阅读材料：Speech Critiques.doc

Speech CritiquesWhy study other speakers?The Speech Analysis Series1. How to Study and Critique a Speech2. The Art of Delivering Evaluations3. Modified Sandwich Technique for Evaluations4. Evaluation Forms, Tools, and Resources5. Toastmasters Evaluation ContestsStudying and evaluating the techniques of other speakers is an excellent way to become a better public speaker. When a speaker impresses, ask “Why was that impressive?“ When a speaker bombs, ask “Why didnt that hit the mark?“Analyzing other speakers provides an abundant supply of ideas that can be incorporated into our own presentations.Why use video critiques?With a growing supply of speech videos readily accessible, video critiques can be especially useful teaching and learning aids. Without video, you can say: “Remember that keynote speaker last week? Werent her gestures powerful?“ With video, you can refer directly to precise moments: “The keynote speaker last week was fantastic. Her gestures at 1:27 and 2:38 of her speech were powerful.“Speech Critique Examples onSix MinutesSpeakerElizabeth GilbertTitleNurturing CreativityVenueTED 2009Notable ElementsPassionate; storytelling; engaging the audience; speaking rate; hand gestures; relating the message to the audience.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerJacqueline NovogratzTitleEscaping PovertyVenueTED 2009Notable ElementsStrong opening and closing; relates to the audience; storytelling; contrast; visuals; eye contact.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerBarack ObamaTitlePresidential Inaugural AddressVenueWashington, D.C., January 20, 2009Notable ElementsInauguration speech delivered to a live crowd estimated at 2 million people and billions around the globe.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerMartin Luther King Jr.TitleI Have a DreamVenueMarch on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963Notable ElementsGiven to a crowd of 250,000, I Have a Dream is considered one of the greatest speeches of all time.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerDalton ShermanTitleDo you believe?VenueDallas Independent School District Teachers ConferenceNotable Elements10-year-old 5th grader Dalton Sherman delivers an inspirational speech to 20,000 teachers about the importance of believing in each other.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerRandy PauschTitleThe Last Lecture (Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams)VenueCMU (Carnegie Mellon University)Notable ElementsTremendously inspirational, funny, clever use of props and visual aids, a truly memorable speech.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerPatrick Henry WinstonTitleHow to SpeakVenueMIT Annual Lecture (1997)Notable ElementsDozens of practical public speaking tips; targets speaking to teach or to inform; lecture-style.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerMajora CarterTitleGreening the GhettoVenueTED 2006Notable ElementsPersonal emotion, energy, passion, rapid speaking rate, call-to-action, reading from script.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerHans RoslingTitleDebunking third-world myths with the best stats youve ever seenVenueTED 2006Notable ElementsSix simple techniques for presenting data, graphical display, energetic delivery.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerJ.A. GamacheTitleBeing a Mr. G.Venue2007 Toastmasters (Region VI) Speech ContestNotable ElementsStrong writing, powerful body language, speech opening and closing which feature the same prop, callback technique for repetitive humor, emotionally charged writing, and a series of wonderfully choreographed gestures.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerSteve JobsTitleStay Hungry. Stay Foolish.VenueStanford University Commencement Address 2005Notable ElementsStrong opening; simple classical structure; the Rule of Three; rich figures of speech; and a recurring theme of birth/death/rebirth.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerAl GoreTitle15 ways to avert a climate crisisVenueTED 2006Notable ElementsHumor; call-to-action; audience awareness; and slide techniques.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeakerDick HardtTitleIdentity 2.0VenueOSCON 2005Notable ElementsLessig method, speech opening, humor, repetition, contrast, analogies.Read the Speech CritiqueSpeech Analysis #1: How to Study and Critique a SpeechbyAndrew DluganJan 18th, 2008Studying other speakers is a critical skill, one of the25 essential skills for a public speaker. The ability to analyze a speech will accelerate the growth of any speaker.TheSpeech Analysis Seriesis a series of articles examining different aspects of presentation analysis. You will learn how to study a speech and how to deliver an effective speech evaluation. Later articles will examine Toastmasters evaluation contests and speech evaluation forms and resources.The Speech Analysis Series1. How to Study and Critique a Speech2. The Art of Delivering Evaluations3. Modified Sandwich Technique for Evaluations4. Evaluation Forms, Tools, and Resources5. Toastmasters Evaluation ContestsThe first in the series, this article outlinesquestions to ask yourself when assessing a presentation. Ask these questions whether you attend the presentation, or whether you view a video or read the speech text. These questions also apply when you conduct aself evaluation of your own speeches.The Most Important Thing to Analyze: The Speech ObjectivesKnowing the speakers objective is critical to analyzing the speech, and should certainly influence how you study it. What is the speakers goal? Is it toeducate, tomotivate, topersuade, or