What Would Your Final Speech Be?

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What Would Your Final Speech Be About?

Published on July 8, 2020
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Maureen Keane

Owner of Keane Communication, ICF ACC Coach, Consultant & University Professor

43 articles

I just finished teaching an Undergraduate Communication class - an accelerated online course that I have taught numerous times before. Most of the students are working full-time, juggling families and working towards their degree.

The final assignment is to deliver a persuasive speech. I offer some topics - or they can also choose one that is appropriate for the audience. Some use Voicethread or YouTube and so we have the opportunity to see them, and it makes it as close to real-life as possible. Others opt to do PowerPoints with audio or Prezi.

Here’s the Assignment:

FINAL PERSUASIVE PRESENTATION!

Prepare a 7-10 minute persuasive speech
Your business communication class and professor are your audience!
Incorporate relevant and engaging presentation techniques, using lessons learned, your text, and experience
Use the AIDA model (Attention! Interest, Desire, Action)
Develop a speech outline and appropriate content
Create an associated PowerPoint / Prezi / or YouTube for your presentation
This could be a topic of your choice (review with your instructor!) or one of the suggested topics (See Blackboard)
Presentations can be delivered via multiple channels. Confirm your choice of channels with your professor! (YouTube, Voicethread, Zoom, Collaborate, etc.)

Topics and Takeaways

I always enjoy these speeches, and I always learn something new from them. Some of the takeaways, and topics follow. Keep in mind some of these are opinion pieces, not necessarily fact - unless they did a good job providing credible evidence. :-)

Millennials are nice, but they don’t like diamonds, napkins, golf or yogurt
N95 masks don’t necessarily protect you, and eye protection is important
Sick employees tend to go to work, and more so if they are in the restaurant industry
Some good American companies to buy from include Tesla, WeatherTech and Craftsman
How to raise successful children: Through Faith, Interaction, Setting Expectations and Appropriate use of Technology
Shared Dolly Parton’s philosophy: “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life” - and advised us to implement a four day work week
There are more cons than pros to using facial recognition software
Another on How to Raise Successful children: Through Positive Parenting, Teaching Social Skills, Respect and Responsibility. Also important - Setting Expectations
In the Heidi / Howard case study @ Columbia University, (about real-life VC Heidi Roizen), when Heidi’s name was changed to Howard, students found both to be equally competent, but they only “liked” Howard, not Heidi.
15% of Internet traffic is spent watching cat videos
Studies show that women are smarter than men

Just thought I would share.