Analyzing and Critiquing a Speech

1
Analyzing and Critiquing a Speech

• English I EOC

2
Identifying the Speech Objectives

• What is the speakers goal? Is it to educate, to
  motivate, to persuade, or to entertain?
• What is the primary message being delivered?
• Why is this person delivering this speech? Are
  they the right person?
• Was the objective achieved?

• In the first place, I deny everything but what I
  have all along admitted, the design on my part to
  free the slaves. I intended certainly to have
  made a clean thing of that matter, as I did last
  winter, when I went into Missouri and there took
  slaves without the snapping of a gun on either
  side, moved them through the country, and finally
  left them in Canada. I designed to have done the
  same thing again, on a larger scale. That was all
  I intended. I never did intend murder, or
  treason, or the destruction of property, or to
  excite or incite slaves to rebellion, or to make
  insurrection.        I have another objection
  and that is, it is unjust that I should suffer
  such a penalty. Had I interfered in the manner
  which I admit, and which I admit has been fairly
  proved (for I admire the truthfulness and candor
  of the greater portion of the witnesses who have
  testified in this case), had I so interfered in
  behalf of the rich, the powerful, the
  intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of
  any of their friends, either father, mother,
  brother, sister, wife, or children, or any of
  that class, and suffered and sacrificed what I
  have in this interference, it would have been all
  right and every man in this court would have
  deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than
  punishment.

John Browns Last Speech, 1859 in Charleston, WV
3
Identifying the Audience and Context for a Speech

• 'I have fought against white domination and I
  have fought against black domination. I have
  cherished the ideal of a democratic and free
  society in which all persons live together in
  harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an
  ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.
  But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am
  prepared to die.'
• Nelson Mandela, 1990

• Where and when is the speech being delivered?
• What are the key demographic features of the
  audience? Technical? Students? Elderly? Athletes?
  Business leaders?
• How large is the audience?
• In addition to the live audience, is there an
  external target audience? (e.g. on the Internet
  or mass media)

Mandela Speech
4
Identifying Speech Content and Structure

• Before the Speech
• Were there other speakers before this one? Were
  their messages similar, opposed, or unrelated?
• How was the speaker introduced? Was it
  appropriate?
• Did the introduction establish why the audience
  should listen to this speaker with this topic at
  this time?
• What body language was demonstrated by the
  speaker as they approached the speaking area?
  Body language at this moment will often indicate
  their level of confidence.

• Please look at the Gerald R. Ford Speech
  Remarks on Taking the Oath of Office as President
• Please also follow along with the Speech Analysis
  Worksheet

5
Identifying Speech Content and Structure

• The Speech Body
• Was the presentation focused? i.e. Did all
  arguments, stories, anecdotes relate back to the
  primary objective?
• Were examples or statistics provided to support
  the arguments?
• Were metaphors and symbolism use to improve
  understanding?
• Was the speech organized logically? Was it easy
  to follow?
• Did the speaker bridge smoothly from one part of
  the presentation to the next?

• The Speech Conclusion
• Was the conclusion concise?
• Was the conclusion memorable?
• If appropriate, was there a call-to-action?

6
Identifying Delivery Skills and Techniques

• Enthusiasm and Connection to the Audience
• Was the speaker enthusiastic? How can you tell?
• Was there audience interaction? Was it effective?
• Was the message you- and we-focused, or was it I-
  and me-focused?
• Humor
• Was humor used?
• Was it safe and appropriate given the audience?
• Were appropriate pauses used before and after the
  punch lines, phrases, or words?
• Was it relevant to the speech?
• Use of Stage Area
• Did the speaker make appropriate use of the
  speaking area?

• Visual Aids
• Were they designed effectively?
• Did they complement speech arguments?
• Was the use of visual aids timed well with the
  speakers words?
• Did they add energy to the presentation or remove
  it?
• Were they simple and easy to understand?
• Were they easy to see? e.g. large enough
• Would an additional visual aid help to convey the
  message?
• Physical Gestures and Eye Contact
• Did the speakers posture display confidence and
  poise?
• Were gestures natural, timely, and complementary?
• Were gestures easy to see?
• Does the speaker have any distracting mannerisms?
• Was eye contact effective in connecting the
  speaker to the whole audience?

7
Identifying Delivery Skills and Techniques

• Intangibles
• Sometimes, a technically sound speech can still
  miss the mark. Likewise, technical deficiencies
  can sometimes be overcome to produce a must-see
  presentation. The intangibles are impossible to
  list, but here are a few questions to consider
• How did the speech make you feel?
• Were you convinced?
• Would you want to listen to this speaker again?
• Were there any original ideas or techniques?

• Vocal Variety
• Was the speaker easy to hear?
• Were loud and soft variations used appropriately?
• Was the pace varied? Was it slow enough overall
  to be understandable?
• Were pauses used to aid understandability,
  heighten excitement, or provide drama?
• Language
• Was the language appropriate for the audience?
• Did the speaker articulate clearly?
• Were sentences short and easy to understand?
• Was technical jargon or unnecessarily complex
  language used?
• What rhetorical devices were used? e.g.
  repetition, alliteration, the rule of three, etc.

8
EOC-Type Questions

• Which statement best evaluates Fords bias in the
  speech?
• A. Ford is unbiased, objectively describing his
  situation as the new president.
• B. Ford is clearly biased against Nixon and
  describes Nixons misdeeds in detail.
• C. Ford shows some bias in favor of Nixon,
  asking the country to pray for the former
  president.
• D. Ford is unbiased, detailing his own mistakes
  as a politician as well as those of other
  politicians.

