Diagnostic Speeches

We're diving right in!  Next week, everyone will need to deliver their first speech of the semester.  DON'T PANIC!  This is meant to be a (relatively) stress-free presentation about the topic you know best -- You!  It's also meant to help you see (1) how I grade speeches, (2) how speech days work, and (3) where you excel and where you need to improve when it comes to public speaking.  It is NOT meant to make or break your grade!  Here are the guidelines:

Diagnostic Speech Requirements

                Choose one of the following topics:

                     -- "My best/worst character trait is. . . "

                     -- "If I could have lunch with anyone (living or dead), I would choose. . . "

                     -- "One event that has shaped me as a person was. . . "

                     -- "My favorite memory of childhood is. . . "

                     -- "If I had a million dollars, I would. . . "

                Time Limit -- 1 - 2 minutes (wrap-up signal at 3 minutes, cut-off at 4 minutes)

                You may use note cards if you wish

                DO NOT write the speech out in advance -- it should seem spontaneous but planned

                Practice so you know how much (how little?) info you need to fill 1 - 2 minutes

You should definately check out the rubric here, so you know what I'm looking for.

Here's a sample speech to get you started: