body
First source was
present/ cited
correctly.
First source was
present but not
cited correctly.
First source was
completely
absent.
/2
Second source
was present/ cited
correctly.
Second source
was present but
not cited
correctly.
Second source
was completely
absent.
/2
Transition
statements were
smooth and
apparent between
each of the main
points as well as
between the intro
and body and the
body and
conclusion.
Transition
statements were
present, but not
between all
sections and/ or
all main points.
Transition
statements were
completely or
nearly non-
existent.
/2
Conclusion
The conclusion
made sense and
included a recap
(not simply a
restatement) of
the main points
that tied nicely to
the conclusion.
The conclusion
included simply
a restatement of
the main points.
May be
unexpected.
Conclusion was
discernable,
but there was
incomplete or no
mention of the
main points.
/4
“Clincher” was
present, tied
in, and forceful.
“Clincher” was
present, but
not connected
to the speech.
“Clincher”
/2
was missing o
r
weak (e.g.,
“That’s it”).
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
Best Good Needs Work Comments Score
Delivery
Speaker used a
visual aid to
contribute to and
support the
demonstration.
Speaker had a
visual aid that
contributed to the
demonstration
but used it in a
way that was
distracting/
hard to see.
Speaker did not
use the visual aid
to support the
demonstration
or had no visual
aid.
/4
Comments: TOTAL: /50
INFORMATIVE SPEECH
Speaker Name: Topic:
Speech Time:
Best Good Needs Work Comments Score
Body
First source was
present/ cited
correctly.
First source was
present but not
cited correctly.
First source was
completely
absent.
/3
Second source
was present/
cited correctly.
Second source
was present but
not cited
correctly.
Second source
was completely
absent.
/3
Third source was
present/ cited
correctly.
Third source was
present but not
cited correctly.
Third source was
completely
absent.
/3
Fourth source
was present/
cited correctly.
Fourth source
was present but
not cited
correctly.
Fourth source
was completely
absent.
/3
44
5–7 minutes. time range. or under the
time range.
Student used a
visual aid to
Student had a
visual aid that
Student did not
use the visual
/4
everyone in the
room at least 80
percent of the
time.
people in the
room at least 60
percent of the
time.
60 percent of the
time.
Best Good Needs Work Comments Score
(rate, volume,
tone,
pronunciation)
were excellent
throughout
(rate, volume,
tone,
pronunciation)
were OK
throughout the
(rate, volume,
tone,
pronunciation)
were poor
throughout the
very
conversational
style (not
reading).
mostly
conversational
style, was a bit
flat at times.
to notes and read
to audience.
46
Speaker dressed
in a professional/
appropriate
manner.
Speaker dressed
in clothing that
was mostly
acceptable for a
public speech.
Speaker did not
dress in
professional/
appropriate
clothing.
/2
attention-getter
to draw the
audience into the
presentation.
presentation.
Speaker used
to listeners.
Speaker made
Speaker did not
/4
Speaker
established a
high degree of
Speaker made
an attempt to
establish
Speaker did
not establish
credibility.
/4
Introduction
Speaker provided
a preview of the
main points that
presented the
Speaker provided
a brief or
incomplete
preview of the
Speaker provided
no preview of the
main points.
/4
order.
order.
hard-to-follow
order.
Speaker used
strong appeals—
emotional,
Speaker
attempted to
include appeals
Speaker used
no appeals in
persuasive
/3
Attention, Need,
Satisfaction,
Visualization,
Action.
fulfilled all steps
in a way that was
not crystal clear.
First source
First source was
First source was
/3
was present/
cited correctly.
was present but
not cited
correctly.
was absent.
Transition
statements were
Transition
statements were
Transition
statements were
/5
Conclusion
Speaker signaled
the closing of the
presentation.
Speaker did not
indicate the
closing of the
/2
present, tied in,
and forceful;
included a
reminder of the
specific action to
be taken by the
audience.
present but not
connected to the
speech or did not
include a specific
action for the
audience.
missing or weak
(e.g.,
“That’s it”).
