Students will be able to listen critically, prepare effective oral presentations, and use critical thinking skills.

Section 5: Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate proficiency in each aspect of the listening process such as focusing attention, interpretation, and responding.
2. Use effective strategies for listening such as prepares for listening, identifies types of listening and adapts appropriate strategies.
3. Demonstrate proficiency in critical, empathic, appreciative, and reflective listening.
4. Use effective strategies to evaluate his/her own listening such as asking questions, comparing and contrasting, interpretation, etc.
5. Use effective listening to provide appropriate feedback in a variety of situations.
6. Use the conventions of oral language effectively.
7. Use informal, standard, and technical language as appropriate.
8. Use effective verbal and nonverbal strategies in presenting oral messages.
9. Apply valid criteria to analyze, evaluate, and critique informative and persuasive messages.
10. Present and advance a clear thesis and logical points, claims, or arguments to support messages.
11. Use appropriate appeals to support claims and arguments.
12. Use language skillfully in informative and persuasive speeches.
13. Use effective non-verbal strategies such as posture and eye contact.
14. Make informed, accurate, and ethical presentations.
15. Evaluate and critique the persuasive techniques of media messages such as glittering generalizations, logical fallacies, and symbols.
16. Plan and prepare visual aids such as video, slide show, posters, Powerpoint presentation, etc. to support a speech.
17. Evaluate the credibility of information sources, including how the writer's motivation may affect credibility.
18. Recognize logical, deceptive, and/or faulty mode of persuasion in texts.

Topic 1 - Writing an Informative Speech
Part 1

At some time in your life, you may find yourself in a situation where you have to give a speech. In school, you may have to give a speech or presentation in class. As a member of a club such as 4-H, Beta Club, FCCLA, or FFA, you may have to present a speech for your organization in competition. On the job, you may have to present a speech in front of other workers, at a small meeting, or at a large convention.

Preparing a speech is very similar to writing a report or essay. You must follow some of the same prewriting steps as in the writing process. In both preparing speeches and in writing you must:

1. choose and limit a topic
2. gather information
3. organize ideas into an outline

Then you practice and deliver your speech for an audience. For the purposes of this on-line class, you will have to write out what you would say. You may be asked to present your speech for your Red Comet Contact Person.

Steps in preparing a speech:

Step 1:  Consider your audience.

This is your first consideration in planning your speech. If you are speaking in front of a group of parents, your speech will be different than if you are speaking in front of a small group of friends. You must consider your listeners as you prepare your speech.

Strategies for considering your audience:

1. Find out the interests of your audience. Limit your subject to match these interests.
2. Consider what the audience already knows about the subject and what they will expect to hear.
3. Select a purpose for your speech. Do you want to inform, to persuade, or entertain your audience?

Example:  You have to present a speech on the use of body enhancing supplements by athletes to your local school board and a group of parents.

• If your purpose is to inform, you could explain the positive and negative side effects of body enhancing supplements.
• If your purpose is to persuade, you may explain reasons why athletes should be allowed or not be allowed to use body-enhancing supplements.
• If your purpose is to entertain, you could tell anecdotes about different students who have used body-enhancing supplements and explain the effects the supplement had on them.

Step 2:  Choose your topic.
• Choose something that interests you and your audience.
• Choose a topic that you can research.
• Limit the topic to something you can cover in a five-minute speech.

Choosing a Topic

Your assignment is to present a five-minute informative speech to a class of English students (this is the equivalent of a two page, double-spaced written composition).

Summarize the information to consider before writing an informative speech.

1. What are three purposes of a speech?
2. What are the five things you need to consider when choosing your topic?

On a sheet of paper, answer each question above. When you have finished, review your work with your Red Comet Contact Person.

Click Here for Sample Answers

Activity #2 - Find and limit your topic

Choose and limit a topic for a speech of your own. Do not use the topic "How to wash a car"!

Study Guide #1      

Answer the questions in this study guide as thoroughly as possible. Study the questions in this guide to prepare for your quiz and section exam.

1. What are some instances in which you may have to give a speech?
2. Preparing a speech is similar to preparing a ________________.
3. What are the three purposes for giving a speech?
4. A five-minute speech is equal to approximately how many double-spaced, typewritten pages?
5. The topic of your speech should be interesting to __________ and ____________.
6. When considering your audience, what three strategies should you use?
7. When choosing your topic, what three things should you do?
8. How should you limit your topic?

On a sheet of paper, answer each question above. When you have finished, review your work with your Red Comet Contact Person.

Click Here for Sample Study Guide Answers

Activity # 3 - Practice

Online Quiz
Students: You can take this online quiz as many times as you need in order to insure you understand the topic.