Analyze one TED Talk Speech – Choose any Informative or Persuasive TED or TEDx Talk speech. Do not choose an animated speech, otherwise you will not receive any points. (No credit will be given for performances or other types of talks, or for choosing a TedTalk we have already discussed in class, or a speech that is not listed in TedTalk.)
Please go to www.ted.com This is a brilliant resource for all kinds of speeches.
Find an informative or persuasive speech that interests you. If that speech turns out to be poorly constructed and delivered, you can still write about it.
There are three parts to this assignment. The first part focuses on content; the introduction to the speech. The second part focuses on the speaker’s physical delivery. The third part focuses on vocal delivery of the speaker.
You should write the same amount of words for each part. In other words, do not write ten lines about the introduction, 60 lines about the physical delivery, and two lines about the verbal delivery.
- PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE TITLE OF THE SPEECH AND NAME OF SPEAKER. YOU WILL LOSE 5 POINTS IF YOU FORGET.
- WRITE IN PARAGRAPHS. You will not receive maximum points for writing one large paragraph.
- MAKE SURE YOU PUT KEY WORDS IN BOLD FONT (for example, hook, relevance, credibility, preview…) You will lose 10 points for not putting key words in bold font.
Format:
Address each topic in the correct order, making sure each topic is in bold, so I can clearly identify the topics. Your essay should follow the format sample:
Format Sample
TITLE OF TEDTALK AND NAME OF SPEAKER
INTRODUCTION
There are 14 questions to answer. Discuss whether your chosen speech appropriately and successfully makes use of the following components. (If you find a component is missing, write about it.)
1. Attention Getter: Was there a hook that aroused the audience’s attention? (What was it? Explain.)
2. Relevance: Did the speaker establish the relevance of the topic to the audience? (How? Explain. If not, say so.)
3. Credibility: Did the speaker establish credibility? (Did the speaker reveal that they knew something about the topic? Explain.)
4. Thesis: Was there a clear thesis? (What was the thesis? Was it clear? Explain.)
5. Preview: Did the speaker previews the main points of the speech (Explain.)
PART TWO: DELIVERY
Discuss the speaker’s success, or lack of success, in the following areas:
PHYSICAL DELIVERY
6. Eye Contact: Did the speaker maintain strong eye contact with the audience?(Explain.)
7. Gestures: Did the speaker use natural/expressive gestures? (Explain.)
8. Confidence: Did the speaker have a confident stance & deportment? (Explain.)
VOCAL DELIVERY
9. Rate: Did the speaker vary their speaking rate? (Did they speak too fast, or slow? Did they use pauses effectively? Explain.)
10. Vocal variety: Did the speaker emphasize key words? (Did they have energy in their voice? Explain.)
11. Articulation/pronunciation: Was the speaker easy to understand? (Explain.)
12. Fluency: Was there any awkward pausing? (Explain.)
13. Clear language. Did the speaker control habit words? (“like,” “um,” “you know,” “kinda.”) Explain.
14. Enthusiasm: Did the speaker communicate enthusiasm? (Explain.)
I expect clear, concise writing that demonstrates you have proofread carefully because there are no grammatical errors. You will lose points if the writing is unclear and you write less than the minimum number of words.
It should be easy for me to identify your central points because you have identified key words in bold. For example, “The speaker’s vocal variety was evident. He spoke with great enthusiasm and energy, although he often used habit words that were distracting.” Do not write two long paragraphs!