Chapter 4Selecting an Appropriate Speech GoaL SP.docx

Chapter 4
Selecting an Appropriate Speech GoaL
SPEAK
© 2011 Cengage Learning
5/27/2014 12:20 PM
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft,
Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may
be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or
other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and
represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the
date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to
changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a
commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot
guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the
date of this presentation.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS,
IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN
THIS PRESENTATION.
1
The mind is

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.
~Alexander Graham Bell
5/27/2014 12:20 PM
other countries.
THIS PRESENTATION.
2
Audience Adaptation & Analysis
Your speech goal must be based on both
Audience analysis
Audience adaptation

This step in the speech-making process is rooted in what
communication scholars refer to as uncertainty reduction
theory. Even though effective speakers continually adjust their
analysis of their audience and adapt their speech accordingly
throughout the speech-planning and speech-making process,
these steps begin at the point of determining your specific
speech goal.
Audience Adaptation and Analysis:
Your speech goal must be based on both:
Audience analysis which is the study of the intended audience
for your speech
Audience adaptation which is the process of tailoring your
speech’s information to the listeners’ needs, interests, and
expectations
Action Step 1: Select a Speech Goal that is Appropriate to the
Rhetorical Situation
Brainstorm and concept map for topics
Analyze your audience
Analyze the rhetorical situation
Develop a speech goal statement tailored to your audience and
occasion
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THIS PRESENTATION.
3
Exhibit 4.1
The Rhetorical Situation
You must determine your specific speech goal in light of the
rhetorical situation, the reason your speech needs to be given
(exigence). As Exhibit 4.1 illustrates, these circumstances
include the speaker (you), the audience, and the occasion (the
setting, including the purpose, audience, expectations, and
location).
5/27/2014 12:20 PM
other countries.

THIS PRESENTATION.
4
Subject & Topic
A subject is a broad area of expertise
A topic is a narrow, specific aspect of a subject
Our speech topics should come from subject areas in which we
already have some knowledge and interest.
A subject is a broad area of expertise (e.g., movies). A topic is
a narrow, specific aspect of a subject (e.g., how the Academy
Awards nomination process works; the relationships among
movie producers, directors, and distributors; or how technology
is changing movie production).
A topic is a narrow, specific aspect of a subject
5
Identifying Potential Topics
Listing subjects
Brainstorming for topic ideas
Concept mapping for topic ideas

You can identify potential subjects for your speeches by listing
those areas that (1) are important to you and (2) you know
something about.
Identifying Potential Topics:
Listing subjects
Brainstorming is an uncritical, non-evaluative process of
generating associated ideas
Concept mapping is a visual means of exploring connections
between a subject & related ideas.
6
Exhibit 4.2
Concept Map
The exhibit shows how concept mapping allowed the speaker to
think more deeply about a general topic idea that she had
brainstormed and develop several more specific topics that
could be used in shorter speeches or in speeches with different
audiences.
7
Analyzing the Audience
Demographic audience data

Because speeches are presented to a particular audience, before
you can finally decide on your topic, you need to understand
who will be in your prospective audience. During your audience
analysis, you will want to develop a demographic profile of
your audience that includes age, gender, socioeconomic
background, race, ethnicity, religion, geographic uniqueness,
and language.
Analyzing the Audience #1:
Demographic audience data helps you…
choose a specific topic and the main ideas you will present.
discover how your audience is similar/different from one
another and from you.
develop appropriate listener-relevance links
Demographic data consists of:
Age: What is the age range of your audience, and what is the
average age?
Education: What percentage of your audience has a high school,
college, or postgraduate education?
Sex: What percentage of your audience is male? female?
Socioeconomic background: What percentage of your audience
comes from high-, middle-, or low-income families?
Occupation: Is a majority of your audience from a single
occupational group or industry, or do audience members come
from diverse occupational groups?
Race: Are most members of your audience of the same race, or
is there a mixture of races?
Ethnicity: What ethnic groups are in the audience? Are most
audience members from the same cultural background?
Religion: What religious traditions are followed by audience
members?
Geographic uniqueness: Are audience members from the same
state, city, or neighborhood?

