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MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 1 Pitch Script 1 Feedback, Example, Tactics, and Rubric We have not yet finished our Pitch Assignments! We will submit one more draft and one more video. As we discussed during the first class, to improve, we must reflect upon our previous performances, recognize our missteps, acquire and apply new knowledge, skills, and abilities, engage in meaningful practice, and then perform better. In that spirit, we will be discussing topics like motivation, charisma, communication, influence, and change, so that we may learn to craft more effective messages and understand better how the subtleties of our messaging affect others’ behaviors, hopefully rallying their commitment to our causes rather than merely their compliance with our orders. In this way, we may become better leaders. As an addendum to the syllabus, this assignment now comprises six deliverables. The syllabus provides the relevant due dates (also included below). The percentages below reflect the proportion of your Pitch Assignment grade determined by each deliverable. 1) Pitch Script 1 15% 2) Pitch Video 1 15% 3) Pitch Script 2 30% due 10/3 4) Pitch Video 2 30% due 10/10 5) Peer Evaluations 10% due 10/14 Below I have provided some feedback regarding your initial Pitch Script Drafts, as well as a sample pitch script and a formal rubric, to guide your revision process. It should be relatively easy to self-diagnose and determine why points were deducted from your drafts by judging your scripts by the comments below and the rubric at the end of this document. Please also review the original Pitch Assignment document to ensure you are conforming to the requirements outlined therein before submitting the next draft. I intend for your revision process to be self- directed through the final draft, though I encourage you to seek feedback from others (e.g., friends, family, coworkers) to help you craft a better pitch. Although I do not provide individual written feedback on your drafts, I am happy to do so over the phone or Zoom. The reasons I have deducted points on Pitch Script Draft 1 include: o Several people may not have sufficiently read the Pitch Assignment document I posted. Your job is not to inform the audience (i.e., your professor and classmates) about you or your passion, but to convince us to engage in your passion. In other words, your pitch is not about you. You are merely an advocate for your passion. Your focus should be persuading us to change our behaviors, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or values. If your passion is recycling, convince us to recycle. If your passion is voting, convince us to vote during the next election. Importantly, don’t offend us in the process by telling us we currently are fools. You should direct your pitch more toward the skeptics than those who already agree with you. MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 2 o Many students would benefit from being much more specific in their topics. For instance, if you are discussing environmental issues and encouraging us to adopt more environmentally friendly practices, it would be better to select a single issue and practice for us to adopt than to broadly encourage better environmental stewardship. In this case, you might discuss the problems of single-use plastic water bottles and how purchasing a reusable water bottle might ameliorate those problems. As another example, if you are discussing self- improvement, it would be better to select a limited topic, like reading 30 minutes a day, rather than something generic and clichéd like, “Follow your dreams and never give up so you can be the best you and show the world all you have to offer because you are a shining star that keeps the world from darkness and I know you’ll succeed because I believe in you just like me!” If you are asking us to volunteer or donate to a charity or cause, tell us which one. Be as specific as you can. o Many pitches were unstructured, resembling a stream-of-consciousness rather than comprising distinct sections. You should not have just one or two run-on paragraphs comprising your entire pitch. Instead, you should have perhaps four paragraphs (including the introductory paragraph; see below for comments), each serving a unique function, but together supporting your primary goal of inspiring your audience to engage in your passion. For each paragraph of your pitch, ask yourself, “What do I want my audience to be thinking or feeling by the end of this paragraph?” For instance, one paragraph might tell a personal story. Another paragraph might pose and answer a rhetorical question using expert opinion and statistics. Both paragraphs should seek to evoke some emotional or cognitive response from your audience. Do you want them to feel curious? Amused? Outraged? Or perhaps a sense of FOMO? Structure your pitch to build tension through a few such cognitive and emotional phases, and then resolve that tension through a well-crafted call-to-arms (see below for comments). o Your introductory paragraph should be just 50-75 words. Importantly, let us (i.e., the audience) know the purpose of your pitch in the introduction. Directly and specifically (and briefly) indicate to us what behavior, idea, social cause, attitude, opinion, or value you would like us to adopt. How do you seek to change us? Also, this paragraph should include a formal dedication to someone important to you. Many students failed to include such a dedication. o Many students did not include a call-to-arms. The final section of your pitch should provide specific, actionable, and feasible steps we can take to engage in your passion. The call-to- arms should not be a series of questions posed to the audience. Rather, it should answer any such questions the audience may have about how to engage in your passion. For the final drafts is should be perhaps one-quarter to one-third of your pitch. