sample persuasive letter

Improve the letter at the following link. Carefully follow the instructions!

physical characteristics of speaking

Posture / Stance
Does the speaker’s posture suggest confidence? Any problems with rocking or swaying? Does the speaker stand equally on each foot? How wide is the speaker’s stance?


Movement
Does the speaker stand still? If / when needed, does the speaker move from place to place effectively? Is the movement seamless? Is it distracting? Too mechanical or wooden?


Eye Contact
How often does the speaker look at the audience? Does the speaker look up or down, or off to the side, distractingly? Does the speaker focus person-to-person throughout the group?


Facial Expression
Does the speaker smile, frown, etc. when appropriate? What is the speaker's "neutral" expression?


Gestures
Are gestures purposeful, smooth, and appear natural and unforced? Do they complement the content, or are they distracting? Are gestures used too little, enough, or too much?


Unconscious Body Language, Etc.
Leaning forward. Slouching. Furtive glances versus direct gaze. Where hands are / what hands are doing when not in use (In pockets? At side?). Nervous habits--key-jingling, pen-clicking, hand-rubbing, etc.

vocal characteristics of speaking

Volume
Is the speaker loud enough to be heard throughout the room? Does the speaker vary volume for effect, for instance, quieter when saying something "extra important?"


Pitch (i.e., how high or low)
Is the normal pitch low, medium, or high? Does the pitch vary (high-to-low) or is it monotonous? Does the variance match the content and emphasis? Does the voice have “musicality?”


Tone
How does the voice sound? Rich? Sonorous? Pinched? Nasal? Throaty? Airy or breathy? Raspy or growly?


Rate / Enunciation
Are all words distinguishable? Is the rate too fast? Too slow? Does it vary for emphasis? Any effective pauses? Any awkward pauses?


Fluency
Do words and phrases flow together? Are rhetorical structures employed? Any problematic or overused “filler” words—“um,” “uh,” “like,” “y’know,” “and,” etc.?

250 words: the 3rd and 4th steps

1. Combine your 250-word pieces into one coherent essay.

2. When you've finished this step, see Mr. Anderson for further instructions.

3. Those instructions are...

1. Copy and paste your 500-word essay above your existing essay. (In other words, you'll have two copies in the same document.)

2. WITHOUT LOSING INFORMATION, revise for conciseness, by reducing your essay to 400-420 words.

The goal is "tight" prose.

Journal #16

Reflect.

What will you do differently in your own writing? What can you take away from today's lesson?

Journal #10

Write about what you can take away from today's lesson. Something you learned. Something you might do differently going forward. Something interesting.