Informative Speech: Career

Step 1: Select a Career That You Are Curious About

Not quite sure what career you'd like to learn more about...

  1. Relax and take a deep breath. This project isn't about selecting a career for the the rest of your life. It's a presentation project, that should be fueled by your curiosity and your interests. Many adults don't know what they want to do at age twenty or thirty or forty, you don't have to figure it out today.
  2. Take a Myers Briggs personality test to get a better sense of what your values might be. Values play a pretty surprising role in your happiness. This test isn't definitive, but it should give you a few ideas about what is really important to you.
  3. Browse a career list. Click on some links and see if anything matches your values or makes you curious enough to learn more. Understand that this is hardly a complete list, there are millions of different jobs out there, there are jobs that haven't been invented yet. Heck, you might end up inventing your own job! But maybe this list will give you a starting point.
  4. Make a list of three careers that get you curious. Share those ideas and get feedback. Talk about that list with your classmates. Talk about your list with your parents. Talk about your list with anyone who will sit still and listen to you. You're going to learn the most about what you like in those conversations. Pay attention to how you feel. Gradually decide on one that leaves you feeling excited about your future.
  5. Recognize that success is different for everyone and that you're going to change your mind about what you want to do as you get older. This is an opportunity to explore a topic you're interested in and broaden your horizons about what's possible. Maybe you'll decide here and now that this is what you want to do, but if all you do is get up and talk about something that you're excited about, that's more than good enough for me.

When you've got an idea, answer these questions

Pick three questions from the following list to answer:

  • What are your strengths? Maybe these are hard skills (math, computers, writing) or soft skills (communication, organization, resolving conflicts), regardless, outline what you consider yourself best at. When answering this question reflect on what skills other people have complemented you on.
  • What are your personal positive values? Consider this activity as a way to better understand those values.
  • Assuming everything goes perfectly, what sort of life would you like to live? Do you want to marry? Do you want children? How much time would you like to devote to friends, family, and hobbies?
  • Where would you like to live? Would you be comfortable with a small city apartment or do you need land around you? Do you even want to own a home, which you'd have to stay in for many years? Do you want to drive to work? Walk? Or use mass transit? Do you like the fast pace of life in cities or the slower pace of life in the suburbs and country?
  • What do you enjoy learning? While you're relatively new to your education, you should have a sense of what you enjoy learning about. Outline two or three of these subjects. How do you think this might relate to your choice?
  • What attracts you to your chosen career? Beyond the salary or the possibility of fame, what is it about this possible path that gets you curious to learn more?
  • Considering all the people that you know, whom do you admire the most? What is it about that person that stands out to you? Their work ethic? Their success? Regardless of their career, what traits of theirs would you like to see in yourself?
  • Do you enjoy working alone or in groups? What is it about working in groups or by yourself that makes you happy?
  • Are you choosing this career to please someone? Excellent advice can come from others, but remember that you are going to have to live every day of whatever life you choose. So, if you're choosing your career for someone else, ask yourself why?

Step 2: Research Your Career Topic

Every student must complete the interview section of this research project, the remaining two categories are your choice. While you are not expected to address all of the suggested questions, you should discuss the majority. Feel free to develop and answer questions of your own.

Educational Questions

  • What are the educational requirements of your career?
  • Is it possible to be trained for this career in a trade school?
  • How much debt does the average student complete their education with? How long do most people take to pay off their student loans?
  • What schools are considered the best for preparing you for that career?
  • Are there alternative (no college) routes into this career?
  • Is further training required to stay in this career?
  • What skills (soft and hard) are required to be successful in this career?

Quality of Life Questions

  • How much money do you really need to live the kind of life you want? Consider cost of living calculator.
  • What salary can you expect from your career as it begins, at its midpoint (10-15 years experience), and as a veteran in the field?
  • How many hours per week does the average professional in this field spend on this job?
  • Where (location wise) are most of these jobs located?
  • What sort of travel commitments or overtime commitments does this career demand?
  • What is a typical work day like?
  • Which seasons of the year (or hours of the day) are toughest in this career?

Day to Day Questions

  • What parts of the job are the most challenging?
  • What parts of this job are the most satisfying?
  • Are there any negatives to the job?
  • What companies are hiring for this career? What is the typical company culture like?
  • How easy is it to take vacation or family leave?
  • Where is the work for this job typically done? In an office, the forest, on the road, alone on the computer?

Career Growth Questions

  • Is there opportunity to advance in the career?
  • How long do people typically stay at a company in this career?
  • Is this a career where there is going to be economic growth? Or is this a shrinking job market?
  • How might automation effect this career? Think about what happened to the horseshoe makers after cars were invented.
  • How often do layoffs take place in this career?

Interview Questions

Any questions you have difficulty answering from another list can be asked of your professional partner.

  • How did you become interested in this career?
  • What does a typical week of work look like for you?
  • What makes your career enjoyable and/or meaningful?
  • If you could change anything about this job, what would it be?
  • In your mind, what is the most valuable skill to have as a professional in this career?
  • If I were decide right now that your career is what I want to do, what steps should I take to start moving me in that direction?
  • What challenges are there to getting into this career?
Professional Email Example

Writing a Formal Email

When you contact your professional partner, you will need to act as a scholar. When scholars exchange emails, they are formal and well organized.

