12 Things to Double-Check for Your Speech

There are quite a few details to keep track of when preparing a speech.  To make sure you’re not missing anything significant, consider working through the following checklist for next week's assignment:

1. The speech is prepared in outline format—complete sentences or long phrases, with tabbing and alphanumeric labels, not using bullet points.
2. The speech (and bibliography, if you have sources) is printed, single-spaced, stapled, and brought to class on the assigned speech day.
3. Speaking notes, whether on note cards or on 8.5x11 paper, are designed for extemporaneous speaking: short words or phrases to remind you of what you want to say.  Speaking notes should be only 20-25% of your outline (or less).
4. No outside sources are required, but any outside sources you do have (other than the ad itself) are cited in the outline (in-text parenthetical notes are preferred), are listed in complete bibliographic format in a bibliography or works cited list, and are cited aloud in the speech.
5. The introduction ends with an analytical thesis and a structural preview of your main points, in that order.
6. The body contains 2 to 4 main points, joined by transitions (summary of previous point, and introduction of the next).
7. The thesis makes an analytical claim, not a descriptive statement.  (Identifying the existence of, say, logos in the ad is not an analytical claim.)
8. The analysis avoids the generic insights listed in the assignment directions.
9. The analysis focuses on how the rhetoric functions for the audience, not what the company may have intended.  (Sometimes ads have unintentional results, which could be worth analyzing.)
10. Any visual aids are either brought in on a flash drive, or can be quickly found online, preferably without you having to log in to an account.  (For a YouTube video, knowing the search term to bring up your ad  usually is sufficient.
11. Any PPT (optional!) is well managed: mostly images, minimal text, and includes blank slides when you want the audience to focus back on you.  It is permissible to have a single print ad displayed the entire time, though; the same image shouldn’t be too distracting.
12. The speech has been timed and falls safely within the allotted time, without needing to rush to finish.  (If you like, you might identify a few things ahead of time that you’ll skip if you find yourself running out of time.)