FOCUS PAPER ASSIGNMENT

Focus Paper


DUE: On the final exam day

5 -7 pages. Refer to your syllabus for format guidelines.

Directions: Using the knowledge you have gained throughout this course about the characteristics of an effective speaker and speech, analyze any speech from the 2008 Presidential Election.
1.) Choose a speech (Avoid debates as they are not fully formed speeches and instead look for speeches with an introduction, body and conclusion. The speech can be from anyone; Obama or McCain, Palin or Biden, or even Oprah or Paris Hilton as long as it is related to the 2008 Presidential election and fulfills the requirements of this paper.)
2.) Watch the speech and/or read the transcript
3.) Summarize the speech in YOUR OWN WORDS (*Remember, turnitin.com catches plagiarism)
4.) Take a stance on the effectiveness of the speaker and/or the speech (good papers will analyze not only the content and format of the message, but will also analyze the speaker’s style; nonverbals (gestures, vocal quality, pitch, tone) of the source. *Remember – written language is different than oral language, a speech that looks good on paper may or may not translate well verbally, depending on the speaker’s delivery.
5.) Support your opinion with an analysis of the speech. (*Remember to narrow your paper – you are NOT expected to cite examples of past presidential speeches or even past speeches from the same speaker to compare or contrast. You must focus only on this specific speech.) In the analysis section of your paper you are expected to incorporate all of the information you have gained throughout this course about how to be a successful public speaker and how to create effective speeches to support your central idea (opinion). In other words, was the introduction effective? Why or why not? What technique did he/she use, if any, to open the speech? Was a preview included? What kind of transitions? Which organizational technique did the speaker employ? Was there noise? Was there soft or hard evidence? Were there visual aids? Was the speech cohesive? Did the speaker think about the audience, occasion and themselves? Was there a summary in the conclusion? Closure? (These are just a few questions you can ask to help you with your analysis of the speech, but there are many, many more. Think of the discussion we had on the 3 YouTube videos, what elements of the speech were talked about? Also, look at critique forms from your past speeches to get ideas of analysis. The analysis section is mainly made up of your opinion but you are required not simply to state your opinion but to support your opinion (for instance do not merely say, “Palin’s nonverbals enticed the audience.” Provide specific examples form the speech such as, “Palin’s nonverbals enticed the audience. She looked directly at the camera and winked more than 3 times throughout her 7 min. speech. This was a good technique because winking can be viewed as a sign of …..”)
6.) Research other opinions on the speech (they can either support or oppose your central idea.)

Format of the paper: The paper MUST be divided into these 5 parts (each part should be titled as to signify each section.)
1.) Introduction (approximately ½ page)
· Must contain thesis / central idea
2.) Summary (Approximately 1 page)
· Answer who, what, when, where, why?
· Do not include analysis in this section. Simply summarize the speech (just as you would tell someone about a movie you have seen. Chronological organization.)
3.) Literature Review (approximately 1 – 1½ pages)
· AT LEAST 5 SOURCES are required
· Research credible opinions of the speech (they can either support or oppose your position) and summarize them in this section. In other words, what other opinions on this speech are out there? Who said what? MLA / APA format as always.
4.) Analysis (approximately 2 – 3½ pages) * * * Most important part of paper!
5.) Conclusion (approximately ½ page)

* A Works Cited/ Bibliography page is required. MLA/APA format (NOT included in 5 -7 pg. requirement.) A separate cover page is not required.