Evaluating Speech Content Component

Get ready to read a long post because it contains a lot of things. Actually, there are two things: the evaluation of three persuative speeches and my comments and thoughts about these speeches and the process of evalustion.

For me it's always difficult to evaluate the other people's works because sometimes I don't want to injure these people by criticizing their work. sometimes I just don't know the criteria of the evaluation. All in all, it's always a problem for me. And this task is great opportunity to practice this skill and using the special chart.

Let's begin. And one more thing I need to do is to choose the winner. These results will be at the end of the post to carry on an intrigue.

SPEECHES TO PERSUADE. SPEECH 1

1. Introduction: (10 points)

• What technique(s) was used in the introduction? (attention-getter?)

Asking the questions.

• Any link element?

The question "But what is it, to live right?"

• Was the thesis statement given?

Yes. This thesis is the sentence "To answer this question let's have a look at the three things..."

• How effective was the introduction?

Average (7)

Average - 7

2. Body: (10 points)

• How well structured was the information presented?

Highly organized (10). All the aspects given in the introduction were shown one by one.

• What organizational strusture was used in the body of the speech?

I think, the speaker used a topical pattern.

• How understandable was the information (was it clearly explained)?

Very good (10)

• Quality of point-support (appropriateness, completeness, variety)

Lots of (8)

• Use of facts, illustrtions, examples, stories.

Lots of (9). There was a good story about the participants of the World War II, but other illustrations were not so impressive.

• Was it coherent?

10

Average- 9,4

3. Conclusion

• What technique(s) was used in the conclusion?

Giving a quatation, asking the question.

• Were all the steps followed (summary, action, emotional appeal)?

Yes

• How effective was the conclusion?

9

Average - 9

Strength: what was the strongest part of the speech?

In my opinion, this speech was well-organized. The speker stated three points in introduction and then gave comments on every point.

Weakness: what was the weakest point of the speech?

I didn't like the introduction. There were too many rhetorical questions that made the introduction cmplicated to understand.

SPEECHES TO PERSUADE. SPEECH 2

1. Introduction: (10 points)

• What technique(s) was used in the introduction? (attention-getter?)

Telling a story

• Any link element?

A sentence "This parable leads me to my thesis.

• Was the thesis statement given?

Yes, the two sentences "Should one change the last day of his life, suffering, as Somerset Maugham wrote? My answer is YES".

• How effective was the introduction?

Very effective (10)

Average - 10

2. Body: (10 points)

• How well structured was the information presented?

Highly organized (10). All the points given in the introduction were presented one by one with the use of parenthetical words.

• What organizational strusture was used in the body of the speech?

I think a climactic pattern was used as the speaker started with the most unpleasant thing - suffering, and finishes with the most pleasant thing - love.

• How understandable was the information (was it clearly explained)?

Very good (10)

• Quality of point-support (appropriateness, completeness, variety)

Lots of (8)

• Use of facts, illustrtions, examples, stories.

Lots of (10)

• Was it coherent?

10

Average - 9,6

3. Conclusion

• What technique(s) was used in the conclusion?

Giving a quatation.

• Were all the steps followed (summary, action, emotional appeal)?

Yes

• How effective was the conclusion?

10

Average - 10

Strength: what was the strongest part of the speech?

For me the strongest part of this speech was emotional colouring. I think, it's one of the most important moment in persuative speech - to make it emotional to influence people.

Weakness: what was the weakest point of the speech?

I'm not quite sure that the point about train was appropriate to this topic.

SPEECHES TO PERSUADE. SPEECH 3

1. Introduction: (10 points)

• What technique(s) was used in the introduction? (attention-getter?)

Giving a quatation, asking the questions

• Any link element?

No

• Was the thesis statement given?

No

• How effective was the introduction?

6

Total - 6

2. Body: (10 points)

• How well structured was the information presented?

Highly organized (10)

• What organizational strusture was used in the body of the speech?

The chronological pattern was used.

• How understandable was the information (was it clearly explained)?

Very good (9)

• Quality of point-support (appropriateness, completeness, variety)

Lots of (10)

• Use of facts, illustrtions, examples, stories.

Lots of (10)

• Was it coherent?

10

Total - 9,8

3. Conclusion

• What technique(s) was used in the conclusion?

Asking the quastion

• Were all the steps followed (summary, action, emotional appeal)?

No. There was no summary and action.

• How effective was the conclusion?

Some conclusion (5)

Total - 5

Strength: what was the strongest part of the speech?

The strongest part of the speech is body because there are a lot of personal and emotional stories.

Weakness: what was the weakest point of the speech?

The weakest part of the speech is conclusion because one can say that there was almost no conclusion at all.

THE RESULTS

1st place - speech 2

2nd place - speech 1

3d place - speech 3

SOME THOUGHTS

All the three speeches were on one and the same topic. And my reader's impressions were absolutely clear: I liked the speech 2. This one really persuaded to live your life without suffering. And the reader inside me was so afraid that according to the chart this speech wouldn't be the best. I switched off the reader and switched on the teacher. And my inner teacher was absolutely agreed to my inner reader.