V o l u m e 2 • I s s u e 1 • February 2003
An International Forum for Innovative Teaching
CONTENTS
1 Commentary
Stan Kajs, Ph.D.
3 Joined-Up Thinking in
Assessment: An
International Marketing
Example
Andrew McAuley, Ph.D.
5 Motivating Students,
Chapter One
Leah Savion, Ph.D.
8 Karaoke in Public
Speaking: Enhancing
Nonverbal Delivery Skills
Susan M. Fredericks, Ph.D.
10 On-line Tools to Facilitate
Communication and
Community
Nick Backus, Ph.D.
12 Meet the Authors
• • • • • • • • • • •
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The Role of Literature in a
World of Technology
Stan Kajs, Ph.D., Editor
We, as professors, should do more to inform
our students that the liberal arts have uses
that business and industry need, specifically,
knowledge, values, and skills that the study of
literature can provide.
To be responsible and responsive, the study
of literature should enrich the education of the
future technocrat. By technocrat, I mean the
supervisor, manager, or the executive of business
and industry who makes decisions on the uses
of high technology that affect our lives daily
and direct the course of history. Our future
technocrats who will come from computer
science, engineering and business programs
will likely continue to avoid the study of literature unless we respond. They need the services
literature offers as technology becomes more
sophisticated and business more competitive.
The study of literature can help improve
communication skills, enhance interpersonal
skills, develop creativity, and guide one to
vision—all qualities vital for the formation
of the responsible, effective, and humanistic
leader of business and industry.
Communication Skills
The technocrat as communicator must speak
persuasively; listen attentively; and write clearly,
coherently, and cogently. The most promising
and promotable also communicate with style
and sensitivity. In its inimitable way, literature
provides rhetorical specimens in a full human
context. When we read literature, we hear
all sorts of people deliver monologues and
dialogues, soliloquies, and public declamations.
Moreover, we are privy to the events, thoughts,
emotions, and motivations that precipitate the
speeches and the private and public responses
to them. The poet gives us not speeches of
academic exercises but dynamic and masterful
human expressions charged with purpose and
moment.
Like members of the mob in Julius Caesar,
for example, we are present to judge the arguments of both Brutus and Anthony. But more
privileged, we are allowed to overhear the plans
of Brutus and his fellow conspirators and the
private thoughts of Brutus and Anthony before
their speeches. And thus, as students, we preview
materials and motivations of the orations and
observe their effects. Just as the technology
student analyzes electronic equipment in the
laboratory, so the student in a literature class
examines the speakers’ use of ethos, logos, and
pathos, the careful handling of tone, and the
selection of diction—all chosen for the purpose
of moving the audience to accept their respective
positions. In this laboratory, students typically
identify and discuss the rhetorical materials in
the political and moral context of the speeches.
Written assignments that follow discussions
give students an opportunity to implement these
rhetorical tools. This study of literature as a
rhetorical art can carry over into the types of
communication the technocrat will be required
to use on the job, from the memo to the presentation before the board of directors.
continued on pg. 2..........
The Role of Literature
continued from pg. 1..........
A Humanistic Leader
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• • • • • • • • • • • •
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In addition to possessing effective rhetorical
and communication skills, the technological
leader must be humanistic—one who truly
respects and cares for the workers. The challenge
of the technocrat is to create and produce an
environment that fosters meaning and purpose
for people. At his best, he or she involves them
in them in their work, seeks their advice, lets
them make decisions, challenges their imaginations, tolerates their mistakes, and rewards their
accomplishments. The study of literature, in
particular, provides the student with profiles of
different types of people, insights into the human
condition, knowledge of myth, and examples
of cultural and ethnic differences. Like extensive
case studies, literature unfolds a whole host of
characters experiencing the human condition
in a moral framework. Filing before the student
for examination are characters similar to those
he or she will encounter: Clytemnestra, the
plotter; Creon, the poor decision-maker; the
Wife of Bath, the manipulator; Hamlet, the
procrastinator; Hotspur, the impetuous supervisor; Tom Sawyer, the prankster; Bartleby, the
eccentric; Meyer Wolfsheim, the unethical
promoter; and Scarlett O’Hara, the exploiter—
to name just a few. Literature presents people
from different cultures operating within their
distinctive myths: for example, the ancient
Greeks, the medieval English, the Renaissance
Italians, the pioneer Americans, the immigrant
Chinese, and the Tsarist Russians—using
different languages and pursuing their own
beliefs and values through symbols and rituals.
With the knowledge that no two people are
alike, that culture helps to form an individual,
the leader can develop empathy toward fellow
human beings and share common values.
By discussing literary texts with others—
exchanging, arguing, and evaluating ideas—
the student can begin to develop a tolerance,
perhaps even an imaginative sympathy that he
or she can transfer to the business world. Then
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
the technocrat may follow the example of
Shakespeare’s Prince Hal who learned the
language of the tapsters to prepare him for
kingship. In like manner, the technocrat can
visit the technician, the salesman, the secretary, the shipping clerk—as well as his or her
customers—and learn to speak their languages.
With insight, empathy, and an appreciation for
their needs, he or she will make the workplace
a nurturing and humanistic environment.
