COM 330: Grading

I regard this course as a workshop for developing professional speaking skills. To that end I try to impose real-world standards on your work. In grading your speeches I imagine that I am the department supervisor in a corporate environment and you are an individual under my supervision.

Your grade on assignments will be a composite of ratings in four categories:

Topic and Purpose : Does the speech contain a clearly stated central idea and indicate an awareness of the audience?

Content and Form : Does the speech contain sufficient relevant details and reflect a clear structure that includes an obvious progression from one point to the next?

Written Support : Is the speech accompanied by a complete and professional preparation outline and speaker's notes?

Delivery : Is the delivery extemporaneous, and does it show evidence of substantial rehearsal time with attention to timing, body language, and eye contact? N.B.: COM 330 is a public speaking, not a public reading, course. If you read substantial parts of your speech, you will earn no more than a C.

The grading scale* I use is as follows:

A - I regard the speech as worthy of a corporate setting with minimal changes.

B - I regard the speech as competent but requiring one substantive revision before it can be delivered in a corporate setting.

C - I regard the speech as a poor reflection on the organization, and therefore not ready to deliver without significant revisions.

Below C level - I regard the speech as seriously flawed or late.

*I use “+” and “-“ to make finer distinctions between poor and poorer or competent and more competent.