OVERVIEW
Today’s leaders must have the ability to communicate clearly, persuasively, and thoughtfully to diverse audiences. This course is designed for people who want to lead and communicate well in an increasingly complex world. Its principal goal is to strengthen the capacity of each student to communicate more effectively and authentically through the spoken and written word.
The course will emphasize public oratory: how to find one’s voice; employ standard elements of persuasion; speak with eloquence, passion, and confidence; express cultural identities and values; and articulate empathy and understanding for different perspectives.
Along the way, we will address the following aspects of public communication: writing op-eds; communicating during crisis; speaking on the spot; dealing with tough audiences; framing political issues; telling stories; using humor and emotion; honoring others; communicating through the media; and navigating group presentations.
Students are expected to read selected articles (“readings”) and view selected videos (“viewings”) in preparation for each lesson/discussion, and to engage in a variety of speaking exercises—impromptu speaking, group simulations, and formal speech presentations—for which they will receive oral and written feedback from their peers and professor. All speaking exercises will be videotaped and made available on the course web site.
MEETINGS
Class meetings include a lesson/discussion or group simulation each Tuesday from 4:10-6pm in RG 20.
Starting the week of Sept. 15 and continuing for the rest of the term, each Thursday, students will be divided into sections for impromptu speaking (Sept. 18 and Sept. 25) and formal speech presentations
(Oct. 2, Oct. 9, Oct. 16, Oct. 23, Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13, and Nov. 20). Sections will be scheduled as follows:
RED GROUP (A & B) —Thursdays, 4:10-6pm, RG 20
BLUE GROUP (A & B) —Thursdays, 6:10-8pm, RG 20
Students will deliver final speeches on Tuesday, Dec. 2 and Thursday, Dec. 4 from 4-7pm in RG 20. All students are required to attend both evenings of final speech presentations.

AUDIENCE
There is no prerequisite for this course. It is designed to be useful to students who are interested in public communication with all levels of experience. Enrollment is strictly limited to 40 students , and priority will be given to Harvard Kennedy School students . Because of the increasingly high demand for the course in recent years, cross registrants and auditors will not be admitted this term . This course is also closed to undergraduates .
EXPECTATIONS
Time requirements for this course are likely to be high. In addition to assigned readings and viewings, students are required to participate actively in class discussions. Grades will be based on four short speech assignments, a 750-word op-ed, one group simulation, class attendance and participation, and one final speech. Since peer feedback is an important part of the class participation grade, attendance is required.
Unexcused absences and excessive tardiness will negatively affect the final grade. Certain exceptions for sickness or personal emergency will be granted only if students contact Professor McCarthy via email in advance of the class meeting. Please note : the use of personal technology (smart phones, laptops, etc.) for any purpose other than note-taking is strictly prohibited. Any student who violates this policy will receive a failing grade for class participation.
ASSIGNMENTS
There is one written assignment: a 750-word op-ed piece suitable for publication, due via email to
Professor McCarthy by 4pm on Tuesday, Sept. 16. During the rest of the semester, each student will be required to participate in one group simulation and give four prepared speeches of roughly four minutes each; the final speech is a bit longer. Students will also be expected to provide meaningful written and oral feedback following all simulations and speeches.
GRADING
Written assignment (750-word op-ed)
Group Simulation
Speech Presentations
Class Participation and Written/Oral Feedback
Final Speech
15%
15%
40% (10% each)
15%
15%
It is the responsibility of each student to arrange to make up any missed assignments. Any assignment that remains incomplete at the end of the term will receive a failing grade.
MATERIALS
All assigned readings/viewings should be completed by the date they are listed on the syllabus , unless otherwise stated. There are two required books, available for purchase on Amazon.com:
Nancy Duarte, Resonate (Wiley, 2010)
George Lakoff,
Don’t Think of an Elephant!
(Chelsea Green, 2004)
The following texts are recommended:
Jay Heinrichs, Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson
Can Teach Us about the Art of Persuasion (Three Rivers, 2007)

Jay Allison and Dan Gediman, ed. This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of
Remarkable Men and Women (Henry Holt, 2007)
Andras Szanto, ed.
What Orwell Didn’t Know: Propaganda and the New Face of
American Politics (Public Affairs, 2007)
Roger Ailes, You Are the Message (Currency, 1988)
Peggy Noonan, On Speaking Well (ReganBooks, 1999)
Jack Valenti, Speak Up with Confidence (Hyperion, 2002)
Additional readings and viewings are marked [O] and are available via the online Class Page.
For all written and oral assignments, students are strongly encouraged to refer to the online version of
Strunk and White’s Elements of Style at http://www.bartleby.com/141/
The following web sites contain a broad range of famous speeches in text, audio, and video form: http://americanrhetoric.com/ , http://www.youtube.com
, and http://ted.com
.
SCHEDULE
WEEK ONE
TUES, 9/2 Shopping Day, RG 20, 4:10 – 5:30pm, ALL COMERS
THURS, 9/4 Lesson/Discussion, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Introduction: Logos, Ethos, Pathos
Readings (to be completed by Monday, Sept. 15):
Nancy Duarte, Resonate , introduction and chapters 1, 7
O – Aristotle on Rhetoric http://americanrhetoric.com/aristotleonrhetoric.htm
O – Jay Heinrichs, Thank You for Not Arguing , selections
O – Jay Heinrichs, “How Harvard Destroyed Rhetoric,” Harvard Magazine (1995)
O – George Orwell, “Why I Write,” “Politics and the English Language” (1946)
O – Timothy Patrick McCarthy, “Why I Write,” in Jim Downs, ed. Why We Write:
The Politics and Practice of Writing for Social Change (Routledge, 2005)
O –
Susan Faludi, “Speak for Yourself,”
New York Times Magazine , Jan. 26, 1992 http://ezp1.harvard.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezp1.harvard.edu/pqdweb?did
=290303372&sid=1&Fmt=10&clientId=11201&RQT=309&VName=HNP
O – Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American
Slave (1845; Penguin Classics, 1986), selections
O –
Arthur Miller, “American Playhouse: On Politics and the Art of Acting,”
Harper’s Magazine
(2001)
O – Bill Clinton, Speech to Memphis Ministers (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upRaNQT5L78
O – Barbara Jordan, Speech on Nixon Impeachment (1974) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG6xMglSMdk
O – Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention Keynote (2004) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0
O –
Amy Cuddy, “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are,” TED Talk (2012) http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are
WEEK TWO
TUES, 9/9 Lesson/Discussion, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS

Writing Op-Eds
Readings:
O –
Robert Semple, Jr., “All the Views That Are Fit to Print,”
New York Times ,
Sept. 30, 1990 http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezp1.harvard.edu/us/lnacademic/api/version1/sr?shr=t&csi=6
742&sr=HLEAD(All+the+Views)+AND+DATE+IS+09/30/1990
O – David Shipley, “And Now a Word from Op-Ed,” New York Times , Feb. 1, 2004 http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezp1.harvard.edu/us/lnacademic/api/version1/sr?shr=t&csi=6
O
O
742&sr=HLEAD(Now+a+Word)+AND+DATE+IS+02/01/2004
– Marie Danziger, “Criteria for Publishable Op-Eds”
– HKS Communications Program, “Guidelines for Writing Op-Ed Pieces”
Selected Op-Eds (circulated via email before class meeting)
THURS, 9/11 Lesson/Discussion, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Communicating during Crisis
Readings and Viewings :
O – George W. Bush, 9/11 Speeches (2001) http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911florida.htm
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911barksdale.htm
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911addresstothenation.htm
O – Press Conferences from Ferguson, MO (2014)
O – Hillary Clinton, Speech on Benghazi Attacks (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwI-uoQmNS8
O – Deval Patrick, Speech on Boston Marathon Bombing (2013) http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2013/04/18/VIDEO-TRANSCIPT-OF-
MASSACHUSETTS-GOVERNOR-DEVAL-PATRICKS-SPEECH-AT-BOSTON-INTERFAITH-
HEALING-SERVICE/
O – Elizabeth Warren, Speech on Wall Street Reform (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxhyUAWPmGw
O – Marie Danziger, “Crisis Communication” (2000)
WEEK THREE
Writing Assignment: 750-word op-ed due to Prof. McCarthy via email by 4pm on Sept. 16
TUES, 9/16 Lesson/Discussion, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Speaking on the Spot
Readings and Viewings:
O –
O –
O –
O –
MM Lee with His Jovial Question (2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfnjQBjbJFE
Li Na, Australian Open Winner’s Speech (2014) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-uVsj2pJDo
David Cameron, Prime Minister’s Questions (2013)
Reza Aslan, “But You’re A Muslim, Right?” (2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoJ6Ty84TYA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt1cOnNrY5s
O – Hillary Clinton, On Reproductive Rights and Family Planning (2009) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH9rC0MaBJc