An Applied Creative Imagination
In addition to rhetorical skill and humanism,
the technocrat must have an applied creative
imagination and the ability to see it and encourage it in others. A steady stream of
innovation produces and sustains an excellent
company. Innovation in business and industry
unites the qualities of the managementscientist and the management-artist. The
technocrat’s creative act, which is the innovation, the new product, is a union of design and
demand. As scientist, he or she must be expert
in a select technical field. But in the role of
designer, the technocrat-artist resembles the
poet. For he or she has broad knowledge outside the specific field, possesses an aesthetic
sensibility and a sense of the mystical, and
displays the persistent intellectual curiosity
of a child. The technocrat-artist readily accepts
new ideas, experimentation, and failure, and
delights in discoveries. The ambiguity and
tension he or she observes are the necessary
ingredients in the creative process. The
manager-scientist can develop this creative
faculty by studying aesthetics, literature, and
art.
A study of literature introduces the technocrat to theories and works of literary art that
provide an understanding of the operation of
the intuitive process in creating a work of art.
An examination of poetry can reveal the poet’s
use of analogy and help the manager-scientist
to synthesize disparate ideas into a new creation.
Analogy is the “pattern in the carpet” found
continued on pg. 3..........
2
The Role of Literature
continued from pg. 2 ..........
in all good literature. Metaphysical poetry,
in particular, gives the student obvious
specimens of the union of disparate ideas:
a flea bite and conception, lovers and a
compass, and a heart and an altar. In a
literature class, a discussion of the poet’s
use of analogy, ambiguity, tone, texture,
and structure provides an opportunity for
the exchange of ideas and for problem
solving, and an environment for wonder
that are instrumental in nourishing creativity. As one familiar with the creative
process, the technocrat is better able to
create an environment that promotes it
in others.
Vision
A creative imagination, sensitivity to
people, and effective communications
skills are essential for the development of
vision in the technocrat. The technocrat
as pathfinder must have the courage to
imagine the company as it never was but
as it could be. To be responsible, the
vision must be a harmonious union of two
considerations: the generating of income
and the promoting of the good life for
people in the company. The technocrat
must articulate this vision and persuade
others to commit to it. Otherwise, it is no
more than a pipe dream.
Without vision, the technocrat is little
more than a manager minding the store.
But with vision, he or she is a leader who
creates something new. He or she can be
instrumental in shaping the use of technology for industry and the good of society.
Thus, vision is the creation of enlightened
leadership. Supported by a knowledge of
the organization, its people, values, symbols,
and purpose in society, vision is the leader’s
blueprint of the company’s mission and
destination. As in the case of the first
three qualities, the study of literature has
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much to say about the education of a
leader.
Poets provide us with visions of
leadership across the gamut of human
experiences: political, religious, martial,
commercial, educational, personal, and
social. Any study in leadership through
literature may include an examination of
such diverse characters as Homer’s heroes
Penelope and Odysseus, the bible’s Moses,
Sophocles’s Oedipus, Virgil’s Aeneas,
Shakespeare’s Hal, Richard III, Portia
and Beatrice, Milton’s Satan, Melville’s
Ahab, Hawthorne’s Dimmesdale, Penn
Warren’s Willie Stark, and Achebe’s
Obi Okonkwo. By observing their motivations and actions, the student may learn
the qualities of effective leadership. Among
them are a bias for action, a need to deal
with diverse situations, risk-taking, and
worthwhile goals. Through mimesis, the
technocrat can transfer this knowledge to
his or her own situation and through
knowledge and self-examination imitate
the vision of the just and the wise and
avoid the ambitions and obsessions of
the small-minded.
Once we have introduced the future
technocrats to the practical uses of literature, we can then escort them further and
show other features of the world we call
humanitas. In so doing, we men and
women of letters will be responsive to
society’s needs and responsible to our
discipline.
••••
This commentary was first published as part of
an expanded article in Vital Speeches of the
Day, Vol. LI, No. 22, September 1, 1985.
•••••••••••••••
April Commentary
Dr. Rebecca A. Biven, Professor of
English from Anne Arundel Community
College will author the Commentary of the
April issue with an article entitled, “‘And
Gladly Would He Learn,’” which addresses
the responsibilities of the student to become an
independent learner.
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
Joined-Up Thinking in
Assessment: An
International Marketing
Example
Dr. Andrew McAuley
Senion Lecturer
Department of Marketing
University of Stirling
Stirling, Scotland
n.a.mcauley@stir.ac.uk
Introduction
In the United Kingdom University system,
students face increasing pressures which
affect the attention they can devote to
their studies. These pressures may be
financial, with many students needing to
work in order to support themselves, or
academic, with the expansion of higher
education allowing them to attend a
university. The overall workload a student
experiences is also a potential problem.
At the University of Stirling, Scotland,
our students generally take three units
per 15-week semester, and teaching lasts
for 12 weeks, with a short break before
an examination period. Potentially this
load will involve 2 assignments per unit
and 3 exams for a total of 6 assignments
and 3 exams. The assignments can be
individual or group based. With the
semester system, this pattern is repeated
twice a year.
While faculty are quite good at
organising their own units in terms of
assignments, they have less coordination
across units and programmes. Thus, the
submission dates are coordinated within
the Department to ensure that no two
assignments are due on the same day;
and, if possible, there is at least a twoday gap between assignments for different
continued on pg. 4..........
