The individual presentation is to be 5 minutes and should be given to the class on the due date provided.

Objective: To learn the techniques for developing and presenting a persuasive argument.

Directions: What do you feel strongly about? In preparation for the unit, think about a topic that you would feel comfortable arguing for during the unit. For example, the topic could be; “The 1969 US Moon landing was faked by Hollywood", or “politicians should be paid more" or, “Education is not as useful as experience". Whichever topic you choose, make sure it is one for which you have a personal commitment and that would be familiar to others in the unit. Prior to the unit, collect some evidence to support your argument. The evidence can be in the form of respected authorities, statistics, articles, anecdotes etc. Anything that you feel supports your case.

The presentations are given in a casual and interactive atmosphere to small groups of not more than five students. You will not be marked on your presentational style, but rather on your ability to research, write, argue and defend your position. In other words, it's the preparation for, not the execution of, your presentation that's graded. Your peer's ratings of your presentation will be factored into my own to come up with your mark for this assignment.

A copy of your presentation preparation outline (see MGSM877 iLearn page for an example of how to write a preparation outline) and any presentation aids should be submitted in iLearn using the Turnitin submission. Please note that individual assignment coversheet and declaration form is not required to submit since you will be declaring your own work before completing the submission.

This assignment represents 20% of total assessment.

Criteria Used for Evaluating Individual Presentation Assignment

The average speech (grade C) should meet the following criteria:

1. Be ready for presentation on the assigned date. 
2. Conform to the time limit. 
3. Fulfill any special requirements of the assignment—preparing an outline.
4. Have a clear specific purpose and thesis. 
5. Have an identifiable introduction, body, and conclusion. 
6. Be free of serious errors in grammar, pronunciation, and word usage.

The above average speech (grade D) should meet the preceding criteria and also:

1. Deal with a challenging topic. 
2. Fulfill all major functions of a speech introduction and conclusion. 
3. Display clear organization of main points and supporting materials. 
4. Support main points with evidence that meets the tests of accuracy, relevance, objectivity, and sufficiency. 
5. Exhibit proficient use of connectives—transitions, internal previews, internal summaries, and signposts. 

The superior speech (grade HD) should meet all the preceding criteria and also:

1. Constitute a genuine contribution by the speaker(s) to the knowledge or beliefs of the  audience. 
2. Invoked cognitive dissonance and provided satisfactory resolution.
3. Sustain positive interest, feeling, and/or commitment among the audience. 
4. Contain elements of vividness and special interest in the use of language. 

The below average speech (grade P or F) is deficient in the criteria required for the C speech.

Each student is to participate in one team presentation of a maximum 20 minutes (plus 5 minutes of questions). Teams will consist of no more than 5 students. Each student is expected to contribute equally to the presentation. The Team presentation represents 30% of total assessment.

Objective: To learn advanced techniques for publicly persuading an audience.

Directions: A persuasive presentation of 20 minutes designed to persuade the audience for, or against, a question of policy, fact, or value. Speakers may seek either passive agreement or immediate action from the audience, though you are encouraged to seek the latter if there is appropriate action for the audience to take. Students who speak on a question of policy must use Monroe's Motivated Sequence and should be sure to deal with all three basic issues of policy speeches – need, plan, and practicality.  Students who speak on a question of fact will need to give special attention to evidence and reasoning. Students who speak on a question of value must be sure to identify their standards for judgment and to justify their value judgment in light of those standards. This assignment represents 30% of total assessment. 

Please ensure that you provide to the lecturer before you present:

• Presentation preparation outline. 
• Audience survey questionnaire and analysis.
• Copies of any presentation aids.
• A copy of the Instructor Evaluation sheet with presenter’s names listed in presentation order.

In addition, the preparation outline is to be submitted in iLearn using the Turnitin submission. Please note that individual assignment coversheet and declaration form is not required to submit since you will be declaring your own work before completing the submission.

Criteria Used for Evaluating Group Presentation Assignment

The average speech (grade C) should meet the following criteria:

1. Conform to the kind of speech assigned— persuasive. 
2. Be ready for presentation on the assigned date. 
3. Conform to the time limit. 
4. Fulfill any special requirements of the assignment—preparing an outline, using visual aids, conducting an interview, etc. 
5. Have a clear specific purpose and thesis. 
6. Have an identifiable introduction, body, and conclusion. 
7. Show reasonable directness and competence in delivery. 
8. Be free of serious errors in grammar, pronunciation, and word usage. 

