Materials
and skills covered:
- The
importance of adapting oral communication to a particular audience
- The development
of essential delivery skills in oral communication—voice, articulation,
effective use of movement and gestures.
- The
development of the student’s skills as an extemporaneous speaker—topic
analysis, thesis identification, speech organization and development, and
the crafting of effective introductions and conclusions.
- The
process of becoming a more critical listener, learning to discern sound
logic and to evaluate the effectiveness of persuasive discourse.
- The
skills of crafting persuasive argument using all types of research.
- Evaluating
information sources to determine their effectiveness as sources for
persuasive speeches.
Methods used:
- Over the course of the
quarter, the students will prepare and deliver approximately one speech
per week. As preparation for those assignments, they will work with the
professor to plan and prepare their speeches.
- More than one-half of the
class time is devoted to student presentations.
- Students will view and
critique sample speeches for each of the assignments prior to presenting
their own speeches.
- Students will be evaluated on
both content and delivery of their speeches (usually about 50% for each)
- Students participate in a
learning community in which they freely exchange ideas and suggestions
about how each student can grow as an effective speaker. Each speech is
followed by a question and answer period and a short oral critique. The
professor supplies written critiques for each speech.
Grade determined by:
Although the
grades accumulate throughout the quarter, the most important determinant in the
student’s final grade is the level of competence the student had achieved by
the end of the quarter. Upward adjustments in final grades may be in order for
those students who have shown a large measure of progress during the quarter.
Attendance policy:
Students are
expected to be in class every day in order to participate fully in speech
assignments and critiquing. Students who miss class more than three times per
quarter can expect a grade reduction.