The goal of this speech is to pay tribute to a person, group, institution, or
idea.
Your speech must be 5 minutes long. If you are more than 45 seconds short
or long, there will be a significant grade penalty.
You may not use a visual aid. This speech is supposed to focus on creating images with language rather than using actual pictures.
Your speech must be organized topically. It cannot be organized chronologically.
This means that you should not write a speech that praises a person by
recounting their life story or simply listing their accomplishments.
In general, be careful about praising a person. If you choose a person (or group) to praise, make sure that you are praising the kind of person they are, and the qualities they embody, rather than the things they have done.
Make sure that each of your main points describes a praiseworthy trait of
your subject. Explain how your subject has this trait and evoke in your audience
a sense of why it is praiseworthy. If you are praising the Liberty Bell,
"the bell represents democracy, which is what makes this country
great" is the beginning of an appropriate main point. "The Liberty
Bell has been around for 200 years" isn't, because it is not a praiseworthy
feature of the Liberty Bell that it has been kept around (it's a praiseworthy quality
of a country that has spent time preserving it).
The most important aspect of this speech is the interesting use of language
to evoke an understanding of and praise for your subject. Do not skimp on this.
Writing effectively in this style will require some work.
No sources are required for this speech, but you do need a bibliography for any sources you do use. Although you do not need to meticulously cite facts that you learn from other sources when delivering the speech, all guidelines about plagiarism still apply.
You may use any type of speaking notes for this speech.
You will write this speech in essay form (similar to that for the
introductory speech) rather than in preparation outline form. You must turn in your
manuscript before giving the speech. Look on the syllabus for the due date. You will not turn in an outline for the speech.
Your speech must have a title.
PROOFREAD your speech because grammar will count more for this speech than
previous ones.
Your speech will be graded for clarity, vivid and interesting use of
language, grammatical writing, and effectiveness of delivery.