Public Speaking

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Currently, it takes about 2-4 business days for a Touchstone to be graded.

Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the course material, help you refine skills, and demonstrate application of knowledge. You can work on a Touchstone anytime, but you must complete this units assessments before you submit it. Once you’ve submitted a Touchstone, it will be graded and counted toward your final course score.

Touchstone 2: Special Occasion Speech

ASSIGNMENT: For this touchstone, you will deliver a 35 minute special occasion speech on a topic of your choice. The speech can be for any context, but the purpose must be to commemorate an occasion. See the following list of example occasions for inspiration.

Type of Special Occasion Speech Examples
The Speech of Introduction
  • Introducing a keynote speaker at a conference
  • Introducing a new employee at a company meeting
The Speech to Secure Goodwill
  • Welcoming new employees during an orientation session
  • Celebrating staff at a company retreat
The Speech of Presentation or Acceptance
  • Presenting an award for academic work (paper, research, report)
  • Accepting an award for original creative work
The Commemorative Speech: Dedications and Eulogies
  • Delivering a commemorative speech for the dedication of a new building
  • Delivering a eulogy at a funeral
The Inspirational Speech
  • Motivating your work team to take on a new challenge
  • Inspiring your work team with a vision for the future
Other Speeches: Farewells, Toasts, and After-Dinner Remarks
  • Giving a toast at a wedding or other party
  • Delivering a speech at a graduation

In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review .

Touchstone Support Videos

A. Directions

Step 1: Select a Special Occasion Topic

Your speech should be for a special occasion. You may use a special occasion from the list above, or choose one of your own. Consider the following brainstorming techniques as you generate your speech topic:

  • Word Association
  • Clustering
  • Freewriting
  • Distilling Your Ideas
  • Doing a Little Homework

Refer back to the following lessons for support:

Step 2: Consider Purpose, Thesis, and Audience

Identify your purpose, thesis, and audience. Imagine your audience and how you would want to convey your message to this audience.

2a. Purpose

After you determine your topic, you should refine it into the general purpose and specific purpose by asking yourself what you hope to accomplish with your speech and what you hope your audience will take away with them.

As you plan your speech and consider the purpose, ask yourself the following questions:

  • What do you want your audience to know?
  • What do you want your audience to think?
  • What do you want your audience to feel?
  • What do you want your audience to do?

2b. Thesis

Your thesis statement should clearly articulate the purpose and main points of your speech. Defining a thesis is essentially constructing the structural outline of your speech. When you have defined a thesis, you have essentially articulated to yourself what your speech will say, what position you will take up, and what the speech’s purpose is.

As you plan your speech and consider the thesis, ask yourself the following questions:

  • What is the most important message of your speech?
  • Why should/will your audience care about your message?

2c. Audience

When planning your special occasion speech, it is important to know about the audience and to adapt the message to the audience. You want to prepare an audience-centered speech, or a speech focusing on the audience.

The audience is the target of your speech, and effectively communicating your theme to them is the goal of good public speaking. As such, you should always keep the audience in mind both before and during your time on stage.

As you plan your speech and consider the audience, ask yourself the following questions:

  • What is the correct context for the speech? Where and when will it be given?
  • Who is the audience and what are their characteristics?
  • Why has the audience come to hear the speech?
  • What are the interests of the audience?
  • What does the audience know about your topic?
  • What is the audiences point of view on the topic?
  • How will the audience likely react to your speech?

Refer back to the following lessons for support:

Step 3: Create Notes

Create notes or bullet points that you can refer to while presenting your speech. You should not read your speech word-for-word from your notes.

Step 4: Use Clear Language

Ensure that the language you use is consistently clear and appropriate to the audience, which helps the audience connect with you and your topic. Explain any technical jargon you use where necessary. Cognitive psychologists and linguists suggest that word choice has significant framing effects on the perceptions, memories, and attitudes of speakers and listeners.

Refer back to the following lesson for support:

Step 5: Practice Speech

Practice presenting your speech. Aim for a speech that is 35 minutes in length.

Step 6. Review Rubric

Before filming, review the rubric to ensure that you understand how you will be evaluated.

Step 7: Film Speech

Film yourself presenting the speech. Be sure that you can be easily seen and heard, and direct your speech to the camera.

Step 8: Review Video

Review your video to ensure that you can be seen and heard. Refilm as needed.

Step 9: Review Checklist and Requirements

Review the checklist and requirements to ensure that your Touchstone is complete.

Step 10: Submit

Upload your video using the blue button at the top of this page.

Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

I have selected a special occasion speech topic.
My speech includes a purpose and a thesis.
I have considered my audience.
I have used language that is appropriate to my audience.
I have filmed a video of myself presenting my speech.
The video of my speech is 35 minutes in length.
I have reviewed the video and I can be easily heard and seen.
In my speech, I am focused on connecting with the audience, only looking at my notes occasionally.
I have adhered to all the requirements.
I have read through the rubric and I understand how my Touchstone will be evaluated.

B. Rubric

Advanced (100%) Proficient (85%) Acceptable (75%) Needs Improvement (50%) Nonperformance (0%)

Alignment: Special Occasion Speech (20 points)

Effectively define and align purpose, audience, and thesis.

 Purpose, audience, and thesis are well-aligned. If the intended message were delivered to the intended audience the targeted purpose would be achieved. Purpose, audience, and thesis are mostly aligned. If the intended message were delivered to the intended audience the targeted purpose would be partially achieved. Purpose, audience, and thesis are somewhat aligned. If the intended message were delivered to the intended audience the targeted purpose would be minimally achieved. Purpose, audience, and thesis are misaligned. If the intended message were delivered to the intended audience the targeted purpose would not be achieved. Purpose, audience, and thesis are absent or unclear.

Audience Engagement (15 points)

Include personal anecdotes, relevant stories, or experiences to connect with the audience on a deeper level.

 The speech includes highly engaging and compelling personal anecdotes, stories, or experiences that deeply resonate with the audience. The speech includes relevant and interesting personal anecdotes, stories, or experiences that help establish a connection with the audience. The speech includes some personal anecdotes, stories, or experiences that attempt to connect with the audience on a deeper level. The speech may include limited or weak personal anecdotes, stories, or experiences that fail to effectively connect with the audience on a deeper level. The speech lacks personal anecdotes, stories, or experiences, or the ones included are irrelevant or fail to create any meaningful connection with the audience.

Language (10 points)

Choose the right language to convey your message.

 Language is consistently clear and appropriate to the audience, helping the audience connect with the speaker and the topic. Where necessary, technical jargon is explained. Language is predominantly clear and appropriate to the audience, generally helping the audience connect with the speaker and the topic. Language is frequently clear but inconsistent with the audience and often fails to help the audience connect with the speaker or the topic. Language is mostly unclear or inconsistent with the audience and often fails to help the audience connect with the speaker or the topic. Language does not help the audience connect with the speaker or the topic.

Time Management (5 points)

Make effective use of the time without either finishing early or going over by more than a few seconds.

 Makes effective use of the full 35 minutes without either finishing early or going over by more than a few seconds. Runs a little short or a little long of the 35 minutes by no more than 30 seconds. Runs a little short or a little long of the 35 minutes by no more than a minute. Runs short or long of the 35 minutes by well over a minute. Speech is so brief or so long it is not an appropriate response to the assignment.

C. Requirements

  • Video is 35 minutes in length.
  • Any video file format is acceptable. Files must be less than 4GB.
  • All video content must be original for this assignment and appropriate for an academic context.
  • Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
  • Your video submission should include your name and the date.