toentertain? What is the primary message being delivered? Why isthis persondeliveringthis speech? Are they the right person? Was the objective achieved?The Audience and Context for the SpeechA speaker will need to use different techniques to connect with an audience of 1500 than they would with an audience of 15. Similarly, different techniques will be applied when communicating with teenagers as opposed to communicating with corporate leaders. Whereandwhenis the speech being delivered? What are thekey demographic features of the audience? Technical? Students? Elderly? Athletes? Business leaders? How large is the audience? In addition to the live audience, is there anexternal target audience? (e.g. on the Internet or mass media)Speech Content and StructureThe content of the speech should be selected and organized to achieve the primary speech objective. Focus is important extraneous information can weaken an otherwise effective argument.Before the Speech Were thereother speakers before this one? Were their messages similar, opposed, or unrelated? How was the speakerintroduced? Was it appropriate? Did the introduction establish why the audience should listen tothis 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 theirlevel of confidence.The Speech OpeningDue to theprimacy effect, words, body language, and visuals in the speech opening are all critical to speaking success. Was a hook used effectively to draw the audience into the speech? Or did the speaker open with a dry “Its great to be here today.“ Did the speech open with astory? Ajoke? A startlingstatistic? Acontroversial statement? Apowerful visual? Did the speech opening clearly establish the intent of the presentation? Was the opening memorable?The Speech Body Was the presentationfocused? i.e. Did all arguments, stories, anecdotes relate back to the primary objective? Were examples or statistics provided tosupport the arguments? Weremetaphors and symbolismuse to improve understanding? Was the speechorganized logically? Was it easy to follow? Did the speakerbridgesmoothly from one part of the presentation to the next?The Speech ConclusionLike the opening, the words, body language, and visuals in the speech conclusion are all critical to speaking success. This is due to therecency effect. Was the conclusionconcise? Was the conclusionmemorable? If appropriate, was there acall-to-action?Delivery Skills and TechniquesDelivery skills are like a gigantic toolbox the best speakers know precisely when to use every tool and for what purpose.Enthusiasm and Connection to the Audience Was the speakerenthusiastic? How can you tell? Was thereaudience interaction? Was it effective? Was the messageyou- andwe-focused, or was itI-andme-focused?Humor Was humor used? Was itsafe and appropriategiven the audience? Wereappropriate pausesused before and after the punch lines, phrases, or words? Was itrelevant to the speech?Visual Aids Were they designed effectively? Did theycomplement speech arguments? Was the use of visual aidstimed wellwith the speakers words? Did theyadd energyto the presentation or remove it? Were theysimpleandeasy to understand? Were theyeasy to see? e.g. large enough Would anadditional visual aidhelp to convey the message?Use of Stage Area Did the speaker make appropriate use of the speaking area?Physical Gestures and Eye Contact Did the speakersposturedisplay confidence and poise? Were gesturesnatural, timely, and complementary? Were gestureseasy to see? Does the speaker have anydistracting mannerisms? Waseye contacteffective in connecting the speaker to the whole audience?Vocal Variety Was the speakereasy to hear? Wereloud and softvariations used appropriately? Was thepacevaried? Was it slow enough overall to be understandable? Werepausesused to aid understandability, heighten excitement, or provide drama?Language Was the languageappropriatefor the audience? Did the speakerarticulateclearly? Weresentences shortand easy to understand? Wastechnical jargonor unnecessarily complex language used? Whatrhetorical deviceswere used? e.g. repetition, alliteration, the rule of three, etc.IntangiblesSometimes, 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 youfeel? Were youconvinced? Would you want to listen to this speaker again? Were there anyoriginal ideasor techniques?The Speech Analysis Series1. How to Study and Critique a Speech2. The Art of Delivering Evaluations3. Modified Sandwich Technique for Evaluations4. Evaluation Forms, Tools, and Resources5. Toastmasters Evaluation ContestsNext in the Speech Analysis SeriesThe next article in this series The Art of Delivering Evaluations examines how best to utilize speech evaluation skills as a teaching tool.Speech Analysis #2: The Art of Delivering EvaluationsbyAndrew DluganJan 19th, 2008The first article of theSpeech Analysis Seriesexplainedhow to study and critique a speech.In this second article, we examinehow to improve your own speaking skills by teaching othersin the form of speech evaluations.You should regularly provide evaluations for other speakers not only because it is a nice thing to do, but because the process ofevaluating another speaker helps you improve your own speaking skillsdramatically.The Speech Analysis Series1. How to Study and Critique a Speech2. The Art of Delivering Evaluations3. Modified Sandwich Technique for Evaluations4. Evaluation Forms, Tools, and Resources5. Toastmasters Evaluation ContestsSpeech evaluations are acore element of the Toastmasters educational program. After every speech, one or more peers evaluates how well the speaker delivered their message.Frequent feedback from peershelps speakers improve their skills.However, speech