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PART THREE
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Evaluation
and Grading
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40 PART THREE—EVALUATION AND GRADING
valuating student work and assigning grades are among the most difficult tasks facing any
teacher. Students take their grades very seriously, and if they believe they are being assessed
unfairly, they will quickly develop a negative view of the teacher and, perhaps, of the course in
general. Moreover, the self–confidence that is essential for beginning speakers can be seriously
damaged if the teacher is insensitive to their need for encouragement and positive reinforcement.
Yet instructors also have an obligation to assess students objectively on the quality of the
work they produce. You cannot give students higher grades than they deserve just to maintain
good feelings in the class. Striking a balance between the psychological needs of the students and
the integrity of the grading system is one of the most difficult challenges facing a teacher of pub-
lic speaking.
Criteria, Exams, and Grading Scales
When grading speeches, do all you can to let students know when and how they will be evaluated.
Explain speech assignments clearly and notify students of their speaking dates well in advance.
Tell students the objectives of each assignment so they will know what to concentrate on in prepar-
ing their speeches. Also, be as specific as possible about your criteria for grading speeches. You
may find it helpful to give students, on the first day of class, a sheet similar to the one on page 38,
listing your basic criteria for grading speeches.
E
EVALUATION AND GRADING 41
Test Bank that accompanies The Art of Public Speaking contains close to 2,800 true-false, multi-
ple-choice, short-answer, and essay questions. In addition, it offers preconstructed true–false quiz-
zes for each chapter of the book, as well as three complete sample final examinations that illustrate
different approaches to testing and evaluation. Finally, the Test Bank includes a guest essay by
Anita Vangelisti of the University of Texas on test construction and assessment.
There are a number of ways to weight individual assignments and determine final grades. Be-
low is one system based on the assignments in the course outlines presented in Part One of this
manual. It can be adjusted easily to reflect your assignments and your approach to determining
final grades.
Assignment
Proportion of Final Grade
informative speech
10 percent
persuasive speech
20 percent
20 percent
25 percent
To maintain the integrity of your grading system, you will need a firm attendance policy.
Public speaking is a participation course. It also runs on a very tight schedule. If students habitu-
ally skip class when they are assigned to speak, the syllabus will be thrown off very quickly.
Many instructors assign an automatic grade penalty to any student who fails to deliver a speech
42 PART THREE—EVALUATION AND GRADING
Evaluation Forms
No matter how grades are assigned, it is important that students receive written evaluations of
their speeches. Because such evaluations are usually the major channel of feedback from the in-
structor about the speeches, they need to be handled with great care. Evaluation forms should
indicate clearly the elements of the speech on which the student is being assessed. They should
also allow room for written comments.
Pages 45–51 of this manual contain seven speech evaluation forms. The first three are suita-
ble for almost any kind of speech. The fourth is designed for persuasive speeches on questions of
Strategies of Evaluation
The most difficult task when evaluating speeches is to maintain a positive, encouraging tone
while at the same time being candid with students about the shortcomings of their speeches.
Evaluations should be realistic in appraising the speech, but they should be offered in a kind,
optimistic tone that provides hope and encouragement for future speeches.
Whether you are preparing a written evaluation, discussing speeches in class, or meeting in-
dividually with students in a post–speech conference, it is usually a good idea to adopt the “good
EVALUATION AND GRADING 43
Evaluations by Students
It is also useful to have students fill out evaluation forms on their peers’ speeches. One way to do
this is to assign each student a partner who is responsible for providing a detailed, constructive
evaluation of their partner’s speech. Another approach is to assign a group of students as critics
for each day’s speeches. These students should fill out an evaluation form for each speech deliv-
ered that day. By the end of the unit, each student will have served as a critic for one day.
There are several schools of thought about dealing with student evaluations. Some instructors
read the evaluations and grade them to encourage thorough, helpful, encouraging critiques.
Whether or not you assign a grade to the evaluations, you should always look them over before
giving them to the speaker to make sure they are sufficiently detailed and do not contain any de-
structive comments.
How much weight should be put on student evaluations in determining the speaker’s grade?
There are obvious dangers in having a student’s grade hinge in any formal way on the responses
If your evaluation of the speech is higher than that of the speaker’s classmates, the speaker
will gladly defer to your wisdom and insight. If your evaluation is lower than that of the speaker’s
classmates, the speaker may challenge your wisdom and insight. In such circumstances, you
should explain exactly what was wrong with the speech and how the speaker can improve next
time. You should not allow students to browbeat you into changing your evaluation.
44 PART THREE—EVALUATION AND GRADING
Criteria Used for Evaluating Speeches
The average speech (grade C) should meet the following criteria:
2. Be ready for presentation on the assigned date
4. Fulfill any special requirements of the assignment—preparing an outline, using visual
aids, conducting an interview, etc.