3
Joined-Up Thinking in Assessment
continued from pg. 3..........
units. However, while assignment dates
are coordinated at Departmental level, less
thought is given to the overall work load
a student experiences across the three
units, for example, in terms of the types
of learning skills which are being tested
on different units. Thus, is there any real
merit in terms of learning skills in writing
three essays on different units? Would
it be better to blend the types of assessments across units so that different skills
are being developed while perhaps also
addressing the overall work load a student
experiences?
Innovation in Assessment
It was within this broad context that I
began to think about what I could do
within my own units to develop a more
joined-up or holistic approach to teaching,
learning and assessment. On my International and Export Marketing unit, the
pattern of assessment has, for many years,
been one individual essay, one piece of
group work and an exam, each typically
worth 20 per cent, 30 per cent and 50 per
cent respectively. Over the years students
have resisted going to one assignment and
an exam, feeling that too much depends on
the one assignment and that a poor mark
cannot be recovered. With two assignments
they can regain ground. However, that
approach really only works where the same
skills are being assessed in the second piece
as were assessed in the first piece which
is rarely the case. Thus, I decided to keep
two assignments but to try to link the two.
The innovation was to have students
form groups of four early at the first
seminar. The group was then charged
with selecting a topic of relevance to
international and export marketing. They
had to have the selection approved by
the unit coordinator or their tutor. The
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task for the group was to prepare a 20minute presentation on their chosen topic.
Not everyone had to participate in the
actual presentation. The group was encouraged to play to their individual skills,
but everyone was expected to contribute
to the process of researching and putting
the presentation together. All groups would
have a 10-minute question and answer
session at the end of their talk. This first
part of the assessment was worth 20 per
cent of the final grade.
For the second part of the assignment,
each member of the group had to select
an aspect of the group topic and take it
further by expanding it, thereby deepening
the analysis and discussion. This part was
to be presented in the form of a report of
not more than 1,500 words. This second
piece of the assignment was worth 30 per
cent of the final grade.
What I was trying to achieve from
the learning perspective was a degree of
synergy between the two assignments so
that while it could be argued the workload
was reduced, I was, at the same time, encouraging the students to go more deeply
into a topic for the individual component
rather that starting a fresh topic from the
beginning. Having done some of the
groundwork during the preparation for
the group presentation, they already had
some insights and, in fact, they could be
developing their ideas while working on it.
They also had to be aware of academic
integrity in that some of the individual
topics were similar, so students were well
warned about the risks of plagiarism and
took the responsibility to maintain the
integrity of their own work.
group was better than a stand-alone group
exercise in that each knew that an individual element had to grow out of the initial
work. Thus, failure to fully participate
in the group work would set a student
at a disadvantage for the individual
component.
Some enhanced their presentations
by developing short adverts using digital
film clips, colourful posters for props and,
in terms of good practice, a summary of
their PowerPoint slides for the audience.
Some still made the classic presentation
errors of standing around and cluttering
the front of the room rather than sitting
down in an orderly fashion. One group
had far too much material with 40 slides
for a 20-minute slot. Needless to say,
they barely made it to half way in their
talk, but they did learn a lesson. Groups
were given an opportunity to critique
their own performance, and then they
received an initial reaction to the presentation from the two markers (the unitcoordinator and the tutor) which was
followed up by a summary comment sheet
on their performance with the associated
mark. Thus, before they completed their
individual report, they had their presentation mark. The individual reports were
due one week after the presentation.
At the end of the semester the External
Examiner commented favourably on the
approach and on the quality of the work
produced by the students. The intention
is to use this model of assessment for the
unit this fall. The wider task is to generate
a larger debate on the skills being assessed
across units and programmes within the
institution.
The Outcome
Did it work? Yes. The topics were
many and varied. The students were more
motivated. Their research, information
handling, presentation skills and report
writing skills were all developed and tested.
The involvement of all members of the
•••••••••••••••
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
4
Motivating Students,
Chapter One
Leah Savion, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Philosophy
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
lsavion@indiana.edu
Introduction
Student success is mostly influenced by
two groups of components, which can be
inclusively divided into those that are
essentially beyond the influence of the
professor and those that are subjected to
modification by the teacher and by the
student. The given components may
include intellectual aptitude; academic
preparation and prior knowledge; cognitive, mental and physical disabilities;
and cultural, social and environmental
constraints. Some changeable components
are pet theories and naïve misconceptions;
learning preferences and basic study skills;
metacognitive skills, and most notably,
students’ level of motivation.
Why Is Motivation A Problem?
Preparation. Freshmen college students
are often unprepared for university courses
in terms of content, methods of delivery,
and grading. Being exposed to a relatively
small number of topics in high school
classes, students are often surprised by
what is actually covered in introduction
to psychology, a logic class, or writing
101. Students are not accustomed to large
lecture halls that may easily cause them
to feel invisible, to rigid timetables for
collecting assignments and taking tests,
to the fast pace of classes, to their newly
acquired freedom to choose how to utilize
their learning resources such as time and
effort, and to the relative inaccessibility
of the professor.
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Motivation is a crucial
component in prolonged
attention, without which
no learning takes place.
