Advocating
a Position
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assignment)
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Workshop
handouts for this assignment (pdf)
Instructor evaluation sheet
for this assignment (pdf)
This assignment asks you
to advocate a reasoned position drawn from your knowledge of a particular
controversy. You need to give a speech to persuade the audience in favor of
one of the solutions you discussed in speech #3. For this speech (5-7 minutes)
you are asked to 1) briefly reintroduce the problem for your audience, 2)
create a sketch of the different solutions people have with regard to it,
evaluating them as you go, then 3) explain your own solution using these others
as support and opposition. Make sure to persuade the audience that the solution
presented meets a level of suitability that takes into account people's interests
on economic, political, and social levels.
Controversy Goals
(i.e. the content of the speech):
- Briefly establish the
need or problem that you want to discuss
- Summarize 2 other solutions
to the controversy you wish to take on. (What do others say about the problem?
What are others' assumptions, values, and interests?)
- State the claim you
wish to support. What is wrong with the other solutions what makes one better
than the others? (Identify your assumptions, values, and interests.)
- Specify what your policy
is and what will be required to adopt your policy. (Who will need to be
involved? What resources will be required to adopt the policy? When will
these changes take place? Etc.)
- Will your solution
really solve the problem? (Address how the solution, if at all, will produce
new problems. Who will benefit and who will suffer from this new course
of action? Etc.)
Rhetorical Goal:
Your goal will be to craft a speech using a combination of pathos and logos
to build upon your ethos. Particular attention should be paid to your word
choice and language use.
Presentation Goals:
As in the previous speeches you will be responsible for:
- Clearly identifying
the purpose of your speech
- Focusing on maintaining
a comfortable posture and using comfortable gestures.
- Clearly presenting
your introduction, main body, and conclusion with sign posts identifying
internal and external transitions
- Trying to reduce filler
words (um, uh, you know) and speaking at a moderate pace
- Appropriate use of
transitional statements, pointer phrases, repetition, and vocal emphasis
- Maintaining good eye
contact with your audience.
In addition to these goals
you should focus on:
- Creating a visual aid
for your speech which enhances the audience's understanding of your topic
or your position on the topic.
- You will be expected
to include no fewer than 7 sources. No more than 4 of these may be sources
you have previously used. No more than 3 of these sources can come from
any type of internet related context. The last page of your outline should
be a bibliography in a proper citation style.
- On the first workshop
day, Please bring a copy of your research materials, your introduction,
and some sort of layout of the major positions you will examine for workshopping.
- Reference page should
be included using Turabian style (This is the one on the library handout.)
- Please bring a typed
copy of a finished outline on the second workshop day.
- You will be required
to create a keyword outline from which to speak. A copy of the outline and
your evaluation sheet must be given to me prior to the speech. Points may
be deducted from your score for improper outline form and time delinquencies
and excesses, as well as the topics listed on the evaluation sheet.
- Purposeful application
and performance of delivery skills will play a significant part in the evaluation.
In addition, if the majority of the speech is read to the audience from
the outline, do not expect a grade higher than a "C."
