Verbal Communication – Fast Writers
[ad_1]
MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee
1
Pitch Assignment
A young woman was enrolled in a community college US government course I took a few years
ago. In class, she constantly mentioned environmental issues and proclaimed herself to be supremely
environmentally conscious. Throughout the semester, she was unapologetically and unrelentingly
self-aggrandizing and condescending. While many of the other students in the class undoubtedly
supported the spirit of her message, they grew increasingly hostile toward her because of her
communication style. I would imagine this young woman had already modified her lifestyle as much
as possible to accommodate her beliefs regarding environmental impact, sustainability, and
consumerism. However, she failed to realize that her greatest opportunity for making a difference in
the world was in influencing others to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices. Thus, despite
general support among the class for the content of her message, the delivery of her message irritated
others and sabotaged her ability to impact them and, thus, the world. This outcome was unfortunate
but avoidable.
What are you passionate about? What ideas would you like to promote among your peers and
the greater world? Why should the world care? How does the delivery of your message affect your
persuasiveness and success?
Your task for this assignment is to write and deliver a perfect 4-minute speech concerning
something you are passionate about. Your goal is to inspire the audience (i.e., me and your peers) to
change some aspect of ourselves, such as our behaviors, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or values. You
should inspire us to want to learn more about your topic. You should convince us that your
behaviors, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or values regarding the issue are right and worthy of adopting
as our own. Simply describing your passion is insufficient.
The purpose of the Pitch Assignment is to provide you an opportunity to hone your verbal and
written communication skills, which are cornerstones of effective leadership and the management of
organizational behavior. The importance of the quality of your verbal and written communication
cannot be overstated for your career and life. As such, this assignment explicitly requires you to
craft, examine, and develop the verbal and nonverbal content of your speech. Beyond improving
communication as a leadership skill, this project simultaneously gives you a platform to persuade
others about the importance of something you care about.
This assignment comprises 3 deliverables. The syllabus provides the relevant due dates. The
percentages below reflect the proportion of your grade determined by each deliverable.
1) Pitch Scripts 40%
2) Pitch Videos 50%
3) Peer Evaluations 10%
MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee
2
Deliverable 1 is your Pitch Script. As the name implies, it is your script (i.e., the written text of
what you will say) for the pitch you will deliver. It should adhere to all the formal requirements
outlined herein and follow university standards for spelling and grammar. Stylistically, it should be
clear, concise, and compelling. The language should be colloquial rather than academic. Your pitch
script should be just 575-625 words.
The first 50-75 words of the pitch should, as a distinct paragraph, provide an introduction to you
and your topic. What is your name? What do you do? How did you become passionate about the
subject area of your pitch? Why are you talking to us? Most importantly, let us (i.e., the audience)
know the purpose of your pitch. Directly indicate to us what idea, social cause, behavior, attitude,
opinion, belief, or value you would like us to adopt. Also, please explicitly dedicate your pitch to
someone or something important to you and your passion (e.g., “I’d like to dedicate this pitch to my
fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Mills, who taught me the importance of mathematics.”)
The remainder of your pitch should illuminate your passion. I would encourage you to be as
specific as possible when identifying your passion. If your passion is fitness, give us a specific sport,
routine, or regimen. If your passion is nutrition, give us specific dietary guidelines. If your passion is
traveling, recommend a specific destination. Also, I would strongly encourage you to discuss a passion
more intriguing and less conventional than fitness, diet, or traveling. For instance, you could discuss
your stance on some socioeconomic, environmental, or governmental issue. If such matters don’t
inspire you, you could discuss your passion for working with animals, teaching underprivileged
children how to read, playing classical piano, growing your own tomatoes, or almost anything else.
Although the topic of your pitch is open-ended, several topics may be inappropriate depending on
how they are framed (e.g., coitus, religion, and anything derogatory, racist, sexist, homophobic, etc.).
If you have any questions about the suitability of your topic, please speak with me.
Before you begin to write, it would be helpful to consider the structure of your pitch. Beyond
the introductory paragraph, you are advised to divide your pitch into three sections, each composed
of three to five main points. Below I provide loose recommendations for the first two sections, but
the final “call-to-arms” section is required. This structure will help you to organize and later
internalize the content of your pitch.
The first section of your pitch might relate your personal interest in the topic via a story wherein
you, another person, or some other entity (e.g., a company) act(s) as the protagonist, thereby
showing some personal connection to your passion. For example, if your passion is maintaining a
connection to your culture through the elders of your family, you might tell a story about how you
and your grandmother used to make some specific food item together when you were a kid. The
second section might discuss your passion on a more macro scale. Thus, you might cover the history
leading up to its current state, what might happen in the future, and the ramifications of adhering to
or disregarding your ideas regarding the subject. You might provide statistics or pose and answer a
rhetorical question. The third section should convey your “call-to-arms” to your audience, wherein
you ask us to change in some way, reinforce why we should change, and provide us guidance as to
how to change.
MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee
3
When crafting your pitch, remember that each element (section, paragraph, sentence) should
serve a specific purpose. You should not have a single run-on paragraph comprising your entire
pitch. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence, and every sentence within each paragraph
should relate to and support that topic sentence. Remember that your ultimate purpose is to compel
your audience to change. Anything that does not serve that purpose should be revised or eliminated.
