Reminders for tomorrow...

Please remember the following:

1. Your final exam is due tomorrow. No late exams are accepted.
2. Tomorrow is the last day to make-up speeches from previous weeks.
3. Be clear in your call to action! Make sure your speech follows Monroe's Motivated Sequence.
4. If you haven't used PowerPoint previously, this is your final opportunity to avoid a penalty.

Good luck! See you tomorrow.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Saturday

When finalizing your persuasive value speech, ask yourself the following questions.

1. Do I have specific purpose statement?
2. What is my central idea?
3. Who is my target audience? Have I adapted my speech to reach that audience?
4. What method(s) of gaining attention do I use in my introduction?
5. How do I establish my credibility in the introduction?
6. Did I include a preview statement in the introduction?
7. Did I state my main points in full sentences? Are they fully developed?
8. What supporting materials do I use to develop each main point?
9. What steps have I taken to answer potential objections that my audience may have to my position?
10. Did I include a summary statement in the conclusion?

EVIDENCE CHECKLIST FOR PERSUASIVE SPEECHES

When preparing your persuasive speech, make sure you can answer yes to the following questions.

1. Are all my major claims/arguments supported by evidence?

2. Do I use sufficient evidence to convince my audience of my claims?

3. Is my evidence stated in specific rather than general terms?

4. Do I use evidence that is new and novel to my audience?

5. Is my evidence from credible, unbiased sources?

6. Do I identify the sources of my evidence?

7. Is my evidence clearly linked to each point that it is meant to prove?

8. Do I provide enough evidence to answer possible objections the audience may have to my position?

Thoughts for Saturday...

First, a reminder. We will meet in the CETES building on the west side of campus tomorrow in Room 110. We will begin at the regular time and draw for speech order. Please be on time.

Everyone did well on their first speech. Focus on your delivery, eye contact, and avoid vocalized pauses (um, er, uh, etc.). Don't forget your copies, bibliography and visual aid!

See you tomorrow.

Outlines...the backbone to a good speech

Many of you are off to a good start with your outlines. A good outline will help you prepare to deliver an effective speech on Saturday.

However, I do have a few suggestions and reminders based upon what I have seen so far.

1. Make sure your outlines are written in full, complete sentences with proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
2. Cite your sources in the body of your speech. Each source should be mentioned at least once.
3. Include your examples, stories, etc. in your speech. You are more likely to forget them if you don't include them in your outline.
4. Use a consistent pattern in your outline. Remember that you should be able to see the visual framework (intro, main points, transitions, conclusion).

You should now be focused on refining the delivery of your speech. Practice with your visual aid (remember you need at least one!) note card and/or PowerPoint presentation. Time your presentation and make sure you have at least 5 minutes of content.

I look forward to hearing all of your speeches on Saturday. Remember to practice and think positively!

Negative thinking results in negative outcomes 100% of the time - let's focus on the positive!

More thoughts on the object speech

It was great meeting all of you on Saturday! I can tell that we're going to have a great time (at least as good of a time as you can have in class on a Saturday) and I look forward to hearing all of your speeches. You seem to be a confident group so far. Keep it going!

When you select a topic for your object speech, remember it should be something that is tangible, and can (or could at one time) be seen, held, etc. You might select a person from history, an item you collect, a vacation destination or a breed of dog/cat that you own. My first speech as a Cameron student was actually over the history and origin of the Barbie doll.

Ask yourself - is this topic I've selected about something I can touch, a place I could visit, a person I could meet?

Your second speech over an event will address something that has occurred in the past or happens currently. Topics might include a historical event, major holiday, diseases and syndromes like diabetes, breast cancer, AIDS, ADHD, autism, etc.

Good luck and don't forget your rough drafts are due on Friday!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Saturday Fundamentals of Speech class blog! I hope you will find the insights I share here to be helpful as you progress through the class materials.

I have been an adjunct professor at Cameron University since 2003 and have taught the weekend format since 2004. The format of the course is very intense. We cram a full semester of material and speeches into five Saturdays. However, don't feel discouraged - many students have preceded you and have been very successful in this class but it will require commitment and dedication on your part.

I will use this blog to share insights between our class meetings based on student questions and materials I might find to be useful to you. If you're on Twitter, you can follow me (CottonJen) and I will tweet when there is a new blog post.

Again, welcome to the class!