| Instruction: you will tell a story about yourself that exemplifies one of “life’s little lessons” This exercise will allow you to tell your audience a story with a point; that is, to relate a personal experience that has a life lesson found in an aphorism (saying or maxim) and show an artifact that represents your experience. Your entire presentation should last about 2.5-3 minutes. My topic is “patience is key, from an immigrant to a US citizen” MY STORY:Life has so many surprises. In 2012 my siblings and I came in America from Congo to pursue our education. As we didn’t have any documents life became a little hard because back in Congo we were living in great conditions my dad was a minister of sport back then, so when we got here we had difficulty to even buy a car not because we didn’t have money to buy it but because we didn’t have any legal documents like green card to even do anything. A year later, In 2013 we got our green card. In 2020 I got my USA citizenship. I learn that you should Always be patient, keep the good attitude while waiting because beautiful things takes time to come to us. Follow this basic format: outline I. Introduction A. Greet the audience with “hook” (attention-getting statement) B. State your thesis; why is this topic important to you and your audience? C. Show your artifact that represents your experience. “MY ARTIFACT WILL BE MY AMERICAN PASSPORT” (Transition* to body by saying providing a preview statement for the body of your speech) II. Body (Transition to main point #1 “Let me tell you a story.”) A. Main Point #1 Preview the story by setting the mood 1) Subpoint/supporting detail: Describe your setting 2) Subpoint/supporting detail: Tell who is involved in the story 3) Subpoint/supporting detail: Provide background to help the audience understand the story’s importance to your life (Transition* to main point #2 “Here’s what happened next.”) B. Main Point #2 Ex. Tell the action that occurred. 1) Subpoint/supporting detail: Who did what? 2) Subpoint/supporting detail: How did it happen? 3) Subpoint/supporting detail: Why was this important? (Transition* to main point #3 “When I think of this story, I’m reminded of a life lesson represented by an aphorism.”) C. Main Point #3 Ex. “This aphorism captures my life lesson.” 1) Subpoint/supporting detail: State the aphorism you have selected 2) Subpoint/supporting detail: Describe how the aphorism provided you a life lesson 3) Subpoint/supporting detail: State a goal that you hope to reach that is related to this life lesson (Transition* to conclusion by saying “In conclusion” and then stating a summary statement for the conclusion of your speech).) III. Conclusion A. Restate*** your main thesis B. Remind the audience of your aphorism’s importance C. Thank your audience for listening Informative speech describing an aspect of your life or personality as exemplified by an artifact and an aphorism (life lesson). An artifact is an object that has communicative value; a tangible item that represents some important aspect of your life. An aphorism ( ˈafəˌrizəm/) is a pithy observation, a saying, a maxim, an adage, an epigram that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”. |
