Final Speech Assignment

Public Speaking Final Speech – Problem Solution Format

The final speech will ask you to educate your audience about a problem that is present in our world today and offer at least one viable solution. Choose a topic that you are passionate about and one that you want to share with others. 

Consider also how engaging your topic will be to you and your audience – make sure you have something interesting to say and that your audience will benefit in some way from listening to the speech.

Make sure your topic is narrow enough so your speech will not be too vague, but also make sure it is not too narrow so that you will have enough material to fill approximately 4-6 minutes of speaking.

A five-minute speech, spoken at an average rate, should be approximately 650 words long, so that should be your guideline for writing this speech. 

All speeches need to contain the following elements:

1.       An engaging opening strategy or “hook” that catches the audience’s attention

2.       Well-organized content (different points separated into different paragraphs – separate out the problem portion from the solution portion)

3.       At least 5 credible sources consulted on your topic

4.       2-3 credible sources quoted in the speech

5.       A clear “Takeaway” for the audience: boiling down your main point to a few sentences

6.       A strong closing strategy to leave the audience with something profound to think about

This project will be a multi-step process. First, you need to brainstorm and choose a topic. Then, you need to complete substantive research (the final calls for at least 5 credible sources, but you may need to consult as many as 10 sources until you find the appropriate information). Next, you will write and revise several drafts of your speech. After that, you will memorize and deliver the speech in class, and you will have the opportunity for several “takes” with feedback given in between. Finally, you will present the final draft of your speech, video it, upload it to Youtube, and write a reflection.

Articulation Exercises

1. Light, bright tones articulated by the tip of the tongue, the lips, and the teeth

2. Red leather, yellow leather

3. Unique New York

Welcome to Public Speaking -- Spring Term

Here are some quotes to get you thinking about why you are here in this class and what you want to work on throughout this semester:

Memorization Techniques

There are a lot of techniques that you can use to memorize speeches. One of the best ideas is to record yourself saying your speech and listen to it over and over. Another good idea is to print your speech out in large print, split up into chunks, with different colored ink for each chunk. Then memorize red first, the orange, yellow, etc.

Here is a post that you might also find useful from the group Drama Resource:

12 Tips for Learning Lines

Here are twelve practical techniques for learning lines. These should be effective whether you are an actor, lecturer, speech-giver or storyteller. Good luck – and practise, practise, practise!

1. Read the lines aloud. By speaking the lines you will hear them and they are more likely to stick.

2. Ask a friend to help you. Friends can correct you on any mistakes you make, give you the cue lines and go back over any weak areas.

3. Practise, practise, practise. This is the only way to make the lines stick. There is no such thing as a “photographic” memory. Everybody has to do this, even Kenneth Branagh.

4. Little and often. Go over them first thing in the morning, a few times during the day and last thing at night.

5. There are several apps which can help with learning lines. Here are some I have reviewed and recommend: With Line Learner you record all the lines including those of other characters and then listen to them leaving silent pauses to speak your own lines. With Rehearsal you can upload a script and watch it scrolling by as you record your lines to listen to.

6. Even if you don’t use an app you can make a recording of the scene with a tape-recorder or mp3 player. Listen to it while you are shaving/washing up/driving (but keep your eyes on the road). It’s a good idea to leave gaps in the recording to speak your own lines.

7. Move around while you are saying your lines. This has been scientifically proven to aid memory. The best thing to do is to act and feel the emotions of the character so that you are learning the meaning of the speech as much as the words. Or just for a change you can even do something entirely unrelated like juggling or sweeping the floor.

8. Go for a drive or better still a walk. Walking and saying your lines can be quite relaxing (though beware of strange looks from passers-by).

9. Learn the cue lines that lead in to each of your lines. Being prompt with your lines will give you and your fellow actors more confidence.

10. As you say or read the lines, follow the thought pattern of each speech and the overall progression of the scene. Your lines are a part of the play. They don’t exist on their own.

11. In rehearsals, listen to and think about what the other actors are saying. Don’t just concentrate on what you’ve got to say.

12. Make a recording of the cast reading the script and use this to practise with so that you get used to hearing the other characters’ voices.

Fallacy Quizzes

Click on these websites to test your knowledge of Logical Fallacies:

http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz2814762039ae8.html

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=logical-fallacies-quiz

Then identify the following fallacies if you know the name or say why it is a fallacy:

a. Since scientists cannot prove that global warming will occur, it probably won't.

b. Most people believe that Hillary Clinton is a liar; therefore you shouldn't vote for her. 

c. If we pass laws against fully automatic weapons, then it won't be  long before we pass laws on all weapons, and then we will begin to restrict other rights, and finally we will end up living in a communist state. Thus, we should not ban fully automatic weapons.

d. A book is pornographic if and only if it contains pornography.
 
e. We should not believe President Clinton when he claims not to have had sex with Monica Lewinsky.  After all, he's a liar.

f.  Fred, the Australian, stole my wallet. Thus, all Australians are thieves.

g. Satanist Quarterly reports that 87% of Americans are atheists.  Therefore, there is no god.

h. Immigration to California from Mexico increased. Soon after, the welfare rolls increased. Therefore, the increased immigration caused the increase in welfare rolls.  

i. Protesting against racial injustice only causes more of it to occur.

j. The car accident would not have occurred if the parking meter had not gotten in the way.

k. All of those movie stars are really rude. I asked Ryan Gosling for his autograph in a restaurant once, and he told me to get lost,

l. What's the big deal about the early pioneers killing a few Indians in order to settle the West? After all, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

m. Either you buy a large car and watch it guzzle away your paycheck, or you buy a small car and take a greater risk of being injured or killed in the event of an accident.

n. There is no reason to listen to the arguments of those who oppose school prayer, for they are the arguments of atheists!

o. If the Supreme Court allows abortion, next thing you know they'll allow euthanasia, and it won't be long before society disposes of all those persons whom it deems undesirable.

p. I wore my lucky red shirt when I took the test, so that is probably why I did so well on the test.

q. Guns are like hammers—they're both tools with metal parts that could be used to kill someone. And yet it would be ridiculous to restrict the purchase of hammers—so restrictions on purchasing guns are equally ridiculous.

r. Grading this exam on a curve would be the most fair thing to do. After all, classes go more smoothly when the students and the professor are getting along well.

s. You should fly an American flag off your front porch.  It’s the patriotic thing to do.

t. I'm moving to Connecticut because it is the richest state in the nation and I'm tired of being poor.

u. If you do poorly in Ms. Lawrynovicz’s class, you will start doing poorly in other classes too. The first thing you know, you'll end up on probation, and then you will get kicked out of college. Without a college degree, you won't get a good job, and you'll starve to death. So you had better do well in Ms. Lawrynovicz’s class.

v. Why should you feel guilty for seeking your own happiness when that's what everyone else is doing, too?

w. A recent Time Warner commercial suggested that you should stick with cable because “DirectTV hates puppies.”

x. "We should clean out the closets. They are getting a bit messy." 

    "Why, we just went through those closets last year. Do we have to clean them out every day?" 

    "I never said anything about cleaning them out every day. You just want to keep all your junk forever, which is just        ridiculous."

Another Resource on Logical Fallacies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdSB137pFrs

Key Terms and Concepts Handout

Public Speaking Debate Unit: Key Terms and Concepts

3 Elements of Argument:

Logos

Pathos

Ethos

Debate Terminology:

Opening Statement

Position/Assertion/Claim/Premise

Rebuttal

Concession

Refutation

Closing Statement

Logical Fallacies:  https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/fallacies_list.html