Public Speaking Rubric Speaker s Name or ID: Coder ID: Competency: Uses verbal and nonverbal communication for clear expression of ideas 1. Provides clear central ideas NOTES: 2. Uses organizational patterns that enhances central idea(s) 3. Demonstrates confident, composed nonverbal delivery that enhances the central message rather than distracting from it 4. Demonstrates verbal fluency that enhances the central message rather than distracting from it Competency: Builds, expresses and justifies an informed position/claim 5. Articulates evidence that supports position (claim) 6. Articulates sources for majority of supporting evidence 7. Explains how majority of evidence is relevant to the position (claim) 8. Acknowledges 1-2 counter-points to position (claim) Competency: Adapts messages to varying situations and contexts 9. Makes topic relevant for target audience 10. Uses language that is appropriate to audience 11. Remains focused throughout presentation
Competency: Uses verbal and nonverbal communication for clear expression of ideas Assessment Coding 1. Provides clear central ideas The speaker should provide clear central ideas that ground and organize the speech. These should include a thesis statement, position statement, statement of purpose and main points. The thesis statement identifies the topic of the speech, or what the speaker wants the audience to remember after they hear the speech. An example of a thesis might be Hybrid cars are a more cost effective way of reducing pollution than other alternative fuel options. The position statement should identify the speaker s point of view about the topic. For this example the speaker should clearly state that s/he thinks that choosing hybrid cars is cost effective. The purpose of the speech identifies the speaker s goal. For this speech the purpose is to persuade and the speaker should include the phrase to persuade. During the introduction the speaker should clearly state what s/he wants the speaker to believe or do. The main points articulate the major claims of the speech in support of the thesis. They should be clearly outlined during the introduction, reflect the purpose and the position of the speaker, and be restated as the speaker addresses each point. The main points of this speech might include evidence about how hybrid car emissions compare to other kinds of cars and why they are cost effective. The speaker should also consistently define key terms throughout the speech. 2. Uses organizational pattern that enhances central idea(s) The speech should be structured in a way that is logical for the topic and helps the listener understand and follow the points of the argument. The speaker s pattern of organization should help guide the listener through the speech. The speaker should also use verbal devices to help make connections among points and to the overall purpose of the speech. A preview is an overview of what the speaker will be saying during the speech. The preview should be included in the introduction. An example might be, By the end of this speech, you will understand A signpost is a word or phrase that indicates a main point is about to be discussed during the course of the speech. Signposts alert the listener that something significant is about to be said. A signpost might be, First, I will explain how hybrid car emissions compare to other alterative fuel vehicles.
A transition is a few sentences that wrap up one point and help move on to the next. A transition should identify where a speaker is in an argument, where it is going and the relationship among the points. A transition might be, As you have heard, hybrid car emissions are more likely to reduce pollution than other kinds of alternative fuel vehicles. Now, you will learn why hybrid cars are also more affordable than other kinds of alternative fuel vehicles. A summary is a brief review of the central ideas that reinforces the specific purpose of the speech (what the listener should believe or do). An example might be, As the evidence has demonstrated hybrid cars are a cost-effective way of reducing pollution because 3. Demonstrates confident, composed nonverbal delivery that enhances the central message rather than distracting from it This competency is about how the speaker performs for the audience. The speaker s nonverbal delivery should be confident, purposeful and appropriate. Aspects of nonverbal delivery include eye contact, movement, gestures, facial expression, posture, appearance and vocal variety. The speaker should make eye contact with different members of the audience over the course of the speech. The eye contact should be organic and conversational. It should be directed at their eyes and faces, not the tops of their heads, the floor or other objects around the room. Movement is the way a person moves their entire body through space, usually by walking. If the speaker is not behind a podium, then s/he should not stay grounded in one spot. Instead, s/he should walk purposefully (not pace) and use the available space to engage with the audience. The movement should seem organic and conversational, but purposeful. (Note: if someone has mobility issues or only moves their entire body with the assistance of a mobility device then this is not relevant) Gestures are ways of moving parts of the body to accent communication. Gestures can be included whether or not the speaker is behind a podium. The speaker should gesture in ways that are purposeful and organic. Gestures should be big enough for the entire audience to see, but not too hyperbolic. Excessive gesturing generally distracts from a message. The speaker s facial expression should vary both to keep the audience engaged and to support the tone of the speech. The speaker s should have an upright posture with shoulders back, head up and hands still unless gesturing. A speaker s posture should seem active, yet relaxed rather than anxious or rigid.