Courses. Even good learners are often
only vaguely self-motivated at the standard
age of undergraduates. Many of the courses
that college students take in the first couple
of years are required or at least not chosen
by them; and many of these courses, even
if not boring, too difficult or too easy, seem
irrelevant to the students’ goals. This fact
combines with the large demands of college
life—such as keeping house, maintaining
a social life, juggling a job, participating
in sports, and taming a sense of freedom—
that compete for students’ resources, such
as time and effort, to reduce the level of
motivation for the academic material.
Instruction. Motivation is a crucial component in prolonged attention, without
which no learning takes place. Nonetheless,
many professors fail to address motivational factors (most notably emotional
needs, such as recognition and success)
probably because they feel that students’
motivation is either not part of their job
or is beyond their control.
Sources Of Motivation And
Enhancement Tips
Emotional Components:
Self-Image/Esteem
Much of the problem of low self-esteem
can be traced to a prevalent conception
of intelligence. The traditional view of
intelligence as skill oriented leads to the
conception of intelligence as “biologically
fixed” (entity theory). More modern theories
take intelligence as process oriented, modifiable by experience (incremental theory).
Knowledge acquisition may influence
one’s level of intelligence according to
the process conception, but unfortunately
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
most people still adhere to the ability
conception, a belief that obviously interferes with the effectiveness of formal
education. Teaching students the malleable
theory of intelligence supports ownership
of the material, better performance in face
of obstacles, and creativity.
Because implicit beliefs in a fixed
intelligence are not easily eradicated and
replaced, perhaps the best view to relate
to students is that of intelligence as consisting of the following three components:
Neurological power: innate abilities
that cannot be improved significantly even
with extensive practice.
Tactics: a repertoire of strategies that
can be strongly influenced by instruction.
Content: domain specific knowledge
that is acquired and modified by learning
and experience.
By using the following techniques,
professors can help students overcome
the barrier of low self-esteem:
● Express high expectations and
establish high standards.
● Allow students partial control on
the evaluation methods.
● Show respect for students’
various abilities and interests.
● Minimize the emotional effect
of failure.
Need For Achievement and Recognition
Motivation is influenced by the expectation
for valued awards for behavior. These
expectations are treated by some motivational theories as falling into two “sharply
contrasted” groups: extrinsic needs
(generated by the outside, aim at grades,
awards, career) that “should be avoided”
(Forsyth and McMillan, 1994) and intrinsic
motivations (self generated) that should
be enhanced. This distinction is superficial
and difficult to apply. Is the desire for
continued on pg. 6..........
5
Motivating Students, Chapter One
continued from pg. 5..........
recognition as an intelligent, hard-working
student intrinsic or extrinsic? How should
we classify the need to please an authority
figure or to follow social or familial
pressure to succeed? Stressing the importance of tests and grades at the expense
of the interest and enthusiasm for knowledge is inadvisable, not because grades
are extrinsic, but rather because of the
normative learning goals of the college
course. Another objection to the elimination
of extrinsic motivation can be made on
empirical grounds (Fincher, 1981), pointing
to human nature that makes this kind of
motivation unavoidable. The necessary
evil of evaluation can be used to meet the
need for recognition and achievement
while minimizing the negative impact
grades and awards may have as controlling
devices.
Professors can easily frustrate students’
need for recognition by
● Not remembering the student’s
name, level of participation, class
standing, or other special
circumstances.
● Expecting little: “I know you did
your best for this D paper.”
● Grading on a curve (which sets
students against each other).
● Handing tests back in the order of
grades.
● Marking papers with red ink and
pointing to errors and failures
only.
● Setting low-order requirements
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(learning skills, memorizing, and
summarizing).
In order to increase motivation via
the need for recognition and success, the
professor can
● Attempt to remember (and use)
names and some information about
each student applicability).
● Assign some portion of the grade
to progress made during the
semester.
● Recognize diversity in goal
attainment (e.g., allow the choice
between class presentation,
summary paper, test, original
paper, special project, etc. as a final
task).
● Require high order outcome
(analysis, originality, creativity,
and applicability).
● Challenge and expect excellence.
● Provide differential feedback on
every assignment.
● Communicate respect and
flexibility for diverse methods of
demonstrating knowledge.
Competitiveness And Cooperation
Learning in a classroom is also a political
activity that involves social needs of
interacting with others, making friends,
impressing the professor and the other
students, building some individuality
and a positive uniqueness, being liked,
and answering the mob appeal of current
linguistic, social and cultural conventions.
To increase motivation in response to
these needs the professor can
● Require progressively more
difficult tasks and grade progress
in order to generate a “personal”
competition.
● Allow/require group-work, assign
group projects and group grades.
● Create “partnerships” for some
tasks.
● Find ways to generate cooperation
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
outside the classroom (with other
students, other courses, peers and
family members, community
elements).
● Devise competition and games
among the study groups.
Learning in a classroom is
also a political activity
that involves social needs
of interacting with others,
making friends, impressing
the professor and the
other students. . . .
Sense of Control
Students who believe that their success is
within their control are bound to respond
to the learning experience in a significantly
better way than will students who feel
helpless. Research done by Dweck and
Licht (1980) concludes that students of
the former group might respond to a bad
grade by bringing up their motivational
level, escalating their effort, paying more
attention and using more sophisticated
strategies. Without some sense of control,
failing students are likely to curtail their
efforts, abandon learning strategies, and
lower their performance in general. To
meet this need the professor can
● Allow partial “administrative”
involvement in determining how
grades are assigned for the given
components.
