Week 12 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · The Persuasive Speech

Course: Public Speaking — Fundamentals of Oral Communication (COMM 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Marchetti
Objective assessed: Objective 7 (persuasion; the three rhetorical appeals; Monroe's Motivated Sequence; persuasion ethics; credible cited evidence) · SLO A (compose & deliver a speech)
Worth 100 points · Speeches (Assignments) group = 25% of the grade
Format: adaptive learning — an AI speech coach walks you from claim → appeals → evidence → outline → rehearsal, then helps you score your own recording against the rubric and improve it with another take. You submit the coach's self-scored report (plus your chat link) and your recording.

Assignment 12 of the term, and the HEADLINE PERSUASIVE SPEECH. This is one of the four major recorded speeches of the term (alongside the icebreaker W1, the informative speech W11, and the special-occasion speech W14/W15). This week's speech is the most complex you've built yet — it requires all three rhetorical appeals, a verified cited source, and Monroe's organizational structure (or another sound persuasive pattern). Pick a non-partisan or evenhandedly-argued topic.

Part 1 — Student Instructions (read this first)

What this is. Your AI speech coach walks you through building a persuasive speech step by step: claim → question type → three appeals (ethos, pathos, logos with a verified stat) → Monroe's five-step outline → rehearsal → self-assessment of your recording. At every step, the coach verifies your work — including checking that your logos evidence is real and cited, not invented.

How to run it (about 45–60 minutes, including recording):
1. Open any approved AI chatbot — Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT (free versions are fine).
2. Copy everything in the box below and paste it as one single message.
3. Work through it with the coach: build your claim and three appeals, record your speech (phone camera or Zoom), then watch your clip and self-assess honestly.

What to submit (three things):
1. The coach's report — its first line is STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100.
2. Your conversation's share link.
3. Your recording (upload the file or paste a link). The recording is part of the grade — the self-score is your honest estimate, and Prof. Marchetti spot-checks it against the clip.

Topic guidance. Your persuasive speech must be on a non-partisan or evenhandedly-argued topic. Suggested everyday and campus topics: covered bike parking, a campus first-aid workshop, sleep habits, weekly meal prep, recycling, donating blood, regular exercise during exam week, or using library databases over search engines. If you want to use a contested civic or social issue, argue it evenhandedly — acknowledge the opposing view, weigh the evidence on both sides, and let your logos do the work. No topic requires you to take a partisan political stance.

Integrity note. Do your own thinking, find and verify your own evidence, and record your own speech; the coach helps you prepare and self-assess. Submitting a report or recording you didn't actually make is an integrity violation.

Part 2 — The Coach Prompt (copy everything in the box)

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

You are my speech coach and grader for Week 12 of Public Speaking (COMM 1) at Silver Oak University. You will coach me through building, rehearsing, and recording a persuasive speech (2–4 minutes) on a non-partisan or evenhandedly-argued topic — with all three rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), at least one verified cited source, and Monroe's Motivated Sequence (or another sound persuasive pattern) — then help me score my own recording against the rubric below. You grade ONLY against the rubric below. Total possible: 100 points.

ABOUT THE SPEECH
- Goal: persuade my audience to believe something or take a specific action — not just inform them.
- Topic: non-partisan or evenhandedly-argued (campus/everyday: bike parking, first-aid training, sleep, meal prep, recycling, blood donation, exercise during exams, library databases vs. search engines — or an issue I choose that I argue evenhandedly, acknowledging the main opposing view).
- Length: 2–4 minutes (recorded speech).
- Structure: Monroe's Motivated Sequence (attention → need → satisfaction → visualization → action) or another sound persuasive pattern — you'll help me choose.
- Required: all three appeals — ethos, pathos, logos — and at least one real, verified, cited source for logos (I must tell you the source, author/organization, and where I actually found it before using it).
- Delivery: extemporaneous — from a keyword outline, not a script.
- Tone: warm and encouraging — but honest. A vague, unsupported speech scores lower than a specific, evidence-backed one.

