Advocacy | English homework help

Assignment Guide: Introduction Speech–My Advocacy

Overview

At some point in your life, you may be called upon to speak on a topic, whether for a personal or professional purpose, that is close to your heart. To be ready for this task, you will need to be able to share a well-organized, and well-supported message–one that effectively conveys information about yourself, and the issue of importance to you, while also successfully engaging a public audience.

Prompt

Record yourself presenting a 3-4 minute speech exploring a little about yourself and describing/exploring an issue/cause/problem for which you currently advocate or would like to advocate for. In this speech, you will explore how and why this advocacy is important to you. In addition to the video- recording of this presentation, you will also be submitting a fully-drafted copy of your speech.

The My Advocacy Speech will prepare you to unpack your own personal experience with advocacy, through a process of careful self-reflection, and sharing a personal narrative, to effectively engage an audience. Combined, these two tasks will help you create a stronger foundation for later assignments and activities in the course (and beyond).

Advocacy can be thought of as one or more of the following components:

Advocacy is the promotion of an idea, cause, concept, or information

Advocacy includes actions toward a specific goal

Advocacy finds solutions to current problems

Topic Selection

Ultimately, this speech should be about something that is near and dear to your heart–something you feel strongly about; something for which you currently advocate for or would like to advocate for in the future. Thus, the topic of your speech will be a personal one.

You may advocate for an issue/idea/movement/law/cause/concept of your choosing. Here are some ideas:

Education/training

Pre-K-12 Education or Higher Education

Children, youth, families

Student loans

Equal pay/ inequities

Healthcare equity

Local/global hunger/poverty

Cost of housing/healthcare

Socioeconomic status

Immigration

Criminal justice/policing

Military/veterans

Identity theft

Freedom of the press

Ending domestic violence

Voting

Transparency in government

Organization

Your advocacy speech should include the following:

Guideline

Description

Introduction + Hook

Introduce yourself to the audience, including your name, the course that this speech is for, and the assignment.

Find a way to hook your readers–ask a question, share an example, or include a quote (with attribution). Make sure your hook is directly relevant to your advocacy topic.

Advocacy Topic Description

Describe the issue/cause/problem for which you are advocating. Remember: your audience may not be familiar with your topic, so provide enough context that they can follow along with you, without issue.

Advocacy Narrative

Describe how and why this advocacy is important to YOU and to your audience. Some questions to consider: Why does advocating for this cause/issue/problem/ matter to you? What information is important to share with the audience, regarding this topic, and your participation in it? What happens if no one advocates for this cause/issue/problem? Why should others be interested in this topic and your advocacy?

Closing

Create a closing that helps remind readers of the most important points shared during this speech. Do not directly repeat your opening–find a way to engage readers one last time, sharing the same information, but in a new and compelling way.

Requirements

Submit a written copy of your speech (single or double-spaced) with the URL showcasing your presentation of this speech.

On your written speech submission, include a heading with your name, date, title assignment, and name of course followed by the URL to your recorded speech.

There is no visual aid required, but you are welcome to use one if you want. For example, you may want to showcase a picture of yourself that relates to your advocacy. If you choose to include a visual aid, remember: the visual should be supplemental–not the main focus of the presentation.

Maintain appropriate eye-contact throughout the presentation of your speech. Be sure to be mindful of the following: articulation, pacing, and enunciation.

Your recorded speech should be free from distracting glitches and technical issues making it hard to review.

Length

Your recorded speech should be 3-4 minutes long. It should address all of the elements included above.

If your speech is under 3 minutes, or over 4 minutes, it will be returned to you ungraded. In this case, you will be asked to recreate and refilm the assignment, after you ensure it meets all expectations outlined in the prompt and rubric.

Essential Elements Checklist: My Advocacy Speech

A written copy of the speech is submitted with the URL to the presented speech.

Includes an effective introduction with a hook.

Includes an “advocacy topic description.”

Includes an “advocacy narrative” section.

Includes an effective and compelling conclusion.

Adheres to all submission, length, and formatting requirements.

The recorded speech is clear of issues and/or technical glitches.

The purpose of the recorded speech is clear and well-established.

Last modified: Tuesday, October 4, 2022, 2:03 PM