A study examined the extent to which a 19-item short form of the Speech Evaluation Instrument (SEI) is a reliable instrument, what factor structure emerges from the analysis, and how that factor structure compares to that reported for the 30-item long form of the SEI. Subjects, 606 undergraduates enrolled in speech communications classes at two Arizona State University campuses, responded to portions of two video-taped speeches, using the short form of the SEI, which applied to presentational, rather than interactive, speech stimuli. Results indicated that the short from of the SEI is a reliable instrument when applied to presentational speech; that a four-factor structure emerged, dividing "superiority" into "competence" and "status" (dynamism, attractiveness, competence, and status); and that the factor structure for the short form differs from that of the long form in that the factors emerged in reverse order. Overall, analysis leads to the conclusion that the short form of the SEI warrants further development. (Three tables of data and 23 references are attached.) (RS)