The above average speech (grade D) should meet the preceding criteria and also:

1. Deal with a challenging topic. 
2. Fulfill all major functions of a speech introduction and conclusion. 
3. Display clear organization of main points and supporting materials. 
4. Support main points with evidence that meets the tests of accuracy, relevance, objectivity, and sufficiency. 
5. Exhibit proficient use of connectives—transitions, internal previews, internal summaries, and signposts. 
6. Be delivered skillfully enough so as not to distract attention from the speaker’s message. 

The superior speech (grade HD) should meet all the preceding criteria and also:

1. Constitute a genuine contribution by the speaker(s) to the knowledge or beliefs of the audience. 
2. Invoked cognitive dissonance and provided satisfactory resolution.
3. Sustain positive interest, feeling, and/or commitment among the audience. 
4. Contain elements of vividness and special interest in the use of language. 
5. Be delivered in a fluent, polished manner that strengthens the impact of the speaker’s message. 

The below average speech (grade P or F) is deficient in the criteria required for the C speech.

Individual marks will be allocated. Marks will be allocated as follows:

1. Outline submitted with presentation - up to 10 points.
2. Audience survey questionnaire and compilation of survey data – up to 10 points.
3. Points earned for the overall group persuasive speech presentation – up to 30 points.
4. Member presentation points to be awarded individually – up to 50 points.

Assessment of individual performance in the group assignment is decided upon the quality of your individual presentation argument, style and delivery as well as on your contribution to the planning, development and writing of the group presentation as per the Group Member Contribution Statement and subject to the final decision of the lecturer.

Each student will be actively involved in critically evaluating their peer’s capabilities in preparing and presenting persuasive arguments.

Objective: To develop critical listening and observation skills.Critical listening in this context means using careful, systematic thinking and reasoning to see whether a message makes sense in light of factual evidence.

Directions: Each student will evaluate the individual presentations and team presentations of their peers using the evaluation forms provided by the lecturer during class. 

Each Peer Evaluation is to be submitted in iLearn using the Turnitin submission. 

1. Peer evaluation of assignment – Individual Presentations – Due Session 5 (5%). You will critically evaluate the individual presentation of each of your syndicate group peers using the evaluation form provided by your lecturer in class. At the conclusion of the presentation the evaluation forms should be collated and handed to the lecturer along with any other notes that may support your evaluation.
2. Peer evaluation of assignment - Persuasive Presentation (Team) Assignment – Due Session 10 (5%). You will critically evaluate the team presentations using the evaluation form provided by your lecturer in class. At the conclusion of the presentation the evaluation forms should be collated and handed to the lecturer along with any other notes that may support your evaluation.  

Due: Will be discussed in class and announced in the class iLearn page

Length: Must not exceed 3000 words

Objective: The purpose of this assignment is to: 

1. Analyze the rhetorical situation (see the handout in iLearn: “The Rhetorical Situation”) and how the speaker makes an appeal to one or more of the rhetorical appeals. 
2. Articulate and develop a critical and analytical perspective in writing

Directions: This essay assignment requires reflection and analysis based on observation of one or more publicly delivered speeches utilising concepts covered in the unit.

This assignment should be in academic essay form. An academic essay should have a thesis statement and an argument.

A rhetorical analysis is an essay that examines the parts of a speech and then explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect—whether to persuade, entertain or inform. 

A rhetorical analysis explores the speaker’s goals, the techniques used, examples of those techniques, and the effectiveness of those techniques. In writing your analysis focus your discussion on how the speaker makes the argument and whether or not the approach used is successful. You should consider: the speaker and author(s), audience(s), rhetorical strategies, immediate context, and the larger context and the issue, problem, or situation that caused or prompted the speech.

An marking criteria for this assignment will be handed out in the first class.

Submission details: Each student is to only submit 1 x soft-copy of this assessment on or before the due date as discussed in class and announced in the class iLearn page. The soft-copy submission will be submitted to Turnitin via the MGSM iLearn portal, a program used to ensure the originality of the work undertaken by the submitter.

This individual assessment does not need an MGSM individual coversheet attached to it.

Please ensure your full name, student number, unit code (MGSM877), unit name (Rhetoric and Persuasion in Management), lecturer (Randal Tame), and type of assessment being submitted (Individual Rhetorical Analysis) is clearly visible on the front page of your assignment. Please also ensure that the filename of your assessment is appropriately titled (MGSM877-IndividualRhetoricalAnalysis-LastnameFirstname.docx), and that you only save and submit your document in Microsoft Word format.

Extensions and penalties:

No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.