The speaker s appearance includes clothing and grooming. A speaker should be clean, neat and dressed appropriately for the occasion. 4. Demonstrates verbal fluency that enhances the central message rather than distracting from it This competency is about how the speaker performs for the audience. The speaker should clearly articulate her or his words. Each word should be distinct and easily heard. The speaker should pronounce words properly, including seeming comfortable with the pronunciation of jargon or other potentially unfamiliar words or names. Regional accents may affect pronunciation, but the speaker should use articulation to help compensate and make the words comprehensible. The speaker should speak in an active voice and avoid tentative language during the speech. The speaker s delivery should include substantial vocal variety that suggests an enthusiastic engagement with the topic. The speaker should avoid patterns or rising or falling inflection, singsong rhythms or sounding disinterested in the topic. The speaker should allow for silent pauses and have clear transition sentences connecting the internal parts of the speech. Vocalized pauses (such as um or uh) and use of words/phrases such as like or so or you know to move between sub-points or main points should be avoided. Competency: Builds, expresses and justifies an informed position/claim Assessment Coding 5. Articulates evidence that supports position (claim) Evidence to support a position or claim serves as persuasive grounds to help the audience accept the speaker s claim. Evidence could include factual data, quotations, examples, testimony, or statistical information. Even main idea/claim/or position should be supported by sufficient evidence. For example, if a speaker s claim is: Hybrid cars are an effective strategy to fight pollution, then evidence could include the following: Evidence: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in a report titled Emissions and Fuel Facts, in typical urban areas cars, buses, trucks, and off-highway mobile sources produce at least half of the pollutants in the air. Even though these pollutants emerge from various sources, the personal automobile is the single greatest polluter.
Evidence: According to Green America, a nonprofit membership organization focused on harnessing economic power to create environmental sustainability, hybrid cars emit less ground-level air pollution than other cars, including 29 percent less smog-producing nitrogen oxide. 6. Articulates sources for majority of evidence The speaker should provide proper citations for evidence. If the source of the evidence is not widely known, the speaker should provide additional detail to explain its relevance to the claim or position. Sources should be appropriate (e.g., logically connected to the claim) and timely (e.g., emergent within a time period in which they would be considered credible given the claim). Sources: According to a 2011 report from the Environmental Protection Agency Sources: According to Green America, a nonprofit membership organization focused on harnessing economic power to create environmental sustainability, last year 7. Explains how the majority of evidence is relevant to the position (claim) The speaker should articulate the relevance of the evidence to the position or claim. Speakers who do this build a bridge, allowing the listeners to see how the evidence supports the claim. Relevance: Because cars are the largest source of air pollutants, switching to hybrid cars should have an impact on fighting pollution. 8. Acknowledges 1-2 counter-points A speaker should offer some details of potential oppositional arguments to his/her claim. To do so, the speaker could explicitly state those counter arguments or the speaker can provide evidence that speaks to the counter-arguments. Although the counter-arguments do not need to be included at the same level of detail, they should be clear. One or two clearly stated counter-arguments is sufficient for a rating of Always. Acknowledge counter-arguments: Some might argue that the personal automobile is not a heavy polluter, compared to industry and commercial vehicles Acknowledge counter-arguments: You might wonder if hybrid cars will actually last longer than gasoline fueled cars and hence will be on the road for a longer life-span, reducing automobile pollution. Evidence from the EPA suggests that Competency: Adapts messages to varying situations and contexts
9. Makes topic relevant for target audience The speaker should both begin and end the speech with language that makes the topic relevant for the target audience. The speaker should engage the audiences in the first sentence(s), making a clear connection to the audience by telling them why the topic should be important to them and why they should pay close attention. The speaker should review the relevance with a few sentences at the end of the speech as well. Relevance to audience: Pollution affects all of us due to health risks such as increased cases of asthma and emphysema. Engaging the audience: There are actions each individual can take to reduce pollution. Even if we don t see results in our own lifetime, it will improve the lives of our children and grandchildren. 10. Uses language that is appropriate to audience The speaker should use language that is inclusive and easily understood by the audience, avoiding technical jargon or uncommon words. Inclusive language: When someone is shopping for a car, motorcycle, or other automobile, he or she should ask the salesperson about gasoline usage and emissions. Avoiding jargon: Rather than saying the number of electrons emitted by a typical internal combustion engine is very high, the speaker could say: typical automobile engine emissions are very high. Common words: Speakers should not try to impress the audience with their vocabulary, but use common language. Rather than saying pollution can be attenuated by admonishing one s colleagues about buying elephantine suburban utility vehicles, the speaker might say: one way to reduce pollution is to talk to your friends and family about the consequences of their automobile choices. 11. Remains focused throughout presentation This competency is about how the speaker reacts towards her/his own performance. The speaker should be able to stay focused on their speech whether there is a self-induced distraction (saying the wrong word, losing their place) or an environmental distraction (such as a loud noise, late audience member, or technical difficulty).