FINAL GRADES & FAREWELL

Hi Everyone,

This is to inform all of you that I have posted your final grades on the HCCC My Hudson Portal, if you are able to log in with your student ID numbers. Otherwise, I will return your final assignments along with grades to Ms. Velazquez as soon as I can. You may also email me if you want to know your final grades.

Below are some quotes that I find inspirational & hope that you will too. Have a great summer!

- Prof. del Rosario

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
- Sir Winston Churchill


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
- Nelson Mandela


"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work."
- Oprah Winfrey
 

FINAL EXAM & GROUP SPEECH ON TUESDAY, MAY 10TH

FINAL EXAM
- The Final Exam (essay form) will take place from 3:15 - 4 p.m.
- It will be based on some topics we covered in Chapters 7 & 11

GROUP SPEECH
- Members of group will discuss a controversial issue in the U.S. or in their communities & present possible solutions for the problem
- Each member must present for 4 - 5 minutes (speech time frame = 12 - 15 minutes)
- A group leader (or moderator) should be chosen to introduce the topic & group members & to summarize & conclude the presentation
- All members must contribute researched material to the speech outline
- One member should be designated to compile the short speeches that each member is giving

- ALL Group Speech Outlines are due on Monday, May 9th
- Before Group Speeches are given, the following students will present their Final Speeches:
Jessica, Prazhene, Briana, Ignacio, Ava & Urvi

Let me know if you have any questions.

-Prof. del Rosario

FINAL SPEECHES & QUIZ INFORMATION

Hi Everyone,

As you all know, your Final Speech (individual) will be given on Tuesday, May 3rd. Below are some important dates & guidelines to follow.

- Final Speeches can be 1 of the following: Informative, Persuasive or Special Occasion

- If you decide to do a Special Occasion Speech, you must choose 1 of the following types:

• Speech to Secure Goodwill (p. 298 in the Chapter 12 handout I gave you)
• Speech of Dedication (p. 301)
• Speech of Inspiration (p. 302)

- All Final Speech outlines are due on Monday, May 2nd. (The format is the same one you used for your other speeches.)

CLASS SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, MAY 3RD 

1. Quiz on Chapters 11 & 12 (The quiz will be given from 3:15-3:45 p.m.)

2. Persuasive Speeches given by students who were not able to present on April 12th
    These students are: Jessica, Genesis, Rick & Natalie

3. Final Speeches given by all students

- All speeches presented on this day can run between 5 - 10 minutes (instead of 7 - 10 minutes)
- If time does not allow for all students to give their speeches, then those who did not present will do so on Tuesday, May 10th.


Let me know if you have questions.

- Prof. del Rosario

PERSUASIVE SPEECH THESIS STATEMENTS

There is a distinct difference between Persuasive Speeches & Informative Speeches:

- In a Persuasive Speech you explain or debate why you are for or against an issue.
- In an Informative Speech you describe or demonstrate something to your audience.

Here are examples of effective thesis statements for Persuasive Speeches:

- High fructose corn syrup in sodas and snack foods causes diabetes among children in the U.S. (Speaker is against high fructose corn syrup.)

- Smoking should be banned at all restaurants in every state. (Speaker is against smoking.)

- Ads in fashion magazines do not cause poor self image among adolescent girls. (Speaker is for ads in fashion magazines.)

- Condoms should be distributed in all high schools in America. (Speaker is for condom distribution.)


I hope that this information will help clarify the difference between Persuasive & Informative Speeches & will help all of you develop effective thesis statements.

- Prof. del Rosario

IMPORTANT INFO FOR PERSUASIVE SPEECHES

-On April 12th, all of you will be giving your Persuasive Speeches, so it is MANDATORY that you submit your outlines by Monday, April 11th.

-Also, do not forget to submit your thesis statements on Friday, April 8th. Please send it to me in the body of an email message.

-Your thesis statement should be a declarative sentence that is specific and provides insight to the issue that you will be presenting.

-Remember, in your persuasive speech, you want to convince your audience to believe what you believe, to change their perspective, or to strongly consider another point-of-view.

-ULTIMATELY, your goal in a persuasive speech is to motivate your listeners to take action.


I will be checking my email for your thesis statements on Friday and will do my best to provide feedback. Let me know if you have any questions.

-Prof. del Rosario

HOMEWORK FOR TUESDAY APRIL 5TH

- Persuasive Speeches will now be due on April 12th
- This deadline will give you more time to research your chosen topic, conduct interviews or give surveys/questionnaires if needed, prepare your outlines in advance & rehearse your speech at least 3 or 4 times.

PLEASE NOTE: Those of you who have not turned in your self-critique of your Informative Speech, please do so on Tuesday, April 5th.