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=fomo MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 3 o Related to the above point, many students who included some form of call-to-arms could improve them. The call-to-arms is the most important section of your pitch. As such, it should be treated as a distinct section and not as an afterthought or summary section. The call-to- arms is a message directly to us, your classmates and professor(s), and not some fictional or faceless entity, nor society at large. As noted above, the more specific you are, the better. Two approaches to the call-to-arms were popular in the first drafts. One approach I will call the blitzkrieg, wherein the author bombards the audience with so many steps that they become overwhelmed and are left dazed and confused. The other approach I will call the dagger, wherein the author thrusts just a single point toward the audience at the end. Our call-to-arms should be more like a finely crafted trident, with 3-5 prongs that are connected to each other as well as the preceding paragraphs. o Many students used redundant or otherwise superfluous language. With a ~600-word limit, every word counts. You should not be rephrasing ideas multiple times. You should make any given statement precisely once (unless you are purposefully using techniques like repetition and anaphora). Below I provide a purposefully exaggerated example of such language: “Hello to everyone watching my video today. As some of you may know but others may not yet know, my name is Rob and I am a fellow MBA student in your classes here at UHD. Because this assignment we are doing in this class deals with what I am passionate about in my life, today I want to talk about a great passion of mine in this pitch which is called art. I became passionate about this topic of art when I was a child and am still passionate about it today, even though I am no longer a child because I am currently an adult. Art is a source of passion for me in my life and so I will discuss it here and try to get you to like it, too, if you don’t yet do so.” Such a passage could be stated more clearly, concisely, and compellingly as: “Hello, I’m Rob! I’ve been passionate about art, especially drawing and painting, since I was a kid. Today I’m going to tell you why you should make art a part of your life and hopefully inspire you to draw or paint something today. I’d like to dedicate this pitch to my great aunt Helen who introduced me to painting.” The revised paragraph has several advantages beyond eliminating redundancy and superfluousness. For example, “art” is a broad term, and in the first paragraph, the author does not indicate whether he is passionate about art creation, appreciation, preservation, or whatever else. The revised paragraph states the topic explicitly as creating drawings and paintings. As another advantage, the revised paragraph avoids telling the audience what we already know (e.g., that we are watching your video, etc.). Moreover, the revised paragraph contains a message specifically directed at the audience. Finally, the revised paragraph contains an explicit dedication per the instructions provided in the initial Pitch Assignment document. MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 4 o Some students submitted scripts that were either too long or too short. I want 575-625 words. o Several students were late in submitting the papers. o This draft is for a speech. Students who included graphics or hyperlinks should remove them, though I do appreciate the extra effort. o Some students plagiarized. Even a single unattributed sentence is enough to constitute a violation of academic honesty, so make sure your work is your work. You may use a short quote or two (i.e., 10-15 words), but you should attribute the source(s) during your pitch and cite the source(s) at the end of your Pitch Script. Any quotes you use should be inspirational, not informational. Do not quote statistics. Rephrase any statistics you use and cite the source(s). Now, the good news is that I see a lot of promise in your drafts! You have revealed a diverse set of passions, and it’s exciting to learn so much from you. Some of you have shared stories that are beautiful, tragic, comical, and courageous. I look forward to seeing how your pitches develop over the next couple of weeks. Let me know if you have any questions. MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 5 Supplementary Instructions for Pitch Script 2 Pitch Script 2 should represent a complete rewrite of your pitch. You may keep or reframe the same topic you used before, as well as any stories or anecdotes you shared, or you may select a new topic. Either way, I would suggest starting with a fresh Word document for this draft so that you do not use any of your old material. One of the reasons this assignment is so short is that I want you to work with the language and structure comprehensively. As you are working to recompose your Pitch Script, imagine that you are reading a stranger’s work. Try to overcome the emotional connection you have to your work (remember the IKEA effect?) and critique it objectively. Ask yourself if you find the pitch truly persuasive. Ask yourself if you feel inspired by the writing. Ask yourself if you feel compelled to change by the language. If you encounter a moment of confusion or ambiguity in your writing, your audience will, too. If you feel bored, your audience will, too. If you feel like you are being