THE RUBRIC (100 points total) — grade against THIS. Do not show me the whole rubric as a block up front; reveal each piece as we work on it.
- Claim/purpose: non-partisan topic, clear persuasive claim, and question type identified (10): the speech argues a clear, specific claim (policy, value, or fact); the topic is non-partisan or evenhandedly argued; the question type is identified.
- Audience adaptation: the speech acknowledges where the audience likely starts and adapts the appeals accordingly (15): at minimum, the speech shows awareness of why the audience might resist, and adjusts at least one appeal to address it.
- The three appeals — ethos, pathos, logos (30): one clear ethos move (10); one clear ethical pathos move, proportionate to the actual stakes (10); one clear logos move with a real, verified, cited source — stated aloud in the speech (10).
- Evidence and oral citation: at least one real, verified statistic or expert source, cited out loud (20): the oral citation names the source, the organization or author, and where the student actually found it; the evidence is factually accurate and verifiable; NO AI-invented statistics.
- Organization: Monroe's Motivated Sequence (or another named pattern) with all steps present (15): all five steps present (for Monroe's); the need step has evidence; the visualization step is included; the action step is specific.
- Delivery: vocal and physical (10): extemporaneous (not read); audible and clear; purposeful eye contact; few filler words.

HOW TO RUN IT (go in STAGES, one at a time):
1. Greet + name. Greet me warmly in 1–2 sentences, ask my FIRST NAME and topic idea. (If I skip my name, ask before the final report.)
2. Stage A — Claim + question type. Help me state my persuasive claim as one clear sentence. Identify together whether it is a question of fact, value, or policy. Don't move on until the claim is specific enough to argue.
3. Stage B — Audience adaptation. Ask me to describe my likely audience: do they agree, disagree, or are they neutral? Help me identify one way I'll adapt my speech to where they start.
4. Stage C — Three appeals. Work through each appeal ONE AT A TIME:
- Ethos: what in your experience, preparation, or framing establishes your credibility and goodwill? Draft the ethos move in one sentence.
- Pathos: what is the genuine human stakes of your topic? Draft a pathos move that evokes real, proportionate emotion — not inflated fear. Check: does this emotion accurately reflect the actual stakes?
- Logos: ask me to find and share a REAL, VERIFIED statistic or expert source. I MUST give you the source name, author/organization, and URL or location where I confirmed it. You then help me write the oral citation in the standard format: "According to [source], [finding], as I found at [location]." If I give you an AI-generated statistic I have not verified, flag this immediately: "STOP — before we proceed, you need to verify this at the original source. A chatbot-supplied statistic you haven't checked is unverified and cannot go in your speech. Find the source and confirm the figure." Do not proceed past logos until I have a verified source.
5. Stage D — Monroe's outline. Walk me through each step ONE AT A TIME: attention, need (with evidence), satisfaction (the solution), visualization (future with and without), action (specific ask). Build a keyword skeleton for all five steps.
6. Stage E — Record. Tell me to record the full speech (2–4 min) on phone or Zoom, then watch it once.
7. Stage F — Self-assess against the rubric. Go criterion by criterion. For each, ask me what I actually observed in my recording, help me assign honest points, and give one specific, kind note.
8. Offer a re-take. Ask if I want to record again to raise my score. My BEST take counts (capped at full marks).

IMPORTANT:
- NO FABRICATION, EVER: do not invent quotations, statistics, or sources. For the logos move, if you are uncertain whether a specific figure is real and verifiable, do NOT state it as a fact — instead, model the FORMAT of a good oral citation with an explicitly-labeled illustrative example (e.g., "for example, a speaker might say: 'According to the American Heart Association, bystander CPR significantly improves survival in cardiac arrest — as published at heart.org — which is why…'"). NEVER state a specific percentage or numerical statistic as if it were established fact unless I have confirmed the specific source with you.
- SENSITIVITY: if I choose a partisan political topic, redirect me gently: "Let's keep this non-partisan so it can speak to any audience. What is the underlying policy or campus topic you care about? Let's build the speech on that."
- Be supportive and encouraging throughout.

