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MATT MCGARRITY: So now that we've started into the impromptu, I want to talk
through this model of argument we're going to use to organize
our impromptu speeches.
And this model's useful in a whole range of speeches.
But it's certainly key to the ideas and work we're going to be doing here
in this impromptu speech.
And the model I'm taking comes from the work of Stephen Toulman, who was a
British philosopher and writer on argumentation.
And originally it was sort of more of a way of describing
and analyzing arguments.
But it really has some good uses in terms of thinking about how we might
build strong arguments.
And these can be arguments about policy.
Policy arguments are what we should do as a collective or individuals.
Or they can be claims and argument about fact--
the earth is X years old, whatever.
So what then are these key elements of an argument?
Well there are three key terms here--
claim, support, and warrant.
And I'll talk to each one of these.
So to begin with, a claim.
A claim is an assertion you want the audience to take as valid.
Once again, we're in the realm of argumentation, not truth necessarily.
So we want something to be taken as valid, reasonable, believable.
That's what we're dealing with when we're dealing with claims.
So in the impromptu, you have two claims--
your two main points.
Those are claims in advance of another really big claim--
your thesis statement.
So you've got one big claim, supported by two smaller claims.
But each one of those claims needs--
it can't just be a random assertion of validity.
Rather you need support.
And support is the evidence and information that you use to validate
that claim.
So here and when you get into the support, you're demonstrating that the
claim has some basis in rationality or fact.
It's not just you kind of making stuff up.
You can point to examples, or statistics, or testimony, or various
things to show that this claim has some basis in reasonability.
But of course, support by itself doesn't validate the claim.
And actually this is something we'll get to in the informative speech, but
one of the problems sometimes people have with speaking is they just put
that support out there.
They tell you the evidence.
But they don't explain the evidence.
So we don't want to do that.
And impromptu allows us to learn how not to do that.
Support doesn't just validate the claim.
You as a speaker need to explain how and why that support relates to the
claim-- that support validates the claim.
And that's the realm of this warrant.
The warrant is the link that ties your support to the claim.
And so this model is really a way of thinking about the various components
of a speech--
and especially the various components of an impromptu speech.
And so we can take a look at a couple of outlines here.
And you can see how this maps onto what you're doing in
the impromptu speech.
So this first one is a sample impromptu outline I had a
student speak on.
But this is the basic argument.
So the thesis here is Microsoft and Apple should give their operating
systems to any student enrolled in college free of charge.
So that's the master claim--
not going to happen, but again debatable point-- allows us to work on
argumentation.
But that claim is supported by two main points, also claims.
Such a move benefits students.
Such a move benefits companies.
So the speaker would want the audience to see those as reasonable assertions,
reasonable claims.
There's no reason to support that thesis if these two claims don't work.
So we've got two claims.
Each one of those claims is supported by evidence-- by
an idea, by an example.
It eliminates mandatory cost.
It creates academic equity.
These are on the outline it's pretty embryonic.
But as you would discuss this in depth, you would be explaining what
that support is, and how it relates to the claim.
Here's another example, different thesis--
one I personally believe.
Public speaking should be a requirement at every level of a
primary education.
Well, why would this be?
I've got two claims--
public speaking skills take a long time to nurture and public speaking
skills are essential at every age.
Under that first one, I've got a piece of support, Quintilian.
Quintilian was a Roman rhetorician, wrote this book basically laying out a
cradle-to-grave model for speech education.
So I could talk about that support and relate it to the claim--
provide flesh on that claim that public speaking skills take a long
time to nurture.
So in any case, whatever the thesis is, I want the audience to hear those
claims as reasonable.
So each point is supported with two pieces of evidence.
But in the performance of that point, that's really where we need to
practice impromptus.
In the performance of that point, I'm trying to bridge the gap between the
claim and the support through a discussion of their relationship.
And that's the warrant.
That's the discussion of the warrant.
So I wanted to define these terms because they're going to be used
throughout the course.
And understanding this model I think is very useful, because it helps you
place the emphasis in your speech in many cases on the claim.
So you can move from thinking about a point as a chunk of talk.
Like there are many times maybe you think like, oh, I've got this point I
want to talk about that's five minutes.
I don't know what I'm going to do in those five minutes.
I'm going to talk, and hopefully it works.
But instead, if you're thinking in terms of what is the argument and what
are the various components, you can understand the relationship.
And remember that you really want people to remember that claim.
That support's invaluable, but it's there to drive the claim.
It's there to support the claim.
By the same token, the support isn't going to validate the
claim on its own.
So you have to explain how and why that support relates to the claim.
You've got to provide the warrant and make it evident for that audience.
So claim, support, and warrant help us move through each point or chunk of
the speech with a greater sense of purpose.
And this sense of purpose is important, because it can sharpen your
focus in any part of the speech.
It can improve the quality of the entire speech.
And perhaps most importantly, it can make the speech
clearer for your audience.
So in the next lecture, we're going to take up how you can start coming up
with these main points for your impromptu speech--
how you can start coming up with your claims.