Language: What languages do a significant number of members
of the audience speak as a first language? What language (if
any) is common to all audience members?
Knowledge of subject: What can I expect the audience already
knows about my subject? How varied is the knowledge level of
audience members?
Attitude toward subject: What can I expect my audience’s
feelings to be about my subject?
8
Analyzing the Audience
Not only will you want to understand the demographic makeup
of your audience, but you will also want to learn about the
average knowledge level that your audience members have on
your subject, their interest in the subject, their attitudes toward
the subject, and their perceptions of your credibility.
Knowing this information will help you reach your goals of (1)
forming reasonable generalizations about your audience and (2)
adapting your speech to embrace subject-related diversity.
Analyzing the Audience #2:
Subject-related audience data helps you…
determine your audience’s knowledge.
establish your audience’s interest in your topic.
determine your audience’s attitudes toward your subject.

understand listeners’ attitudes toward you as a speaker.
9
Methods for Gathering
Audience Data
Surveys (two-sided items, multiple-response items, scaled
items, open-ended items)
Informal observation
Asking questions
Making educated guesses
Although it is not always possible, the most direct way to
collect audience data is to survey the audience. A survey is a
questionnaire designed to gather information directly from
people. Different types of surveys gather specific types of data.
1. If you are familiar with members of your audience, you can
get much of the important data about them simply by observing
them.
2. If you are invited to speak to a group you are unfamiliar
with, ask your contact person to answer the demographic
questions given in Exhibit 4.5.
3. If you can’t get information about the audience in any other
way, you will have to make educated guesses based on indirect
information such as the general makeup of the members of a
community or organization.
10
Using Audience Data Ethically

As a speaker, you must steer clear of inappropriate & inaccurate
assumptions about your audience.
Avoid marginalizing and stereotyping
Recognize & acknowledge the demographic diversity in your
audience.
To demonstrate respect for everyone in your audience, you will
want to avoid making inappropriate or inaccurate assumptions
based on demographic or subject-related information you have
collected.
Marginalizing is the practice of ignoring the values, needs, and
interests of certain audience members, leaving them feeling
excluded from the speaking situation. Stereotyping is assuming
all members of a group have similar knowledge levels,
behaviors, or beliefs simply because they belong to the group.
You can minimize your chances of marginalizing or
stereotyping by recognizing and acknowledging the
demographic diversity your audience analysis reveals.
Demographic diversity is the range of demographic
characteristics represented in an audience. For example, the
average age of your audience may be 65, but some listeners may
be significantly younger or older.
11
Analyzing the Occasion
What are the special expectations for the speech?
What is the appropriate length for the speech?
How large will the audience be?

Where will the speech be given?
When will the speech be given?
Where in he program does the speech occur?
What equipment is necessary to give the speech?
The occasion of the speech is its setting, which includes the
purpose, audience expectations, and location. The answers to
these questions about the occasion should guide your topic
selection and other parts of your speech planning.
12
Selecting a Topic &Writing a Speech Goal
Review your list of topics to select one, using audience
adaptation & analysis.
Once you have chosen a topic, you can write a general & a
specific speech goal.
As you review your list of topics, compare each to your
audience profile. Are some topics too simple for this audience’s
knowledge base? Too difficult? Are some topics likely to be
more interesting to the audience? These types of questions will
help you identify topics that are appropriate for the audience.
Then consider the occasion. Are some topics too broad for the
time allotted? Do some topics fail to meet the special
expectations? These types of questions will help you identify
the topics that are appropriate to your setting.
Once you have chosen your topic, you are ready to identify and
write the general speech goal you hope to achieve in the speech

and then the specific goal that is tailored to the public speaking
situation.
The general goal of a speech is its overall intent. Most speeches
intend to entertain, to inform, or to persuade. By contrast, the
specific goal, or specific purpose of a speech, is a single
statement that identifies the exact response the speaker wants
from the audience.
The occasion usually dictates the nature of your general speech
goal. A specific speech goal, however, must be carefully crafted
because it lays the foundation for organizing the speech. These
guidelines can help you craft a well-worded specific goal.
Phrasing a Specific Speech Goal: Guidelines to Help You
Develop a Well-Worded Specific Goal
Write a draft of your general goal using a complete sentence
that specifies the type of response you want from your audience.
Revise the statement (and infinitive phrase) until it indicates the
specific audience reaction desired.
Make sure the goal statement contains only one idea.
Revise the statement until it describes the precise focus of your
speech.
13
Exhibit 4.5
General & Specific Speech Goals
A good specific goal statement is important because it will
guide your research as you prepare the speech. Once you have
completed your research, you will expand your specific goal
statement into a thesis statement, which will be the foundation
on which you will organize the speech.

