College
Vocal Fillers - (uhms, tsks,
etc.):
of Liberal Arts and Sciences -- Dept. of Communicative Arts & Sciences
Comm. 102 – Public Speaking Performance Assessment Criteria
Persuasive (Value / Policy) Speech
Name: ______________________ Title: _____________________________ Time: ________ Grade ____
Comments:____________________________________________________________________________
Included all 4 elements
in the speech
Included 3 / 4 elements in
the speech
Included 2 / 4 elements in
the speech
Included 1 / 4 elements in
the speech
Zero elements in the
speech
Captivates attention,
draws in audience,
creates excitement, sets
the tone/mood
Captivates attention and
draws in audience
Creates some interest in
speech
Merely begins speech
Fails to provide
an introduction
Effectively constructs
and defines: problem
(status quo), effect(s) of
condition, cause(s),
solution(s), and
visualization in the
speech
Adequately constructs:
problem (status quo),
effect(s) of condition,
cause(s), and solution(s) in
the speech
Poorly constructs the
speech, but does not
properly establish cause(s)
or solution(s)
Does not offer a problem
or solution(s), merely
presents information
Fails to create any
semblance of a persuasive
speech
Well developed speech
with rhetorically
appealing organization
Generally developed
structure lacking in
effectiveness
Poorly designed speech;
more equitable time needed
Lacking in structure and
transitions and appearing
expository in nature
Fails to provide
any form of organization
Provides external and
internal transitions
throughout entire speech
creatively to the highest
rhetorical appeal
Provides external transitions
between introduction, body
and conclusion and internal
transitions within body of
speech
Provides external transitions
between sections of
introduction, body and
conclusion adequately
Provides minimal external
or internal transitions
inconsistently lacking in
effectiveness and impact
Fails to provide
any transitional statements
or phrases between or
within intro, body, or
conclusion
Reasoning
Ability to express
complex ideas with
critical analysis and
synthesis
Demonstrates general
knowledge with adequate
background information
Demonstrates a superficial
understanding of the idea
Does not demonstrate
understanding of the ideas
Fails to present
understanding of material
Appeals
Utilizes the three appeals
in an appropriately
balanced manner
throughout the speech
Utilizes the three appeals in
an unbalanced fashion with
one appeal lacking impact
Utilized 2/3 rhetorical
appeals adequately but
lacking in overall
effectiveness
Utilizes 1/3 rhetorical
appeals yet does so in a
superficial manner
Fails to utilize any
of the 3 rhetorical appeals
Provides scholarly
evidence poignantly for
all arguments in a
creative fashion
Provides scholarly evidence
for most arguments in a clear
fashion
Provides evidence for most
arguments but lacking in
scholarly merit
Provides minimal evidence
of minimal scholarly merit
Fails to provide evidence
Provides complete and
accurate source
documentation and cites
all artifacts to fullest
rhetorical appeal
Selection of a unique
topic, or a common topic
new perspective or twist
that is well understood,
defined and expressed
Included all 3 elements
in the speech
Provides documentation of
sources and dates for most
information within the speech
in an appealing manner
Provides sources by merely
presenting them with minimal
impact or effectiveness
Doesn’t provide any
pattern of documentation
of sources or dates within
the speech
Fails to provide any form of
source documentation with
in the speech
Selection of common topic
with interesting
enlightenment or new
awareness that is adequately
focused
Included 2 of the 3 elements
in the speech
Selection of a popular or
common topic, unfocused or
too broad lacking impact and
relevancy to setting or
audience
Included 1 of the 3 elements
in the speech
Poorly defined topic,
lacking in definition or
relevance with little impact
towards the audience or
setting
Did not present a clear or
identifiable element in the
speech
Fails to select or define a
topic of relevance towards
the applications of
the assignment
Captures the overall
mood and feel of the
speech and brings
closure to the audience
Leaves the audience with a
good sense of the speech’s
main points, intentions, and
themes
Leaves the audience with a
fair summation of the
speech’s main points
Leaves the audience with a
poor summation of the
speech’s main points
Fails to provide a
summation of speech’s
main points
Excellent word choice,
good use of connotative
language, solid grasp of
definitions
Very good word choice, with
clear definitions and rare
grammatical errors
Appropriate word choice,
with few grammatical
mistakes
Minimal vocabulary, with
several grammatical errors
Use of offensive language,
with excessive
grammatical errors
Excellent presentation of
vocal pitch, volume,
intonation, inflection,
pronunciation, use of
pauses, and articulation
with minimal note card
use for source citations
and quotations
Good use of volume, varied
inflection, and pronunciation
with some use of dramatic
pauses with minimal use of
note cards for quoted
materials, statistics, and
citations
Adequate use of volume and
pronunciation, limited
inflection and articulation,
noticeable use of vocal fillers
(uhms, tsks, etc.) with
absence of pauses lacking in
impact and effectiveness
Absence of intonation and
inflection, unclear or
inaudible volume and/or
pronunciation, prevalent
use of vocal fillers, and
presence of over-extended
pauses distracting from
speech content
Fails to adequately deliver
any form of an audible,
understandable speech,
monotone in delivery with
excessive vocal fillers and
over-extended pauses
Excellent use of eye
contact, facial
expressions, hand
gestures and body
posture and controlled
movement absent of
distracting mannerisms
along with professional
or thematically
appropriate attire, visual
aids, and note cards
Good use of eye contact and
facial expressions, limited
hand gestures, solid stance
and posture, limited walking
movement free from pacing
or distracting mannerisms
and appropriate appearance
and attire and note card
transition
Adequate eye contact and
posture, limited facial
expressions, hand gestures
and floor movement, semiprofessional attire with
emergence of distraction
mannerisms, presence of
nervous movement and note
card transition
Prevalent presence of
distracting mannerisms,
minimal eye contact, poor
posture, awkward stance,
excessive gestures or
movement, pacing, fidgety,
causal attire or
inappropriate appearance
Goes beyond all
expectations and
creatively presents a fully
grasped and a well
versed presentation
Fulfills all requirements of
structure/form, delivery and
content of the assignment
with signs of preparedness
Presents a majority
fulfillment of the assignment
with sincere effort or attempt
to follow instructions
Presentation bears little or
no relation to the
requirements of the
assignment and lacks
effectiveness
Fails to adequately deliver
effectively due to
distracting mannerisms, no
eye contact or facial
expressions, awkward
stance or posture,
excessive pacing,
excessive hand movement
and distracting note card
transitions poor
appearance and/or
unprofessional attire
Fails to present any form
of grasp or sincere effort in
preparation or delivery of
the assignment, quits
before completion
Introduction
(Structure)
 A.G.D. / Greeting
 Thesis
 Justification
 Preview of Body
Introduction
(Content)
Organization
(Structure)
 Problem (status quo)
 Effect(s) of condition
 Cause(s)
 Solution(s)
 Visualization
Organization
(Content)
Transitions





External
(between sections)
Internal
(within section)
Ethos
Pathos
Logos
Evidence



Warrants
Grounds / Backing
Qualifiers
Documentation
(Citation of source)
Topic
Conclusion
(Structure)
 Summary / Review
 Thesis / Justification
 Closing
Conclusion
(Content)
Language
(Grammar / Syntax)
Delivery
(Verbal)
 Pitch
 Volume
 Intonation
 Inflection
 Pronunciation
 Articulation
 Pauses / Vocal Fillers
Delivery
(Non-Verbal)
 Eye Contact
 Facial Expressions
 Posture / Stance
 Hand Gestures
 Movement / Pacing
 Appearance / Attire
Assignment
Fails to present any form
of a conclusion in the
speech