● Allow students some say about
the elements of the course content
and emphasis.
● Give students a choice of paper
topics, test answers, group
projects, etc.
continued on pg. 7.........
6
Motivating Students, Chapter One
continued from pg. 6..........
● Lower test anxiety by
♦ Eliminating pop quizzes.
♦ Providing a pre-test or copies
of similar old tests.
♦ Describing in details what the
test is about.
♦ Making tests reasonable and
fair.
♦ Getting immediate feedback for
every test (Too difficult? Fair?
Compatible with the material
covered in class? Was the time
sufficient?)
● Avoid overuse of controlling
devices such as inflexible deadlines, extra work for nonattendance or for low performance,
additional tests or meetings.
● Set realistic goals for the students
and monitor their progress
attentively, making small goal
changes as needed.
● Provide a clear road map for
success in a course.
● Grade participation as well as
tests and papers.
● Ask for frequent course assessment
suggestions.
● Respond to suggestions, and
adhere to the acceptable ones.
● Be ready to change a standard
and to assume partial blame for
general failure.
Excitement About Issues
Our need to have fun and be emotionally
fulfilled in a classroom, and in particular
to be enthusiastic about the subject matter,
is strongly associated with our cognitive
need to discover and learn. These components of motivation exist occasionally
before the student is introduced to the
subject, but the content-specific excitement
usually needs to be invoked and encouraged. The enthusiasm the professor
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expresses is contagious for the short term;
a strong sense of emotional fulfillment
about working in the field is more enviable
and is more likely to generate a prolonged
dedication for the subject. Some classroom
experience is likely to abolish any possible
fun of learning before it has a chance to
develop. The professor is advised to make
the initial presentation of the material very
simple and clear. The professor should
avoid the following pitfalls:
● Ambiguous or vague concepts or
professional terms borrowed
from another field or language
that carry a different meaning.
● Unrepresentative examples,
unfamiliar metaphors, or any uninformative introduction of a topic.
● Showing off humor or extensive
knowledge or superiority in the
field.
● Competing theories and exceptions
to the rules that have not been yet
discussed fully.
● Theoretical reservations about the
extension or the utility of the
theories or principles or rules.
● Hints of undisclosed depth of the
subject only the professor masters.
In order to create and maintain students’
excitement, a professor can use the following
techniques:
● Introduce different topics within
the material in challenging, vivid,
and creative ways.
● Anchor each concept correctly.
● Avoid monotony of teaching
techniques; employ humor, games,
puzzles, anecdotes, and stories.
● Consider different learning preferences and diverse backgrounds.
● Model enthusiasm for learning and
satisfaction with one’s occupation;
make the reasons explicit.
● Use manner, tone of voice, and
words that convey the importance
and the value of the topic covered.
● Induce curiosity and suspense.
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
● Help students find their social,
intellectual, and practical strengths.
● Create rapport and a tension-free
atmosphere.
Enhancing our students’ motivation
is not merely a feasible task but an obligatory one. Expressing enthusiasm and
providing a role model of a hard-working
academic is bound to influence students
who resemble us, the college professors,
in motivation, learning skills, and built-in
curiosity. Helping the other 99% of our
students requires exposure to recent findings in educational psychology and in
cognitive science that illuminate the ways
our minds work. Familiarity with the
major emotive and cognitive components
of students’ motivation and implementing
practical suggestions they entail provide
a pedagogically robust and necessary tool.
This two-part paper offers a framework for understanding and enhancing
motivation; part I above focuses on
emotional components, and part II, to
be published in the April 2003 issue of
The Successful Professor™, lists cognitive
components and their relevant do’s and
don’ts in the classroom.
References
Dweck, C.S., & Licht, B.G. (1980). Learned
helplessness and intellectual achievement, in
Seligman & Garber (Eds.) Human helplessness: Theory and application, New York:
Academic Press.
Fincher, C. (1981). Higher education as a
stage of transition. Research in Higher
Education, 15, 377-380.
Forsyth D., & McMillan J. (1994). Practical
proposals for motivating students, in Feldman
& Paulsen (Eds.) Teaching and learning in
the college classroom, Ashe Reader Series,
Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Simon
& Schuster Publishing.
•••••••••••••••
7
Karaoke In Public
Speaking: Enhancing
Nonverbal Delivery
Skills
Susan M. Fredricks, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Communication, Arts, and Science
Penn State University—Delaware County
Media, Pennsylvania
smf17@psu.edu
Introduction
Have you ever been to a concert and copied
the artist’s dancing and movements the
next day? Have you ever hummed a song
and done a few dance steps as you
hummed? Have you ever been out with
friends and sung karaoke? And did you
know that karaoke actually helps students
overcome their stage fright while improving
on their delivery skills? If you answered
“yes” to any of these questions, then you
are a good candidate to conduct a karaoke
activity in your presentation-formatted
class.
Even though public speaking classes
have often become a course requirement
for most schools from elementary through
college, the level of fear of public speaking
has not subsided. And as commonly
noted in many public speaking textbooks,
public speaking is one of people’s greatest
fears (Lucas, 2001). Oftentimes that fear
stems from the speaker’s perception of
how others view him or her (Adler &
Towne, 1999). One of the best ways to
overcome this fear of perception is to work
on the delivery skills of the speaker. These
skills include gestures, body movement,
eye contact, facial expressions, posture,
and topic enthusiasm (Lucas, 2001). A
karaoke activity can, in fact, help students
alleviate and even overcome some of their
anxieties and fears in two ways.
