田朝霞老师的点评：

This is a very good speech in many aspects. A general impression of the speech is that it is really informative, which means it provides new and useful information. The topic itself exhibits original and profound conception, which greatly entertain the interest of a well-educated audience. The speech is rich in content, strongly supported by substantial evidence. In the first place, the speech is singled out thanks to its idea. The speaker does very well in what many students do not when the standard of informativeness is concerned. Meanwhile, the speaker establishes herself as a well-read and resourceful college student.

The second considerable merit of the speech is its organization. The outline is very clear. She first gives the dictionary definition of dystopia, and then reveals the topic of the speech. Then she discusses the differences and similarities in the representation of dystopia between the two literary works. In the end, she smartly uses famous quotes to reinforce the main points of the speech. Perfect!

The language is clear and precise, with use of a wide range of vocabulary. Good!

I’d like to make three comments on where the speech can be further improved.

Firstly, the speaker may learn more about the vocal variety required for delivery, especially pause and emphasis. Usually, when coming to a topic or transition, the speaker should slow down and try to emphasize the key words which are articulated longer and most probably higher than the adjacent ones. In this case, when saying “Today my topic is ‘The dystopian societies in literature—Based on 1984 and Brave New World”, the speaker need to allow some time for the audience to chew and digest.

Secondly, the content of the speech, though very much informative, might be a bit difficult for many audience (especially many of her peers), so it is suggested that the speech focus on one or two points only, or that less academic language be used if the body of the audience is mostly people outside the field of literature.

Finally, it would have been better if the speaker had stated in what sense the speech is important for the audience. Anyway, public speaking revolve around audience analysis.

外籍教师James Michael Williams的点评：

Content good. Timing and pacing very good. Fairly good eye contact.

Slightly too clipped in delivery.