Your email will have the following:

  1. Professional Subject Line: If the subject line is misleading or missing information, your email may not get read. Many spam filters detect and delete a blank subject email. Consider the following options:
    • Regarding My English Project: Career Questions
    • Thanks For Your Consideration: Career Questions
  2. Salutation: Greet your professional partner with one of the following:
    • Greetings Mr/Mrs. their name here,
    • Good Morning/Evening Mr./Mrs their name here,
    • Dear Sir/Madam,
    • To Whom It May Concern,
  3. Introduction: Establish connection to your professional partner with your opening line, don't leave them in doubt about how you came to be writing them
  4. Body: Ask your questions and express how grateful you are for their help. Reread to make sure that you are using proper grammar and that your intent and questions are clear.
  5. Closing: Choose one of the following closing statements and supply your first and last name.
    • Sincerely,
    • Warmest Regards,
    • Thank You For Your Help,
Works Cited Example

Create a Works Cited Page

Using citation engine, please create an exhaustive works cited page presenting each source you use in your speech. A personal interview should be referenced as a parenthetical citation.

For example: J. Smith, personal communication, May 17, 2008.

Step 3: Organize Your Speech

Once you've researched your topic, you need to choose a way to organize your information. This will help you develop strong thesis statement, topic sentences, and establish connections between those topic sentences and the evidence you've drawn from your research.

A strong thesis should

  1. Take a stand
    • Weak: There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.
    • Strong: Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.
  2. Express one clear idea
    • Weak: Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.
    • Strong: Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.
  3. Be specific
    • Weak: World hunger has many causes and effects.
    • Strong: Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.

Following a more informal, visual brainstorm can help you see how your ideas are connected. A bubble chart helps you establish connections between thesis, sub topics, and evidence in a visual way.

Begin with your thesis at the center, the next item in orbit is your subtopics, followed by your related evidence.

Following MLA style formatting create an outline. This style of brain storming allows you to flesh out ideas and develop reasoning and flow in a well organized manner. Keep your statements as brief as possible, remember that this is a skeleton of the speech you're going to write.

Step 4: Write Your Speech

Now that you've researched your topic, it's time to begin writing the rough draft of your speech. Begin by opening the writing rubric and decide for yourself an area that you want to improve upon. Keep the rubric open as you work and refer to it to be sure that your are meeting the goals of the assignment.

Informative Writing Rubric

Class Discussions To Guide Your Work:

Writing an Introduction
Writing a Conclusion

Reference Videos:

Step 5: Turn In Final Draft

The final draft of your speech should be submitted in formal MLA style, in the following order:

  1. Title page
  2. Informative paper
  3. Works cited page
Cover Page Example

Title Page

Title Page Format:

Your title page should be a separate document featuring:

  1. Title (18 point font): Should be a persuasive statement, like "Stop Drunk Driving".
  2. Subtitle (12 point font): Should inform the reader what you will be discussing, like "How Drunk Driving Destroys Lives and Families".
  3. Your name (12 point font)
  4. Class name and period (12 point font)
  5. Name of the teacher (12 point font)
  6. Date the paper is due (12 point font)
Works Cited Example

Works Cited

Works Cited Format:

Works cited is easiest to create when using the Easybib form, but be careful to avoid mistakes like blue, underlined web addresses, bullet points, or numbered sections.

  • Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.
  • Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent.
  • Title your works cited and center that title.

Paper Formatting

MLA Style Format:

  1. Your paper should be organized into five, or more, paragraphs.
    • Introduction featuring:
        • Well designed hook
        • Transition to thesis
        • A thesis
        • A list of related warrants
    • Three (or more) body paragraphs featuring:
        • Transition statement
        • Topic sentence that supports the claim
        • Transition to evidence
        • Evidence
        • Impact statements to explain your evidence's importance
    • Conclusion featuring:
        • Transition statement
        • Restated thesis
        • Restated warrants
        • Transition to final thought
        • Call to action AND/OR final thought.
  2. 1 inch margins.
  3. Times New Roman or Arial, 12 point font.
  4. The paper should be double spaced.

Step 6: Create a Presentation To Highlight Your Points

To create an effective Slide presentation:

  1. Keep your presentation simple
  2. Highlight only the most important portions of your speech in your slides
  3. Use readable fonts
  4. Restrict your writing to no more than 40 words total
  5. Avoid bullet points
  6. Emphasis images, graphs and tables
  7. Keep the text on the top

How To Use Google Slides

A quick review of the different tools available to you through Google Slides

How To Improve Your Presentation

Some step by step advice on creating a great presentation

An Example of a Great Presentation

And some wonderful advice on how to improve your work

An Example of an Overcomplicated Presentation

Example of a Overdone Presentation

What Is Working Against It:

  • Moving pictures confuse the viewer, making it hard for them to focus
  • Bright, neon text can make it hard to read
  • Too many words mean that the audience is focused on trying to make sense of your written ideas
  • Many unrelated images leave the audience in doubt of what the purpose of each slide is