Please ensure that you cite any sources of information you use to write your pitch. Do not directly
quote any sources unless you are using a short excerpt of perhaps 10-15 words. Even then, rewrite it
in your own words whenever possible. Generally, the only instance wherein I would recommend
quoting a passage directly is if you are quoting a famous or otherwise significant person.
Deliverable 2, your Pitch Video, is due one week after your Pitch Script. It requires that you
record and upload a 4-minute video of your Pitch Presentation. Your Pitch Script provides your
dialog for the video, but you do not have to follow it verbatim. You will not be penalized for
deviating from your script as long as you deliver a compelling speech. A link is provided in the
syllabus to a Google Drive folder where you can upload your video. Video captured via cell phone
or laptop is satisfactory if the video quality and audio quality are acceptable. Videos should be
recorded in a quiet and well-lit location. You are not required to wear professional attire, though you
may want to do so if you believe it will help you gain a higher grade. Your video should be one
continuous take with no edits, special effects, or added sounds. Do not use any props, including
papers, graphs, charts, signs, furniture, or any other items.
Try to position your camera lens around chest to eye-level so that the focus of your video is your
face. Your face, full torso (down to at least your mid-thigh), and arms should be well-illuminated and
visible. The viewer should always be able to see your hands, even if you allow your arms to hang
straight down or hold them out perpendicular to your body. So, as a rule of thumb, position yourself
relative to the camera such that if you hold your arms out perpendicular to your body and allow
them to fall to your sides, you can see your fingertips through the entire range of motion. You
should be standing freely unless you are medically unable to do so.
When delivering your pitch, you can read the script from a page or screen not visible to the
audience, but your audience should not be able to tell that you are doing so. I will deduct substantial
points from your grade (up to 80% of the credit for your Pitch Video upload) if you are simply and
obviously reading your script rather than pitching your script.
I urge you to record and review your pitch several times as that simple practice is one of the best
techniques to improve your verbal and nonverbal delivery. It is likely that it will take longer than you
think to record a good video, so I strongly advise you not to wait until the due date to begin
recording takes. Also, please note that it may take considerable time to upload your video depending
on your connection speed, file size, etc., so plan accordingly. When uploading your video, please
ensure that you name your video file using your first and last name only. For example, I would title
my video file “Rob McKee.” Also, please ensure that you upload you video to the correct subfolder
corresponding to your within Google Drive corresponding to your class or group (if applicable). Do
not change any of the Google Drive folder settings. Doing so may prevent other students from
MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee
4
uploading their videos. Google Drive maintains a record of collaborators who make changes to
folder settings. The submission date and link are provided in the syllabus. Please note that the
submission link is not the same as the Video Introduction link.
Deliverable 3 will be discussed after Deliverables 1 and 2 have been submitted.
Pitch Assignment Rubric
Expert Proficient Apprentice Novice
Verbal Communication
Grammar and language are excellent
Grammar and language are good
Grammar and language are acceptable
Grammar and language are poor
Nonverbal Communication
Facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone are
excellent and strongly reinforce the topic
Facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone are good and reinforce the topic
Facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone are
acceptable and mildly reinforce the topic
Facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone are
poor and fail to reinforce the topic
Does not seem to be reading script
Rarely seems to be reading script
Occasionally seems to be reading script
Constantly seems to be reading script
Structure and Flow
Topic is specific and focused
Topic is generally focused Topic is apparent but lacks
focus Topic is unspecified or
vague
Includes a clear introduction of speaker and topic of 50-
75 words
Includes an introduction of speaker and topic of <50 or
>75 words
Includes some form of introduction of <25 or >100
words
No distinct introductory paragraph, or paragraph
>125words
Introduction includes a formal dedication
Introduction does not include a formal dedication
Clearly seeks to change audience’s behavior,
attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or values
Generally seeks to change audience’s behavior,
attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or values
Somewhat seeks to change audience’s behavior,
attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or values
Does not seek to change audience’s behavior,
attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or values
Sequence of ideas presented in the pitch is logical
Sequence of ideas makes sense
Sequence of ideas meanders but is acceptable
Sequence of ideas wanders aimlessly
Topic sentences readily distinguish different sections
Topic sentences distinguish different sections
Different sections are moderately identifiable
Different sections are not identifiable
Well-defined call-to-arms with 3-5 specific and
actionable steps Good call-to-arms Acceptable call-to-arms No call-to-arms
No redundancy present Little redundancy present Some redundancy present Much redundancy present
No plagiarism present Inclusion of any plagiarized content will result in a failing grade and a Academic Honesty
report being filed with the University
Length 575-625 words <550 or >650 words <525 or >700 words <500 or >750 words
Timing ~4m ~15s more or less than 4m ~30s more or less than 4m ~1m more or less than 4m
Video Quality
Video contains no edits, special effects, props, or
added sounds Video contains edits, special effects, props, or added sounds
Video shows upper and lower torso to mid-thigh
Video shows only a limited portion of the student’s face and torso such that the full range of expressions and body language is not visible
Video and audio quality are good with a well-lit and
quiet location Video or audio quality is poor such that the student cannot be seen or heard clearly
File Upload
File is uploaded by the deadline to the correct folder and named using
student’s first and last name only, no changes made to
folder settings
File is not uploaded correctly
Note: “Verbal Communication” and “Structure and Flow” apply to the Pitch Script. All categories apply to the Pitch Video.
“Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!”
"96% of our customers have reported a 90% and above score. You might want to place an order with us."
