Public Speaking

The course helps students become effective public speakers by requiring them to research, to outline, and to present speeches.  Students will also learn how to analyze and critique the presentational skills and techniques of other speakers.

CAVEAT: No graduate credit will be awarded if COM3401 has been successfully completed.

UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:

• Writing effective speech introductions which include startling statements, questions, anecdotes, quotes, suspenseful illustrations, and personal references.
• Creating memorable conclusions which include a summary and illustrations, emotional appeals, humor, and challenges.
• Locating material for a speech using EBSCO and other scholarly sources in the online library and correctly documenting those sources within a speech outline.
• Composing a speech outline that demonstrates excellent organizational skills which thoroughly develops the topic.
• Choosing language that appeals to the five senses: sight, hearing, feeling, smell, and taste.
• Integrating illustrations within a speech which include vivid imagery.
• Applying the nonverbal research to present an effectiveness speech including eye contact, good postures, appropriate gestures, and occasional movement.
• Analyzing a speaker’s nonverbal effectiveness: eye contact, postures, gestures, facial expression, and movement.
• Presenting a speech with enthusiasm, energy, spontaneity, and communicativeness.
• Evaluating organizational patterns to determine which one is appropriate for an informative speech: topical, spatial, or chronological.
• Selecting and utilizing appropriate organizational patterns for informative speeches such as lectures or demonstrations.
• Evaluating and selecting appropriate organizational patterns for a persuasive speech:  problem/solution, comparative advantage, and criteria/satisfaction.
• Applying Aristotle’s theory of persuasion including ethos, pathos, and logos.
• Utilizing emotional, logical, and credible appeals in a persuasive speech.
• Analyzing an audience and writing a speech that specifically addresses the issues that concern the group with credibility.
• Delivering a speech that shows the audience relevancy through timeliness, proximity, and impact.
• Developing a personal code of ethics for public speaking.