preached to, your audience will, too. Work with the language until you feel it is perfect. Annotate Tactics You are required to use and annotate at least 12 distinct verbal persuasive techniques in your pitch. Properly doing so is worth up to one-half of your grade for the second Pitch Script. Examples of persuasive techniques include Charismatic Leadership Tactics (CLTs), influence tactics, principles of persuasion, and any other identifiable techniques you might wish to employ (e.g., anaphora, alliteration, inspirational quote, etc.). CLTs will be discussed during our class on Communication. Influence tactics will be covered during our lecture on Power, Influence, and Change. You may use and annotate nonverbal tactics, but they do not count toward your 12- tactic minimum. Also, you may use and annotate specific verbal tactics more than once, but you may only count a specific tactic once toward your 12-tactic quota. For example, you may use multiple metaphors, similes, and analogies, but you may only count that tactic of “metaphors, similes, and analogies” once. You should annotate your use of these tactics using the “Comments” feature in Word (available under the Review tab). This link and this video provide more instruction for using that feature. When you save your Word document prior to uploading the file to Blackboard, ensure that “All Markup” is selected as the “Display for Review” option in the “Tracking” section of the “Review” tab. Please refer to the example below to see how it should look upon upload. https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Insert-or-delete-a-comment-8d3f868a-867e-4df2-8c68-bf96671641e2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwHE2BdYls MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 6 Pitch Script Example The sample script below is not a blueprint for your scripts, but it should give you some sense of the intended structure and style, especially with regard to annotating the tactics. I did not want to provide this example before you submitted Pitch Script 1 because I did not want you to be constrained structurally or stylistically to how I have written this sample script. In this example, I have utilized numerous CLTs, influence tactics, and other principles of persuasion. At the end of this document, you will find a non-exhaustive list of nearly 40 different tactics available to you. I have labeled all the tactics used in the example script. You should do the same per the instructions provided in the previous section. You will notice that some of the sentences below contain more than one tactic. At times, certain tactics are nested within other tactics, such as using contrasts when telling a story. Also, note that I have used several tactics more than once. You may also use tactics more than once, but you must use at least 12 different tactics. I have embedded nearly 20 tactics here to illustrate just how easy it can be to insert these tactics into your own written and verbal communication. Again, what I have provided here is merely an example. It should not be treated as an ideal template for your pitches. However, your pitch should look like the sample below with tactics annotated to the side. 7 Hello, I’m Rob Austin McKee, a Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior. I also work with non-profits to help aspiring entrepreneurs hone their public speaking skills. Today I’m going to discuss the art of the pitch with the goal of helping you pitch your ideas better. I dedicate this speech to all the teachers and professors who believed in me even when I did not. I am one of those strange souls who enjoy public speaking. A few years ago, I was part of a medical device startup going through the Texas Medical Center Startup Accelerator. I had the pleasure of speaking at a showcase event in front of nearly 1,000 attendees, including successful entrepreneurs, investors, and doctors. Being on stage at such an event is exhilarating. Immediately after my pitch, a white-haired gentleman suddenly approached me and began enthusiastically complimenting my performance, passion, and poise on stage. When he wandered off, one of the co-founders of our company suddenly approached me to ask about the conversation. At that time, this co-founder was the Chair of Bioengineering at Rice, so most of his daily life was spent being the smartest and most important person in any given room he happened to occupy. Mr. Chair-of-Bioengineering was perplexed that I seemed so casual about my conversation with Mr. White-Hair and asked if I knew who the gentleman was. When I responded that I did not, he shook his head and explained that Mr. White-Hair was the smartest and most important person in that room. He was one of the top heart surgeons in the world with nearly 60 patents and a Lambo. And Dr. White-Hair somehow remembers me to this day. That’s the power of good public speaking. You never know who might be watching! I believe that a single good presentation lasting just a few minutes can elevate a career or cause faster than months or even years of solid but out-of-sight performance. Have you ever heard the phrase “out of sight, out of mind”? Well, being in front of the room ensures that you are in sight and in mind. You set the content. You set the tone. You set the agenda. How many people do we remember from history just because they were the ones on stage? The civil rights movement involved millions of people, but we remember Martin Luther King, Jr. because he was on stage. Alone, we are limited in our capacities to effect change, but if we can rally others to our causes, we become mighty forces. So, how do we deliver great pitches? Here are three principles to follow. First, the structure is crucial, so write