Welcome to Intro to Public Speaking, Spring 2012!
“I Think” Speech Due date: Feb. 22
You will write a one-page essay on one of the following quotes, or you may
choose a different quote, with the approval of the instructor. You do not
have to agree with the quote; you may take the opposite stance. You should
generate your own ideas, but you may research the quote to learn more of what
the writer of the quote intended, or to find other opinions on the quote if
you wish to get more ideas. (Please be sure to cite any references that you
use). You may use only your own slant on the topic if you have plenty of your
own ideas.
Written portion: 20% of grade
You will prepare a one page essay to be handed in and graded. It should
include: an opening sentence or paragraph to introduce your topic, a main body
that consists of at least three main points to support your thinking, and a
final sentence or paragraph that concludes.
Presentation: 80% of grade
You will read your speech and it will be graded on the following:
Preparedness
Eye contact
Vocal projection/pacing/fluidity
Stance/hands
Quotes:
“I Think; therefore I am.” Rene Descartes
I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time.” Orson Welles
“I think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability.” Oscar
Wilde
“I think the world is run by ‘C ’students. Al McGuire
“Of all noise, I think music is the least disagreeable.” Samuel Johnson
“I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had
better get out of the way and let them have it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“I think we ought to have as great a regard for religion as we can, so as to
keep it out of as many things as possible.” Sean O’Casey
“I think we consider too much the luck of the early bird, and not enough the
bad luck of the early worm.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
“I think that maybe if women and children were in charge we would get
somewhere.” James Thurber
Essay Speech based on “Learning How to Cook”
pp. 30-31 in Speechcraft
Due Feb. 13
Written (20%): You will write a one and a half to two page essay on the topic
of a new skill that you learned as a child or young adult. It should be
modeled after the essay on pp. 30-31 in Speechcraft. You should use direct
and indirect quotes. (Note: Lots of people seem to write on learning to
ride/drive a bike/car, so you should think of something different).
Oral (80%): You will read your speech. The length of your oral speech is not
designated since you will be reading your prepared speech.
You will be graded on:
level of preparedness
stance
vocal projection/pacing
eye contact
Assigned Feb. 8, due Feb. 9
Summarize pp.21-30 in Speechcraft.
Introductory Speech-Due Feb. 1 Wed.
Deliver a speech introducing yourself to the class in a creative way. By the
end of the speech, we should be acquainted with you. You must find a way of
introducing yourself that is more creative than simply, “Hi, my name is…, my
hobbies are…”
Ideas for Making Your Speech Creative
1) Tell a story that shows your character or personality.
(If you are generous, tell of a time you helped some; if you are lazy, tell
about a time you got out of work, etc).
2) Pretend you are someone else describing you. (You could speak from the
perspective of your best friend, your parent, your pet, or anyone else who
knows you and therefore let us know what others might think of you).
3) Deliver a eulogy.
(Act as if you are speaking at your funeral. You could tell what you
accomplished during your short time on earth, and what you had hoped for from
the future you cannot now live).
4) Come up with your own idea. (Remember-have fun and be creative).
You do not need to hand in a written speech, but you should know exactly what
you are going to say. That may mean that you should write it out, or at least
write out the main ideas/points you plan to discuss. You should practice it
at least a few times to be sure of the length.
Length: 45 seconds- 2 minutes
Due Feb. 1 Wed.
You will be graded on:
Meeting the time frame
Level of preparedness
Stance
Creativity
Object Speech-Due Date: Jan. 30
Bring one object that is either special to you for some reason or that
reflects
your personality and interest. In a short speech, explain the nature and
history of the object, and relate its importance to your personality. Do you
associate it with a certain person? Is there a story related to it that you
can
tell?
Length: 45 sec-1.5 minutes
Rubric:
Preparedness: 50%
Meet Time-Frame: 50%
HW. assigned Jan. 25, due Jan. 27
Summarize Chapter One pp. 3-9 of Speechcraft
Please bring both texts and a binder to class on Tuesday.
Texts:
Speechcraft by Brent C. Oberg
In Our Own Words by Rebecca Mlynarczyk and Steven B. Haber
