What do you need to be a strong and effective rhetoritician? That's what this assignment is going to help you to discover and practice!

The keys to strong and effective rhetoric are:

• knowing WHO you want to persuade (your specific audience)

• carefully considering what angles on the topic, evidence, and speaking techniques will persuade them the best, and

• thinking carefully about how the specific political/social/historical context you're in might affect your message!

For the first assignment of this year, you will pick a modern issue that you would like to protest. Then you will complete some background research on that topic, and will give a speech arguing for your side of the topic. In your speech you will use persuasive speaking strategies to persuade your audience of your point of view!

• Your speech must be a minimum of 3 minutes, but no longer than 5 minutes (You need to pick and choose your words carefully! Therefore, points will be deducted if you are over time or under time)

• Your speech needs to take a clear stance about a modern, controversial issue – argue passionately for the issue you want to protest!

• Your speech needs to make clear appeals to your intended audience - all your examples, data, anecdotes, and research should be carefully chosen in order to persuade the particular group of people you are aiming your argument at.

• You need to show in the text of your speech that you're aware of the occasion - what important background context will your audience be thinking of or have in the backs of their minds as they listen to you? You want to acknowledge that somehow in your speech.

• You will take a video of your speech and upload it in order to present it. Your speech should still be as true to life as you can possibly make it! Here are some ways to make the speech as real and impactful as possible:

  • The text of your speech should be written down (notecards, etc.) for you to refer to as you deliver it (no off-the-cuff speaking); you will have to turn in a google doc of the text of your speech as well as the video of it.

  • You will need to make as much eye contact with the audience as possible – so the more of your speech you have rehearsed, the better!

  • Project your voice well, use inflection and emphasis when necessary, pause at important or dramatic moments

  • Have an appropriate and understandable pace for your speech - go fast at the exciting parts! Slow down at the sad moments or when you have something important to emphasize!

  • Movement and stance – think about what hand gestures or body language you might need to keep your audience interested and engaged

The points for the speech will be divided between these three things:

1. The written speech (60% of your grade)

   1. 1. Did you take a clear stance protesting something?

      2. Did you use a mix of persuasive techniques (anecdote, rule of 3, motif, ethos, pathos, etc)?

      3. Were your arguments coherent and well-informed (did you use the evidence from your research well)?

      4. Does your speech show clear evidence that you thought about the audience and occasion (are there specific appeals to your audience? Did you show an awareness of the political/historical/social moment we're living in)?

2. Presenting the speech (35% of your grade)

   1. 1. Did you make eye contact and use hand gestures to keep everyone interested?

      2. Did you project your voice well? Did you use emphasis and inflection when you needed it?

      3. Were you rehearsed? Is it clear that you practiced this speech beforehand? Have you built up your own ethos as a speaker?

3. Research and drafting (5% of your grade)

   1. 1. Did you have a thorough amount of facts/statistics/evidence to choose from?

      2. Are your facts/evidence/anecdotes from credible sources?

      3. Has your speech gone through more than one draft in order to improve the appeals and persuasive techniques?