Name:_______________________
Public Speaking Fundamentals
Mr. Jones
An English Elective
Public Speaking Fundamentals is a course geared toward students who wish to better
understand the basic principles of public speaking and improve their speaking skills to a more
sophisticated/effective level. Hopefully no one will feel like they’re floating in a tunnel towards
a bright light while giving or listening to a presentation, but if it happens, just lie down on the
floor and we’ll call the nurse. In all seriousness though, you will be expected to write and
present/perform a variety of different types of speeches: personal, persuasive, impromptu, and
informative, and although each speech must be written, you will not be reading your speeches to
the class. In addition, you, as an audience member, will be required to fairly and honestly
evaluate other classmates’ speeches, but more on that later. Finally, I will introduce you to some
interesting rhetorical devices to incorporate in your speeches, and we’ll also examine some
famous and not-so famous speeches to see how those speakers treated the fundamentals of public
speaking and rhetoric.
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The Big Expectations:
I expect that…
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you will come to class with a positive and respectful attitude and a willingness to
improve your public speaking skills and support your peers.
you will write (type) each speech you create and that each speech will be an original
piece of work.
you will cooperatively and eagerly engage in all classroom activities and assignments,
large or small.
you will evaluate the efforts of your peers in as fair and honest a manner as possible.
General Classroom Rules and Expectations: The following supplement and reinforce the rules
and expectations outlined in the Bromfield Student Handbook. Please respect these.
1. On time attendance is expected for every class. Being late sends very bad messages, so please
make it a point to be on time.
2. Food and drink, with the exception of water, are not welcome in this classroom outside of the
snack period.
3. Pleasant cooperation with every classmate and me is the rule. Thinking about other people
before yourself leads to excellent classroom as well as life behavior. Be polite, civil, and
courteous.
4. Appropriate language in writing and speech is expected.
5. Homework is due at the time I check or collect it. Missing or incomplete homework earns a
zero percent but can be made up for a maximum of 50% credit. If you’re absent, contact
someone in the class for the homework so you don’t fall behind or check edline/Power School
because I consistently post homework there.
6. Bring your Public Speaking Fundamentals notebook to class every day.
7. Tests will be announced; quizzes may be announced or unannounced. In case of an absence
you have three days to make up a quiz/test and a failure to do so will cost you points (10 points
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per day). If you’re in school and an assignment is due, I expect to receive the assignment that
day. If you know you’re being dismissed early and will miss Public Speaking, come and get the
day’s assignment before you leave. In addition, if you’re absent on the day you’re supposed
to present a speech, then you should be ready to present your speech on the day you return.
In general, failure to present speeches or submit written speeches on scheduled dates
results in a full letter grade penalty for every day the assigned work is late.
8. Cheating and plagiarism have serious consequences.
associated with cheating will receive a zero.
Both plagiarized work and work
9. I plan the seating in the classroom, and I’ll change the seating periodically.
10. Please behave safely in my classroom.
11. Please leave any kind of toy in your locker.
12. Please keep your feet off the desks and chair legs on the ground. Please push in your chair
after every class.
13. Please ask to exit the classroom for any reason and sign out correctly.
14. Writing on the whiteboards without permission is a nuisance that costs me time and money.
Please refrain from doing so.
15. Please do not pack up early and/or dismiss yourself unless you want to be the last one out of
the room. Classroom time is valuable time, and I want all my students to use every minute
of it productively.
The Importance of Audience:
After you learn about the fundamentals to public speaking, you will get your first
speaking assignment, and after you’ve had some time to prepare that speech, we will begin
presentations. It is at this time that the class, as an audience, takes on a very important role
because I am going to ask you to evaluate and score each other’s speeches, not me. There are
four major reasons the course will operate like this:
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Name:_______________________
1) If you have to score someone’s speech using a rubric and assigned categories, it will keep you
engaged as an audience member.
2) It will encourage the speaker to perform for the class and not the teacher.
3) It is very hard for a single individual, like a teacher, to score a student’s speech on 10 different
categories based on a single look.
4) The speaker will get immediate feedback on his/her speech.
The Notebook:
Public Speaking Fundamentals does require a small loose-leaf notebook with two to three
dividers. You should have a section for handouts; a section for the rubric and scoring sheets;
and a WTL (Write to Learn) section for reflections and responses to various prompts. This last
section should contain 20 to 30 pages of white-lined composition paper. You should date each
entry and write out the prompt or question. In addition, to conserve paper, each entry (5 to
10 sentences) should directly follow the one that came before it, and you should use both
sides of a piece of paper. At some point, each term, I will collect these entries and evaluate
them on the effort you appear to be making and the attention you’ve paid to the criteria I’ve
established above. Complete sentences and accurate punctuation are a must unless I say
otherwise.
Grading:
Your grade will consist of scores on tests, quizzes, oral speeches, written speeches, and
homework. Each one of those items will consist of a certain point value that will contribute to
your overall term grade. Obviously, scores on tests and speeches will count more than scores on
homework and quizzes.
Please remember that I pride myself in being an approachable human being who is
a good listener. If you have a complaint, problem, or concern with me or a grade you’ve
earned or an issue with the class, then come and talk to me. As long as you’re polite and
reasonable, I will definitely consider what you’re saying. Let’s keep the lines of
communication open because most everything is fixable.
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