The exhibit gives several examples of general and specific
informative and persuasive goals.
14
Exhibit 4.5
General & Specific Speech Goals
A good specific goal statement is important because it will
guide your research as you prepare the speech. Once you have
completed your research, you will expand your specific goal
statement into a thesis statement, which will be the foundation
on which you will organize the speech.
The exhibit gives several examples of general and specific
informative and persuasive goals.
15
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
~ Benjamin Franklin
16

Assignment 6
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL REPSONSIBILIBTY
Brainstorm the various products and services offered in the
United States. Come up with a list of three products or
services, and answer the following questions for each:
1. What is the name of your product / service?
2. What organization/corporation/restaurant/etc produces this
product / service?
3. List examples of when / how this
organization/corporation/restaurant/etc was socially
responsible.
organization/corporation/restaurant was not socially
responsible.
The suggested format of this assignment is as follows:
1. Name of product / service
a. Name of organization that produces the product / service
b. Examples of how / when this organization was socially
responsible
c. Examples of how / when this organization was not socially
responsible.
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO DO THIS ASSIGNMENT IN
PARAGRAPH FORM. BULLET-POINTS ARE ACCEPTABLE.
Assignment 6
United
Stat
es. Come up with a list of three
products or services, and answer t

he
following questions for each:
1.
What is the name of your
product / service?
2.
What organization/corporation/restaurant/etc produces this
product
/ service?
3.
List examples of when / how this
responsible.
4.
List examples of when / how this
organization/corporation/re
staurant was not socially responsible.
1.
Name of product / service
a.
Name of organization that produces the product / service

b.
Examples of how / when this organization was socially
responsible
c.
Examples of
how / when this organization was not socially
responsible.
PARAGRAPH FORM. BULLET
-
POINTS ARE ACCEPTABLE.
Assignment 6
United
States. Come up with a list of three products or services, and
answer the
following questions for each:
1. What is the name of your product / service?
2. What organization/corporation/restaurant/etc produces this
product
/ service?
responsible.
organization/corporation/restaurant was not socially
responsible.

1. Name of product / service
a. Name of organization that produces the product / service
b. Examples of how / when this organization was socially
responsible
c. Examples of how / when this organization was not socially
responsible.
PARAGRAPH FORM. BULLET-POINTS ARE ACCEPTABLE.
ASSIGNMENT 5
FATAL TIGER ATTACK AT SAN FRANCISCO ZOO
Around 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Day, 2007, a 300-pound
Siberian tiger escaped from his outdoor grotto at the San
Francisco Zoo, chasing down three young men, mauling two and
killing one.
In the investigation that followed, it was found that the teenage
boys had taunted the tiger, but also that the 12 ½ foot fence of
the grotto was 4 feet below the standard, and 7 ½ feet below
what officials had reported the fence to be, making it possible
for an agitated animal to jump over and escape.
As the public relations practitioner for the San Francisco
Zoo, what do you do? Your response should be one to two
paragraphs in length and should be both specific and insightful.
Please double space your response and use 12-point font.
ASSIGNMENT 5
Around 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Day, 2007
, a 300
-
pound Siberian
tiger esc

aped from his outdoor grotto at the San Francisco Zoo, chasing
down three young men, mauling two and killing one.
In the
investigation that followed
,
it wa
s found that the teenage
boys ha
d taunted the tiger, but also that the 12 ½ foot fence of the
grotto
was 4 feet below the standard
,
and 7 ½ feet below what officials had
reported the fence to be, making it possible for an
agitated animal to
jump
over and escape.
As the public relations practitioner for th
e San Francisco Zoo, what
do you
do? Your response should be one to two paragraphs in length
and should be both specific and insightful. Please double space
your
respons
e and use 12
-
point font.
ASSIGNMENT 5

Around 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Day, 2007, a 300-pound
Siberian
tiger escaped from his outdoor grotto at the San Francisco Zoo,
chasing
down three young men, mauling two and killing one.
In the investigation that followed, it was found that the teenage
boys had taunted the tiger, but also that the 12 ½ foot fence of
the grotto
was 4 feet below the standard, and 7 ½ feet below what officials
had
reported the fence to be, making it possible for an agitated
animal to
jump over and escape.
As the public relations practitioner for the San Francisco Zoo,
what
do you do? Your response should be one to two paragraphs in
length
and should be both specific and insightful. Please double space
your
response and use 12-point font.
ASSIGNMENT 4
ETHICS
We use ethics every day to help us honor or attain our values.
Ethics are not something we have….they are something we do.
Please think about responses to the following questions:
1) What are your beliefs?
2) What things do you value?
3) What things do you hold sacred with respect to conducting
business (from either the consumer or the provider standpoint)?
4) What things are you willing to compromise? Or are you not
willing to compromise at all?
After becoming more aware of your feelings to the above
questions, create your own statement regarding your

