Speech of Self-Introduction

This 3–4-minute speech assignment is designed to allow you to introduce yourself to the class.

Getting started

In this speech, you will introduce yourself to your classmates. Drawing on the discussions from our class sessions and assigned homework you will identify aspects of your background, interests, and/or goals that you want to share with the group. Take some time to consider what you feel is most important to share in the brief time allotted, bearing in mind the nature of your audience (fellow Baruch students) and the speaking situation (an academic environment).

Organizing your speech

Given the time limit (3-4 minutes) I recommend that you discuss 3-4 topics. Once you know what you want to talk about, spend some time making notes about each topic so that you have some ideas to choose from in terms of exactly what you want to say.

To organize your thoughts, you will need to make an outline. Download the outline template from the course site (speak with me if you’re not sure how to do this) and use it out to create the structure for an organized speech.

This speech—like all good speeches— will have a beginning, middle, and end. We’ll use the word “Introduction” to label the beginning of your speech. In the introduction, you will introduce yourself. You can include whatever information you choose in this section, but at a minimum, you should state your name and what you would like to be called when others refer to you in class. You may also want to tell us other details you don’t plan to discuss in detail in your speech, such as your major or where you are in your career at Baruch. At the end of your introduction, you should preview what you are going to talk about in the rest of your speech. For example, you might say:

“Today I am going to tell you about my family, my pet, and my favorite K-Pop group.”

The middle of your speech is called the “Body.” In this section, you will discuss your chosen topics. Make sure that you organize them clearly, that is, choose an order in which you’d like to talk about them and then completely discuss one before moving to the next. Make sure that you include enough detail in this section that you can fill the time required.

Finally, your speech will need a “Conclusion”. Your job in this section is to wrap up your speech and leave your audience feeling good about your presentation. Ideally, you will remind the audience what you talked about and thank them for listening. You should not end by just saying something like “Uh, that’s it.” You may want to include a thought or quote that you’d like to leave your audience with. The conclusion will generally be the shortest part of your speech.

Presenting your speech

Because this course focuses on extemporaneous speaking, you will not write out your speech in full at any time during this process. Instead, you should practice speaking from your outline or from prepared speaking notes. In either case, you should lay out your intended topics and anecdotes using keywords and phrases rather than full sentences. (Please note that in all future speeches, you will be required to have both an outline and speaking notes.)

Once you have an outline/notes you can start practicing. You want to practice out loud, standing up, using ONLY your outline or speaking notes. Again, you may not read a prepared speech and you should not memorize your remarks. You are speaking extemporaneously from notes. The more you practice, the better your speech presentation will go.

Turning in the assignment

In-class presentations for this speech will begin on Monday, September 9. All students should be prepared to present on this date.

For full credit on this assignment, you will need to both present the speech live in class and submit your written outline.

To turn in your outline (and speaking notes, if you have them), you will upload them to Brightspace. Go to the course page in Brightspace and click on the module called “Submit your assignments here”. Select “Self-introduction speech”, upload your outline/notes, and submit them.

Please dress appropriately, which in this context means no pajamas, workout clothes, or any clothing with language or graphics that would not be appropriate for a professional situation.

If you have any questions about this assignment, please feel free to email me, speak with me after class, or make an appointment with me.