comm111

(PLEASE NOTE: This is merely an example paper. I will write this as a hypothetical student, and use President Obama as the example… he is NOT an option for your paper… I am just using him for this ‘sample’ so as to not influence what you choose to do on your own. Please use either President Clinton (2000 Democratic National Convention speech) or Reagan (1988 Republican National Convention speech), or get another speaker approved in advanced with me).

Carl A.Student

COM 111: 12 Noon Class

I chose to do my modeling of public speaking assignment on President Barack Obama.

Humor: I would give myself a 3 on this, as I am not generally very funny. I could improve this by adding some jokes to my speech, and being a bit more lighthearted in delivery.

Good eye contact: I would rate myself a 6 on this, as I do pretty good looking at my audience, but could improve. In order to improve, I would practice my speech more so that I do not need to look at my notes so often.

Passion: While he seems to care a lot about what he is speaking about, I would give myself a 5 on this, as there are times that I am merely trying to get done with the speech. To improve this, I would find the parts about my topic that I care about, and use those as my main points. That way each main point can be delivered with good energy and passion.

Good speed: He doesn’t talk too fast like I do. I would give myself a 4 on this one, as when I get nervous I tend to talk too fast. I can improve this by taking some deep breaths to calm myself down, practicing more so I am more confident, and by getting more practice in public speaking.

Communicates confidence: He seems very sure of himself, and that helps people have more confidence in him. I would give myself an 8 for this one, as I think I do communicate good confidence. I could improve in this area, however, by standing up straighter like he does, and reminding myself that I know my speech, have done my research and believe in what I am saying.

Responds to the audience: He reacts to the audience—smiling and responding to their non-verbal reactions to him. This can make the audience feel more important and like him more. I do not do this, and would give myself a 1 or 2 in this area. I can improve this by reading the non-verbal messages from my audience, and adapting to them. If they laugh, for example, not interrupting… if they look confused, take a moment and give a better example to explain.

Tells audience why this is important to THEM: This is one I do not do very well… I would give myself a 3. I do speeches on topics that are interesting to me, and do not really think about whether it would also be interesting to the audience. To improve this, I will consider my audience in selecting my topic, and include a sentence or two that tells them why this should be interesting or important for them to know.