Choose one of the options below. (Note that you will still need to narrow
down the scope of the options.) As you narrow down your scope, also work on determining the best
approach and organization principle for your topic, purpose, and audience.
Note: we will also do some work in class on developing topics, so if you don’t like option 1—3, but
cannot think of something for option 4, class exercises may help.
Speeches should be 8-10 minutes.
OPTIONS:
1. Attendance policies in university classes
2. The role of technology in education
3. Regulation of social media
4. Choose your own topic**
**This option can be almost anything, but keep in mind the time requirements as well as the
standard conventions of public speaking in a formal, academic setting. Some topics are not suitable
for the timeframe or the classroom context. We will work together on developing topics.
VISUAL AIDS:
You are welcome to use visual aids. If you choose to use visual aids, remember that they are not
meant to be a script for you to read from during the speech. This is an extemporaneous speech: no
reading! Use aids to supplement your speech, not replace it.
SOURCES:
You will need a variety of types of evidence (statistics, testimony, examples), and should indicate
your sources as you go. That means incorporating them in as you speak (for example, you would say
things like “evidence for this claim can be found in a 2018 study published by the CDC, in which
researchers looked at the respiratory systems of 3000 smokers who switched to vaping and
concluded that vaping poses. . .,” OR “consider the example of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who,
according to Jen Wieczner of Fortune magazine, has never received a paycheck from the company.”
Sample Solution
rexit vote, high-profile members of the Conservative Party have argued for the scrapping of the bankers’ bonus cap, in addition to other EU ‘red tape’, a sentiment which has been recently echoed by Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, who has rightly previously criticised the EU’s bankers’ bonus cap. It can be said that this divergence epitomises the UK’s uneasy relationship with the EU in recent years. Brexit, therefore, presents the opportunity to reverse this mis-guided policy and continue to gradually introduce regulations that are more flexible and suited to the UK’s dynamic financial services industry. This was intimated by Mark Carney who has suggested that there are areas in which the UK can make regulatory changes, caveated by a desire to continue to maintain the highest possible levels of resilience and robust regulatory standards. This is an eminently sensible position to adopt and provides a clear avenue for the UK to take advantage of leaving the EU to implement a more flexible regulatory regime, that strives to eliminate unnecessary ‘red-tape’ and better serves the interests of UK financial institutions. A further clear example of the UK’s difficult relationship with the EU, with respect to aspects of financial services regulation, is clearly illustrated by the rancour aroused by the disagreement over the EU’s Short Selling Regulation (SSR). This provision granted powers to the European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA) to limit or ban the practice of short-selling. The SSR aims to increase the transparency of short positions held by investors in certain EU securities and reduce the risk involved with short selling. Ultimately, the UK’s opposition to this measure was defeated, losing their challenge at the European Court of Justice. In concurrence with the opportunity to reverse the EU imposed bankers’ bonus cap, a further impact of Brexit on the legal financial services regime in the UK is the ability to reverse this regulation and, if the prerogative of government, replace it with a more suitable, flexible and tailored regulation, in order to meet the needs of finance in the UK.