values/code of ethics. Please follow the following format:
· In order for me to ensure that I find personal and professional
relationships that allow me to be true to my values and my own
code of ethics…………….
Your response should be a minimum of one paragraph in length.
Please double-space your response and use 12-point font.
ASSIGNMENT 4
ETHICS
1)
What are your belief
s?
2)
What things do you value?
3)
What
things d
o you hold sacred with respect to conducting
4)

What things are you willing to compromise? Or are you not
willing
to compromise at all?
After
becoming more aware of your feelings to the
above questions,
create your own
statement regarding your values
/code of ethics. Please
follow the following format:
-
In order for me to ensure that I find personal and professional
code of eth
ics…………….
Your
response should be a minimum of
one paragraph in length. Please
do
uble
-
space your response and use
12
-
point font.
ASSIGNMENT 4
ETHICS

1) What are your beliefs?
2) What things do you value?
3) What things do you hold sacred with respect to conducting
4) What things are you willing to compromise? Or are you not
willing
to compromise at all?
After becoming more aware of your feelings to the above
questions,
create your own statement regarding your values/code of ethics.
Please
follow the following format:
- In order for me to ensure that I find personal and professional
code of ethics…………….
Your response should be a minimum of one paragraph in length.
Please
double-space your response and use 12-point font.
Public Relations
Assignment 3: JetBlue
On page 90 of your textbook, a case study is provided
discussing the August 9, 2010 actions of Steven Slater, a
longtime flight attendant on JetBlue Airways.
Please read the case and then respond to the following
questions.
1. Using the PRSA Code of Ethics (which was handed out on
Day 2 of Public Relations class), identify some of the legal and
ethical dilemmas that JetBlue faced in seeking to maintain
relationships with key publics.

2. Do you agree (both legally and ethically) with how JetBlue
responded to the incident? Why or Why Not?
Public Relations
Assignment
3
:
JetBlue
discussing the
August 9, 2010 actions of Steven Slater, a longtime flight
attendant on
JetBlue Airways.
P
lease read the case and then respond to the following
questions
.
1.
Using the PRSA Code of Ethics (which was handed out on Day
2
of Public Relations class),
identify
some of the
legal and ethical
dilemmas that JetBlue faced in seeking to maintain relationships
with key publics.

2.
Do you agree (both legally an
d ethically) with how JetBlue
Public Relations
Assignment 3: JetBlue
discussing the
August 9, 2010 actions of Steven Slater, a longtime flight
attendant on
JetBlue Airways.
Please read the case and then respond to the following
questions.
1. Using the PRSA Code of Ethics (which was handed out on
Day 2
of Public Relations class), identify some of the legal and ethical
dilemmas that JetBlue faced in seeking to maintain relationships
with key publics.
2. Do you agree (both legally and ethically) with how JetBlue
Public Relations
Assignment 2: Propaganda
Edward Bernays viewed public relations as “propaganda.”
Propaganda, defined by Edward Bernays, is “the conscious and

intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of
the masses.” Further he said “propaganda is the science of
creating circumstances, mounting events that are calculated to
stand out as newsworthy, yet at the same time they do not
appear to be staged.”
In the space below, come up with four ideas that fit Bernays’
description of propaganda. These can be current
campaigns/products, things of the past, or your own (original)
ideas.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Then come up with one original idea and develop it using the
following guidelines:
1. What is the product?
2. Why should it be invented? What unmet need exists?
Public Relations
Assignment
2
:
Propaganda
Edward Bernays viewed public relations as
“propaganda.”
the
masses.
”

Further he said “
propaganda
is
the science of creating
circumstances, mounting events that are calculated
to stand out as
newsworth
y
, yet at the same time
they
do not appear to be staged
.”
des
cription of propaganda. These can be current
campaigns/products,
things of the past, or your own
(
original
)
ideas.
1.
2.
3.
4.

1.
What is the
product?
2.
Why
should it be inv
ented?
What unmet need exists?
Public Relations
Assignment 2: Propaganda
Edward Bernays viewed public relations as “propaganda.”
the
masses.” Further he said “propaganda is the science of creating
circumstances, mounting events that are calculated to stand out
as
newsworthy, yet at the same time they do not appear to be
staged.”
description of propaganda. These can be current
campaigns/products,
things of the past, or your own (original) ideas.