6. Have an identifiable introduction, body, and conclusion
8. Be free of serious errors in grammar, pronunciation, and word usage
The above average speech (grade B) should meet the preceding criteria and also:
2. Fulfill all major functions of a speech introduction and conclusion
4. Support main points with evidence that meets the tests of accuracy, relevance, objectivi-
ty, and sufficiency
6. Be delivered skillfully enough so as not to distract attention from the speaker’s message
The superior speech (grade A) should meet all the preceding criteria and also:
2. Sustain positive interest, feeling, and/or commitment among the audience
4. Be delivered in a fluent, polished manner that strengthens the impact of the speaker’s
message
The below average speech (grade D or F) is seriously deficient in the criteria required for the
C speech.
45
Speech Evaluation Form
Speaker
Topic
Rate the speaker on each point: E-excellent G–good A-average F-fair P-poor
COMMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Gained attention and interest E G A F P
Introduced topic clearly E G A F P
Established credibility E G A F P
Previewed body of speech E G A F P
Related to audience E G A F P
BODY
Main points clear E G A F P
Main points fully supported E G A F P
Organization well planned E G A F P
CONCLUSION
Prepared audience for ending E G A F P
Reinforced central idea E G A F P
DELIVERY
Maintained eye contact E G A F P
OVERALL EVALUATION
Topic challenging E G A F P
Specific purpose well chosen E G A F P
46
Speech Evaluation Form
Speaker
Topic
Rate the speaker on each point: E-excellent G–good A-average F-fair P-poor
INTRODUCTION DELIVERY
Gained attention and interest E G A F P Began speech without rushing E G A F P
Introduced topic clearly E G A F P Maintained strong eye contact E G A F P
Related to audience E G A F P Avoided distracting mannerisms E G A F P
Established credibility E G A F P Articulated words clearly E G A F P
Previewed body of speech E G A F P Used pauses effectively E G A F P
Language accurate E G A F P
Language clear E G A F P OVERALL EVALUATION
Language appropriate E G A F P Met assignment E G A F P
Connectives effective E G A F P Topic challenging E G A F P
Specific purpose well chosen E G A F P
CONCLUSION Message adapted to audience E G A F P
Prepared audience for ending E G A F P Speech completed within time limit E G A F P
Reinforced central idea E G A F P Held interest of audience E G A F P
Vivid ending E G A F P
What did the speaker do most effectively?
What should the speaker pay special attention to next time?
General Comments
47
Speech Evaluation Form
Speaker
Topic
Rate the speaker on each point: E-excellent G–good A-average F-fair P-poor
What was the speaker’s specific purpose?
Introduction gained attention E G A F P
Introduction revealed the topic clearly E G A F P
List the main points of the speech. On the line at right, note the kinds of supporting materials
used for each: S-statistics E–examples T-testimony
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
What pattern of organization did the speaker use?
Conclusion reinforced the central idea E G A F P
Conclusion ended on a strong note E G A F P
Speaker’s language was clear E G A F P
Speaker’s language was vivid E G A F P
48
Policy Speech Evaluation Form
Speaker
Topic
Rate the speaker on each point: E-excellent G–good A-average F-fair P-poor
1. Introduction gained attention and interest E G A F P
3. Main points supported with sufficient evidence E G A F P
5. Reasoning clear and sound E G A F P
7. Speaker’s plan clearly explained E G A F P
9. Connectives used effectively E G A F P
11. Conclusion reinforced the central idea E G A F P
13. Voice used to add impact E G A F P
15. Speech well adapted to the audience E G A F P
16. Overall evaluation of the speech E G A F P
Comments:
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence Evaluation Form
Speaker
Topic
Rate the speaker on each point: E-excellent G–good A-average F-fair P-poor
COMMENTS
ATTENTION STEP
Gained attention of listeners E G A F P
Introduced topic clearly E G A F P
NEED STEP
Need clearly explained E G A F P
Need demonstrated with evidence E G A F P
Need related to audience E G A F P
SATISFACTION STEP
Plan clearly explained E G A F P
Plan well thought out E G A F P
VISUALIZATION STEP
Practicality of plan shown E G A F P
Benefits of plan related to audience E G A F P
ACTION STEP
DELIVERY
Maintained eye contact E G A F P
Extemporaneous and conversational E G A F P
Poised, confident presentation E G A F P
Words articulated clearly E G A F P
Physical action effective E G A F P
Communicated enthusiasm for topic E G A F P
OVERALL EVALUATION
Language clear, concise E G A F P
50
Commemorative Speech Evaluation Form
Speaker
Topic
Rate the speaker on each point: E-excellent G–good A-average F-fair P-poor
Introduction gained attention E G A F P
Language vivid E G A F P
Topic dealt with creatively E G A F P
Speech adapted to audience E G A F P
Sufficient eye contact E G A F P
Comments
51
Online Speech Evaluation Form
Speaker
Topic
Rate the speaker on each point: E-excellent G–good A-average F-fair P-poor
General Considerations
Introduction properly developed E G A F P
Main points clearly organized and easy to follow E G A F P
Main points fully supported E G A F P
Online Speaking Considerations
General control of visual environment E G A F P
Setting E G A F P
Lighting E G A F P
Framing E G A F P
Design and presentation of visual aids E G A F P
Adaptation to the online audience E G A F P
Poised, well–rehearsed delivery E G A F P
Command of technology E G A F P
Comments: