Effective Oral Communication

You should be able to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively in speaking by presenting one or more examples of spoken communication (such as a presentation in class) and a reflection on what made that presentation effective. As you work on this reflection, consider some of these questions:

Have you made any presentations that were particularly good? How would you compare these to ones that were less successful?
How would you describe your speaking experiences thus far? Do you feel your presentations have been effective? Ineffective? Why?
How much planning and preparation do you do for an oral presentation? Do you prepare note cards or an outline?
Do you think of your speech as a composition with an introduction, body and conclusion?
When you are preparing a speech, do you tailor your presentation to your audience?
What is your assessment of your delivery skills? Do you speak loudly enough? Do you maintain eye contact with your audience? How effective is your enunciation? Your pronunciation?
Do you use visual aids when you speak? Do you know how to use PowerPoint?
Do you reflect on your speeches once your presentations are over? How you can improve your presentations?

Criteria for evaluating reflections for Effective Oral Communication:

Exemplary

Satisfactory

Needs Improvement

Not Acceptable

Recognizes the elements of content (e.g., has introduction, is well organized), and delivery (e.g., eye contact, clear and audible voice) required in speaking effectively.

Reflects on how her oral presentations can be improved.

Generalizes about the role of effective speaking skills in society.

Analyzes the strengths and weakness of a single speech or several oral presentations made over time.

Shows an understanding of purpose (to inform or to persuade) and audience for a given oral presentation.

Describes the process of preparing and presenting a speech

Inappropriate artifact or reflection