29 - UofL: Outside Speaker Critique Activity
One of the many things about public speaking is its presence all around us. In this assignment we invite you to take notice of public speech in your everyday environment.
There are many potential public speakers to evaluate. You should choose one who interests you and provides opportunities for you to learn about speaking in the world around us.
Some possible speakers you may use for this assignment include coaches, teachers, a boss/supervisor at work, or a person leading a religious service, seminars, organizational meetings, etc.
There are many speakers on campus you can attend. Please check ULink, different departments, and flyers around campus to see who, what, where, and when.
There are also many opportunities throughout the Metro Louisville area to attend speeches. Check the TV, newspaper, workplace flyers, etc.
Your instructor may have other ideas and places for you to check for speakers. Please ask them for guidance if you have difficulty in choosing an outside speaker.
Your outside speaker evaluation preferably should be a face-to-face context, not a video online. Check with your instructor for their preferences.
You will want to evaluate a message that is more substantial than when someone simply stands up to make a brief announcement. As rough parameters, the message should be at least ten minutes long and have a main theme or idea, as well as some support, either in the way of evidence or examples.
Your Outside Speaking Critique
If required by your instructor, complete this activity and upload it to Student Sheet in the corresponding assignment.
When you listen to the speaker, evaluate them using the following guidelines:
This should be a face to face presentation you are evaluating.
As always, please check with your instructor for specific guidelines.All papers should be in standard college paper format
1″ margins
Typed—not handwritten
10–12 font—usually Times New Roman
Length at the discretion of your instructor—check with them
Remember to address who, what, where, when, why, and how in your analysis.
Outside Speaker Critiques must be uploaded onto the assignment in Student Sheet.
Things to Think About
Describe the speaking situation. What is the time of day and date? Who is the speaker? What are the circumstances (a class, a church service, a meeting, etc.)?
What was the main purpose or the central idea of the person’s speech?
How did the speaker support the main points? Explanation? Example? Perhaps statistics or description? Think of all the ways we’ve talked about supporting main points in your speeches.
Was the message well organized? Was there a preview? Were you aware of transitions? A conclusion?
Comment on anything else that stood out for you during this speaking event.
As always, identify at least three things the speaker did very well and three things they should work on for their next presentation.
