Midterm Extra Credit

Some of you are probably aware that big things are happening right now in Wisconsin.  Protests have now been underway for about a week, and the various parties involved have been using a number of communication strategies to make their voices heard -- some of these are traditional, and some of them are not.

I RARELY give extra credit.  However, I think you should be aware of these events AND studying them will be good practice for Informative Speech 2, SO. . .

I'm offering up to 15 points extra credit on the midterm. Here's how to get it:

1. Read up.  Browse a few major newspapers/news blogs to find out what's going on there.  You're going to have to read several, because there is lots of misinformation and slant coming out of Wisconsin.

2. Think.  You need to decide what you think about this issue. Are the various parties acting ethically? Are they making good points? Should action be taken on behalf of one side or the other?

3. Write.  Write a 1.5 - 2 page (double spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman, etc.) paper.  This should NOT be an "opinion" paper -- it should be an "argument" paper.  That means I'm not interested in what you think unless you can back it up with strong argumentation and source citations.  You will have already read some news coverage, so it shouldn't be hard to back up what you think.  You'll also include a Works Cited/References page as your third page.

4. Proofread.  I expect this paper to be free from grammar and spelling errors, and I expect that you will go through and clean up any awkward or unclear sentences.

You'll hand in your paper before you take the exam on Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This is NOT valid for those who take the midterm on make-up day.

Midterm Next Week!

I've posted the guidelines for the midterm exam next week under the "speech and exam info" tab on the blog.  You'll want to be sure and look over the instructions, as they will give you some idea of how to study for the exam.

Many of you may not be very familiar with completing essay-style exams.  Since there is a good amount of writing in this test, I wanted to share some links with you:

• Here is a Washington University webpage to help political science students -- they make excellent points on constructing your answers, though I suspect this is targeted to a slightly larger exam than ours.
• This webpage is from a Florida State biology professor -- the first section is extremely similar to my own point of view, so it's worth a look.  You probably won't want to spend time looking over his examples, though, since the subject matter is so different from ours.
• Finally, this short video is a nice discussion of answering longer essay questions (you'll have ONE of these) -- if you've never had to answer a 3 - 5 paragraph essay question on a test, this is DEFINITELY worth watching.
• Remember I am expecting you to apply the Toulmin model of argumentation to ALL of our course work -- this DEFINITELY includes the exam!

Is Wikipedia Really So Bad?

Wikipedia definitely gets a bad rap.  Even the popular media has mocked the user interactive website.  Still, semester after semester, I have students tell me how much they love it -- even I occasionally uses it for quick reference.  Sooooo, what do YOU think of Wikipedia?

What is its place in the research process?  Does it even have a place at all?  Why does it get such a bad rap?  Do you use wikipedia?  Post a comments are due by next Tuesday.  5-points for a well-developed comment, 10 points if it includes a strong piece of evidence (including a source citation).

Internet Detective

Because our classrooms are not equipped as computer labs, I'm sending you home to complete a tutorial on responsible use of internet research. The tutorial claims it will take about an hour. It took me less time than this, but you should reserve a good amount of time for going through this website.

I'll be including info from the website on the mid-term, so I recommend that you don't just blow this off. . . Click here to begin the Internet Detective Tutorial. (You'll need to scroll down and click "Next" on the first page to begin the lesson.)

Rubric Error

A student in the 12:30 class caught a mistake on the Info 1 Rubric -- I had "Thesis" where it should have read "Attention Getter/Connection Step."  I've corrected the mistake, but I wanted to let you know in case you'd already downloaded/printed it.

Thanks, Lindsey (and good catch)!

Sample Informative Speech

To help you visualize your best Informative Speech, here's a sample of a good quality Famous Person Speech. Notice that her organization is clear and that she does NOT read from her note cards.

First Informative Topics

HANDS DOWN -- THE MOST COMMON REASON STUDENTS DON'T FINISH THEIR SPEECHES IS THAT THEY NEVER PICK A TOPIC!!!  This assignment is meant to prevent that.

You have until class time this Tuesday to list your chosen topic (a famous person).  Before you enter them into the FORM BELOW, CHECK HERE to make sure you aren't duplicating other students' topics.

