"This I Believe" Speech

Assignment Instructions for your Introductory "This I Believe" Speech
The introductory speech is intended to help you develop delivery skills while helping us learn about our new classmates. The idea for this speech stems from an invitation by noted journalist Edward R. Murrow in 1954 who invited his audience to write essays about their beliefs.
Time: 2 - 3 ½ minutes total (roughly 350 words).
Structure: Begin your speech with a clear statement of what you believe, supporting your belief with examples or a short story illustrating your point. End your speech by reminding us of your name and restating what you believe.
Manuscript: The ideas for your speech should be developed in manuscript form although your delivery should be practiced. We don’t want people reading essays. Instead we want you to prepare your statement and practice it such that you can delivery it from the manuscript with vocal variety, energy, and eye contact. Your textbook offers suggestions for preparing a manuscript style speech for oral delivery. The manuscript is due the day you speak. Late manuscripts will result in a grade deduction for each class period that they are late. I will be happy to offer feedback on your draft if you email it to me in advance. Failure to turn in a manuscript will result in a grade of zero even if you deliver the speech.
Sources: No sources are required. This speech is designed to allow you the speaker to explain something you believe. This belief should be supported with examples or perhaps some sort of story helping the audience to understand how the belief developed. If you use sources, they must be properly cited.
Delivery: An oral delivery including fluent verbal delivery and appropriate nonverbal delivery is expected. This includes effective eye contact and appropriate use of gestures. Speakers will be allowed to use a podium but must stand while speaking. This is a manuscript style speech, but that doesn’t mean you should read the essay to us in a monotone voice with little or no eye contact. Practice your delivery such that you can speak confidently, with vocal variety, energy and eye contact.