1.
2.
3.
4.
1. What is the product?
2. Why should it be invented? What unmet need exists?
Public Relations
Assignment 1: Social Marketing
You have been fortunate to get a paid internship for the summer
working in a public relations agency, handling the Microsoft
account. Your supervisor wants to do something this summer as
a social marketing project. Your first assignment is to think
about various social marketing projects that Microsoft might be
involved with and to look at what publics, and communication
tools, might be used. Please answer the following questions:
1. What social projects would fit best with Microsoft in its
northwestern United States location? Provide three ideas.
2. Who might be Microsoft’s key external publics for one of
these projects?
3. Who are Microsoft’s key internal publics, and how would you
want to involve them?
4. What media would you want to use in this project?
5. What other communication tools might work well?
If you are having a hard time getting started, look at the
“HUBBY HUBBY ICE CREAM” example on p. 65 of your
textbook.
Public Relations

working
in a public relations agency, handling the Microsoft account.
Your
supervisor wants to do something this summer as a social
marketing
project. Your first assignment is to think about various social
marketing
projects that Microsoft might be involved w
ith and to look at what
publics,
and communication tools
,
might be used.
Please a
nswer the
following questions:
1.
What social projects wou
ld fit best with Microsoft in its
2.
Who might be Microsoft’s key external publics for one of these
projects?
3.
Who are Microsoft’s key internal publics, and how would you

4.
What med
ia would you want to use in this project?
5.
What other communication tools might work well?
If you are having a hard time getting started, look at the “
HUBBY
HUBBY ICE CREAM
” example on
p. 65
of your textbook.
Public Relations
working
in a public relations agency, handling the Microsoft account.
Your
supervisor wants to do something this summer as a social
marketing
project. Your first assignment is to think about various social
marketing
projects that Microsoft might be involved with and to look at
what
publics, and communication tools, might be used. Please
answer the
following questions:

1. What social projects would fit best with Microsoft in its
2. Who might be Microsoft’s key external publics for one of
these
projects?
3. Who are Microsoft’s key internal publics, and how would you
4. What media would you want to use in this project?
5. What other communication tools might work well?
If you are having a hard time getting started, look at the
“HUBBY
HUBBY ICE CREAM” example on p. 65 of your textbook.
Chapter 3
Listening and Responding Effectively
SPEAK
In this chapter, we discuss five different types of listening, how
you can improve your listening skills, and guidelines for
providing a constructive and ethical speech critique.
12/16/2015 1:32 PM
other countries.

THIS PRESENTATION.
1
The mind is
Nature gave us one tongue and two ears so we could hear twice
as much as we speak.
~Epictetus
Learning Outcomes:
1. Why is it important to study listening in a public speaking
course?
2. What is the difference between listening and hearing.
3. What are five different types of listening?
4. What strategies can you employ to improve your listening
skills?
5. How can you constructively critique speeches you hear?
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other countries.
THIS PRESENTATION.
2
Hearing & Listening
Hearing is the biological process that occurs when the brain
detects sound waves…
Listening is the process of receiving, attending to, constructing
meaning from & responding to spoken or nonverbal messages.
Communication is the process of creating shared meaning. For
communication to be effective, the speaker must present the
message clearly and compellingly. Equally important, however,
is that the listener understands and accurately remembers what
was said.
Listening is important because 50 percent or more of our time in
communication is spent listening. Effective listening is a key to
success in most occupations. To be an effective communicator
you must understand and practice effective listening skills.
Hearing is the biological process that occurs when the brain

detects sound waves…
Listening is the process of receiving, attending to, constructing
meaning from, and responding to spoken or
nonverbal messages.
12/16/2015 1:32 PM
other countries.
THIS PRESENTATION.
3
Emotions and Listening
To listen effectively, you must be calm and interested.
Other emotions impede listening.
Watch for emotional triggers that hinder listening.
Types of Listening
Appreciative listening

Discriminative listening
Comprehensive listening
Empathic listening
Critical listening
Types of Listening:
In an appreciative listening situation, your goal is simply to
enjoy the thoughts and experiences of others.
In discriminative listening, your goal is to understand the
speaker’s meaning conveyed in other ways than the words
themselves (e.g., nonverbal cues).
In comprehensive listening, your goal is to understand,
remember, and recall what has been said.
In empathic listening, your goal is to be a sounding board to
help another sort through feelings.
In critical listening, your ultimate goal is to evaluate the worth
of a message.
12/16/2015 1:32 PM
other countries.