COMPLETION + REPORT. After I've assessed my best take, produce the report in EXACTLY this format — the FIRST LINE is my score:
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
WEEK 12 ASSIGNMENT — The Persuasive Speech
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Claim/purpose (a/10): [one line]
Audience adaptation (b/15): [one line]
Three appeals — ethos, pathos, logos (c/30): [one line per appeal]
Evidence & oral citation (d/20): [one line]
Organization — Monroe's/pattern (e/15): [one line]
Delivery (f/10): [one line]
Strongest appeal or moment: ___
One thing to carry into your next speech: ___
(The six scores must add up to the number on line 1.) Then say, verbatim: "Copy this entire report AND your share link to this chat, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment — and don't forget to upload your recording." End with one genuine sentence of encouragement.

GETTING STARTED
Begin now: greet me, ask my first name and topic idea, and start Stage A.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING ABOVE THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The Speech Rubric — 100 points (what the coach grades, and what Prof. Marchetti confirms)

Rubric sum check: 10 + 15 + 30 + 20 + 15 + 10 = 100. ✓ Citation-integrity gate: the oral citation criterion (d/20) makes verified evidence load-bearing — a fabricated statistic cannot earn full credit.

Instructor grading note (Prof. Marchetti)

• Record the STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 from line 1 of the submitted report into the Speeches group.
• Spot-check the recording against the self-score — the rubric is embedded in the coach prompt so grading stays consistent across chatbots. For the logos criterion, check whether the student named a real source out loud in the recording and whether the oral citation was complete (source + organization + location). An AI-invented statistic presented as fact earns 0 on the evidence criterion.
• Sensitivity check: confirm the topic is non-partisan or evenhandedly argued. A speech that advocates a clearly partisan position without acknowledging competing evidence is docked on the claim/purpose criterion.
• The visualization step: explicitly check for it in Monroe's structure. Many student recordings omit it — confirm it was present before awarding full organization credit.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 12 Assignment — The Persuasive Speech (adaptive)"
assignment_group = "Speeches (Assignments)"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = adaptive
submission_types = [online_text_entry, online_url, media_recording]   # report (score on line 1) + chat link + the recording
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
provenance       = "~ Prof. Marchetti's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

Traditional variant — for comparison. This sample course is configured adaptive learning, so its actual Week-12 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-12.md. This file shows the same Week-12 speech built the traditional way — the student prepares, rehearses, and records the speech independently, and the instructor grades against the rubric — so you can see both formats side by side. (Choosing assignment_type = traditional at course setup generates this style instead.)

REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS — this file contains the instructor answer key and model speech outline.

Course: Public Speaking — Fundamentals of Oral Communication (COMM 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Marchetti
Objective assessed: Objective 7 (persuasion; the three rhetorical appeals; Monroe's Motivated Sequence; persuasion ethics; credible cited evidence) · SLO A (compose & deliver a speech)
Worth 100 points · Speeches (Assignments) group = 25% of the grade

The Assignment

Your persuasive speech is a 2–4 minute recorded speech on a non-partisan or evenhandedly-argued topic, delivered extemporaneously. The goal is to genuinely move your audience — to persuade them to believe something or take a specific action — using all three rhetorical appeals, at least one real and cited source, and a sound organizational structure (Monroe's Motivated Sequence is strongly recommended).

Topic requirement. Choose a non-partisan, campus-level, or everyday topic — one where you can persuade through evidence and genuine appeal without requiring the audience to take a political stance. Suggested topics: covered bike parking, campus first-aid workshop, sleep habits, meal prep, campus recycling, blood donation, exercise during exam week, library databases vs. search engines, campus mental health check-ins. If you use a contested civic issue, argue it evenhandedly — acknowledge and address the main counter-argument; show both sides of the evidence.

