SPEECH
ASSIGNMENTS –
SUMMER 2013
Notes:



All speeches must be delivered extemporaneously, carefully prepared in
advance using the appropriate Preparation Outline template and delivered
from a brief set of speaking notes or a very brief speaking outline. Do not
read to your audience – speak to them.
If you want to discuss your topics with me, see me during my office hours.
Length for speeches 1 through 7 is three to five minutes.
SPEECH #1: Personal Experience.

Choose an experience you have had at some point in your life that holds
some special meaning for you. Consider what was the experience? – What
Happened? Who was involved? Consider how the experience affected you.
What have you learned from it? This is a Narrative – you are telling us your
story.
SPEECH #2: Pet Peeve

What is your pet peeve? In other words, what is that one thing that really
drives you crazy? Your goal is not to have a complaint session, but,
rather to give your audience insight into who you are. You should have
three main points. Consider what drives you crazy, why it drives you crazy,
and what can your audience do to avoid committing that which drives
you crazy.
SPEECH #3: Oral Interpretation

Pick your favorite piece of literature: prose (a short story) or poetry (song
lyrics are considered poetry). Tell us what it means to you. Every piece of
literature can be interpreted in different ways. There are no “right” or
“wrong” interpretations here. Be sure to make two or three good main
points and use lines from the literature to support your points.
ENG111_25
LCCC
KimAlyse Popkave, M.Ed., CMI, CPPC
Page 1
SPEECH #4: Informative

Pick one issue that you will be dealing with in your career. Do Scholarly
Research, utilizing at least three (3) academically research-worthy
sources.
Note:

If you do not do the research, I will not accept your assignment. Should this
occur, your grade for this assignment will be a 0%. This is not to be a
“What I Want To Do When I Graduate” speech. Rather you are to research
one topic that you will deal with in your career.
SPEECH #5: Demonstration of a Process

You are free to demonstrate any process. If you are uncertain of what to
demonstrate, email me or stop into my office. If you do not actually do
the demonstration in class, your grade for the assignment will be a
0%. If you are uncertain if your chosen topic will be able to be
demonstrated in class, come speak with me, at least a week in advance of
the speech.
SPEECH #6: Persuasive

Pick one controversial issue for which you hold very strong opinions or
beliefs. Do Scholarly Research, utilizing at least three (3) academically
research-worthy sources. Utilize Monroe’s Motivated Sequence to
organize your speech.
Note:


If you do not do the research, I will not accept your assignment. If you do
not use Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, I will not accept your speech. Should
this occur, your grade for this assignment will be a 0%.
Please realize that there are three main goals under the overall umbrella of
persuasion, each having subtle differences in approach. They are as follows:
 To Convince
 When you seek to convince, you want to bring your audience
around to your way of thinking on the topic.
 To Stimulate
 When you seek to stimulate your audience’s thinking on a
particular topic, you will offer both sides of the issue and
challenge the audience to make up their own minds.
 You are not telling them how to think on the issue. You just
want them to give the issue their attention.
ENG111_25
LCCC
KimAlyse Popkave, M.Ed., CMI, CPPC
Page 2

To Actuate
 When you seek to actuate your audience, your goal is their
immediate decisive action on the issue.
o Here you need to tell them very specifically what
action you want them to take.
SPEECH #7: To Inform on an Event
You are an Event Coordinator for a National Charitable Organization. (Your
Choice). You have been invited to a local Chamber of Commerce breakfast
meeting to speak to the membership about an upcoming event that you are
coordinating. Your goal is to get the word out so that the event is well-supported.
Give as much detail about the event as possible. You have complete creative
carte blanche.
SPEECH #8 –Final Exam Speech – Speech For A Special
Occasion

For your Speech For A Special Occasion, your final exam speech, you are to
pick any one type of Special Occasion Speech.

Your goal is not to inform your audience about some special occasion that
you may have attended. Rather, your goal is to speak as if your audience
is right there in the occasion with you.

I am giving you complete creative carte blanch. You are free to choose
any type of occasion. Take your audience into the occasion.
o You are free to create your ethos in this situation. You are also free to
take on the persona of another character for this special occasion.

Be very creative.

Dress for the Special Occasion in which you are speaking.

You are free to get together with one of your classmates and do a
Presentation & Acceptance. Please let me know in advance if you are
choosing to do this.

The time frame for this speech is 2 to 4 minutes.
ENG111_25
LCCC
KimAlyse Popkave, M.Ed., CMI, CPPC
Page 3