9
Answer Explanation

• This question focuses on evaluating a speakers
  bias. The correct answer is option C since this
  is the only statement that is supported by the
  text. Ford asks the country to pray for President
  Nixon and expresses appreciation and sympathy for
  him.
• The student might choose option A or option D by
  assuming that an unbiased approach is present
  however, as a fellow Republican, Ford is at least
  somewhat biased. The student might choose option
  B by misjudging the sense of the speech Ford
  does not describe Nixons misdeeds in detail.

10

• What would be the most effective opening line of
  a speech for President Ford to use when
  addressing the United States Congress?
• A. Im not real sure how Im gonna do as
  president, but I will do my best.
• B. Mr. Speaker, members of Congress, I am
  honored to address you.
• C. Dear fellow politicians, I want yall to
  know what we will be doing next.
• D. Well, President Nixon is a hard act to
  follow, but here goes.

11
Answer Explanation

• This question focuses on choosing appropriate
  language for a specific purpose in a speech. The
  correct answer is option B because it is the most
  appropriate opening of the four choices.
• The student might choose option A and C because
  it sounds more informal than either B or D
  however, option D is not as respectful an opening
  as is option B. Options A, C and D also fail to
  inspire confidence in the speaker.

12

• If you were giving a speech intended to persuade
  people that Ford would be an important and
  effective president, which would most likely
  serve as an effective conclusion?
• A. Ford did the best he could with what he was
  given.
• B. So you see now why Ford is by far my
  favorite president.
• C. Ford will be remembered in history for doing
  a lot of things while he was in office.
• D. Ford will long be remembered for renewing
  the nations confidence in the presidency.

13
Answer Explanation

• This question focuses on choosing an appropriate
  closing for a speech given a specific situation
  and purpose. The correct answer is option D
  because it is the most respectful and gives the
  most persuasive closing to the speech.
• The student might choose option B or option C
  because both seem to have a positive tone, but
  neither is specific enough to be a better answer
  than option D. Option A is not a persuasive
  closing for a speech in the given situation.

14

• Which source would most likely provide accurate
  information on the Watergate scandal?
• A. court records related to the scandal
• B. a historical novel about the scandal
• C. political cartoons related to the scandal
• D. your relatives memories of the scandal

15
Answer Explanation

• This question focuses on determining a credible
  research source. The correct answer is option A
  because it is the source that provides the most
  accurate information for the topic. Court records
  are historical documents that would be more
  reliable and authoritative than the sources named
  in the other choices of answers.
• The student might choose any of the other options
  because they seem to specify sources of good
  information, but none of the other choices would
  provide reliably accurate information.

16

• Which source would provide information with the
  least amount of bias about the Watergate scandal?
  
• A. biographies of Gerald R. Ford
• B. memoirs of Richard M. Nixon
• C. opinions of current politicians
• D. transcripts of Congressional hearings

17
Answer Explanation

• This question focuses on selecting a source that
  would likely provide bias-free information. The
  correct answer is option D because it is the only
  source that provides strictly factual
  information.
• The student might choose any of the other options
  because all seem to be reliable sources for an
  informative essay. But none of these other
  choices would provide information that is likely
  to be as bias-free as option D. Although bias
  might be present in any of the hearings, the
  transcripts themselves would simply record what
  was said without any other commentary. It is also
  likely that the hearings would have involved
  people with a variety of viewpoints on the issues
  involved.

18

• Which historical source would provide the most
  information about how the Watergate scandal was
  discovered?
• A. business memos
• B. government brochures
• C. newspaper articles
• D. policy statements

19
Answer Explanation

• This question focuses on determining sources that
  would likely provide the greatest amount of
  relevant information on a research topic. The
  correct answer is option C because it is the only
  source likely to contain the relevant details
  needed for this research task.
• The student might choose option B because it
  contains information published by the government,
  but it is not likely to outline the facts of the
  scandal. Likewise, options A and D would likely
  not contain enough information relevant to the
  research task.

20
Your Turn!

• Turn to the Susan B. Anthony Speech Womens
  Right to Vote for

21

• Which sentence is the thesis of the speech?
• A. It shall be my work this evening to prove to
  you that in thus voting, I not only
• committed no crime, but, instead, simply
  exercised my citizens rights, guaranteed
• to me and all United States citizens by the
  National Constitution, beyond the
• power of any state to deny.
• B. It was we, the people not we, the white male
  citizens nor yet we, the male
• citizens but we, the whole people, who formed
  the Union.
• C. And it is a downright mockery to talk to
  women of their enjoyment of the
• blessings of liberty while they are denied the
  use of the only means of securing
• them provided by this democratic-republican
  governmentthe ballot.
• D. For any state to make gender a qualification
  that must ever result in the
• disfranchisement of one entire half of the
  people, is to pass a bill of attainder, or,
• an ex post facto law, and is therefore a
  violation of the supreme law of the land.

22

• Which of these best describes the overall
  structure of the speech?
• A cause-effect
• B compare-contrast
• C proposition-support
• D theme-illustration

23

• Read this excerpt from the speech.
• It is not a republic. It is an odious
  aristocracy a hateful oligarchy of gender the
  most hateful aristocracy ever established on the
  face of the globe an oligarchy of wealth,where
  the rich govern the poor.
• Which device is used in the excerpt?
• A. analogy
• B. hyperbole
• C. rhetorical question
• D. parallelism and repetition