Narrative Speech

Instructions:  For this assignment prepare a three to five minute narrative speech. You should  tell your audience something about yourself.  This could be a story/narrative about something that happened to you that illustrates an aspect of who you are.  You could develop two or three important characteristics with examples supporting them.  It could be an assertion of particular likes or dislikes with examples in support your statements.  You are talking about yourself so your research involves asking yourself key questions and narrowing your topic.

Examples:
•    My coach has been influential in my life.
•    My car resembles my personal traits.
•    My stubbornness can put me in difficult situations.
•    A cycling accident changed my perspective on life.

Preparation Suggestions:  Your first task is to select the topic – what aspect of yourself do you want to highlight for your audience?  After you have selected your topic, your next task is to construct a thesis statement to guide you in developing the narrative.  To develop a thesis, ask yourself these questions:

1.    What is the main point I want to make to my audience?  Do I want them to identify me as a caring individual?  Do I want them to think I’m smart so I’ll tell them about the honors I won last year?

2.    How can I present my topic so that it accomplishes that purpose?  How would I go about doing that?

For this narrative speech focus on the following:

*deliver your speech extemporaneously--do not read or memorize your speech.

*establish strong eye contact

*establish a connection with your audience

*reach out to your audience