The Successful Professor™
First this activity is designed to encourage students to work on and exaggerate
their non-verbal speaking skills through a
familiar medium—song. Instead of focusing on singing and voice, students are
instructed to focus on acting out the song.
Thus, students practice their gestures,
facial expressions, body movement, topic
enthusiasm, and posture. Second, using
karaoke in the classroom allows the
students an opportunity to have fun with
their delivery skills because this activity
encourages personal delivery skill exploration and delivery freedom. They can do
almost anything.
For example, one speaker chose a
Frank Sinatra song. Dressed in an old hat
and suit and tie, a female student seemingly floated around the room while doing a
soft shoe routine, gestured at people, waved
her arms to show emphasis, and winked
at audience members at the end of the
song. This activity gave the speaker room
to explore her nonverbal possibilities
away from the standard podium and into
the audience all the while in the guise of
Frank Sinatra.
Conducting the Activity
The karaoke requires certain considerations. First, the professor will need to
have access to a CD/tape player and a few
additional props, including microphones
and stands. Second, the professor must
have enough space for student movement.
A clear front of the classroom will work
fine. The space can be expanded to a
stage or a theatre if the professor wants
the students to be more animated. Third,
students need to be given these specific
instructions on how this activity works:
● Students choose their own song
that is approximately three to five
minutes long. The song must be
free of threatening, abusive, and
abrasive language.
● Students focus on the delivery of
the song and not on singing the
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
song. In other words, students
should consider the actions that
correlate to the song. For example,
if the song is about love, then
forming a heart shape with their
hands would be appropriate.
● Students are responsible for their
own props.
● Students bring in their song on a
tape or CD.
● Students present on the day
assigned and should be prepared
to present at their specific time.
The karaoke activity should occur
early enough in the course so that students
can apply what they have learned to
future speeches. It should also correspond
to any lectures or class discussions regarding presentation delivery. If possible, the
karaoke activity should be videotaped so
that the students can review their presentations at a future date.
The willing professor may participate
in this activity to show how unnerving
public speaking is while also exemplifying
the delivery skills needed for a presentation. However, the professor should only
consider participating if he or she is comfortable with this format and can perform
above the level of the students. Remember,
the professor should set the tone for this
activity; a poor performance may let
students think that they do not have to
perform to their best ability.
continued on pg. 9..........
8
Karaoke in Public Speaking
continued from pg. 8..........
Discussion After Karaoke
Once the karaoke activity is complete, the
professor should discuss with the students
the positives and negatives associated
with each delivery. This time is a perfect
opportunity for all to watch the taped
karaoke presentations. The videotape
provides a good technique for the professor
to stop a performance at a particular point
for discussion or to demonstrate a skill or
technique. The discussion should center
on which nonverbal actions were effective
and which were not. Once again, these
nonverbal actions may include gestures,
body movement, facial expressions, topic
enthusiasm and posture. In addition, the
students should discuss their interpretation
of the activity. Some sample quesions
might be the following:
● How did you feel about this activity?
● What difficulties did you encounter?
● How were you able to overcome
those difficulties?
● Why did you choose that particular
song?
● Which types of songs work best
for this activity?
● How will this activity affect the
delivery in your future public
speeches?
The discussion should end on how
students should be able to use this activity
in the future, especially on their delivery
and for their next speech.
Success Of Karaoke
I have conducted a karaoke activity in
over 30 of my classes throughout the
Heartland, the Midwest, and now on the
East Coast. Students have performed as
soloists to country and western, oldies,
hip-hop, rap, and rock songs. Still others
have done group songs by the Pointer
Sisters, the Beach Boys, The Village
People, and the Spice Girls. The comments
The Successful Professor™
afterwards have been mostly positive.
Some students want to do a repeat performance in class, and others have performed
karaoke at campus functions. In fact, if
given the choice, many students would
prefer to do more karaokes and fewer
formal speeches. Some have overcome
their previously exhibited stage fright
during this activity, and their karaoke
performances have exceeded expectations.
In one particular case, a football player
in full costume as Britney Spears choreographed a song. In another class, four
men became the Village People for a few
minutes—gesturing, moving, and establishing eye contact throughout “YMCA.”
Even with the positive comments and
the overall excitement associated with
the karaoke assignment, limitations do
occur. A few students may experience
difficulty acting out a song. Similar to
public speaking, students may still fear
performing in front of a group. Sometimes
this fear is alleviated through the student’s
having more control over the activity or
working in a group, but sometimes it is
not. Another limitation occurs outside of
the classroom. The level of noise associaated with this activity can be excessive
and disruptive to other classes nearby. The
professor should alert colleagues before
conducting karaoke in the classroom.
The professor may make variations
to this activity, depending upon the level
of the students, for example, choosing the
song for each student to create a theme,
having them focus more on a particular
delivery aspect, or expanding the time of
the song to allow students to really work
on their skills. The place for these performances can be a theatre or auditorium to
address the noise problem and to give
students the feel for a more formalized
environment and a way to learn how
to present to a larger group in a larger
environment.