Note -- you won't be able to type directly into the spreadsheet -- type into the form below, then look at the spreadsheet.

Introductions on the Internet

There are lots of speeches on the internet -- some follow our format, and some don't. Find a speech online that includes an introduction with at least 2 of the 3 elements covered in class.  Then:

1. Paste the URL address into a blog comment
2. Tell us what you think of the introduction -- is it good or bad?  Why?  How could it be better?

This is due by next Thursday and worth up to 15 points.

Snow Day Assignments

Sigh.  Here we go again?  I'm asking you to help me get us caught back up from all of our missed days -- so I not only expect you to complete the assignments, I plan to include this information on the midterm exam.

Here are your three assignments:

1. Using the Delivery PowerPoint to guide your reading, work your way through the chapters in your text (Chapters 17 - 19).  Let me give you a hint -- Don't read word-for-word. Be able to explain the terms and provide thorough answers to the questions on the PowerPoints.

2. Think about why we analyze our audiences -- your book has some stuff on this. . . but honestly, I think it's mainly common sense (no terms or anything).  Optional: check out the presentation here (we would primarily talk about the commercials used to target specific audiences on certain channels and at certain times of year).

3. I'm going to ask you to write about audience analysis on the midterm.   This stuff is real stuff -- people analyze you all the time.  So I want you to look at a real piece of persuasive rhetoric: Super Size Me (click to access).  Think about the following items:

1. Who is the intended audience?  Are there people who are excluded from the "conversation"?  What allows a person to be considered "intended audience"?
2. Does he do a good job of targeting his audience?  What are the specific strategies he uses to target those people?  Are there things he does to make you feel like you are included in this audience?
3. Why do you think this film was made?  What are the results of the film?  This film was made in 2004 -- are there any cultural influences that made the film successful?  Political influences?  Economics?
4. Now push yourself further.  Yes.  This is about obesity, blah blah blah.  That's the surface of it.  Now try to come up with something original and interesting to say about it.

I think this is a pretty entertaining film -- enjoy it.  After it's over, you might want to jot down some of your ideas so you can remember them later, but I wouldn't recommend taking notes during it (personally, I think notetaking just makes movies feel boring).

Stay safe, everybody, and please email me if you have any questions!

The Dark Side of Audience Analysis

Audience analysis goes hand in hand with an advertising strategy called "target marketing."  As public speakers, we analyze our audience to increase our credibility. . . but what are the ethical issues?

Watch this video and post a comment agreeing or disagreeing with the video's stance for 10 quiz points (due by class time next Tuesday).  Again, I expect well thought-out analysis and good grammar/spelling.

(PS -- this is actually just a trailer, but you can watch the whole documentary here.)

Multiple Intelligences

When analyzing your audience, it is important to consider differences in your listeners' learning style.  Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences is a staple for educators and speakers across the country.

You can take the test to determine your learning style here, and read more about it here.  Print the test, fill it out, and bring it in by next Tuesday for 5 quiz points.

New Schedule

Well, I guess waiting to rearrange the schedule paid off.  :)

Now that we are officially out of school again tomorrow, I've rearranged the course schedule to accommodate our missed week.  You'll see that we now have Diagnostic Speeches on Tuesday, after which we'll discuss audience analysis and I'll introduce the first informative speech.  It's going to be a big day.

I've also moved the first informative speech back a week, so that you'll still have two full weeks to prepare.  Unfortunately, this means you'll have the first informative speech and the midterm exam on back-to-back weeks.  It couldn't be helped, so I guess we'll make the most of it.

As always, please don't hesitate to email if you have questions, concerns, etc.  I'm happy to help!

Snooooooooooowpocalypse!!!

Clearly we will not be seeing each other today.  In fact, some have predicted that the campus will be closed on Thursday as well.  Who knows.  Remember, if the campus is open, we will meet.  If the campus is closed, we won't meet.

I'm not going to rearrange the schedule until I know a little more certainly when we'll be back to school.  For now, just be aware that I will expect to hear your diagnostic speeches the next time we have class.  If, on that day, you are not prepared, or you don't present for some other reason,  make-up speech policies apply.