O –
Marie Danziger, “Mental Models for Public Speaking”
THURS, 9/18 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP (A & B)
Impromptu Speaking Exercise
Section, RG 20, 6:10-8pm, BLUE GROUP (A&B)
Impromptu Speaking Exercise
WEEK FOUR
TUES, 9/23 Lesson/Discussion, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Dealing with Tough Audiences
Readings and Viewings:
Duarte, Resonate , chapters 3, 8
TBD
THURS, 9/25 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP (A & B)
Impromptu Speaking Exercise
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP (A & B)
WEEK FIVE
Impromptu Speaking Exercise
TUES, 9/30 Simulation, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Group Simulation # 1
THURS, 10/2 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute problem/solution speech (RED-A)
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute problem/solution speech (BLUE-A)
WEEK SIX
TUES, 10/7 Lesson/Discussion, RG, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Framing the Debate
Readings and Viewings:
Duarte, Resonate , chapters 5-6
George Lakoff,
Don’t Think of an Elephant
O – George Lakoff, “What Orwell Didn’t Know about the Brain, the Mind, and
Language,” in Szanto, pp. 67-74
O – Drew Westen, “The New Frontier: The Instruments of Emotion,” in Szanto, pp. 75-86
O – Drew Westen, The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation
(Public Affairs, 2007), introduction and ch. 1
O – Luntz, Words That Work , ch. 12-13, Appendix B

O
– Jonathan Haidt, “The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives” (2008 TED Talk) and
“How Common Threats Can Make Common (Political) Ground” (2012 TED Talk) http://righteousmind.com/
O –
Matt Bai, “The Framing Wars,”
New York Times , July 17, 2005 http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezp1.harvard.edu/us/lnacademic/api/version1/sr?shr=t&csi=6
742&sr=HLEAD(The+Framing+Wars)+AND+DATE+IS+07/17/2005
O – Martin Luther King, Jr., March on Washington Address (1963) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs
O – Malcolm X, The Ballot or the Bullet Speech (1964) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9BVEnEsn6Y
O – Mario Cuomo, Democratic National Convention Keynote (1984) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOdIqKsv624
O – Ann Richards, Speech to Emily’s List (2004) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT_akDBRmmA
O – Aung San Suu Kyi, Forum on Women Keynote Address (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MhaT82MdLo
O – Zach Wahls, “On Family” (2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q
O – Sheryl Sandberg, Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders, TED Talk (2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18uDutylDa4
*Students should also take the online Implicit Attitude Tests: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
THURS, 10/9 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute problem/solution speech (RED-B)
WEEK SEVEN
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute problem/solution speech (BLUE-B)
TUES, 10/14 Simulation, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Group Simulation # 2
THURS, 10/16 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute framing speech (RED-A)
WEEK EIGHT
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute framing speech (BLUE-A)
TUES, 10/21 Lesson/Discussion, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Telling Stories
Readings and Viewings:
Duarte, Resonate , chapter 2
O –
Marshall Ganz, “The Power of Story in Social Movements” (2001)
O – Marshall Ganz, “What is Public Narrative?” (working paper, 2007)
( Both of these papers are available via the Kennedy School home page > people > faculty > Marshall Ganz > publications )
O – Martha Nussbaum, “Emotions and Judgments of Value,” in Upheavals of

Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions (Cambridge, 2001), pp. 19-33
O – Stephen L. Carter, Integrity (BasicBooks, 1996), ch. 1, 13
O – Jay Allison, ed. This I Believe , selections
O – Peggy Noonan, On Speaking Well (ReganBooks, 1999), pp. 194-208
O –
Marie Danziger, “Building Trust” (2000)
O
– Barack Obama, “A More Perfect Union” (2008) http://www.barackobama.com/tv/speeches.php
O – Barack Obama, Speech on Trayvon Martin (2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHBdZWbncXI
O – Malala Yousafzai, Speech to the United Nations (2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRh_30C8l6Y
O – J. K. Rowling, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” Harvard
Commencement Address, 2008 http://vimeo.com/1711302
O – Lisa Kristine, “Witness: Illuminating the World of Modern-Day Slavery” (TEDx Talk, 2012) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwB6bPgPol4
O – Diane Savino, “On Marriage Equality” (2009) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCFFxidhcy0
O – Michael Bloomberg, “Speech on Ground Zero Mosque” (2010)
O – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWRJ17he__I
Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address (2005) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHWUCX6osgM
O – Lupita Nyong’o, “On Black Beauty” (2014) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPCkfARH2eE
O – Chimamanda Adichie, “The Danger of a Single Story,” TED Talk (2009) http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en
THURS, 10/23 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute framing speech (RED-B)
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute framing speech (BLUE-B)
WEEK NINE
TUES, 10/28 Simulation, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Group Simulation #3
THURS, 10/30 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute values speech (RED-A)
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute values speech (BLUE-A)
WEEK TEN
TUES, 11/4 Lesson/Discussion, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Honoring Others: Toasts, Tributes, and Eulogies
Readings and Viewings:
O – Noonan, “Toasts and Tributes,” in On Speaking Well , pp. 152-174

O – Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (1863), in Safire, pp. 59-61
O – Frederick Douglass, Tribute to Lincoln (1876), in Safire, pp. 195-200
O – Franklin Delano Roosevelt, D-Day Prayer (1944) http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/odddayp.html
R – Jawaharlal Nehru, Eulogy for Gandhi (1948), in Safire, pp. 223-225
R – John F. Kennedy, Tribute to Robert Frost (1963), in Safire, pp. 226-229
R, O – Robert F. Kennedy, On the Assassination of Dr. King (1968), in Safire, pp. 229-231 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rfkonmlkdeath.html
O – Earl of Spencer, Tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales (1997) http://www.eulogywriters.com/princess_diana.htm
O – Cyrus M. Copeland, “Death, Be Not Ponderous,” New York Times , Oct. 31, 2004 http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezp1.harvard.edu/us/lnacademic/api/version1/sr?shr=t&csi=6
742&sr=HLEAD(Death+Be+Not)+AND+DATE+IS+10/31/2004
O – Ronald Reagan, Challenger Disaster Speech (1986) http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganchallenger.htm
O – Lou Gehrig, Farewell Address (1939) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYyUWn224AE
O – Rosa Parks Funeral Service (Bill Clinton, 1:26, Obama at 2:35, Hillary Clinton at 2:43) http://www.c-span.org/video/?189704-1/rosa-parks-funeral-service
THURS, 11/6 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute values speech (RED-B)
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute values speech (BLUE-B)
* Happy Hour * Friday, November 7th * 6-9pm *
* Quincy House Senior Common Room * 58 Plympton Street *
WEEK ELEVEN
TUES, 11/11 Simulation, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Group Simulation #4
THURS, 11/13 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute toast, tribute, or eulogy (RED-A)
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute toast, tribute, or eulogy (BLUE-A)
WEEK TWELVE
TUES, 11/18 Lesson/Discussion, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, ENTIRE CLASS
Communicating through the Media
Readings and Viewings:
O – Harwood Group, “Meaningful Chaos: How People Form Relationships with
Public Concerns,” pp. 41-48
O – David Gergen, “20 General Tips for Political Debates” and “Notes on Press
Relations”
O – Marie Danziger, “Creative Refutation” and “Guidelines for Debate”

O – Carole Howard, “When a Reporter Calls,” pp. 614-617
Communicating in Business Today ,
O – Mimi Goss, “News Conferences and Interviews: Basic Precepts” and “Checklist for Developing a Media Plan”
O – Roger Ailes, “Media Tactics,” You Are The Message , pp. 185-202
O – “When the Red Light is On: On-Camera Guidelines and Media Interview Basics”
O – Press Conference Guidelines
O – The Ruckus Society, “The Ruckus Society Media Manual” http://ruckus.org/article.php?id=101
O – “Wael Ghonim and Egypt’s New Age Revolution,” 60 Minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxJK6SxGCAw
O – Jennifer Hollett interviews Dan Savage, Connect with Mark Kelley , Sept. 29, 2010
THURS, 11/20 Section, RG 20, 4:10 – 6pm, RED GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute toast, tribute, or eulogy (RED-B)
Section, RG 20, 6:10 – 8pm, BLUE GROUP
Section Assignment: 4-minute toast, tribute, or eulogy (BLUE-B)
WEEK THIRTEEN: THANKSGIVING BREAK—NO CLASS
*Professor McCarthy and the Course Assistants will hold extra office hours this week to help students with their final speeches
WEEK FOURTEEN
TUES, 12/2 Final Student Speeches, RG 20, 4 – 7pm, ENTIRE CLASS
THURS, 12/4 Final Student Speeches, RG 20, 4 – 7pm, ENTIRE CLASS
* End-of-Year Celebration * Friday, December 5th * 6-9pm *
* Quincy House Senior Common Room * 58 Plympton Street *