speaker’s organization of ideas

Answer the 12 questions on public speaking.  Try to attend a meeting, or rally in which a person or persons will be speaking to an audience and answer the questions found on the handout provided. A minister’s sermon, a politician’s speech, or a presentation at a professional meeting will all serve this assignment effectively. Speech should be live. You have the entire semester to prepare this assignment. If you have difficulty finding a live speech (live speech preferable), go to Ted.com and choose a speech that took place this year and no earlier than last year.

GUIDELINES FOR CRITIQUE OF OUTSIDE SPEECH ASSIGNMENT

PURPOSE:
One way to become a more effective public speaker is to be an audience member, observing other speakers, and noting and critiquing their strengths and weaknesses. Observation allows you to adopt some of the observed more effective behaviors into your own performances (as well as to avoid some of their “bad habits”). The purpose of this assignment is to provide an exercise in which students observe and critique a public speech.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Using the two-page form that your instructor will provide for you try to attend a meeting, or rally in which a person or persons will be speaking to an audience. A minister’s sermon, a politician’s speech, or a presentation at a professional meeting will all serve this assignment effectively.
However, here are some things that will NOT work:
1.    You cannot use a speech presented by a classmate in your public speaking class, any other class, or the videos related to your text.
2.    You cannot critique an informal presentation, such as one in which the leader of a     group speaks to that group and group members interact, ask questions, offer comments (the informality and give- and-take with the audience make this format unacceptable for this assignment)
3.    You cannot use an instructor’s lecture in another class you’re taking as data for this assignment.
4.    Speech must be current (have taken place within this year).
5.    If there appears to be no way you can critique a live speech, then you may as a last resort use a speech that is from a mediated source. However, you may lose points.

Critiquing a speech from a videotape is not regarded the same as critiquing a live presentation.

Using terminology you learned from the course, type your responses in complete sentences to the items on the 1-page form. Be very detailed in your responses. If you wish, you may want to enter your responses to the various items. If you do this, however, please try to conform to the space constraints I have indicated on the form. Lengthy critiques will likely hurt, not help, your grade. This assignment is due on or before the date noted in your class syllabus. I will not accept late critiques.

EVALUATION: Just for doing this assignment and turning it on time, you will receive full credit. However make sure that appropriateness of speaker selection, depth of insight in critiquing elements of the speaker’s performance, appropriate application of course terms to speaking event, and clarity of written style are considered carefully as you type your responses in complete sentences.

ALL QUESTIONS (all parts) MUST BE AND ANSWERED (typed) IN ORDER FOR YOU TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT
CRITIQUE OF OUTSIDE SPEECH

1. Name & Title/Position of the Speaker:

2. Subject of the speech:

3. Occasion for speech, including sponsoring group:

4. Place, time, & date of speech. (If you have flyers or handouts, attach them to this critique.)

5. What was the purpose (General and Specific purpose) of speech, as you understood it. (If possible, go up after the speech & ask the speaker what her or his purpose was.)

6. Describe the type of introductory (attention getter) and concluding (closing statement) devices the speaker used. Discuss why these devices were effective or ineffective.

7. Who was the audience? Discuss the way the speaker adapted to the specific audience. If the speech was not well-adapted to the audience, comment on this & suggest ways to improve.

8. Critique the speaker’s organization of ideas, including the use of connective devices (e.g., signposts, internal summaries, previews, reviews, transitions).

9. Critique the speaker’s use of support materials (e.g., examples, statistics, testimony) & sources.

10. Describe the speaker’s use of language. Was it appropriate for the audience? Why or why not? What elements of the speaker’s language stood out to you?

11. Describe the speaker’s delivery, including vocal & bodily delivery, eye contact, timing, etc.
Was it effective? Why or why not? Were there any physical constraints on his/her delivery?

12. What general or specific suggestions for improvement might you offer the speaker?