As you learned in Course Information Documents about requirements for this course, there are TWO required listening critiques in COM101.  This means that I have selected two speeches for everyone in class to view and to respond to using the required template to record your thoughts.  Think of this as a “lab report” on a presentation.  It is not an essay. A successful critique will include heading information and five areas of evaluation indicated and separated by roman numerals.   It will visually look exactly like the blank template provided to you.  I encourage you to copy and to paste the blank template into a new document and save it on your computer.  Then, you can easily copy and paste the template to a fresh page each time you work on a required critique or an extra-credit credit critique, if you chose to do one.  Save time creating the framework and spend time providing details of what makes the speech being analyzed effective or ineffective in reaching the goal of the speech and/or eliciting the desired audience reaction.  Required listening critiques are not optional.  At least one must be submitted for evaluation in order to pass the course because it is a Queue Item.

I find it easier to have a hard copy of the blank template with me when I am viewing a presentation to critique.  This enables me to record my thoughts in an organized way as they occur to me. It also gives me a rough draft to revise and to edit for my final draft to upload for a grade.  When you are asked to do a required listening critique, I will provide the fill-in information for the heading information.  If you  choose  to do an extra-credit critique, you fill in the heading information as part of your critique.

The first video to view and to critique is an informative speech written and delivered by one of my  former students at Clinton Community College, David Curry.  I wish you to see an example of the “end game.”  This is also good practice reviewing what we have learned so far in the course about tailoring a topic for an audience, speaker delivery choices, basic organization of effective openings/closings.

The recording was made when he gave his speech as a guest speaker in one of my classes the semester following when he was enrolled in the course.  The recording is with his permission and he knows we plan to talk about its strengths and what would make it more effective.  The recorder for David attempts to zoom in on the visual aids, but as we practice in this class, the speaker is the lead story.  Visual aids are present and visible but should not be the focus. If a slide presentation or video is used, it can be provided as an attachment with the recording of the speaker. Other than the differences in recording rules, David had the exact same Informative Speech Assignment Requirements you have to work with in preparing and presenting your informative speech.  Ready?

Have your hard copy, blank template printed with the following heading information inserted:

Template organization is bold. Insert information and your critique is not bold.  

Your name 

COM101-1DL

Required Listening Critique

Speaker: David Curry

Target Audience: College Students

Date of Speech: Viewed in Module 3: Informative Speech

Location: College Classroom

Occasion: Informative Speech Presentations by Students

Subject/Topic: To be revealed ( insert once you view the speech)

Main public speaking goal:  To inform

Get situated to view and to take notes for your critique.  Allow yourself a full, 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to fully view and to respond to the recording.  You will find link to the video in DO folder.  Our discussion this week will focus on David Curry’s presentation.  You are invited and expected to cite responses and feedback from classmates about the speech in area ” IV.  Audience Reaction” in the template of your critique.  This means you will earn points from your discussion posts in DISCUSS and earn points for referring/citing information from DISCUSS thread in your critique.