You may analyze any public speaker on or off campus as long as the speech is an organized one delivered before a live audience of which you are a member (thus, TV or any online speeches are excluded). Included are political forum speakers, visiting lecturers to your classes (if their presentations are presented as public speeches, not as workshops, etc.), religious speakers, student leaders, and instructors speaking to audiences outside of their classes. Teachers lecturing to their regular classes are not acceptable. Check the newspaper for announcements of speakers and meetings. If you have any doubts about the suitability of a particular speaker, check with your instructor. The written part of this assignment involves two parts: (1) filling out a rating sheet exactly like the ones your instructor fills out about your speeches, and (2) an essay analyzing the speaker, the speech, the audience, and the occasion. Following this instruction sheet is a copy of a speech critique form similar to the one used in class. Use this form as a guide to critiquing the speaker and the speech. If you rate any items
less than satisfactory or adequate (7), fill in comments justifying the ratings in the space provided. The speech critique form should be accompanied by a short 3-5 page TYPEWRITTEN analysis paper in which you describe the speech and analyze its strengths and weaknesses. The paper should be organized according to the following categories:
Introduction: Your paper’s introduction should indicate the occasion of the speech, its location, the program format, the time of day the speech was given, and so forth. As would be true of any
composition, your paper should have a clearly stated thesis that presents your evaluation of the
speech being critiqued. It is not adequate for the thesis merely to state that the speech was “good,” or “bad,” or that it was “effective” or “ineffective.” The thesis must state the reason or reason for your evaluation-why the speech was good, bad, effective, or ineffective, or Whatever else you may have as your organizing thesis.
Audience and Rhetorical Situation: Analyze the audience according to various characteristics, including age, level of education, occupation or profession, social and cultural level, etc. Tell the approximate size of the audience and their apparent purpose in attending the speech. Decide whether or not the physical environment affected the audience in any noticeable way (e.g., was the room comfortable). Describe the behavior of the audience before, during, and after the speech. Characterize how the speaker adapted to rhetorical situation as described.
Speech Summary: Summarize the content of the speech. What pattern of organization was used? What forms of support? How did the speaker introduce the speech (what techniques were used to capture attention, etc. )? How did the speaker close the speech (again, what techniques?) Was the speech linked together by ample and appropriate transitional
materials?
Delivery: Note the speaker’s use of gestures, body positioning and movement, eye contact, facial expressions and vocal variation. Also note how the speaker was dressed and groomed. Was it appropriate for the event? Was the speaker animated or stoic? Did his or her style fit the topic, audience, and occasion? Were there any vocal disfluencies or distractions in his or her general delivery style?
Adaptation: How well was the speech adapted to the audience and occasion? What specific adaptation techniques did the speaker use (changes of wording, local references, etc. )? Was it necessary to adapt either content or delivery during the speech due to audience or situational factors? Was there audience feedback and did the speaker adapt to it?
Effectiveness: How effective was this presentation overall? Did the speaker accomplish the goals you think he or she had in mind? Was the general purpose achieved-fully, in part, not at all? Summarize your general impressions of the speech. This assignment must be typed, double-spaced, in MLA format, and be composed as an essay about the speech; it should not be merely a list of answers to the above questions.
