REQUIRED TEXT: The Speaker’s Handbook, by Jo Sprague and Douglas Stewart.

LIBRARY RESERVE: The Penguin Book of Twentieth Century Speeches.

GRADING:

WEEK

1
(January 14-18)

Speaker delivery/research and evidence

7
(February 25- March 1)

persuasion/exercises

DEBATES:
          APRIL 16 - (1-4)
          APRIL 18 - (5-8)

DEBATES
          - APRIL 23 - (9-12)
          -APRIL 25 - (13-16)

DEBATES - APRIL 30 - (17-20)/
         small group communication

17
(May 8-12)

FINAL EXAM - MAY 11

The following is a description of the three main speech assignments for Rhetoric 110:

INFORMATIVE SPEECH -This is intended to be a five-minute speech (plus or minus 30 seconds allowed). The student is expected to speak in an informative capacity on a topic of his/her choice for five minutes. The purpose of this assignment is to develop the student’s ability to teach and explain, and emphasis should be placed on the audience learning and remembering what has been said. The speech may be a description, a report, an explanation, or an instruction. It should be informational in nature, and avoid being argumentative and persuasive.

DEMONSTRATION SPEECH - This is a ten-minute speech (plus or minus 90 seconds allowed). In this speech, the student is expected to demonstrate how something works, or how to do something. The student is required to have a visual aid with which he/she can interact, such as an object, model, or specimen. The purpose of this speech is to enhance the student’s teaching abilities by incorporating visual aids actually used within the speech, by communicating useful skills or processes. The student’s speech may be explanatory, such as how a machine or device functions, or it may be instructive, such as teaching a given skill or craft.

PERSUASIVE DEBATE - In this speech, the student is expected to argue one side or another of a controversial issue. Depending upon the size of the class, the student will either debate alone against another person arguing a different side of an issue, or with a partner against another pair of partners. The student should be able to demonstrate the ability to persuade an audience to your point of view, through logical reasoning and evidence, psychological and emotional appeals, and by manifesting personal credibility.

The time of this speech is designed to be 14 minutes per student. This includes a five minute opening statement, where the speaker outlines his/her main arguments and reasons; a six-minute cross examination period, where you ask questions of your opponent for three minutes, and answer questions from your opponent for three minutes; and a summary/rebuttal statement from each participant, lasting three minutes each. Because this assignment includes multiple participants, maximum time limits will be strictly enforced.

The following are guidelines to be followed for the three main speech assignments:

1. All speeches will be extemporaneous. This implies that for each speech, the student will research, outline, and practice the speech, and that it will be delivered conversationally. The persuasive debate will consist of both extemporaneous and impromptu segments. The student may use notes or an outline during the speech, but may not memorize or read his/her presentation.
2. All speeches are expected to have organization and structure. At a minimum, this means having an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, and a clear pattern of organization within the speech itself.
3. The speech topic should be an appropriate one. This means a topic that is neither too broad, nor too narrow, for the amount of time allowed per speech. This also means selecting a topic appropriate for a college level audience.
4. All speeches must be accompanied by an outline. This outline should follow the guidelines given out by the Instructor. All speeches are required to include a thesis statement in the outline.
5. All speeches are expected to meet the required time frames, within the flexible parameters described above. The purpose of time limits is to help the student develop the ability to fit his/her message within time limits, not short-changing that message by being too short, and keeping it economical by preventing the student from going too long. Deviations from these limits may result in a lower grade for that speech, the extent of which will vary based on the overall quality of the speech.
6. All speeches are expected to include research and evidence. No matter how light-hearted or basic your topic, no matter how well you may know the subject, there is no topic that cannot be enhanced by further research.
7. Questions will be asked of the student after each presentation. These questions will not be included in the time limits, and will not generally affect the student’s grade for that assignment. The Instructor reserves the right to include this in the grade, however, if the Q and A significantly enhanced the presentation, or if the student gives contradictory information within that speech.
8. Speeches must consist of substantially original work by the student. Failure to do so may result in a failing grade for that assignment.
9. The student is expected to deliver the speech on the date and time assigned. This is done so that the class can function as planned, and in order to be fair to each and every student in the class.
10. It is strongly recommended that the student use some type of visual aid for each of the main speech assignments. In most cases, visual and audio aids, enhance the power and effect of the speaking experience.

