SPCOM 122 – Public Speaking
Gross
PERSUASIVE SPEECH
Objective: This assignment has two purposes – first, to give students practice developing and
presenting a persuasive speech (using evidence, sources and logical arguments), and second, to
allow students to respond to feedback from their first speeches in order to further improve their
public speaking skills.
Explanation: You are to choose a topic that is somewhat controversial, that is, that some people
are for it and some are against it. You should present at least one fair argument (with support
and source(s)) for each side, then attempt to persuade the audience to be on your side of the
issue. You may want to include your suggestion for a solution to a problem, or convince us to
take some action in support of your position.
Requirements:
1. You must turn in a topic choice paper (with topic and bibliographic information for three
sources) and a formal outline by the dates listed on the syllabus. The outline should follow the
same format and guidelines as for the informative speech outline.
2. In the speech, you must cite at least three sources, other than yourself.
3. You must use some type of visual aid. Choose the aid(s) most appropriate for your topic, and
follow the guidelines from class and the text.
4. You may use notes, but you are not to write out and read the speech or memorize major
portions of it.
5. The speech should be from 8-10 minutes long. You have one minute “grace period,” however
shorter or longer speeches will be penalized one-third grade or more, depending on length.
6. You must call for questions after ending your speech (Wait until after the audience applauds!).
Time answering questions does not count in overall time of the speech.
6. Your speech must be recorded (visual and audio), either with your phone or with the camera in
class.
7. You must watch the recording of your speech and fill out the self-evaluation form. The selfevaluation should include how long the speech ran and specific observations of strengths and
areas to work on with your reasoning (see form). Your self-evaluation is due one week after the
date of your speech.
Grading: This speech is worth 20% of the final course grade. The grade will be based on
clarity in covering the steps of a well-organized speech, effective use of evidence, sources and
supporting material, logical organization of ideas, fairness in presenting each side,
persuasiveness of arguments, effectiveness of visual aids, effective delivery style and evidence of
preparation. (See grading scale on other side.) The outline is worth 10 points, based on the
same criteria as for the informative speech. The self-evaluation is worth up to 5 points, based on
completeness and accuracy.
SPCOM 122, Persuasive Speech
Page two
GRADING CRITERIA AND SCALE FOR PERSUASIVE SPEECH*
A Range:
- Clear and complete introduction, body and conclusion
- Effective use of specific support material, with sources cited appropriately
- Fair and supported counter-argument
- Logical arguments for position developed with strong specific evidence
- Effective use of visual aids to clarify ideas
- Evidence of preparation in delivery – fairly smoothly delivered without overreliance on notes; appropriate responses to questions
B Range:
- Generally complete and clearly structured introduction, body and conclusion,
though some or several areas could be improved
- Body has fairly clear main and supporting points with support material and
sources used as backup
- Two sides of the issue are raised and supported, though could have been
developed more logically and/or with more evidence
- Visual aids used adequately; may have some quality or usage problems
- Delivery may suggest less preparation through over-reliance on notes,
hesitations or fillers, lack of eye contact and/or problems answering questions
C Range:
- Introduction, body and/or conclusion missing some parts or hard to follow
- Arguments for position somewhat unclear, illogical and/or unsupported with
evidence or sources
- Counter-argument missing or unsupported
- Visual aids ineffective in clarifying points
- Delivery may suggest little preparation generally
Below C Range:
- Speech does not follow structural format from class in the introduction, body
and/or conclusion; missing adequate support or contains plagiarized information,
delivery shows minimal evidence of preparation
*NOTE – Final speech grade will be adjusted for time limit violations (1/3 -1 grade
lower) or lack of visual aids (1 grade lower) after being assigned the original grade.