Speech 2 Guidelines (Victim Impact Statement Murder Case)

Goal:

A Victim Impact statement gives a victim within a court of law the opportunity to directly address the court and the defendant, state the effects of the defendants actions on their life, and ultimately state their wishes for the defendants sentencing. At this point in the trial the guilty verdict has already been dealt and is directly followed by the sentencing by the judge. The goal of a Victim Impact statement is to invoke sympathy from the court and the judge and persuade the judge to give a sentencing worthy of the damage caused. 

Guidelines:

• Introduce yourself

Start calm and collected and really built your emotions as you continue 

• How did the crime affect you and your family?

Really express the emotional distress placed on you and your family, if you lost a loved one, state what they meant to you, how life was before the murder (Good times, Paint the victim in a beautiful light), how family functions changed, how family fell apart, how this gaping hole has destroyed you. Loss of sleep.

• What was the emotional impact of the crime on you and your family?

Tears, tears, tears.  A shaky voice is acceptable. State any depression or anxiety you now experience. Nightmares, constant fears.

• What was the financial impact on you and your family?

If the victim was a major financial support for the family, express how you now struggle to make ends meet, to keep food on the table, make house payments. Maybe you had to move to a smaller more affordable house. Explain these hardships.

• Do you have any recommendations to the court about disposition (sentencing) of this case?

Make it clear what you want for this individual. People often hope for the worst in these cases and that would be life without the possibility parole. Explain that a life for a life. The defendant not only took a life but completely devastated the lives of the loved ones and for that must surrender to a life of imprisonment. 

• Is there anything else you would like to tell the court?

Close with your most powerful statements. Statements that leave the court thinking and leaves them relating. Close allowing them to feel overly sympathetic. 

Start.Stop.Continue

Start:

I need to use more hand gestures.

• Throughout my speech I noticed that I did actually use my hands slightly when making key points but my reliance on the note card really retrained my hands to my center in a position where I could easily return back to it.

In terms of posture I need to stand up straight.

• I noticed that I constantly had all my weight shifted to my left side which gave me an awkward stance. Posture completely changes how you are perceived. One with a dominant and firm stance will be taken much more seriously.

I need to project my voice louder.

• Projecting my voice has always been an issue of mine, even when it comes to performing music. Even though I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear me, a voice that projects is powerful and holds attention.

I would have liked to see myself move around more as throughout my entire speech my legs remained still.

• The movement can really engage your audience while a stagnant stance comes off kind of boring viewing it in retrospect.

I definitely need to practice more in front of peers.

• I don’t get too nervous speaking in front of others but I need to know what I’m going to say and how I’m going to say it to prevent rambling which I did quite a bit of.

I need to start making better eye contact.

• Though I was able to make eye contact with my audience, it was short lived because each time I looked away from my note card I lost where I was on the note card thus creating the many “uhms” and “so yeah’s” we all heard.

The “follow up” could have used some improvement.

• It was kind of a last sentence closing statement that came off as an afterthought rather than a planned part of the speech.

Maybe have less points and explain them better.

• I feel that my speech didn’t flow as well as it could have in the sense that some phrases were just thrown in there without much explaining such as when I talked about how I often find undiscovered talent online. My last class that involved public speaking said that effective speeches often consist of just three main points that are analyzed well.

Instead of rushing from point to point, I would like to allow some time for pauses in my next speech.

• I felt as if I was preoccupied thinking of what I was going to say next and didn’t give much time for my points to sink in.

I would like to pace myself in my rate of speech.

• Though I wasn’t speaking obnoxiously fast I could definitely slow down a tad and really give myself time to think about what I’m saying and how I’m saying it.

Stop:

I said “uhm” a total of eleven times.

• I noticed this sort of “filler” only occurs between the main points of my speech. I need to stop being uncomfortable with effective pauses. The pauses really add a sort of controlled and paced effect to your speech. (President Obama’s speeches are always very controlled and make great use of these pauses)

• Stop saying “So Yeah” as a filler.

Stop relying on my note card. (even though I won’t have a choice in future speeches!)

• It was too much of a crutch in the sense that I know that if I didn’t have it, I would have forced myself to prepare more, thus allowing my thoughts and speech to flow more efficiently.  

I need to stop going “off the cuff”

• When mentioning Leslie, my talent scout, I rambled on a few seconds about things that weren’t in my rehearsal in an attempt to lengthen the time. It both distracted the audience from what I was actually trying to say and disrupted the flow of what I was saying. More practice will make the speech less rambly.

Stop looking up at the ceiling when trying to think about my next point.

• It’s distracting and shows a lack of preparation

Stop making mouth ticks

• I only noticed it a few times between main points but it’s strange and takes away from the message

Continue:

• I thought I picked an interesting topic that kept the audience engaged in my speech
• I felt that the formality of my speech was appropriate for my intended audience
• My tone of voice fluctuated throughout the speech which is good because it prevents you from coming off boring or mono-toned.
• I feel that I came off confidently and didn’t look or sound nervous. This is especially important because I know as an audience member that when I perceive a performer to be nervous, I become anxious for them which distracts myself completely from what they’re saying and makes the entire performance rather unpleasant to watch.
• Kinesics! My facial expressions were good, I didn’t come off as stone cold. The smiling allows for a positive and comfortable vibe in the room.
• I thought I showed a decent amount of passion for what I was talking about (giving background information on how I grew up around music and instruments)