The following are smaller assignments that are required for this class. They will not receive a formal grade, and with the exception of the speech interpretation, do not require out of class work, and all except the interpretation are impromptu exercises.

INTRODUCTORY SPEECH - Each student will be required to introduce themselves to the other members of the class. The student should take three minutes to tell the audience what he/she thinks we should know to understand who you are.

ORAL INTERPRETATION SPEECH - For this assignment, the student will select a speech from the Penguin Book of Twentieth-Century Speeches (the student may use a speech from another source, subject to the approval of the Instructor). The student will write a one-page summary of the speech, deliver that summary extemporaneously, and then read aloud a 1:30-two minute segment of the actual speech to the class, infusing the speech with power and emotion. The purpose of this assignment is to develop the student’s critical thinking skills, recognize the language of persuasion, and understand the importance of using emotional appeals in a persuasive speech.

SMALL GROUP ASSIGNMENT - For this speech, the class will be divided into small groups (five or six people), and given a problem-solving situation. A leader will be appointed to direct conversation, and will deliver a brief summary of the group’s deliberations. The purposes of this assignment are to enhance the student’s problem-solving skills, deal with interpersonal situations, and engage in consensus-building.

IMPROMPTU SPEECH - On an unspecified day, the Instructor will come into class and give a choice of three topics from which the student may choose (these topics will be universal in nature and will not necessitate external research). The students will be given five minutes to prepare their remarks. The Instructor will then call upon the students at random to deliver a three-minute presentation. This assignment is designed to strengthen the student’s ability to think and speak on a moment’s notice.

1. The speaker should respect his/her audience. He should not talk above or below his/her audience. You are speaking to a group of educated and intelligent people, and this should be reflected at all times in your delivery and the content of your speeches. Appreciate the differences and diversity of your audience.
2. The speaker should try at all times to be interesting. It is not enough to fulfill the requirements of doing the assignment. Remember, you are using our time as members of an audience as well as your own time.
3. The audience should be courteous, respectful, and attentive. This means following general rules of decorum, employing your listening skills, and asking questions. Cell phones and beepers should be turned off when coming to class. Eating is prohibited during class time. The students should refrain from distracting behavior while a person is speaking. This includes not talking to your neighbor, not "doodling," not sleeping or giving the impression of sleeping, not playing with keys, books, or other noisy items. As a listener in this course, you have an obligation to be courteous to your classmates, listen to what they have to say, and ask probing, intelligent questions.
4. Unruly, discourteous, and rude behavior will not be tolerated from the speaker or the audience. In this course, we are engaging in civil discourse. This especially means respecting differences of opinion. These differences are accepted and encouraged, but should be expressed in an intelligent, respectful fashion.
5. All of the above behaviors will be evaluated when considering the student’s class participation grade.

Interesting content. Strong and clear organizational pattern. Well-defined and focused thesis. All aspects of delivery are strong: articulation, pitch variation, eye contact, audience rapport, gestures and movements, and use of language. Truly an extemporaneous speech. Fits into the prescribed time frame.

Content adequate or better. Organizational pattern and thesis clear. Most aspects of delivery are good, but one or two may need work. An extemporaneous speech. Fits into the time frame, though in some cases may be slightly over or under.

Content average or slightly better. Probably much work needed on delivery. Part or all of this speech is delivered extemporaneously. May or may not fall into the prescribed time frame. A middle to low B may end up as a C because it is not in the proper time frame.

Student failed to deliver the speech on the assigned day, or student plagiarized all or a significant portion of his/her presentation. An F may be given in some cases when both content and delivery are extremely poor.