Mock Student Council Project: Persuasive Speech Performance Rubric
Criteria
Excellent--A
Good--B
Average—C
Needs
SelfPeer
Improvement: D/F Assess Assess
Poise
The student
appears
confident
throughout,
voice is strong,
posture
appears
confident with
no “re-dos”
The student
appears
confident
through most of
the performance
and falters
slightly only
during the
beginning.
The student
tries to appear
confident, but
may look
slightly nervous.
Voice may
tremble slightly.
May be slightly
fidgety.
The student is far
too shy to give the
speech, stares at
floor, fidgets with
hands, sways back
and forth, forgets to
smile, etc.
Fluency
The student
expertly gives
the speech
without
stopping or
faltering. If
improvisation
happens, it is
seamless and
goes
unnoticed.
There are only
1 or 2
nonfluencies
such as “um”
or “uh.”
The student only
falters in one
place in the
speech. There
may be 2-4
nonfluencies in
the speech such
as “um” or “uh.”
The student
falters in two
different places
in the speech.
There are more
than 4
nonfluencies
that become a
bit distracting.
The student starts
and stops
frequently during
speech and includes
a number of
nonfluencies. There
are at least 3
pauses where
student doesn’t
know what to say or
how to improvise.
Rate
The student
speeds up
speech or
slows down for
dramatic
purposes,
noting where a
dramatic pause
may be most
appropriate.
The student
has practiced
carefully and
does not allow
nerves to
affect rate of
speech.
The student
makes a
dramatic pause
that is effective.
The student
speeds up or
slows down, but
not necessarily
in the most
appropriate
way. Nerves may
cause the
student to speed
up a little, but it
is
understandable.
The student’s
nerves affect
the speed in
this area,
causing the
student to
speak a little
quickly. The
speech may not
be
understandable
in one place due
to rate. A
dramatic pause
is used for
effect, with
some
effectiveness,
but it may not
be the best
choice.
The student talks so
quickly that the
speech cannot be
understood. The
rate affect
pronunciation of
the words to a
distracting degree.
There is no control
over speed and
dramatic pauses are
nonexistent.
Volume
The student
controls the
volume well,
making sure
that all of the
audience can
hear. Volume is
increased for
emphasis
where needed
and used
effectively with
dramatic
pauses.
The student
pronounces all
words correctly
and reflects
attention to
detail and preresearch as to
pronunciation.
The student
shows volume
control, but the
speech may be a
little quiet.
However, it can
still be heard by
the audience.
Volume is
increased for
dramatic pauses.
The student
occasionally
cannot be heard
because he/she
is talking too
quietly. Volume
is used for
dramatic
pauses, but not
as effective as it
could be.
The student
mispronounces
1 word during
the speech,
which could
have been
prevented with
practice and
research.
The student
mispronounces
2 words during
the speech,
which could
have been
prevented with
practice and
research.
Preparedness
The student
has memorized
the speech and
delivers it with
enthusiasm
and
confidence.
They know not
only the words
of the speech
but how to
perform it. The
speech shows
evidence of
forethought
and practice.
The student
makes 1-2 errors
in
memorization,
but improvises
well enough to
cover the errors.
The student
knows the
words of the
speech, but
could have used
more practice
for the actual
performance
itself.
Persuasive
Tone
The student
projects a tone
in their
performance
and voice that
is convincing
and
persuasive. Eye
contact is used
to great effect,
as well as other
ways of getting
the audience’s
attention.
The student
projects a tone
in their
performance
that is mostly
persuasive,
although at
times eye
contact may not
be used to full
effectiveness.
The audience is
mostly on board
and convinced.
The student
makes more
than 2 errors in
the speech
delivery, but the
speech is mostly
memorized.
Improvisation
may not occur
as seamlessly.
The student
needs more
practice for the
actual
performance, as
attention to
detail is missing
in 1 or 2 places.
The student
projects a tone
that is half
informative and
half persuasive.
The tone is
more “telling”
than
“convincing.”
However, there
are a few
persuasive
moments.
Pronunciation
The student speaks
far too quietly and
cannot be heard, or
far too loudly and
obnoxiously. There
is no volume
control or change in
volume during
speech. Dramatic
pauses are
nonexistent or not
used in conjunction
with volume
changes.
The student
mispronounces
more than 2 words
and shows lack of
practice and
research in this
area.
The student’s
performance is
monotone and feels
uninspired.
Memorization is
half-complete or
not ready at all. The
performance reflect
a lack of practice
and attention to
detail. The student
was simply not
ready.
The student delivers
the speech with a
tone that is not
persuasive, but
informative. It feels
as if the student is
listing off items on a
checklist instead of
trying to convince
an audience of
something. The
audience is overall
unpersuaded.
Gestures
The student
uses gestures
in a way that is
not repetitive
or distracting.
Instead, the
gestures
enhance the
overall
performance
and appear a
natural
extension of
the speech
itself.
The student uses
gestures well,
but may be
slightly
repetitive. There
may be 1
moment that
appears a little
unnatural and
overly
rehearsed.
The student
uses gestures,
but the gestures
may be
repetitive or a
little distracting.
A few gestures
appear
unnatural or
exaggerated.
The student either
does not use
gestures, or the
gestures are
extremely repetitive
and distracting. The
student appears
very unnatural on
stage with the
gestures he/she is
using.