THIS PRESENTATION.
5
Improving Your Listening Skills
Effective listening is a complex process made up of five steps:
Attending
Understanding
Remembering
Evaluating
Responding
Improving your listening skills:
Attending is paying attention to what the speaker is saying
regardless of extraneous interferences.
Understanding is the ability to assign accurate meaning to what
was said. Sometimes we may not fully understand a speaker’s
message because the speaker uses unfamiliar words or complex
concepts and sometimes we might miss the emotional intent of
the message.
Remembering is being able to retain and recall information we
have heard.
Evaluating is critically analyzing what is said to determine its
truthfulness, utility, and trustworthiness. Critical analysis is
especially important when the speaker expects you to believe,
support, or act on what was said. If you don’t critically analyze
what you hear, you risk going along with ideas that violate your
values.
Responding is providing feedback to the speaker about what is
being said
Exhibit 3.1 (p.33) gives excellent examples of effective

listening behaviors and ineffective listening behaviors.
6
Guidelines for Attending to a Speech
Get physically ready to listen
Resist mental distractions while listen
Suspend judgment while you hear the speaker out
Identify the benefits of attending to the speaker’s words
To be an effective listener, you need to train yourself to focus
on what people are saying regardless of potential distractions.
These techniques can help you do this.
Guidelines for attending to a speech:
Get physically ready to listen.
Resist mental distractions while you listen.
Suspend judgment while you hear the speaker out.
Identify the benefits of attending to the speaker’s words.
7
Guidelines for Understanding
and Remembering
Determine the speaker’s organization
Ask questions
Silently paraphrase key information
Observe nonverbal cues
Take good notes
Guidelines for Understanding and Remembering:

Determine the speaker’s organization
Ask questions
Silently paraphrase key information
Observe nonverbal cues
Take good notes
8
Preparing a Constructive Critique
Effective critiques …
communicate specific observations
begin with positive observations
follow observation statements with explanations
are phrased so that it’s clear they reflect your personal
perceptions, not “truth”
A constructive critique is an analysis of a presentation that
evaluates how well a speaker meets a specific speaking goal
while following the norms for good speaking and that
recommends how the presentation could be improved.
Preparing a Constructive Critique:
Effective critiques …
communicate specific observations
begin with positive observations
follow observation statements with explanations
are phrased so that it’s clear they reflect your personal
perceptions, not “truth”
Exhibit 3.2-3.3 & 3.4 (pages 36 & 37) give excellent examples
of ineffective & effective comments about the content of a
narrative/personal experience speech

9
General Criteria for a
Constructive Critique
Content of the speech
Structure of the speech
Delivery of the speech
A constructive critique is an analysis of a presentation that
evaluates how well a speaker meets a specific speaking goal
while following the norms for good speaking and that
recommends how the presentation could be improved.
Content of the Speech:
Does the speaker establish common ground and adapt the
content to the audience’s interests, knowledge, and attitudes?
Does the speaker seem to have expertise in the subject areas?
Does the speaker have high-quality sources for the information
given in the speech?
Does the speaker reveal the sources of the information ?
Are the sources relevant? recent? varied? distributed throughout
the speech?
Does the information presented explain or support each of the
main points?
Are presentational aids appropriate and well used?
Is each main point supported with breadth? depth? listener
relevance?
Structure of the Speech:
Does the introduction of the speech get attention, establish
listener relevance and credibility, and lead into the topic?

Has the speaker stated a clear goal for the speech?
Are the main points of the speech clearly stated, parallel, and
meaningful?
Do transitions lead smoothly from one point to another?
Does the information presented explain or support each of the
main points?
Does the speaker use language that is appropriate, accurate,
clear, and vivid?
Does the speaker use a compelling style?
Does the conclusion summarize the main points and end with a
clincher?
Delivery of the Speech:
Does the speaker sound intelligible? conversational?
expressive?
Is the presentation fluent?
Does the speaker look at the audience?
Does the speaker use appropriate facial expressions?
Were the pronunciation and articulation acceptable?
Does the speaker have good posture?
Does the speaker have sufficient poise?
10
Learn how to listen and you will prosper – even from those who
talk badly.
~ Plutarch
11

Chapter 4Selecting an Appropriate Speech GoaL SP.docx

Chapter 4Selecting an Appropriate Speech GoaL SP.docx

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