“How Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of First Lady,”
“The way the movie Cluelessfailed to meet the standards
set by Austen’s Emma,” or “The pros and cons of inoculating
all military personnel with the anthrax vaccine” are more
manageable topics. Narrowing the scope of your talk will
help you research and organize it more effectively.
■ Don’t overuse statistics.While they’re very important for
lending credibility to your position, too many will only weigh
down your speech and bore your audience.
■ Anecdotes add color and life to your talk. But use them
sparingly, because they can slow down your speech. Get to
the punch line before the yawns start.
■ Be careful with quotes. Unlike a term paper, a speech
allows you to establish yourself as an authority with less fear
of being accused of plagiarism. So you can present a lot more
facts without attribution. (But you’d better have the sources
in case you’re asked about your facts.) You can use quotes,
though, when they contain distinctive language or elicit an
emotion. Be sure to attribute the source.I’ve found that trying to shuffle a bunch of papers in front of a class is
difficult. Note cards that fit in the palm of your hand are a lot easier
to use, but only if the notes on them are very short and to the point.
Then they act as “triggers” rather than verbatim cue cards. The
shorter the notes— and the more often you practice your report so
each note triggers the right information—the more effective your
report will be. (And the less you will have to look at them, making eye
contact with your class and teacher easier.)
Chapter 7 ■How to Write Terrific Papers 169