What a difference a semester makes. Seems as if we began this journey just the other day and now it’s about to end.

Let’s discuss your final and you’ve already had time to preview the assignment: the biographical speech.

You may select a person from any area of human endeavor (sports, religion, music, theatre, education, law enforcement, science, government, business, the movies, television, or crime.)

He or she may be famous or infamous, well known or unknown, living or dead. And your topic must be someone who you can research (This person cannot be a family member or friend).

You may discuss any aspect of the person’s life. Tell us about the person’s beginnings (birthplace, family), how he or she became interested in what she or he is known for, and why you find this person interesting.

Your speech must range in length between three to five minutes. There’s no penalty if your speech is perhaps one minute longer. However, you must speak a minimum of three minutes.

In this speech, you must give us a verbal footnote if you present information verbatim or paraphrased from your sources or if you present information about your topic that is not widely known by the public.

For many well-known figures, we know their birth details, so that information doesnt require a footnote.

However, any information that is not well known to your audience must feature a verbal footnote. Consider this example:

According to NPR.com, if Jeff Bezos in late 2020 gave each of his 876,000 employees $105,000, he still would have exactly the same amount of money he began the year withbefore the pandemic.

This verbal footnote must come either before or after you deliver the borrowed information.

The end of your introduction should be the first time you mention the name of your person, not the very beginning of your speech and not at the conclusion.