The following is the homework due on April 5th:

Establishing Credibility

Being able to establish a person's credibility is essential in a wide variety of persuasive speeches. To work on this helpful skill, select a person - an authority on any topic you'd like (perhaps on the topic you've chosen for your Persuasive Speech) - and develop a mini biography of this person that you might use in a speech to establish this person's competence, character & charisma.

- Remember, you would use the information about this person in your speech, so the mini biography should not be longer than 2 paragraphs.
- However, you will want to provide information that is pertinent to the topic and establishes the person's credibility through his/her competence, character & charisma.

CITING SOURCES ON YOUR LIST OF REFERENCES

For citing your sources on your lists of references/bibliographies for future speeches, please use the MLA format, if you are not already doing so.

Go to the link below and download the pdf MLA 7 Quick Reference Guide under "Bibliography Guides." This guide is easy to use & includes examples of how to appropriately cite a source.

http://www.easybib.com/librarians

It is very important that you follow the MLA format for citing sources that you use for your speeches.

-Prof. del Rosario

INFO FOR TUESDAY MARCH 29TH

Hi Everyone,

As all of you know, you will be taking Quiz #3 next week. The quiz will consist of information from both Chapters 9 & 10. So you do not need to study Chapter 11 for this quiz.

Also, for those of you who have not turned in the Self-Critique of your Informative Speech, please do so on Tuesday.

Lastly, I hope that during the weekend, all of you will be seriously considering a topic for your Persuasion Speech.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

-Prof. del Rosario

SPEECH GRADING INFO

You will receive either an A, B or C for your speeches based upon your outlines and presentation/delivery.

The grading scale is as follows:

90 - 100 points = A
80 - 89 points = B
70 - 79 points = C


PLEASE NOTE:

• 15 points are deducted when an outline is submitted late
• 30 points are deducted when a speech is not presented on the due date
• It is imperative that you are prepared in advance and email your outlines to me no later then the day before speeches are due.
• For the remaining speeches of the semester, ALL SPEECHES MUST BE PRESENTED ON THE DUE DATES.
• There will be NO EXCEPTIONS, as it is unfair to those students who have done the work in advance and presented their speeches on time.
• NO MAKE UP SPEECHES will be allowed.

HOMEWORK FOR TUES. MARCH 22ND

SELF-CRITIQUE FOR YOUR INFORMATIVE SPEECH

• Write a self-critique on notebook paper (neatly, please) OR type the critique in Times Roman New, 12 Font, double spaced
• Your critique should be 3 - 5 paragraphs

Discuss the following in your self-critique:

NOTE: For all of the questions, consider factors such as speaker-audience-topic connection, language, vocal & physical delivery (vocal examples: volume, rate, pitch; physical examples: eye contact, posture, gestures)

1. What do you think your strengths were during the speech?
2. What do you think you could improve upon?
3. Which speaker do you think presented an effective speech and why?

SPEECH OUTLINE

Hi Everyone,

Below is the outline that you can use for your upcoming speeches.


TEMPLATE OUTLINE (TOPICAL ORGANIZATION)

Here’s a template outline for structuring your speech. This outline would be appropriate for a speech using a topical organization pattern. Note that in this skeletal outline there are 3 main points (I, II and III in the body). These correspond to the A, B and C in the introduction (where you’d summarize your main points). The transitions are signaled by square brackets [ ]. The information in parentheses ( ) will remind you of the functions of each outline item.

SPEECH OUTLINE

Title of Speech: ____________________________________

General Purpose:    (your general aim – to inform, to persuade, to entertain)
________________________________________________________________________

Specific Purpose:    (what you hope to achieve from this speech)
________________________________________________________________________

Thesis:        (your central idea; the essence of your speech)
________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION

 I. _________(gain attention)____________________________________________
 II. _________(establish speaker-audience-topic connection)____________________
 III. _________(orient the audience)_______________________________________

    A. ______(first main point; same as I in the Body)_________________________
    B. ______(second main point; same as II in the Body)______________________
   C. ______(third main point; same as III in the Body)_______________________

[Transition: _____(connect the introduction to the Body)_________________________]

BODY

I. ____________(first main point; same as A in the Introduction)_________________
  A. _____(support for I, the first main point)___________________________
 B. ______(further support for I)____________________________________

[Transition: _____(connect first main point to the second)________________________]

II. __________(second main point)________________________________________
A. _____(support for II, second main point)___________________________
B. _____(further support for II)_____________________________________
 

[Transition: _____(connect second main point to the third)________________________]

     

      III. _________(third main point)__________________________________________
A. _____(support for III, third main point)____________________________
B. _____(further support for III)____________________________________

