Analyzing Toulmin's Five Canons Of A Speech Class

Going into this class, I expected it to be just about writing speeches. It was that, but it was also something more. Over the course of the semester we did a lot of speech writing, but I also learned how to write speeches better than I did before entering this course. I structured my speeches better by using Toulmin’s model and learned new terms or refamiliarized myself with old ones I had previously forgotten, such as Cicero’s five canons of rhetoric. Throughout my reflection paper, I will discuss and reflect on the various things that I have taken away from this course.

As I was planning what to discuss in this paper, the first thing that came to mind on what I should talk about was Toulmin’s model. Before taking scom 242, I had no prior knowledge of what Toulmin’s model was. I believe that my first time actually utilizing it in this class was when writing the outline for my persuasive speech. Toulmin’s model is setting up each of the main points in a speech with the structure of claim, data, and warrant. When I first attempted to use it, it presented a challenge to me. This is

mainly because I didn’t know how to write a warrant in a way that accurately represented such. I overcame this problem by looking at different definitions of what a warrant is and multiple examples of warrants. Now that I understand Toulmin’s model, it will be an important tool for structuring speeches that I will most definitely be using in the future.
Another thing that I can say that I have taken away from this course is Cicero’s five canons of rhetoric.

I believe I learned them in my introductory communications course, but I don’t remember them. So, getting a refresher of this material in this class was nice. The entire concept of the five canons is helpful, but the part of it that I feel helped me the most, or that I will think about the most when it comes to my speeches is delivery. I say this because delivery is about presenting the messages in a speech with effective gestures and vocal modulation. Delivery is something that I can improve on in my speeches because I know my gestures are often lacking or don’t have a specific meaning or direction to them. By keeping not just my delivery in mind when it comes to speeches, but all five canons, I believe I can not only develop good speeches, but also deliver good speeches as

well.
The third, and last thing that I will say has helped me the most in this class when it comes to writing speeches is the three propositions of fact, value, and policy. I was previously unaware of this style of arranging speeches before learning about it in early March, and I quickly became aware of how useful it is for writing persuasive speeches. I would have to figure out if the point I decided to discuss, and highlight was about one of the three propositions to later write a point of solution that paired well with it. I believe that this helps the speech’s structure be sounder, helps the speech sound better to the audience, and truly ties things together. If, and when I do use this method to write speeches in the future, it will make my point come across better, and take my words to the next level.
While taking scom 242, I learned multiple things throughout. The three things that I decided to focus on in my paper were Toulmin’s model, Cicero’s five canons, and the three propositions of fact, value, and policy. These three things that were discussed at various points throughout the semester not only helped me with writing my speeches and constructing my messages, but also helped me with improving my delivery. Now leaving this course, I can say that this class has given me communication skills that I will continue to use in the future.