special occasion speech

Special Occasion Speech

For this assignment, please prepare and deliver a 3-5-minute special occasion speech. It will need an introduction, body and conclusion and can have 2-4 main points. You will need one outside resource and you must verbally cite your source in the speech at some point. You will also need to complete an outline just like the one in the textbook on pages 203-205 with a work cited section at the end.

Here are some guidelines to follow for your project: Choose an appropriate topic for a special occasion speech. This can be a speech of introduction, a speech of

presentation, a speech of acceptance or a commemorative speech. Here are a few ideas for topics (you are not

limited to just these topics):

 A family member who has impacted you.

 A toast at a party or wedding.

 What you would say if you won an award of some kind.

 The author of the book that changed my life.

 The doctor that has cured me of a dangerous disease.

 The tribute presentation to the partner that saved my life.

 A funeral tribute presentation to a best friend.

 Someone who, in some way, changed the course of your life, history, etc.

 An inventor, innovator, politician, doctor, teacher. etc. you admire.

 A presentation of a tribute to ____ as the best superhero.

 A tribute to an organization, group, nonprofit entity, etc.

 What it means to a hero.

 Be unique – a place, a pet, a person we wouldn’t think of

The hardest part of a special occasion speech is usually the introduction so here are some tips to help with that

area:

I. Attention Material: To draw the audience’s attention to your speech, try a simple story, refer to the

occasion, refer to recent or historical events, refer to previous speeches, refer to a personal interest, use

a clever quote, use a startling statistic, use an analogy, cite a definition, use of suspense, ask a question,

etc.

II. States Listener Relevance: To gain the goodwill of your audience, tell us how this relates to us in a way

that all can understand. For this type of speech a statement like, “We all probably …” is fine.

III. Credibility Material: Generally, in this area, you will establish external credibility by stating why you care,

why you can be trusted, or how you know your materials, etc. For this type of speech, show us you are

sincere; tell us why you admire this person, place or thing. External sources are especially important to

establish your external credibility.

IV. Thesis & Topic Preview: (For example: ________ deserves tribute due to

____________________________. Today I will tell you first ______________, second _____________

and third ______________.)

NAME: _______________________________________________ TOPIC:________________________________________________________

Criterion Rating Excellent

Rating Good

Rating Average

Rating Needs Improvement

Rating Needs MAJOR Improvements

Score

5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 points

Introduction (1) Uses attention getter (2) States listener relevance (3) Establishes speaker cred.

(4) States thesis statement

Meets any three of the four criteria

Meets any two of the four criteria

Meets only one of the four criteria

Meets none of the criteria

Body (1) Main points are clear (2) Required resources are

verbally spoken (3) Sources are documented (references are listed on outline)

(4) Smooth transitions between points

Meets any three of the four criteria

Meets any two of the four criteria

Meets only one of the four criteria

Meets none of the criteria

Conclusion (1) Signals the end (2) Restatement of thesis

(3) Main point review (4) Uses clincher

Meets any three of the four criteria

Meets any two of the four criteria

Meets only one of the four criteria

Meets none of the criteria

Eye Contact Eye contact with audience virtually all the time (except for

brief glances at notes)

Eye contact with audience less than

75% of the time

Eye contact with audience less than

50% of the time

Eye contact with audience less than

25% of the time

Little or no eye contact

Body Language

Appeared genuine, confident, enthusiastic / maintained poise

/ conversational / animated / appropriate movement / upright

posture / podium utilized appropriately

Minor problems with body language

Significant problems with body language

Speech was affected by more

than three areas of body language

Speech was hindered by lack of

effective overall body language

Use of Language

Sentences clear, concise / word choice and usage accurate / word choice

appropriate to subject and audience / creative

Minor problems with use of language

Significant problems with

use of language

Speech was affected by more

than three areas of use of language

Speech was hindered by lack of

effective overall use of language

Voice Quality

Good articulation / correct pronunciation / rate, pitch, volume, vocal variation,

fluency, projection, use of silence and pauses / absence

of verbal fillers

Minor problems with voice quality

Significant problems with voice quality

Speech was affected by more

than three areas of voice quality

Speech was hindered by lack of

effective overall voice quality

Note Card Usage

Note cards were used appropriately, had the allowed amount or less and were not read from directly for large

amounts of time

Minor problems with note card

usage

Significant problems with

note card usage

Speech was affected by all three areas of note card

usage

Speech was hindered by lack of

effective overall note card usage

Adapts Speech to the Special Occasion

(1) Met the audience’s needs (2) Fits the needs of the

occasion (3)Spoke appropriately &

ethically (4) Properly conveyed

information

Meets any three of the four criteria

Meets any two of the four criteria

Meets only one of the four criteria

Meets none of the criteria

Time:

________

Within allotted time Within 30 seconds of allotted time

Within 1 minute of allotted time

Within 1 minute 30 seconds of allotted

time

Over/under 1 minute 30 seconds

of allotted time

TOTAL out of 50: Inappropriate

&/or plagiarized

Student’s work was deemed not appropriate for the college classroom or the work was in some way plagiarized. The instructor also reserves the right to stop any speech during a presentation if deemed not appropriate for the college

class with a result of an automatic zero (0).

Automatic 0