– SPC2608 Public Speech Analysis

Introduction

Attend an actual speech performed in public. For instance, you could attend a county or school board meeting, visit your local Toastmasters, a campus speaker for an event, or watch a church sermon. The speech you watch should be long enough you can write a minimum three-page paper. Be sure to take notes as you watch the speech.

Directions

In a minimum three-page paper, offer a critical analysis of the speech. In the essay, you should:

1. Discuss the techniques used by the speaker to establish their credibility.
2. Discuss the delivery of the speech: how the speaker presented themselves, eye contact, pitch, volume, rate of speaking, dress, whether there were disfluencies, whether the speaker was confident, etc.
3. Discuss the language choices made by the speaker. Did the speaker use metaphors, similes, alliteration, anaphora, personification, etc.? Did the speaker use inclusive language? Did see speaker use jargon? What impact did those choices have on the effectiveness of the speech?
4. Discuss the quality of the arguments made in the speech. Did the speaker support the claims made with evidence? Was the evidence quality evidence and related to the claims being made? Were the arguments relevant to the audience? Did the speaker fully consider the consequences of their arguments? How did the speaker use ethos, pathos, and logos as tools of persuasion?
5. Was the speaker ethical? Did the speaker achieve their speech goal? Was the speech effective? Why?

Specifications

The essay should be organized, proofread, and offer examples as support of claims made.

NOTE: The essay will be graded using the Gordon Rule Rubric