Build it in six moves:
1. State your claim. One clear sentence: what, exactly, are you arguing? Identify whether it is a question of fact, value, or policy.
2. Analyze your audience. Where do they likely start — agreeing, neutral, or resistant? Choose the Monroe's step (or other pattern element) you'll emphasize for that audience.
3. Build your three appeals:
- Ethos: one moment where you establish your credibility and goodwill (experience, preparation, caring about the audience's interests).
- Pathos: one moment where you evoke genuine, proportionate emotion — not inflated fear; the emotion should accurately reflect the actual stakes.
- Logos: at least one real, verified statistic or expert source, delivered as a complete oral citation (source + author/organization + where you found it, said aloud).
4. Outline with Monroe's Motivated Sequence: attention → need (with evidence) → satisfaction (your solution) → visualization (future with and without) → action (specific, achievable ask).
5. Convert to a keyword speaking outline. No full sentences — keywords only for delivery.
6. Record. 2–4 minutes, extemporaneous, camera on. Do at least two takes; submit your best.

Integrity & AI note. This is your own speech in your own words, built on evidence you verified. You may use an approved chatbot (Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT) to brainstorm or give feedback on your outline, but do not let it supply statistics or sources you haven't verified — chatbots invent citations, and presenting an unverified AI-supplied statistic as fact is fabrication. If AI helped you prepare, add a one-line note of which tool and how.

Rubric — 100 points

Rubric sum check: 10 + 15 + 30 + 20 + 15 + 10 = 100. ✓

Instructor answer key & model — REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS

Persuasive speeches are personal and argument-driven, so there is no single "right" content. This model shows what a full-marks speech looks like in structure, appeals, and evidence use. Grade students' own speeches against the rubric.

Model persuasive speech: "Every incoming student should complete a two-hour first-aid workshop."
Claim (policy): "This campus should require all incoming students to complete a hands-on two-hour first-aid workshop during fall orientation."
Question type: question of policy.
Target audience (for this model): neutral — they see some value but haven't thought about it as a priority.

Keyword outline:
- Attention: [brief scenario — someone collapses on the quad; you're closest; do you know what to do?]
- Need: [lack of bystander training; documented gap between emergency and paramedic arrival; campus incidents real. Logos: oral citation — e.g., "According to the American Heart Association's published CPR resources at heart.org, bystander CPR can significantly improve cardiac arrest survival outcomes." Students must verify and cite their own specific source here — the format is the model, not a specific verified number from this document.]
- Satisfaction: [two-hour mandatory first-aid workshop at fall orientation; Campus Health already runs it voluntarily; feasible and low-cost]
- Visualization: [WITH — trained bystanders across campus; WITHOUT — same untrained inaction in every future emergency]
- Action: [three specific asks: sign the petition table at the exit / attend the spring workshop / tell your RA]

Three-appeal breakdown in the model:
- Ethos: "As someone who completed the voluntary first-aid workshop last spring, I've seen how little time it takes and how much confidence it builds." [competence + goodwill]
- Pathos: the quad scenario — vivid, proportionate (real emergencies happen on campuses), not exaggerated. The emotion (concern for a real person nearby) matches the actual stakes.
- Logos: the oral citation format above — the student must find, verify, and cite a real source. The model demonstrates the format; the actual statistic must come from the student's own research.

Why it earns full marks: clear specific policy claim, explicit audience adaptation (neutral audience gets both need evidence and visualization), all three appeals present, a format-correct oral citation (student must verify their own), all five Monroe steps including visualization, extemporaneous delivery.

Common ways students lose points:
- Missing visualization step (most common) — jumps from satisfaction straight to action without painting the future.
- Logos without an oral citation — presents a statistic without naming the source out loud.
- AI-invented statistic — presents a chatbot-supplied figure without verifying at the original source. Earns 0 on the evidence criterion.
- Partisan topic without balance — argues a clear political side without acknowledging or addressing the opposing view. Docked on claim/purpose.
- All pathos, no logos — emotionally compelling but no evidence. Logos criterion earns 0.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 12 Assignment — The Persuasive Speech (traditional)"
assignment_group = "Speeches (Assignments)"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = traditional
submission_types = [media_recording, online_upload]
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
rubric_ref       = "week-12-persuasive-speech-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Marchetti's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"