Instructions:

Record a 2-3 minute introductory speech.

In your speech…

• Think of an inanimate object, a flavor, a concept, an animal, or something else that you wish you could be and use this to introduce us to you.
• Your goal is to tell us a little bit about who you are.
• Think about how that choice can serve as a hook for your audience (your classmates!)
• Consider how your speech starts, concludes, and its overall structure.
• Decide how you are going to try to deliver your first speech.
  • Are you going to write bullet points on a card for yourself?
  • Are you going to write it out and memorize it? (don’t just read to us!)
  • Are you going to give an “impromptu speech” (just kind of wing it…)?
  • Do you have another idea for how you will deliver it?
• Decide where and how you will record your speech.
  • This is not a videography class. Your speech should involve us seeing as much of you, your face, and your body as possible.
  • You can record from your phone, computer, etc., but test ahead of time to make sure you have set up the camera frame to include all of you.
    • Make sure that there is enough light for us to see you clearly.
    • Videos that are horizontal are preferable.
    • You can set up your recording device on a stand, prop it up with books, or ask someone else to record. (Try to avoid taking a minutes-long selfie by holding your own phone while you record.)
• This is a class in public speaking; you don’t usually get a second shot when you give a speech. So, PRACTICE before you record.
  • Don’t worry about being perfect. No one is when they start public speaking (or even when they are a seasoned pro at it.)
    • You don’t need to apologize if you make a mistake, we probably won’t notice or pay attention to it unless you make a big deal of it.
  • Do not take multiple takes over and over.
    • One or two is a form of practice (practice without recording for a while first!) but please post one of your first three takes.
  • Do not edit. You don’t get to splice together different parts of the speech. Your video should always be continuous unless otherwise indicated.
    • If you really want to trim the part where you turn on and off the camera, that would be great, but it is not required. (Make sure you take a moment to pause before you start and stop speaking so you can without cutting off any of the speech.)

*Note: I highly recommend not going this route without doing a lot of practice ahead of time.