Public speaking affects our everyday lives. It affects choices in our personal, professional and public spheres. I want you to observe and critique a live public speaking event. Your paper should be approximately two-three pages long plus your notes from the speech. It can be longer, or shorter. But I have found the best papers are approximately 3 pages long. All papers will be typed, double-spaced. Check your spelling and grammar, please.

Here's what you will do:

1) Get Up, Get Out, Get Moving.

You will attend a live public presentation outside of class time. You will listen, take notes, and then critique the presentation, examining specific aspects as listed below. The speaking event might be a political campaign presentation, a visiting speaker hired through the Portland Speaker's Bureau, a sermon from your religious organization or even a Park Block "preacher." The only limitation is that it cannot be a lecture from another class, a comedy or improv routine, or a book/poetry reading event at a bookstore-these are different types of presentations.

2) Shhhhh...Listening in Progress.

Take notes as you listen to the speech so you have something in which to refer back as you write your paper. You will turn in your notes as an addendum.

3) Write Write Write

Your critique will focus on these aspects:

1. In your introductory paragraph, tell me where the speaking event took place, the name of the speaker, the general topic of the speech, and your overall impression of the event.

2. The body of your paper will focus on analyzing these specific speaking aspects:

a. Organization: explain what is the purpose of organization according to your textbook. Then tell me how well your speaker used organization. What type of organization? What it effective? Why/why not?

b. Supporting Materials: explain what is the purpose of supporting materials according to your textbook. Tell me how well your speaker used supports. What types did the speaker use? How effective were they?

c. Rhetorical Proofs (ethos, pathos, logos): Explain each of the rhetorical proofs according to the textbook. What are they used for? Then tell me how well your speaker used them. Give examples of each proof. Were they effective? Why/why not?

d. Language: Explain the use of language tactics according to your textbook and then demonstrate how well your speaker used language. What it effective? Why/why not?

e. Delivery: Explain what is delivery according to your textbook and then explain how your speaker used it. Was his/her delivery effective? Why/why not?

You will use your textbook as the reference to explain each aspect you are to critique. You must cite your text throughout the paper. You must cite the text for direct quotations as well as for paraphrasing. I want you to use the text to explain the aspect in order to demonstrate you have read your text. The greatest mistake students make is to not cite their text throughout the paper.

4) The End

Conclude the paper, of course.