TEXTBOOK:Public Speaking:
An Audience-Centered Approach, 7th ed., Beebe and Beebe
WebCT: WebCT is an online
course delivery system in use at CCRI. While our course is not
online, many of its components are. For example, WebCT allows you to
access most of your course assignments and course resources. More
importantly, it allows you to communicate with me and with your
fellow students. I will guide you through the registration process.
Once registered into the site, you can access our course online
anywhere.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students who complete the required work will be prepared to
achieve two major objectives: first, be able to understand
the principles of effective oral communication; and second,
be able to apply these principles in actual speaking situations.
Specifically, at the end of the course, you should be able to:
Feel confident and communicate effectively in a variety of
extemporaneous speaking situations, including individual
speeches and group presentations
Conduct audience and situational analyses and apply findings
to all aspects of speech preparation and delivery
Present speeches that reflect solid understanding of
communication theory, research techniques, and organization
Use delivery skills, both verbal and nonverbal, to craft an
effective presentation
Listen critically
Provide constructive feedback to peers
Apply constructive criticism to improve in future speeches
Develop presentational aids following appropriate guidelines
and design principles
Transfer skills gained from composing and presenting
extemporaneous speeches to impromptu speaking situations
CLASS POLICIES: 1. Absences - You MUST
attend class. As a student of this course, you have an obligation as
a speaker and as an audience member. You can't meet these
obligations if you aren't present. I can be reached at 333-7389 or
at kbeauchene@ccri.edu in
case you need to contact me regarding an absence. Please notify me
so that I can make you aware of an assignment and so that I can make
any necessary changes in planned class activities.
I endorse the English Department's attendance policy and will notify
you when you violate it:
For a class that meets 3 times a week, you are allowed three,
unexplained absences. (Note that two late arrivals = 1 absence.)
After 3 absences, your grade will be
reduced.
After 6 absences, an F will be assigned
for the course.
2. Class Conduct - Respect is key in this course, in all
situations--class lecture, group work, and speaking situations. Showing
respect means not walking into class late and certainly not when a
fellow classmate is speaking. I can overlook an occasional lateness.
However, repeatedly walking into class late indicates that the class
meeting time is not for you. After your 3rd tardiness, you will not be
allowed to walk into class and will be considered absent.
Respect also means turning off all electronic
devices: pagers, cell phones, CD and MP3 players. Listening attentively
is
important, as it, too, shows respect for the speaker. Fidgeting,
playing around with a backpack or purse, talking to others, mumbling
to yourself, writing note cards, practicing your own speech, text
messaging, etc., shows lack of respect and makes the speaker
(classmate or me) uncomfortable. I will ask disrespectful students to
leave the classroom.
As part of this course involves your giving and receiving criticism,
you are expected to deliver constructive criticism and respond to
criticism with respect, even though you may not agree with my or a
classmate's comments.
A good attitude and a sense of humor will take you far in this
class!
I know that they work for me, so I like to practice what I preach.
3. Plagiarism - Simply put, plagiarism is stealing someone
else's ideas or words without giving credit to the source. Getting caught at it (and getting caught is easier than you might
think) has serious repercussions, including failing the assignment and
very possibly the course itself. Please read the CCRI
Policy on Academic Honesty.
4. Need Help? - As a teacher of this course for over 20
years, I certainly am aware that many students fear public speaking.
This fear causes students to put off working on their speeches and
often failing to show up to give speeches. I am willing to help you,
in class or outside of class, with any aspect of the public speaking
process. Please do not hesitate to email me, call me, or show up at
my office in advance of an assignment. In fact, even after this
class is over, consider me a resource for any academic, social, or
professional presentation. Learning how to speak in public doesn't
stop after you leave this class, and I am willing to extend my help
to you as long as you need it.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Speeches - During the semester you will be required
to give approximately 6 speeches: Informative (2), Demonstrative
(1), Persuasive (1), and Impromptu (2). You will also be required to
participate in class activities that require brief speaking
presentations, some of which may be graded.
Unless otherwise stipulated, speeches are to be delivered
extemporaneously; that is they are to be prepared beforehand; but
wording, although practiced, is determined during the actual speech.
You will not be expected to deliver a speech from memory, nor should
you write a speech out word for word and then read it to the class
as you might in a writing class.
Learning to produce under pressure is part of the public
speaker's challenge. Therefore, once speaking dates are assigned,
you must make every effort to complete the assignment on the given
date. If you are unable to speak on the assigned date, it is YOUR
responsibility to notify me PRIOR to the next class. Doing so will
enable you to make up the speech. Not contacting me means that (a)
the speech cannot be made up because of time constraints, or (b) the
speech can be made up at the class's convenience but with a full
grade penalty.
2. Written Work - As in all college classes, you will be
completing some writing assignments. These include various homework
assignments, critiques, and speech outlines. These mandatory
assignments are
important and factor into your overall grade. All work must be
computer-generated. Handwritten work is not acceptable.
3. Quizzes and Tests- These will be
sprinkled throughout the course. Most will be announced in advance,
and most will consist of
multiple-choice and short-answer questions. However, I may also
assign a take-home test, which will be an essay.
You will also be required to answer questions based on each
assigned chapter. You will access and respond to these questions through WebCT (not Pipeline). Each quiz will have a due date assigned to it,
after which you cannot take the quiz.
Be appropriate to the audience, assignment, and time limit
Satisfy any specific requirements of the assignment
Be original
Have a clearly identifiable design and use transitions
throughout
Develop and support main ideas with appropriate evidence
Be presented extemporaneously
To receive a "B"
on a speech, your speech must:
Satisfy all requirements for a "C"
speech
Have a challenging topic
Have clearly identified sources of information and ideas
Create and sustain attention
Be delivered with pose in good oral style
To receive an "A"
on a speech, your speech must:
Satisfy all requirements for a "B"
speech
Demonstrate imagination and creativity
Be delivered in a polished style
A "D"
speech, does not meet one or more criteria of the "C"
speech or:
Is obviously unrehearsed
Is based entirely on unsupported opinions
An "F" speech
does not meet three or more of the criteria for a "C"
speech, reflects either of the problems associated with a "D"
speech, or:
Uses fabricated material
Deliberately distorts evidence
A ZERO
is assigned to any speech that is plagiarized. Plagiarism is
defined as "borrowing" information from another source
(book, magazine, Internet, another student, etc.) and NOT
acknowledging the borrowed material. In other words, passing work
off as your own constitutes plagiarism.
2. Course Grade - To receive a passing grade, you must
satisfy all course requirements. Speech grades comprise the bulk of
the final grade. Each speech will have a different weight assigned
to it, with each speech weighing more as the course progresses. (See
your syllabus for specific percentages.)
