Kristi Girdharry and Beth Wynstra
Babson College
This assignment helps students engage with rhetorical delivery principles by having them create closing statements and arguments for a court case or debate. AI generates closing statements for different sides of the argument along with nonverbal cues, which students perform exactly, including any suggested gestures. While creating the initial script can be time-consuming and inconsistent, using AI streamlines this process and ensures focus on delivery and rhetorical elements. Employed in Public Speaking and Media Studies courses, this playful yet impactful activity enhances delivery skills and explores the ethical implications of AI in rhetoric while demonstrating critical rhetorical principles in action.
Learning Goals
Original Assignment Context
This assignment was originally developed for a Public Speaking course aimed at undergraduates with a focus on fundamental rhetorical principles and genres of speeches. The course typically hosts 20 students and encourages interactive and performative learning. The idea was sparked by wanting students to practice delivering forensic speeches but not wanting to take the time to write them (the student written prosecution and defense speeches in the past were always wildly different in length, tone, etc.). Inspired by this, another instructor adapted the assignment for a Media Studies course to promote embodying some of the rhetorical principles discussed throughout the class.
For the Public Speaking class, this assignment came at the mid-point of the semester where AI had not been a focus; for the Media Studies class, this assignment came after the first quarter of the semester where AI had already become a common discussion point.
Materials Needed
Time Frame: One class period (though could be extended in various ways)
Overview
This assignment asks students to engage with generative AI and rhetorical principles, specifically delivery. First, students develop a context for a court case; for the example below, students were asked to think about a crime specific to their university. Next, the instructor prompts a generative AI platform to create a closing statement for both the defense and prosecution about the crime. Then, using the AI-generated script, students must act out exactly what it says, including following any gesture suggestions. The class then discusses the efficacy of the delivered scripts focusing on elements such as persuasion, coherence, and audience engagement. We have used versions of this assignment in a Public Speaking course focused on fundamental rhetorical principles and genres of speeches and a Media Studies course focused on rhetoric and social media, and we feel it can be tailored to various contexts and pedagogical situations for different purposes. For example, in a Public Speaking course, the emphasis might be more on enhancing delivery skills like voice variation, volume control, tone modulation, and pacing; in a Media Studies course, the focus might be geared more towards reflecting on the ethical implications of using AI-generated content in persuasive communication and considering issues such as authenticity and manipulation through delivery. Although it can be a bit of a silly assignment, students are able to fully focus on crucial delivery and/or critical thinking skills: voice variation, volume, tone, and rate as well as other nonverbals—such as gestures and facial expressions—and their impact on the audience’s reception of information. Students found that the AI output asked them to be overly dramatic in their delivery; however, it is within this playful pedagogy that they could see rhetorical principles come alive through embodying the material.
Note to Reader: Because this assignment has been adapted in two different courses, we offer both the original (Public Speaking) assignment here and follow it with a revised version for a different course and focus (Media Studies). In showing how the same type of exercise can be used for different purposes, we are emphasizing AI as a complementary tool that can potentially prompt deeper critical thinking and classroom engagement in various contexts.
The Assignment
In this assignment, you will engage with generative AI to explore rhetorical principles, specifically focusing on delivery. By developing and performing AI-generated scripts for a forensic speech, you will have the opportunity to consider elements of persuasion, coherence, and audience engagement. You will also practice critical components of delivery (voice modulation, gesture, and facial expressions). This exercise will allow you to explore how AI can serve as a partner for public speaking while also allowing you to think about/critique the effectiveness of AI in rhetorical settings. The deliverables include:
Pre-Draft 1: Context Development
Task: Develop a hypothetical court case scenario relevant to a crime specific to our school.
Instructions: Working with your small group, think about a crime that could happen on our campus. What is the crime? Who would be involved? What is the major issue that needs to be addressed by a jury of your peers?
Submission: A brief description (200-300 words) of the court case context, including key parties involved and the central issue at stake.