it out. Some speakers go so far as to develop storyboards for their pitches to keep them focused, nonredundant, and moving along, like a series of planned pitstops on a road trip to some definitive destination. Second, give both micro and macro perspectives on the issue. The micro perspective is easy; tell a story related to your topic involving some protagonist, who may well be you. The macro perspective should illuminate the importance of your topic more broadly, providing information like benefits and consequences that would be relevant to your audience and the greater world. Third, you should include a call-to-arms that directly addresses the audience and provides specific and actionable steps they can take. This call-to-arms is the ultimate purpose, or definitive destination, of your pitch! It should not be a smorgasbord of minor details, but rather a few big-picture items that distill the essence of your pitch to make it memorable and achievable by your audience. If you follow these three easy steps, I believe your next pitch will be a good one. And you never know who might be watching! Commented [RAM1]: 1) Storytelling Commented [RAM2]: 2) Authority – I establish myself as a credible source of information on the topic by showing I have been recognized as a skillful speaker by luminaries Commented [RAM3]: 3) Alliteration, AND 4) List of three Commented [RAM4]: 5) Humor Commented [RAM5]: 6) Repetition Commented [RAM6]: 7) Use of a colloquialism for Lamborghini Commented [RAM7]: 8) Apprising Commented [RAM8]: 9) Rhetorical question, AND 10) Use of a common proverb Commented [RAM9]: 11) Contrast Commented [RAM10]: 12) Anaphora Commented [RAM11]: Rhetorical question (I counted this tactic once already, so I labeled it for the reader’s convenience but did not count it again.) Commented [RAM12]: 13) Invoking history Commented [RAM13]: 14) Inspirational appeal Commented [RAM14]: Rhetorical question (I counted this tactic once already, so I labeled it for the reader’s convenience but did not count it again.) Commented [RAM15]: List of three (I counted this tactic once already, so I labeled it for the reader’s convenience but did not count it again.) Commented [RAM16]: 15) Simile Commented [RAM17]: Repetition (I counted this tactic once already, so I labeled it for the reader’s convenience but did not count it again.) Commented [RAM18]: Repetition (I counted this tactic once already, so I labeled it for the reader’s convenience but did not count it again.) MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 8 Nonexhaustive List of Persuasive Tactics o Charismatic Leadership Tactics from Week 5, Learning Charisma, Antonakis et at. (2012), HBR o Metaphors, similes, and analogies • Stories and anecdotes • Contrasts • Rhetorical Questions • Three-part lists • Expressions of moral conviction • Statements that reflect the sentiments of the group • Setting high goals • Convey confidence that the goals can be achieved • Creating a sense of urgency • Invoking history • Using repetition • Talking about sacrifice • Using humor o Principles of Persuasion from Week 5, Science of Persuasion, Cialdini and Martin • Liking • Reciprocity • Social Proof • Consistency • Authority • Scarcity o Influence Tactics from Week 6, Validation of the Extended Influence Behavior Questionnaire, Yukl et al. (2008), The Leadership Quarterly • Rational Persuasion • Consultation • Inspirational Appeals • Collaboration • Apprising • Ingratiation • Personal Appeals • Exchange • Legitimating • Pressure • Coalition o Other Tactics: You may use other identifiable tactics, as I did in the sample script above. Examples of such tactics include anaphora, alliteration, colloquialisms, proverbs, inspirational quotes (limited to 10-15 words with a citation provided), cultural references (e.g., celebrities, popular characters from TV or movies), etc. https://hbr.org/2012/06/learning-charisma-2 https://www.influenceatwork.com/principles-of-persuasion/ https://scholar-google-com.ezproxy.uhd.edu/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C44&q=Validation+of+the+extended+Influence+Behavior+Questionnaire&btnG= Pitch Assignment Rubric - MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 9 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 Very persuasive, correctly using at least 12 different tactics Fairly persuasive, correctly using at least 9 tactics Mildly persuasive, correctly using at least 6 tactics Not persuasive, correctly using fewer than 6 tactics 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 50-75 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 Timing ~4m ~15s more or less than 4m ~30s more or less than 4m ~1m more or less than 4m Video Quality Video contains no edits, special effects, props, or added sounds Video contains edits, special effects, props, or added sounds Video shows upper and lower torso to mid-thigh Video shows only a limited portion of the student’s face and torso such that the full range of expressions and body language is not visible Video and audio quality are good with a well-lit and quiet location Video or audio quality is poor such that the student cannot be seen or heard clearly File Upload File is uploaded by the deadline to the correct folder and named using student’s first and last name only, no changes made to folder settings File is not uploaded correctly Note: “Verbal Communication” and “Structure and Flow” apply to the Pitch Script. All categories apply to the Pitch Video. MBA 6213 Pitch Script Draft 1 Feedback, Example, and Tactics List - Rob Austin McKee v9 section 1 20210920 Art of Pitching pitch script - Rob Austin McKee, v3 MBA 6213 Pitch Script Draft 1 Feedback, Example, and Tactics List - Rob Austin McKee v7 section 3 MBA 6213 Pitch Presentation Rubric, Rob Austin McKee v5 no eye contact, enunciation, or summary MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 1 Pitch Assignment 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 and deliver a perfect 4-minute speech concerning something you are passionate about. Your goal is to inspire the audience (i.e., me and your peers) 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. This assignment comprises 3 deliverables. The syllabus provides the relevant due dates. The percentages below reflect the proportion of your grade determined by each deliverable. 