FUNDAMENTALS OF SPEECH COMMUNICATION
COM 1100.21 (3.0 HRS)
Spring 2015
Caryn Robinson
Monday 2:00 PM
WAC 2091
Office Hrs. MW 4:30-5:30 or by appt.
Ph: 460-6451
E-mail: caryn.robinson@adjuncts.belmont.edu
COURSE WEBSITE http://com1100robinson.weebly.com/
This is your online resource for this course. It contains all course information and announcements specific
to your section. Please check it weekly. BOOKMARK THIS LINK for use throughout the semester.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
COM 1100, Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3) to enhance student skills and confidence in the
development, presentation and consumption of human communication with an emphasis on public
speaking.
TEXTBOOK optional
Beebe, S. A., & Beebe, S. J. (2014). A Concise Public Speaking Handbook (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn &
Bacon.
REQUIRED SUPPLIES
USB Flash Drive (large enough to save a video file) or phone, iPad, laptop for recording your speeches;
3x5 or 4x6 note cards
COURSE GOALS
 You will be able to effectively adapt a speech topic for your audience.
 You will be able to organize information into a structured outline.
 You will be able to use multiple organization structures for informative, persuasive and after
dinner speeches.
 You will be able to select credible and appropriate sources for use in a speech.
 You will be able to critically analyze and develop ethos, pathos, and logos appeals.
 You will be able to construct an argument devoid of logical fallacies.
 You will be able to effectively deliver a speech.
 You will be able to use multiple presentation aids to enhance and not detract from your
presentation.
 You will be able to feel capable and confident giving speeches and know that audiences will enjoy
listening to you!
COURSE REQUIREMENTS (% of final course grade)
Meaningful Item presentation (CA pts)
Be Curious presentation (15%)
Technical Information presentation (20%)
Persuasive presentation (25%)
Written self evaluations (5%)
Elevator Pitch (5%)
Entertaining presentation (20%)
Class Activities (10%)
Class Activities include: the GPS survey, TED Talk assignments, Assert Yourself experience and
all in class activities— card quizzes; oral critiques, comments, questioning; daily and persuasive written
critiques; attendance/tardiness; classroom conduct/courtesy; participation in impromptu speeches
and group activities.
“Group Scoop” presentation or Individual Comm Tips presentation (Extra credit opportunity) -optional
Outside speaker critique (makes up 1 absence)-optional
PLEASE SEE THE WEBSITE FOR DETAILED ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
THE RULES
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Your attendance and active participation in class are vital to your success in this course. If your personal
schedule suggests that you will have difficulty attending class, you should consider taking the course at
another time. You are allowed (2) absences per university policy. Absences beyond that will result in a
1/3 letter grade point deduction from your final course grade for EACH additional absence.
BE POLITE. LAPTOPS, IPADS and PHONES should not be used when people are speaking or during
lecture (unless taping a speech) to minimize distractions for everyone. Inappropriate or excessive use of
these devices will result in a lowering of your class activities grade.
OUTLINES
Required with each of the 4 major speeches.
OUTLINES MUST BE EMAILED BY MIDNIGHT THE FRIDAY BEFORE YOUR SPEAKING DAY.*
Ten (10) pts will be deducted for late outlines.
▪A hard copy of all outlines must be turned in on your speaking day.
Ten (10) pts will be deducted for no hard copy. Must be typed.
Bibliography requirements vary with each presentation but will be required.
Please follow an appropriate style manual (MLA, APA, etc.) for complete citations.
These are formal outlines, not brief speaking outlines, and will be graded accordingly.
OUTLINE ASSISTANCE
If you would like feedback/help with your outline/speech ahead of time you may email your outline to me
at least a day before the deadline* with specific questions and I will review it, attach comments where
necessary, and return it to you.
LATE PRESENTATIONS
YOU MUST SPEAK ON ASSIGNED DAYS
Failure to do so will result in a zero (0) for that presentation unless prior arrangements have been made
with the instructor. Valid, written documentation must be provided in order to make up a missed
speech. Makeup presentations are difficult to arrange due to tight scheduling, so excused makeup
presentations may be required to be given before a panel of professors at a prearranged date and time
(Late Committee) or during a time outside of class. You will be given advance notice of speaking times so
speaking on assigned days should not be difficult.
