Demonstration Speeches
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Prepare a speech in which you demonstrate a process (how to do something or how to make something).
When choosing your topic, consider your time frame, your personal skills and abilities, and most importantly your audience.
Requirements /Criteria For Success
4-6 minutes (going significantly under or over time will result in a loss of points)
Audience-centered introduction, body, and conclusion.
You must demonstrate a process, not just inform the audience about a process.
Prepare things to talk about that will fill empty space. I call this ABT.
This is NOT a scripted speech. Note cards with bullet points only. Use as few cards as possible.
Rubric
HELPFUL HINTS (Demonstrative Speeches)
Make sure you create a compelling and audience centered introduction and conclusion
ABT (Always Be Talking): Prepare ‘speaking time’ for the spaces in your process that might be tedious. More on ABT
Audience participation can be good, but it can also lead to major distractions. Choose carefully when deciding if you want your audience to participate or just watch.
Don't forget your audience. Eye contact is important, but it can be easy to forget about when you're wrapped up in demonstrating your steps.
If your topic is too big for a 4-6 minutes speech, narrow it down. You may, for example, show how to putt instead of how to golf, or how to decorate a cake instead of how to make an entire cake.
If you're showing only a portion of the process, it would be wise to bring in an example of the ‘finished product’ for your audience to see. For example, a video showing a clip of a game and how defense fits in, or a finished example of a cake or other cooking dish.
This speech requires a visual aid and/or props.
Remember all of the different types of visual aids so that you might use them more creatively. You can show charts or graphs that show the popularity of your topic, images that show various ways to make it, videos or cartoons that show it in use, etc.
This speech requires a high degree of creativity, so take chances with it and give it some thought. Talk about something you know about and satisfy the needs of your audience.
Find a topic that is closely related to your hobbies, skills, favorite sports, or interests. Organize your rough ideas on good speech topics. Make a list of the things you love to do or make.
Now develop your demonstration speech topic. The easiest way is to show how to do something, how something is done, how to make something, or how something works. Start with one of these example phrases. Fill in the informative topic of your choice:
How to make…
How to fix…
How to use…
How to do…
