This discussion asks that you find a speaker to critique online. Please ensure you are choosing a speaker with an audience in a somewhat professional setting. I’ve found that if you are in doubt about a speech to critique, a famous or historical speech is often very effective to watch; I offer some suggestions below as to sites you may choose to visit in order to complete the assignment.
DIRECTIONS: The speech must be from 4-7 minutes long (in its entirety). In other words, do not simply watch a PORTION of a long speech; watch the entire speech. Answer the following questions on the discussion board. 1. Context of speech: List the name of website you used.
How long is this speech? Who is speaking? Why is the speech being delivered? Who is the intended audience, do you think? Is this a persuasive speech or informational? Please provide a link to your speech here as well.
- What about eye contact? Does the speaker do a good job of looking around at the audience or not so much? If the speaker is using notes or slides, do they interfere with his/her eye contact? Does he/she balance looking at those items and the audience or is too much time spent looking at notes? Does the speaker look equally around the location or does he/she tend to look in one area overly much?
- Briefly discuss the speaker’s voice qualitySpeaker Critique Discussion. Discuss rate (how fast or slow), emphasis, intensity, vocal distractors (uh’s, umm’s, etc.), use of pauses, etc. Is the overall quality effective? Why or why not?
- How does the speaker begin? What is used to gain attention? Tell us the quote or opening lines. Is it an effective opening?
- What are the main ideas the speaker is presenting? Briefly outline them.
- How does the speaker conclude? What is used to give a memorable ending? How does the audience respond?
- What ONE positive technique or skill can you take from this speaker and use in your own speeches?
Some Speeches listed below.
http://www.history.com/speeches