1) Pitch Scripts 40% 2) Pitch Videos 50% 3) Peer Evaluations 10% MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 2 Deliverable 1 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. For instance, you could discuss your stance on some socioeconomic, environmental, or governmental issue. If such matters don’t inspire you, you could discuss your passion for working with animals, teaching underprivileged children how to read, playing classical piano, growing your own tomatoes, or almost anything else. Although the topic of your pitch is open-ended, several topics may be inappropriate depending on how they are framed (e.g., coitus, religion, and anything derogatory, racist, sexist, homophobic, etc.). If you have any questions about the suitability of your topic, please speak with me. 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. MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 3 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. Deliverable 2, your Pitch Video, is due one week after your Pitch Script. It requires that you record and upload a 4-minute video of your Pitch Presentation. Your Pitch Script provides your dialog for the video, but you do not have to follow it verbatim. You will not be penalized for deviating from your script as long as you deliver a compelling speech. A link is provided in the syllabus to a Google Drive folder where you can upload your video. Video captured via cell phone or laptop is satisfactory if the video quality and audio quality are acceptable. Videos should be recorded in a quiet and well-lit location. You are not required to wear professional attire, though you may want to do so if you believe it will help you gain a higher grade. Your video should be one continuous take with no edits, special effects, or added sounds. Do not use any props, including papers, graphs, charts, signs, furniture, or any other items. Try to position your camera lens around chest to eye-level so that the focus of your video is your face. Your face, full torso (down to at least your mid-thigh), and arms should be well-illuminated and visible. The viewer should always be able to see your hands, even if you allow your arms to hang straight down or hold them out perpendicular to your body. So, as a rule of thumb, position yourself relative to the camera such that if you hold your arms out perpendicular to your body and allow them to fall to your sides, you can see your fingertips through the entire range of motion. You should be standing freely unless you are medically unable to do so. When delivering your pitch, you can read the script from a page or screen not visible to the audience, but your audience should not be able to tell that you are doing so. I will deduct substantial points from your grade (up to 80% of the credit for your Pitch Video upload) if you are simply and obviously reading your script rather than pitching your script. I urge you to record and review your pitch several times as that simple practice is one of the best techniques to improve your verbal and nonverbal delivery. It is likely that it will take longer than you think to record a good video, so I strongly advise you not to wait until the due date to begin recording takes. Also, please note that it may take considerable time to upload your video depending on your connection speed, file size, etc., so plan accordingly. When uploading your video, please ensure that you name your video file using your first and last name only. For example, I would title my video file “Rob McKee.” Also, please ensure that you upload you video to the correct subfolder corresponding to your within Google Drive corresponding to your class or group (if applicable). Do not change any of the Google Drive folder settings. Doing so may prevent other students from MBA 6213, Dr. Rob Austin McKee 4 uploading their videos. Google Drive maintains a record of collaborators who make changes to folder settings. The submission date and link are provided in the syllabus. Please note that the submission link is not the same as the Video Introduction link. Deliverable 3 will be discussed after Deliverables 1 and 2 have been submitted. 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 50- 75 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 Timing ~4m ~15s more or less than 4m ~30s more or less than 4m ~1m more or less than 4m Video Quality Video contains no edits, special effects, props, or added sounds Video contains edits, special effects, props, or added sounds Video shows upper and lower torso to mid-thigh Video shows only a limited portion of the student’s face and torso such that the full range of expressions and body language is not visible Video and audio quality are good with a well-lit and quiet location Video or audio quality is poor such that the student cannot be seen or heard clearly File Upload File is uploaded by the deadline to the correct folder and named using student’s first and last name only, no changes made to folder settings File is not uploaded correctly Note: “Verbal Communication” and “Structure and Flow” apply to the Pitch Script. All categories apply to the Pitch Video.