For this assignment, you will gain experience with the process of gathering a variety of quality-supporting material for a speech topic.

Step 1: Select one of the following speech topics. You will use only this topic for the remainder of this assignment.

• • How YouTubers Earn Money
  • How ADHD Affects Adults
  • Why Bees Are Disappearing and Why It Matters
  • The Future of Smartphones

Step 2: Applying what you have learned about quality-supporting material (recency, author and source credibility, and relevance), research the topic you selected and find an example for each of the following types of supporting materials for the topic. Summarize each example and explain why it is relevant and credible, and how it might be used in a speech.

1. expert testimonial
2. peer testimonial
3. statistic or research
4. short example
5. hypothetical example

Step 3: Rewrite each supporting material into your own words as you might present it in a speech. Include references to the source, author, and date.

Example:

1. I chose the speech topic “Why Bees Are Disappearing and Why It Matters”
2. I found an example of an expert testimonial in an ABC News article from July 2019 that quotes Scott McArt, an assistant professor of pollinator health at Cornell University. This source is recent and from an objective news outlet. Because of his profession, McArt is a credible and relevant expert about bee population and pollination. I would use this material to develop the main points of my speech. In an interview, McArt said the main reason for the decline in bee health is the varroa mite, which is a parasite that attacks beehives and contributes to the spread of diseases. He said other factors that add to the decline in pee population include bees losing their habitats; exposure to pesticides, pests and diseases; and poor management of their migration from the south to the north.

3. This is how I might present this supporting material in a speech:

In a 2019 ABC News report, Scott McArt, a professor of pollinator health at Cornell University explained the main reasons for the decline in bee health and population. The number one culprit is a parasite called a varroa mite that attacks beehives and spreads disease. Another factor threatening and killing bees is exposure to pesticides, pests, and disease. Two final factors are loss of habitat and poor management of bees’ migration from the south to the north.

(For your assignment, you will repeat Steps 2 and 3 for a peer testimonial, statistic or research, short example, and hypothetical example supporting material.)

Grading Rubric