evaluation isnot limited to the Toastmasters program. You can evaluate a co-workers presentation. You can give feedback to the leader of a volunteer group in your neighbourhood. Or, in a more formal relationship, you might provide a critique to a client you are coaching.I recently led aspeech evaluation workshop. In that workshop, we discussed the following tips for deliveringhelpful, encouraging, and effective speech evaluations.1. Effective speech evaluations benefit everyoneI often hear statements like “Only the speaker gets any benefit from an evaluation oftheirspeech.” This isfalse. You(as the evaluator) improve as a speaker by providing an evaluation. A great way to solidify your own knowledge is to teach it to others. Thespeakerbecomes aware of both their strengths and areas with potential for improvement. Theaudience for the evaluation(if there is one, as in Toastmasters) benefits from hearing the evaluation and applying the lessons to their own presentations. Future audiencesbenefit from improved speakers.2. Learn the objectives of the speaker.Before the speech takes place,ask the speaker what their objectives are. Sometimes the objective is obvious, but not always.Perhaps the speaker has just read thePresentation Zen bookand is experimenting with a modern style of visuals which goes against common practice. If you know this, you cantailor your evaluation accordingly. If you dont, you may unfairly criticize them for not considering the expectations of the audience.3. Consider the skill level of the speaker sometimes.Evaluating the (very) inexperienced speaker:Treat novice speakers with extra care. Be a littlemore encouragingand a littleless critical, particularly if they exhibit a high level of speaking fear. Compliment them on tackling their fear. Reassure them that they arent as bad as they imagine.Be supportive. Askthemhow they feel it went.Evaluating the (very) experienced speaker:A common misconception is that you cannot evaluate a speaker if they are more experienced than you. This is false. Though you may have limited speaking experience,you have a lifetime of experience listening to presentations.Your opinion matters. As a member of the audience,you are who the speaker is trying to reach. You are fully qualified to evaluate how well that message was communicated.Every speaker, no matter how experienced, can improve. Perhaps more importantly,every speaker wants to improve. You can help.4. Take advantage of available tools.A speech evaluation is a pretty simple thing. Just listen to the speech, take some notes, and then share your opinion. Right?Thats a good formula when youre learning the art of delivering evaluations, but to really improve your skills, youll want to start assembling the many tools at your disposal: Study other evaluatorsand apply their techniques. Solicit feedbackfrom others on your technique. Developevaluation templates or formsthat work for you. If available,utilize audio orvideo recordingsto complement your evaluation. As an example: Without video, you can onlytellwhen a gesture could have been used. With a video recording, you canshowexactly where a timely gesture could be used.5. Be truthful.If you did not like the speech, do not say that you did. If you did not like a component of the speech, do not say you did.There is a tendency to want tobe niceand embellish the positives. Dishonest praise will onlydamage your credibility and character.6. Expressyouropinion.Avoid speaking on behalf of the audience with phrases like “Everyone thought” or “The audience felt” You can only accurately talk about are your own thoughts and feelings.On the other hand, suppose you observe a spectator crying as a result of an emotional speech. In this case, you can remark on this as evidence that the speech had emotional impact.Magical phrasesin a speech evaluation start with personal language: “I thought I liked I felt I wish”7. Avoid absolute statements.There arevery few public speaking rules. For every best practice, theres a scenario where a speaker would be wise to go against convention. Phrases such as “You should never” or “One should always” should rarely be part of an evaluators vocabulary.8. Be specific. Use examples. Explain why.How can you make sure that theconstructive criticism doesnt completely outweigh the praiseand end up discouraging the speaker?The answer:be specific. Studies have shown thatspecific praise is much more encouraging than generic praise. This applies to criticism as well.Specific feedback (positive or negative) is more meaningful than generic feedback.e.g. “I liked the dynamic opening of your speech.” is better than “I liked your speech.”In addition to being specific and tying comments to examples from the speech, it also helps toexplain whyyou liked or didnt like a particular aspect of the speech.Consider the effectiveness of the following four statements:1. “Gestures were poor.“2. “Gestures were limited in the first half of the speech.“3. “Gestures were limited in the first half of the speech because the speaker gripped the lectern.“4. “Gestures could have been improved in the first half of the speech. By removing her hands from the lectern, she could more easily make natural gestures.“Statement #4 is phrased in a positive manner, it is specific, it references an example from the speech, and states why it is good not to grip the lectern.9. Dont evaluate the person or their objective.Evaluate how well the message is delivered, not the messenger.Keep your comments focused on the presentation.Similarly,avoid evaluating the speakers objective. For example, suppose the speakers objective is to convince the audience that recycl