LATE WRITTEN WORK
A (10) point grade deduction will be taken for each additional class period the work is not received.
USE OF NOTE CARDS
Students in this course are required to give extemporaneous presentations. This style requires
speaking from a brief set of notes or speaking outline to jog the memory. This form of delivery
requires thorough preparation and rehearsal, yet appears relaxed and conversational. It involves
preparing an organized set of ideas rather than writing the presentation out word for word. For this reason
each presentation will have a limited number of note cards that may be used and these will be turned in
to the instructor following each presentation. If you wish to use notes, NOTE CARDS must be used.
Students may not speak from their formal outlines or mysterious shreds of notebook paper.
*Please purchase (1) package of 3x5 or 4x6 note cards for the semester.*
KEYS TO SUCCESS IN THIS COURSE
PREP TIME Public speaking is annoyingly time consuming, much more than you expect, if you want to
be even remotely good at it. Most problems can be avoided with earlier and more thorough prep and
more...
REHEARSAL It takes an average of 5-7 complete rehearsals to be fully prepared for a presentation. And
when you're prepared and confident you won't have a problem with...
TIMING You have to time your speech when you rehearse. Learning to fit your presentation into a given
time frame can be a challenge but a necessary evil. Going overtime not only gives the impression that
you're unprepared but it also makes you appear inconsiderate of your listeners and their time.
FOLLOWING GUIDELINES/DIRECTIONS Use the assignment descriptions, outline format description
and samples, and the critique sheets. The critique sheets are designed to also function as checklists so you
can be sure your speech includes all the necessary elements and smaller requirements. This means you
have to...
USE THE WEBSITE It contains all the assignment requirements and explanations and useful and
practical information that I expect you to be familiar with and to utilize, even though you may not be
tested over the material. The “test” is how well you actually incorporate the material into your speeches. If
you're having trouble utilizing the site I will make a hard copy of the "packet" of info for you by request.
CRITIQUES/FEEDBACK Please use the comments and feedback that I give you on your critique sheets
as specific suggestions as to what and how to improve on future speeches. I also want my critiques to show
you why the speech received the grade it did. Please see me to discuss your critiques if you have any
questions about them.
*You also should see me if you are having any difficulty in the course. I am always available after class or you
can make an appointment for a different time.
“SO, WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?” Year after year, employers rank communication skills as the #1 skill they
seek in their employees and the #1 skill that new graduates are most likely to lack (National
Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook Survey).
The ability to teach difficult concepts, organize one's thoughts, have a point, and motivate others requires
thought and preparation for most of us. This class is your opportunity to assess and improve your
communication skills. Some of you will not do a lot of public speaking in your future career. However, the
processes you'll go through to prepare these speeches are the same ones you go through to teach your
parents to use the internet, motivate your two-year old to stop screaming in Target, and yes, to convince
that future employer that you really are the best person for the job. Polishing your presentational skills and
dealing with any fear of public speaking that you might have will do wonders for your overall confidence
and charisma.
COMM 1100 SPEECH CONTEST Semifinals Monday March 16 10:00 AM in WAC; Finals Wednesday
March 18 6:00 PM Massey Boardroom.
COMM DEPT WEB RESOURCE for COM 1100 is available at: campus.belmont.edu/speechlab. The
sample speech videos are very helpful. It also has tutorials on outlining, researching, finding sources, citing
sources, and dealing with speech anxiety.
THE HONOR CODE
The Belmont community values personal integrity and academic honesty as the foundation of university life and the
cornerstone of a premiere educational experience. Our community believes trust among its members is essential for
both scholarship and effective interactions and operations of the University. As members of the Belmont community,
students, faculty, staff, and administrators are all responsible for ensuring that their experiences will be free of
behaviors, which compromise this value. In order to uphold academic integrity, the University has adopted an Honor
System. Students and faculty will work together to establish the optimal conditions for honorable academic work.
Following is the Student Honor Pledge that guides academic behavior:
“I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in
the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I
will not engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide
by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”
ACCOMMODATION FOR DISABILITIES
In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will
provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities. If you have a disability and would like the
university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify Melissa Smith,
Coordinator of Student Support & Disability Services, in the Office of the Dean of Students (460-8531) as soon as
possible.