Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the course material, help you refine skills, and demonstrate application of knowledge. You can work on a Touchstone anytime, but you must complete this unit’s assessments before you submit it. Once you’ve submitted a Touchstone, it will be graded and counted toward your final course score.
Think about a persuasive speech that you would like to present on a topic of your choice. The speech can be for any context, but it must be persuasive. See the list of example speech occasions and purposes for inspiration, if needed.
Personal
Product recommendation
Academic
Presenting academic work (argumentative paper, research, or report)
Academic speech and debate
Community
Speech at a community gathering (PTA meeting, boy/girl scout convention, town hall, homeowner’s association, athletic league, school board meeting, etc.)
Community action speech (asking for something, promoting a policy, etc.)
Political speech (on behalf of a candidate, yourself as candidate, etc.)
Business
Presenting to colleagues or peers (pitching ideas, etc.)
Presenting to superiors (project proposal)
Convention presentation (pitching new products, rally speech, teachable moments, etc.)
In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be original for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the Touchstone.
Touchstone Support Videos
Organizing your Persuasive Speech
Persuading your Audience
Choosing the Right Language
Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety
A. Directions
Step 1: Plan Speech
Plan your speech, considering what your introduction, main points, and conclusion will include.
Step 2: Organize Speech
Organize your speech, following the structure of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. Your speech should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should contain your key message. The body should cover your main topics and support to back up your main points. Make sure that all support is relevant and from credible sources. Your conclusion should summarize your main points and provide a call to action.