Pre-Draft 2: AI-Generated Scripts
Task: Using a generative AI platform (e.g., ChatGPT), create closing statements for both the defense and the prosecution based on your developed scenario.
Instructions: Using the following language to frame your prompt, fill in the blank with your scenario and then save and submit all prompts and the AI-generated responses.
Prompt: [Defendant’s name] is standing trial for the crime of [name the crime] at [college/university]. Please write a closing statement for the defense attorney.
Prompt: [Defendant’s name] is standing trial for the crime of [name the crime] at [college/university]. Please write a closing statement for the prosecuting attorney.
Copy and paste the generated speech back into the AI with the following prompt.
Prompt: Please put stage directions for the attorney throughout this speech.
Submission: A document containing both the prompts used and the AI-generated scripts with stage directions.
Script Performance
Task: Perform the AI-generated scripts selected by the instructor and follow any gesture suggestions included by the AI.
Instructions: Choose one student to be your assigned lawyer (prosecutor of defense attorney). Rehearse your script together, focusing on delivery aspects such as voice variation, volume control, tone modulation, and pacing. You will perform your script in front of the class and adhere closely to the AI’s suggestions. For groups not actively participating/supporting their group’s actor, you will become the jury and determine which delivery was more persuasive.
Submission: (If in-person class is not possible, you could assign a video recording of the performance)
Class Discussion
Task: Participate in a class discussion analyzing the efficacy of the delivered scripts.
Focus Points:
Reflective Essay
Task: Write a reflective essay analyzing the rhetorical choices and effectiveness of your AI-generated script performance.
Essay Prompt: Reflect on your script performance, focusing specifically on the rhetorical choices prompted by the AI in terms of content and delivery. Discuss what aspects of the AI-generated script were most effective and which were least effective in achieving persuasive communication. Consider the following in your analysis:
The Assignment Revised
For a Media Studies course on social media and rhetoric, this assignment has been tailored to focus on basic rhetorical principles to complement a central question for a unit of the class: “What benefits and drawbacks does social media have on the music industry?” Instead of a court case, the context was a debate. More specifically, teams of students used generative AI to come up with closing arguments (based on course readings, discussions, and notes they had previously drafted in small groups), and there was a larger focus on how we might emphasize ethos, logos, pathos, and actio (use of voice and gestures) while making arguments. To run the activity, the instructor assigned each group the pros/cons side, a music industry constituent, and a rhetorical principle to emphasize.
Prompt: “You are a collegiate-level debater who is giving their closing argument. You are
speaking about the [pros or cons] of social media and the music industry for [record
labels, established artists, new artists, or fans]. Your argument should emphasize [ethos,
logos, pathos, actio, or your own combination]. Using the following notes, please craft a
100-word statement. [paste your group’s notes].”
Like the court case, groups nominated one student to deliver the AI output, but there were multiple rounds performed regarding the pros and cons for each constituency and assessments of the arguments delivered. Given that it didn’t take long to come up with the sample scripts, we had plenty of time to discuss questions relevant to our course context (these would also work well as Discussion Board prompts or a homework reflection for shorter class periods):
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While we have shared two ways of integrating this assignment for different purposes, there are many directions we can imagine faculty revising it to enhance student learning opportunities. For example, medical school students could create scripts to practice patient interactions; entrepreneurship students could create pitches for outlandish products they have to sell; education students could create role plays that focus on classroom management. There are also opportunities for students to use AI to create scripts to practice navigating difficult conversations–such as “hot topic” debates where there can be distance between personal feelings and utilizing the AI output–as well as rehearsing the kinds of public speaking they do outside of formalized assignments, like TED Talks, commencement addresses, and other celebratory speeches. In all, we have found that embodying AI output to complement potentially vulnerable human practices (like public speaking) helps to elevate some of the work we do and the learning that can happen while also managing for time, consistency, and a bit of fun.
We would like to acknowledge The Generator team at Babson College who have built an inclusive, interdisciplinary approach to AI and with whom we’ve discussed and tested our ideas with humility and laughter.