See attached file
MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee Pitch Assignment ( After reading the instruction please note that I would like the paper to talk about: The importance of exercising at least 3 times a week, especially doing cardio. My hobby is to play soccer at least 2 times a week. This routine allows me to do some cardio on a weekly basis. Therefore, I would like everyone to incorporate at least 3 cardio routine in their weekly schedule. My main purpose is to help everyone to avoid unwanted sickness related to a lack of exercise.) 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 a speech concerning something you are passionate about. Your goal is to inspire the audience 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. Deliverable: 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. 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. 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. 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 5075 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 1 1 1