Introduction to Public Speaking and Speeches
Sophomore Speech Unit
Marjean Huber (fizzjr@sdplains.com)
Weeks One and Two-Speeches of Introduction and Personal Experience
Standards addressed:
Plan formal oral presentations using various supporting strategies.
Use vocabulary and terminology appropriate for the audience
Analyze the occasion to determine appropriate speech topic, form and style
Determine the relationships among purpose, audience, and content presentation.
Use appropriate grammar, sentence structure, and syntax in various speaking situations
Use appropriate rehearsal strategies to achieve command of text, skillful and artistic staging,
and attention to performance details.
In this unit you will prepare and present two oral presentations. You may select the style and
method of presentations from the choices that follow.
Complete 65-80 points for a C:
Listen to lecture and complete an outline. Each day's notes are worth 5 points.
1 2 3 4 5
1. Write an autobiography. It should include: name, address, age, parents occupation and hobbies, your hobbies, favorite foods, favorite restaurant, what frightens you most, an event that surprised you, two conflicts in your life and what you wish to be doing 5 years from now. Now write a biography for another person using the same criteria. (20 points)
2. Prepare a set of 20 interesting questions based on a theme to ask another person. Use the questions as an interview tool as though you were doing a TV or magazine spot about that person. Interview 3 persons from the following age groups using the same set of questions for each. Interview: Someone under 10 years of age, someone who is a year older or younger than you, someone who is over 30. Write one of the interviews in Question/Answer format. (20 points)
3. Use a video camera for #2 and present it after editing it in the manner of a Dateline interview. You must have all three interviews on tape, but need only edit one of them. (20 points)
4. Read tips either online or in a print medium or gathered from lecture notes given in class and create a poster for display. The poster should express helpful hints for public speaking. (20 points)
5. Draw a detailed diagram or a 3 dimensional model showing how the human body creates sound. (20 points)
6. You are a speechwriter for a celebrity who must defend his or her actions. Your job is to prepare a statement that the celebrity will read to the press to explain the problem. You may choose the celebrity (a real person we will know), but, the situation that you place them in may be imaginary. However, the situation should be a problem that could or might happen. (15 points)
7. Create a set of flash cards with at least 20 words and phrases related to speech delivery or the voice. (15 points)
8. Read an article about public speaking, stage fright, or speaking tips and summarize the article in two paragraphs. Include citation information. Use six-trait rubrics for revision before preparing them for presentation. (15 points)
9. Listen to someone else practice a presentation and give them honest and useful feedback. (5 points)
10. Make a collage using 3 different mediums showing the ways public speaking might be used in a particular career. (10 points)
11. Write a song about giving a speech. Perform it for at least 3 people or put it on tape. (10 points)
12. Create and perform a scene for the class with at least one other person showing the proper
way to make introductions for different situations. Consult an etiquette book or article. Show
how each situation differs. Introduce a boyfriend or girlfriend to parents, an employer to a
prospective employee, a female friend to a male friend, a new acquaintance to an old friend, an
adult to another adult. Finish by giving some pointers on when and how to shake hands, stand,
sit, etc.(15 points)
B level: You must acquire C level and one B level to receive a B. Each B level option is
worth 15 points. You may do only one.
1 Prepare and present a 3-minute speech about an event in your life or another person's life. You must have interviewed the other person if you choose that option.
2 What happens to the body when a person is nervous? Prepare a presentation in oral, print or other media format and present it to the class.
3 What makes a story funny? How does a comedian get a laugh from his audience? Demonstrate.
4 How can a speaker control nervous problems such as dry mouth, sweating, etc. that are
common to stage fright? Demonstrate.
A level: You must complete B, C level to qualify for an A. Each option below is worth 20 points.
Remember that your presentation requires research. Fill out the A level assignment sheet using
appropriate citations. Your presentation of research findings is at your discretion. You may give a
speech, write an essay, create a multi-media presentation, prepare a debatesee me if you aren't
sure if what you have in mind will work.
1 Are tabloids wrong to expose private lives of public figures?
2 Are social skills damaged when a student is home-schooled?