COM 103
Printed below is our first assignment that is not due until next week. We’ll figure out speaking schedule tomorrow. –Professor Berry
Informative Speech Contest
Present your “Informative Speech.” Teach us about a person, place, or thing, etc. There must be an obvious benefit to your audience. You must use research (at least three to seven references) and cite the sources within your speech, using correct structure and an extemporaneous style of delivery (80-90 percent eye contact with a Speaking Outline or notecards). A typed Preparation (aka Formal) Outline is required as well.
After presenting your 7-9 minute speech, turn in any speech materials that you have used, including paper copies of any visual aids (place them in either a manilla envelope or a pocket folder with your name on it).
See “Chapter 15–Speaking to Inform” and “Chapter 11–Outlining the Speech” for more information. It is essential that you turn in two outlines: 1. Typed Speaking Outline or note cards–printed or typed; 2. Typed Preparation Outline (include a Bibliography section, following APA style). See page 135 for proper APA style.
Topic Suggestions for an Informative Talk (you are not required to follow this list):
1. The United States Constitution
2. The Bill of Rights
3. The difference between “generic” and “name brand” drugs
4. How to shop at the stock market
5. Getting the most out of the Internet
6. Medical malpractice
7. Home schooling
8. Our Lady of the American Flag (Betsy Ross)
9. The meaning of liberalism/conservatism
10. Watergate
11. December 7, 1941 [September 11, 2001]
12. July 4, 1776
13. The high cost of freedom
14. The high cost of attending a sporting event
15. Our civil rights
16. DNA and the death penalty
17. A warning on global warming
18. Becoming a United States citizen
19. Children murdering children
20. How to finance your education
21. Financing a home
22. Buying a used boat/car
23. Energy independence
24. Education–more than a matter of degrees
25. Unscrupulous CEOs
26. Intelligent investing
27. We need more qualified teachers
28. Kids who commit crime
29. Binge drinking
30. Creating a basic website
31. The challenge of being a “caregiver”
32. Windmills as a source of energy
33. Effective contraceptive devices
34. The Holocaust
35. The gas/electric car
36. (Different religions)
37. The Bermuda Triangle
38. Eating healthy
39. Exercise for life
40. What is pornography?
41. How to cite sources from the Internet
42. Smart weapons can do dumb things
43. (Various international holiday/cultural observances)
44. The difference between therapeutic and reproductive cloning
45. Shoplifting
46. How to avoid being ripped off by unscrupulous mechanics or other tradespeople
47. You can’t pray in public schools but you can get condoms
48. Job prospects through 2025
49. Being a single parent
50. Child abuse/Battered women
Source: Speak with Confidence–A Practical Guide (Ninth Edition)