[Transition: _____(connect third main point or all main points to the conclusion)______]

CONCLUSION

      I. _____________(summary)_____________________________________________

    A. ______(first main point; same as I in the Body)_________________________
    B. ______(second main point; same as II in the Body)______________________
    C. ______(third main point; same as III in the Body)_______________________

      II. ____________(motivation)____________________________________________
      III. ____________(closure)______________________________________________


REFERENCES
(List your references on a separate sheet of paper)

MIDTERM EXAM & HOMEWORK FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 8TH

MIDTERM EXAM 

- The midterm exam will include information from Chapters 1 through 8 outlines only.
- It will not include information from Chapter 9, since we did not discuss this chapter during the last class meeting.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

- Listen to speeches given by President Barack Obama & Secretary of State Hillary Clinton & answer the questions below.

President Barack Obama

Go to http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobama/barackobamanationalwirelessinitiative.htm

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Go to http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonuncommissiononwomen.htm


Consider the following questions regarding the speeches:

1. Did the speakers accomplish the functions for the introductions & conclusions of their speeches?

- Find an example from the introductions & an example from the conclusions that achieved a function.
- For instance, cite an example for when the speaker gained the attention of the audience, or when they established a speaker-audience-topic relationship. How did he/she motivate the audience or provide closure?

2. Did the speakers demonstrate clarity & vividness in their word choices?

- Find examples from the speeches that show clarity & vividness
- For instance, were there specific numbers or terms used? How about guide, or transitional, phrases? Did either speaker use figures of speech or create immediacy?

You do not have to turn in this assignment, but be ready to discuss the speeches and your examples/answers in class.


As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.


- Prof. del Rosario

HOMEWORK FOR TUESDAY MARCH 1ST

1. Study outlines for chapters 4, 5 & 6 and class lecture notes for quiz


2. Write responses for the following:

Statement of Thesis (p. 83, The Essential Elements of Public Speaking, 3rd Edition, by Joseph A. Devito)

George and Miranda want to give their speeches on opposite sides of Megan's Law - the law requiring that community residents be notified if a convicted sex offender is living in the neighborhood. George is against the law and Miranda is for it. If George and Miranda were giving their speeches to your class, what would you advise each of them to do concerning his or her thesis statement?

Audience Attitudes (p. 112, The Essential Elements of Public Speaking, 3rd Edition, by Joseph A. Devito)

Johnny is planning to give a persuasive speech to your class urging listeners to support the National Rifle Association in its efforts to fight gun control. He wonders, first, what attitudes the members of the class have on this topic, and second, how he can adjust his speech on the basis of these (predicted) attitudes? How would you advise Johnny?


3. The following exercise will require a magazine of your choice. Select a print advertisement from a magazine and analyze the visuals. Consider the text of the ad as the spoken speech and the visuals in the ad as the presentation aids for the speech. Answer the questions below. Bring your answers and the advertisement with you to class and be prepared to give a short presentation.

Analyzing Presentation Aids (p. 140, The Essential Elements of Public Speaking, 3rd Edition, by Joseph A. Devito)

1) What types of presentation aids were used?
2) What functions did the presentation aids serve?
3) Were the aids clear?
4) Were they relevant?
5) Were the aids appealing?
6) Were the aids culturally sensitive?

Again, please type your responses/answers in Times Roman 12 Font, double-spaced and bring printed copies for me to class.

NEW CLASS MEETING TIME

Hi Everyone,

Please note that the new class meeting time on Tuesdays will be from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.


Have a great weekend!

-Prof. del Rosario

HOMEWORK FOR TUESDAY FEB. 15TH

1. Study outlines for Chapters 1, 2 & 3 - Quiz will be given based on these and class lecture

2. Write a response to the following:

Criticizing A Speech (p. 62, The Essential Elements of Public Speaking, 3rd edition, by Joseph A. Devito)

Isaac has just given a speech on the glory of bullfighting. Peter sees bullfighting as cruelty to animals; to Isaac, however, this traditional spectacle is an important part of his culture. As Peter bristles inside, the instructor asks him to critiique the speech. How would you advise Peter to proceed?

• Please type your response using Times Roman 12 Font, double-spaced 
• Your response should be 2 to 3 paragraphs (or up to 5 paragraphs maximum)
• Print a copy for me and bring it to class on Tuesday

English 112 - Speech

This course focuses on the fundamentals of effective public speaking. Students will learn how to prepare and present speeches. The topics covered are organization, language, nonverbal communication, listening skills, criticism, timing, research and presentation aids. Practical application is provided through individual and group presentations. This course will help students learn how to speak effectively, convincingly, and coherently in a variety of situations.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Nelson Mandela