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
Conclusion
The opportunity to choose their song,
practice it, and pretend to be a famous
person is an allure for students. And the
discussion afterwards focuses on that
allure into future speeches. In addition,
the level of educational learning also
increases in that students are more eager
to learn about delivery skills through an
entertaining and creative activity. Thus,
karaoke can be a positive and exciting
new way to aid public speakers in overcoming stage fright while enhancing
their delivery skills.
References
Adler, R. B., & Towne, N. (1998). Looking
out/looking in. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Lucas, S.E. (2001). The art of public speaking.
New York: McGraw Hill.
Suggested Readings
Adair-Hauser, A. J. (1992). Start with song!
201 ready-to-use interdisciplinary activities
for young learners. West Nyack, NY: Parker
Publishing.
Caldwell, R. (Producer & Director). (1992).
The performer prepares [Videorecording].
(Available from Production Service and
Technology, Inc., 109 Production Drive,
Yorktown, VA 23693)
Caldwell, R. (1990). The performer prepares.
Dallas: Production Service and Technology
Inc.
Foster, W. C. (1976). Ideal singing: Expressive
and technical aspects of the vocal art, together
with a system for developing expressive
spontaneity and performance capability.
Huntsville, TX: Recital Publications.
•••••••••••••••
9
On-line Tools
to Facilitate
Communication and
Community
Nick Backus, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Speech Communication
Humanities Division
Western Oregon University
Monmouth, Oregon
backusj@wou.edu
Introduction
Whether by instructional television, webbased classes, inclusion of e-mail in
traditional settings, or class chatrooms,
distance learning is growing (Schweizer,
1999). With new technologies come new
educational opportunities. As we experience
more distance learning, our questions of
its efficacy grow. With these concerns in
mind, I present my study and preparation
of distance learning and course design and
my experiences with web-based instruction.
Perceived Outcomes in Distance
Learning: Problems
As with any technological advance,
educators’ concerns vary widely. Some
fear that individuals exhibiting trait extroversion will dominate dyadic and group
interactions (Eisinger, 2000). Less dramatically, one graduate of an on-line MBA
program describes his education as
“mediocre at best” and when asked about
hiring click or brick graduates, opted
against an on-line degree (Caudron, 2001).
Communication could be more difficult
on-line. Dyrud (2000) sees greater decisionmaking time on-line and fears increased
isolation from students’ family and friends.
Benefits of On-line Learning
The majority of studies, with “few
exceptions,” report distance education
The Successful Professor™
outcomes similar to those in a traditional
classroom (Worley, 2000). For instance,
peer learning from group interaction
occurs well in both on-line and classroom
discussions (Eisinger, 2000). Further, introverts have time to formulate responses
and are thus more likely to contribute to
discussion (Caudron, 2001). Social support
appears to be stronger in distance settings.
One student says that “in big lecture
classes, the teacher doesn’t notice when
you raise your hand. There’s much more
support here than in regular classes”
(Roberts, 2000).
Technology can enhance communication and “community collaboration”
in distance education (Ginsburg, 1999).
Schweitzer suggests that “interactive
learning can take place in a variety of
ways in an on-line classroom: between
instructor and student, between student
and the learning materials, among students
or between student and guest lecturer”
(1999, p. 4).
Technology can enhance
communication and “community
collaboration” in distance
education (Ginsburg).
Student satisfaction is an indicator
of course success. In a study of Florida
community college students, Bower
(2000) reports that 87% of the students were
“satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their
distance learning experience. Despite
technology problems, students consider
distance learning a reasonable alternative
to the traditional classroom (Bower, 2000).
The on-line educational environment
has many of the same drawbacks and
potential as other settings. Just as the
traditional course may be poor or poorly
delivered, so, too, may the distance course.
Some teachers encourage collaborative
efforts and some teachers demand rote
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
memorization of decontextualized information on-line or face-to-face (Ginsburg,
1999). The on-line setting provides
opportunities for those willing to use
them.
Course Design for Community and
Communication
The primary component in effective web
course design is the proper attitude.
You are teaching in a new environment.
“Exchanging the classroom for a monitor
and eye contact for a keyboard requires
a major shift in thinking about our role
as both a teacher and a course developer”
(Schweizer, 1999, 5). Instead of viewing
the web technologies as constraints, the
effective course designer will see them
as new chances for learning and communicating. “The challenge in designing
distance education courses is to build in
the need and opportunity for learners to
communicate, collaborate, and build a
community with fellow learners” (Ginsburg,
1999). This community is the same as the
one that exists in the successful traditional
classroom. Positive outcomes are a direct
result of technology combined with strategic design. Contemporary technology
allows for distance learning with “effective
instructional strategies, such as 1) studentto-student discussions, 2) faculty-to-student
inquiry, clarification and elaboration, and
3) continuous and timely performance
feedback” (Davey, 1999). Schweizer states
that “you need to think about creating a
caring relationship with your students
continued on pg. 11...........
10
On-line Tools
continued from pg. 10..........
on-line just as you would do in a face-toface classroom. Keep in mind that your
job as a teacher is to facilitate collaborative, supportive relations between your
students as well as between you and your
students” (1999, p. 6). My experiences
indicate great potential for this kind of
communication using on-line technologies.
