Object Presentation

Students must choose an object (a tangible thing) that somehow represents them or at least a part of themselves and should bring the object to class. Next, they explain to the class in 2-3 minutes what about them it represents and how. This initial presentation is designed to allow students to become accustomed to speaking to an audience while allowing class members to learn more about each other.

Objectives

This assignment aims to do the following:

	to familiarize students with speaking to an audience,
	to depend only minimally, if at all, on notes,
	to enhance eye contact,
	to express thoughts clearly and concisely, and
	to recognize the inherent value of all human beings by demonstrating the importance of effectively and respectfully communicating with all members of society, including women, people with varied cultural backgrounds, people with special needs, and others.

Procedure

Students should follow these guidelines when doing this speech:

	choose an object that represents you or some part of you.
	bring that object to class (object should be an appropriate size and in good taste) or have an image of the object on disk or on a Web site to show on big screen (see PowerPoint tips.
	in two to three minutes, explain how or why the object represents you.
	follow the speech checklist.