Public Speaking

informative Speech with Visual Aids (^271)
may most proudly and with unalloyed unity proclaim, is our collective passion for
democracy, for equality, for freedom of speech, for freedom of religion, for respect for
human dignity.
Let all of us in higher education be keepers of that flame. As we participate in the
global marketplace, in the global community, let us be a beacon of civility, compassion,
and respect.
Let that respect come from our deepest beliefs, in the essential dignity, and the
essential worth, of every human being.
Source
Smolla, R. (2010, December). Engaging the mind and the spirit. Speech delivered October 22, 2010, at Furman
University. Vital Speeches of the Day, 76(12), 570–573 (edited).
Informative Speech with Visual Aids
The Chinese Valentine’s Day (for use with Chapters 5 and 15)
By Lishan Zeng
Lishan’s assignment was to research, outline, and deliver an informative speech using a visual
aid. He conducted a survey before he spoke to assess the class’s familiarity with his topic. Most
did not know about the Chinese counterpart to St. Valentine’s Day, and they had only superficial
knowledge of the American holiday. He planned his speech accordingly.
Look at this picture. [photograph of the Milky Way] What do you see? The universe? The
stars? Or a romantic story? I see love in this picture. It’s the story of Niulang and Zhinü,
and that’s the origin of Chinese Valentine’s Day.
According to the survey I did, eighty percent of you did not know that there is a
Chinese Valentine’s Day, and ninety percent did not know the origin of it. This does
not surprise me. What surprises me is that ninety percent of you know the date of the
Western Valentine’s Day but just ten percent of you know why you have that day.
That motivates me to do the research about the Western Valentine’s Day and
then tell you the story of the Chinese Valentine’s Day. I will compare the Western and
Chinese Valentine’s Day, and I hope that by the end of my speech you will get to know
when the Valentine’s Day is and how and why people celebrate the Valentine’s Day.
Most of you know that the Western Valentine’s Day falls on February 14. But most
of you do not know that the Chinese Valentine’s Day falls at the seventh day of the
seventh lunar month, and it falls on August the 16th this year.
Some of you know why people celebrate Valentine’s Day. According to History.com,
people in the West celebrate Valentine’s Day to remember the death of St. Valentine.
St. Valentine was a priest of the third century in Rome. At that time the Emperor of
Rome forbade marriage for young men because he thought young men unmarried
made better soldiers. Well, St. Valentine went against that law and performed marriages
for young lovers in secret. Another version of this story is that St. Valentine’s helped
Christians escape the harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
In either story, he was bound and sentenced to death.
About the Chinese Valentine’s Day. According to chinadaily.com, it’s a day when
Niulang and Zhinü are allowed to meet with each other. Niulang is a poor, handsome
boy, living with his brother and sister-in-law. He owns nothing but an old ox that can
talk and is an immortal from the Heaven.
Zhinü is the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven, who is good at handcrafting,
especially in weaving clothing. Because the ox is treated nicely by Niulang, the ox wants
to fulfill one of Niulang’s wishes, so the ox asks Niulang what he wants. “Uh... I want
Log on to your book’s
online resources to watch
and critique Lishan Zeng’s
speech. The text of his
speech is available both here
and in your online resources,
which also provide an outline
of the speech.
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