1/5 Public Speaking Mr. Jim Sydnor Main Building - Room 301 Spring 2022 Course Description: Public speaking is an indispensable practical skill relevant to all professional, academic, and personal settings. The question for modern scholars and professionals is not if they will have to at some point communicate to an audience, but when and how successfully? This course is an introduction to public speaking through theory and practice. A central premise of the class is that students can only become better at public speaking through performance, and that experience with any type of speaking has broad, long-term utility. Skill development in this course includes the fundamentals of communication, an introduction to various types of speech, organizing and presenting ideas, adapting to an audience, and answering audience questions. Throughout this process students will learn how to better navigate anxiety, nerves, and fear surrounding the process of speaking to an audience. Students will also research, critically analyze, prepare, and present arguments surrounding important topics about politics, social justice, and the humanities. Learning Objectives: 1. Introduce the key concepts for giving an effective speech. 2. Practice and prepare for navigating nerves, anxiety, and fear of speaking to an audience 3. Develop confidence as a speaker, independent thinker, and member of a democratic society. 4. Critically analyze and communicate positions on contemporary political, social, and ethical topics. 5. Study and practice multiple types of public speaking to provide experience that assist with all styles of communication and presentation. 6. Grow intellectually through argument development, advanced research, and presentation. 7. Promote portable communication, critical thinking, and research skills that can be used in academic, professional, and everyday settings. 2/5 Course Calendar: The course calendar is a loose approximation of the schedule. Content may be added, subtracted, or otherwise altered to best enable student progress. Date Theme Week 1 Introduction to Public Speaking Week 2 Introduction to Public Speaking Week 3 Introductory Speeches Week 4 Introductory Speeches Week 5 Humanities Conference Week 6 Humanities Conference Week 7 Humanities Conference Week 8 Policymakers Conference Week 9 Policymakers Conference Week 10 Policymakers Conference Week 11 Social Justice Summit Week 12 Social Justice Summit Week 13 Social Justice Summit Week 14 Workshop Week 15 Workshop Week 16 Impromptu Speeches Week 17 Impromptu Speeches Week 18 Impromptu Speeches 3/5 Grading Rubric: Category Points Participation 150 Introductory Speech 100 Humanities Conference Speech 150 Policymakers Conference Speech 150 Social Justice Summit Speech 150 Impromptu Speech 100 Prepared Materials 100 (4x25) Reflection Papers 100 (4x25) Total Points: 1000 Grading Scale (%) 92-100 (A) 80-91 (B) 70-80 (C) 60-70 (D) 4/5 Speech Redo Policy If you are unsatisfied with the grade or performance of a speech you are welcome to schedule a redo with Mr. Sydnor. The redo policy is built to incentivize skill development while providing the opportunity to boost your grade. You are allowed one redo per graded speech with the opportunity to get half your points back. Example: your original score is a 90 but redo is 100, your new score is 95. Redos should be scheduled before school, during a free period/study hall, or after school, and must be performed within one week of the original graded speech. Those who are registered with the school for learning accommodations may do multiple redos, each with an opportunity for full points back. They must also be within one week of the original graded speech. If you have a question about qualification for accommodations please contact the student assistance counselor, Mrs. Lauren Garrett. Plagiarism Altamont’s Honor Code: I will not lie, cheat, or steal. Plagiarism – the usage of ideas and texts without proper citations – is considered a violation of the honor code and comes with associated consequences. According to the Council of Writing Program Administrators, “plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source.”1 Proper, correct citations are expected for any written product in this course. MLA, APA, or Chicago style are all acceptable as long as citations are consistent in style. Speakers should briefly attribute original author/source when referencing facts, statistics, major arguments, etc. While plagiarism is easy to spot in written word it is more difficult to claim with public speaking: there’s no formalized system for referencing, and it’s easy to forget to attribute an author during a graded, timed speech in front of their peers. Incorrect citations, inconsistent citations, and failures tied to pressure are NOT considered plagiarism or treated as such; it will only affect your grade on the assignment. Teachers understand that students are learning how to cite information, and this policy only serves to address those situations in which “short cuts” rob students of meaningful academic experiences. Examples of plagiarism: reading a speech/submitting an outline someone else wrote; reading parts of someone else’s article, speech, manuscript, etc. in a speech without credit; consistently refusing to attribute credit to another author when presenting facts, statistics, or specific argument. 1 “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices.” Council of Writing Program Administrators, 30 December 2019, http://wpacouncil.org/aws/CWPA/pt/sd/news_article/272555/_PARENT/layout_details/false. 5/5 Guidelines for Maintaining a Brave Space: Public speaking is an activity that requires bravery from all participants. Everyone has a different comfort level with speaking in front of others: some students are here to overcome fear, while others can use the class to develop in a field in which they already feel confident. Public speaking courses may also force students to engage controversial topics, many of which are at first glance filtered through previously held beliefs. These scenarios can feel uncomfortable and require a commitment to producing a brave space. It is our collective duty as scholars to make room for everyone to feel empowered and safe to gain what they need from the classroom. Some starting guidelines for our ongoing conversation defining the scope and significance of a brave space: We all have knowledge and something to say. We are all experts in some areas, even if we are not experts in others. We all have something to teach and learn. Public speaking offers an opportunity to share that knowledge, even while the goal of the course is to learn how to better communicate those ideas. We will act with mutual respect for everyone’s knowledge and experience by making space and time for everyone’s participation. We will never demean, devalue, or in any way put down people for their experiences or means of expression. We will maintain open-mindedness and an active approach to learning. Public speaking offers a unique practice of education where your own knowledge intersects with research, peer, and professional guidance. We will allow research to drive our arguments rather than seeking out evidence that agrees with what we believe. We will remain open to critique. We are all always growing as learners, and the only way to develop intellectually is to acknowledge critiques and move forward. Testing our comfort zone is crucial to growth. It is uncomfortable to do things that we might be scared to do, such as giving a speech in front of an audience, sharing personal experiences, making an argument, engaging arguments you don’t agree with, or even receiving feedback. We should strive to honor through bravery those moments of uncomfortability en route to growing intellectually. Likewise, we must respect and help support our classmates who might feel uncomfortable as they develop into stronger public speakers and critical thinkers. Bravery can incorporate both productive uncomfortability and self-care. Excusing oneself from triggering or overwhelming conversations is acceptable and brave if the decision is best for one’s mental health. You are welcome to leave the class without explanation at any time if it’s not disruptive and it is for self-care. Explicitly discriminatory remarks disrupt the classroom as a brave space and are unacceptable. A central component of this course is that there’s power in our words and how we speak. Exclusionary language and arguments shut down civil deliberation, paralyze critical thought, and can disempower classmates. We will remain conscious about how what we say might affect the dignity, interests, and wellbeing of different populations.
