Preparing Your "Statement of Audience" Card

• On the day of your speech, you'll be bringing a stack of white comment cards to class with you, as you did for the information speeches. In addition to your comment cards, you'll also bring (a) one and only one white 4" by 6" notecard, and (b) one and only one white 4" by 6" Statement of Audience card. I'll collect the notecards and use them to determine the speaking order for the day's speeches. When your name is called, you'll come back to where I'm sitting to pick up your notecard and hand me your Statement of Audience card. I'll read the front of the Statement of Audience card aloud, and I'll read it exactly the way you wrote it — so be sure to proofread it carefully before class, since I won't correct any mistakes you may have made!

• FRONT: At the top left of the front of your card, put your nametag name. Under that, put the words STATEMENT OF AUDIENCE, all in capital letters. Under that, describe your target audience in plural terms, beginning with the words "You are." You may handwrite this, type it or wordprocess it, but pencil is not permitted. Write in complete sentences, not bullet points. You can put as many words on the card as you'd like, as long as they all fit on this one side of this one card and they're big enough and neat enough to be easy for me to read. Be sure to describe the audience in plural terms. For the purposes of this assignment, you may treat either the lined or the unlined side of the card as the front.

• BACK: At the upper left of the back of the card, put the words STATEMENT OF GOAL, all in capital letters. Under that, write a one-sentence statement of your speech's behavioral goal, beginning with these words: "After listening to my speech, you will _________."

• Be sure that your Statement of Audience clearly defines the audience as people who aren't already doing things your way and as people who are capable of doing things your way. Don't set yourself up for an unsuccessful speech by establishing a goal you're unlikely to be able to achieve in only 3-5 minutes, and don't make your job so easy that it doesn't actually require you to do any persuasion. Keep in mind that, by redefining your audience, it's also possible for you to redefine yourself.

• I encourage you to discuss your Statement of Audience and Statement of Goal with me as soon as possible, so that we can identify and fix any problems. You're not required to do this, but a brief conversation with me might wind up saving you a lot of time and help you to earn a better grade on your speech.

• Don't forget to bring your Statement of Audience card with you on the first speech day — and on subsequent days, if you don't get called the first day! If you don't have a Statement of Audience card with you, you'll still be allowed to do your speech, but you'll lose the protection of the "70% cushion," and the odds of your doing a successful job of persuasion will be very small.

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