Alright, guys.

If you do not mind, I need a little group participation from you all. For my speech class I would like to present an informative speech about the Mini Cooper. I am asking help from you guys on what I should include, what I should
focus on as main points, and the like.

Pretty much I am asking for any information that my fellow Mini enthusiasts are willing to give.

Thank You All, I am looking forward to this!

ChesterTheMini05.

 

Don't forget the "FUN" factor. It can't be over-rated!

 

Oh of course not. That's one of the many Best parts!

 

A lot of car for little money!

 

Speech Class...what's it geared toward, debate or just informative (marketing)? I'd add something about the amount of options you can add. Again though it really depends on what you are trying to covey...a give and take, or simply trying to sell MINI, oh that was an oximoron wasn't it...MINI SELLS ITSELF!!

 

Its just a general speech class and this speech is an informative standpoint. I'm really just trying to throw out general information to my audience.

 

Talk about the history and heritage of Minis past and MINIs present.

 

+1!!

 

Thank you all for the posts! Keep them coming, I am looking very forward to this speech now!! (but who wouldn't enjoy talking about their MINI?)

 

Safety. If you are informing people you should inform them for a small car it is very safe even against larger vehicles.

 

communications/speech major here, PM me if you need any help!

 

Try adding the old saying "Don't knock it till you've tried it."

 

The culture! I had no idea about the amount of fun that the MINI culture adds to a daily drive home (such as waving/flashing lights) and all the events MINI and enthusiasts run.

I was sad that I got my MINI right after a local dealership had a track event. I can't wait for the next one!

 

If you can find it quickly enough, "MINI - 50 Years" will give you more information than you can deal with in a semester's lecture series.

Golding, Rob. MINI - 50 Years. Motorbooks, MBI Publishing, St Paul, MN: 2007

Don't neglect Alec Issigonis' creative idea and the subsequent victories at Monte Carlo giving the Mini half a century of credability

 

Oh man, this throws me back to my days in undergrad ... My Speech professor was a car guy (rock crawling), so I did my final presentation on Autocross. I was one in a handful of kids who used powerpoint out of a class of 32 students (this was back in 2003).

I second the book. You need a good source of info. The most important thing is not to "uhh" or "umm" your way to the end, speak confidently, clearly, grammatically, and use complete sentences (also no contractions!).

I've seen experienced attorneys get absolutely chewed out by circuit court judges for doing any of the above. Public speaking is definitely not easy. Good luck!

 

The really interesting stuff, if I were in the audience, would be the way the brand was originally created and marketed and the way it was made relevant for this past decade. MINI currently has amazingly tight branding that has helped turn the brand into a major seller.

 

+1 on the early history, and try to keep it from sounding like a commercial.

The original Mini design was quite a change from the usual thinking (outside the box, we'd say now). Front wheel drive, transversely mounted engine, gearbox engine sump mounted, 10" wheels to the far corners (bull dog stance, we'd say now), and hydrolastic and rubber cone suspensions were all part of the early classic Mini.

The Mini 850 had only 34 hp (2 hp less than a 1960 VW beetle), but Cooper versions eventually grew in displacement to become 1275 cc with about 75 hp (0-60 in about 10.5 seconds) by 1963-4. Early Minis were offered with both Morris or Austin name plates (although they rolled off the same assembly line) because some Brits wouldn't buy a Morris, while others wouldn't buy an Austin.

 

Carmichael makes a good point about presentation. If I may add a couple of additional suggestions: Do not pace or fidget, focus on the back of the room but do make passing eye contact and one of the most important but most overlooked, keep you hands out of your pockets. If you are rattling your keys or what little change you have left, your audience will be watching your hands and not you. To reiterate what C said, avoid filler words, jargon and especially acronyms. One more thing relative to a mistake I once made. If you have visual aids, do not stand in front of them! The night before, stand in front of a mirror and go thru your entire presentation. It does make a difference. Good luck and be sure to let us know how it went.

 

I think you should get some material from the "Things you didn't know about your MINI" thread. After all, everyone in the class probably owns a car, drives a car, etc. They will have heard or experienced much of what you would typically have to say. But the MINI does have some unique features and using some of those to highlight how the MINI is different from other cars would make for an interesting speech. Maybe title the speech. The MINI, What it is, and isn't.

 

Pull out some pictures of the mini and tell them that a picture is worth 1000 words and that you intend to use both!

 

Hey you all.
I am sorry I have not been on lately..School work just keeps piling up. I plan on writing this whole speech tomorrow and Tuesday, that way it gives me A bit over a week to prepare. Thank you all for the positive feedback, and I will let you guys know how it goes!

In the mean time, happy motoring!

 

Hey guys,
Thank you all for the help and the suggestions on this speech assignment.
It was presented last wednesday, and I received an "A". In fact, the professor even asked about buying a MINI and about their value and an estimated price! haha!

Anyway.. I earned a 95. (She knocked 5 points off for going over my time limit, I assume, because she said I spoke too fast (which is very possible) but hey, You cant pack so much wonderful information into 8 Minutes)

All in all, thank you
ChesterTheMini05.

 

Well done!
Probably should have mentioned the adrenaline fueled 'talking too fast' syndrome and how to avoid it's repurcussions, but oh well. Sounds like ya done great. Did you give your prof. the URL to MINIUSA so she could design and order her own?
Thanks for letting us know the outcome.

 

I should have given her the URL, although if she was that interested, she would look at my sources. Haha.. But Not a problem, thanks for the help!