Guidelines for Informative Speech, with a focus on Personal Interest

1.  The time limit is 5-7 minutes.

2.  Your general purpose is to inform.

3.  PowerPoint is required for this speech.

4.  Your topic will be a personal interest of yours: you may choose to talk to us about a hobby, a sport, a favorite book or author, a local festival, a skill, a place you have visited or would like to visit, etc.  Please narrow your topic to something manageable within the time limit.  You cannot, for example, explain all of tennis to us in 5-7 minutes, although you can tell us about the Melanie Oudin's performance in the U.S. Open or talk about the history of Wimbledon, for example.

5.  You must consult at least 4 outside sources, incorporating in your speech information you found there.  You may use articles from Galileo databases, books, a personal interview with someone who is an expert on your topic, and websites.  Be careful with websites ending in .com.  You can generally trust websites ending in .edu, .gov  or .org.  Be sure to evaluate each source to make sure it contains solid, objective information and that it is a source your audience is likely to respect and find credible.  You may not cite general encyclopedias (including Wikipedia) or general dictionaries.  Remember to cite your sources as you speak.

6.  You must submit a working outline to me during class the day you are scheduled to speak.  You must also submit your outline to Turnitin.  Be sure to include your Bibliography or Works Cited list at the end of your outline.  You will not be permitted to give your speech unless you have submitted your outline.

7.  You must print out and bring to class with you a copy of the speech evaluation form found on my website.  I will return it to you with comments and a grade during the class period following your speech day.