Facilitating Communication in
Communication Courses
My first on-line course was Conflict and
Negotiation. I had taught the course faceto-face and had processes and outcomes
in mind. I want students to have a mixture
of theoretical information on communication in conflict and negotiation and to gain
practical experience in negotiation. A
highly interactive class is necessary to the
success of the course. I familiarized
myself with the WebCT software used
in the course. This system includes bulletin
boards with instructor-created forums,
chatrooms with logs available to the
instructor, private mail providing e-mail
within the course setting, a welcome page
giving general information to curious
browsers, and “course contents” where
course materials are posted by the instructor. Other programs have similar features.
I introduced myself on-line on my
welcome page in a WebCT e-mail to each
student and on the bulletin board in a
“Welcome to Class” forum. I had numerous responses to these greetings. Every
student who finished the course responded
to the bulletin board Welcome and to the
private e-mail. To personalize my space,
I put my name and the course title on every
page. I made the course contents section
appealing by using anecdotes, humor, and
controversial ideas. The students already
had a textbook. Now, I wanted them to
talk about the material.
Cooperative learning was incorporated
at two points. First, negotiation simulations took place in synchronous chatrooms.
The Successful Professor™
Whether used to familiarize
students with emerging
technologies or provide a
safe haven for discussion
of ideas, on-line resources
do transform the learning
environment.
Students were assigned partners, times,
roles, and a chatroom number. They
reported to the chatroom at the assigned
time and completed the negotiations online. While generally successful, these
simulations became more logistically
difficult as the number of roles increased.
Two or three bargainers were ideal; more
were cumbersome. Second, for students
to discuss course information, I created
forums on the bulletin board to correspond
to course materials. In each forum, I
posted starter questions and comments
to allow students to discuss ideas and
test them as they would in a face-to-face
class. These strategies resulted in over
500 messages on the bulletin boards over
the semester.
The success of this course encouraged me to use bulletin boards in traditional
classes in Communication Theory and
Persuasion, courses seen as difficult
because of their theory-driven nature.
Although important, student discussion
in these courses is sparse because the
material intimidates students. To encourage interaction, I designed forums relating
to course topics and posted starter comments and questions. Students posted
questions and comments consistently
throughout both classes. They commented
that having additional time to think
through their ideas made them feel less
“on the spot” and more likely to discuss
class materials. Student evaluations of
these courses were uniformly positive
concerning the use of bulletin board
discussion.
On balance, the on-line learning
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environment can facilitate student involvement and discussion. By designing
inviting opportunities, students feel
comfortable using distance learning
technology. Whether used to familiarize
students with emerging technologies or
to provide a safe haven for discussion of
ideas, on-line resources do transform
the learning environment.
References
Bower, B. L. (2000). Community college
satisfaction with the online and teleclass
experience. Academic Exchange Quarterly,
4, 54.
Caudron, S. (2001). Evaluating e-degrees.
Workforce, February, 44-48.
Davey, K. B. (1999). Distance learning
demystified. National Forum, 79, 44.
Dyrud, M. A. (2000). The Third Wave: A
position paper. Business Communication
Quarterly, 63, 81.
Eisinger, J. (2000). Education evolution.
Association Management, 52, 52.
Ginsburg, L. (1999). Educational technology:
Searching for the value added. Adult Learning,
10, 12.
Roberts, M. (2000). Back in the loop.
Techniques, 75, 14.
Schweizer, H. (1999). Designing and Teaching
an On-line Course. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Worley, R. B. (2000). The medium is not the
message. Business Communication Quarterly,
63, 93.
•••••••••••••••
11
Meet the Authors
Andrew McAuley, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Marketing at Stirling University in Stirling,
Scotland. He is also the Vice-Dean (Teaching) in the Faculty of Management. His main teaching interests are
international marketing and small business marketing. He has for some time been active in research at the
Marketing Entrepreneurship Interface. Most recent research projects have focused on the internationalisation
process within Scottish based arts and craft companies. Dr. McAuley is currently Deputy Chair of the Academy
of Marketing in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Leah Savion has been teaching for 30 years, the last 14 in Bloomington, Indiana. Her specialty is analytic
philosophy (logic, philosophy of language, epistemology, rationality theories), cognitive science, and
pedagogy theories. She is also teaching the only campus-wide pedagogy course offered at IU by the Graduate
School. She gives numerous workshops and talks about teaching related issues, such as metacognition,
motivation, heuristics and biases in learning, models of human inference, and the components of effective
teaching. She also teaches international folkdance, swing and Latin dance, and Israeli singing.
Susan M. Fredericks received her Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas and her
M.A. degree in Corporate and Public Communications from Seton Hall University. She has been teaching
public speaking, organizational, political, and women’s studies courses since the mid 1990s. Currently, Susan
is an assistant professor at Penn State University–Delaware County. Her research includes pedagogical
topics relating to public speaking courses and leadership development.
Nick Backus, Ph.D., teaches Interpersonal Communication, Intercultural Communication, Conflict
Management, Nonverbal Communication, and other applied Interpersonal and Public Address courses at
Western Oregon University. He received his Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas
in 1999. His dissertation concerns sex-based communication differences in interpersonal influence.
Dr. Backus has published in The Southern Journal of Forensics and has presented papers at the Central
States Communication Association and National Communication Association conventions.
The Successful Professor™
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1
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