The Two-Minute Speech: Distinguish Between

Here is a brief public speaking exercise built around the theme of distinguishing two things. The main purpose of the exercise is to illustrate some principles of organization and can be used as a regular prepared/researched speech or as an impromptu speech. For this exercise, the speeches should be organized in either of these two ways.

Organizational Patterns

Introduction A basic orientation as to what will be discussed Body I.                     Item No. 1 (e.g., muffin) A.      Property No. 1 (e.g., ingredients) B.      Property No. 2 (e.g., appearance) C.      Property No. 3 (e.g., taste) II.                   Item No. 2 (e.g., cupcake) A.      Property No. 1 (e.g., ingredients) B.      Property No. 2 (e.g., appearance) C.      Property No. 3 (e.g., taste) Conclusion A brief summary of the distinguishing properties.

Introduction A basic orientation as to what will be discussed Body I.                     Property No. 1 (e.g., ingredients) A.      Muffin B.      Cupcake II.                   Property No. 2 (e.g., appearance) A.      Muffin B.      Cupcake III.                 Property No. 3 (e.g., taste) A.      Muffin B.      Cupcake Conclusion A brief summary of the distinguishing properties.

Speech Topics

Here are a few topics that would be easy enough to discuss in a two-minute speech. But, more complex ones can easily be substituted: pragmatism and existentialism; behavioral and cognitive theories, Mesozoic and Paleozoic eras, diffusionism and cultural relativism, Democratic and Republican tenets.

1.       Acting and directing 2.       Snail and email 3.       Sociology and anthropology 4.       Animal and insect 5.       Verbal and nonverbal communication 6.       Credit card and debit card 7.       Football and baseball 8.       Jealousy and envy 9.       Friendship and romantic relationship 10.   Co-op and condo 11.   Muffin and cupcake 12.   High school and college 13.   Radio and television 14.   Army and navy 15.   Netflix and HBO

16.   Herb and spice 17.   Sneakers and oxfords 18.   Fruits and vegetables 19.   Language and dialect 20.   Vegan and vegetarian 21.   Film and video 22.   Love and hate 23.   Male and female 24.   Perennial and annual 25.   Butter and margarine 26.   Sight and sound 27.   Task and ambient lighting 28.   Comedy and tragedy 29.   Social exchange and equity theory 30.   Attitude and belief

Research Efficiency and Reliability: An Exercise for Public Speaking

 

An old television game show from the 1950s, Name that Tune, pitted 2 contestants against each other. The objective was for one contestant to name the tune the orchestra would play in fewer notes than could the other contestant. In this exercise, the objective is similar; it’s to find reliable information most efficiently, in as few mouse clicks or in as short a time as possible. For example, you might count the number of mouse clicks (or touches of a touch screen) as one point each. [Typing words into a search engine would be free and wouldn’t cost any points.] The more clicks you use, the less efficient your search. Another measure of research efficiency and one that would be easier to use in the classroom would be the time it takes to find the answer. 

The learning objective here is for students to acquire efficient research strategies to find reliable information in an interesting and active way, in a way that will engage them rather than put them to sleep—as most discussions of research do. The exercise objectives are (1) to find a reliable answer to the question in as few clicks or in as short a time as possible and (2) to evaluate the source of the information.