GCOM 121.02
Fundamental Human Communication: Presentations
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1:25-2:15 Harrison Hall 2101
Fall 2008 Syllabus
Instructor: Timothy C. Ball
Office Hours: MWF 9-10 & 11:15-12:15
Or By Appointment
E-mail: balltc@jmu.edu
Office: Harrison Hall, Room 1286
Telephone: 568-6859
Web address: blackboard.jmu.edu
Required Text
Gamble, T.K., & Gamble, M. (2008). Communication works. (9th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Required Material
One DVD-RW for recording speech presentations (4 X or 8 X, but not any higher speed)
Cluster One Learning Objectives: Communication
The student who has completed GCOM 121 can be assumed to understand theories and develop skills in
oral communication in the following areas:
 Understand and apply the fundamentals of audience analysis, message construction, development,
organization, and presentation including electronically.
 Identify, evaluate and employ critical and sensitive listening behaviors.
 Recognize and apply the influences of self-concept, perception, and culture on communication.
 Identify and manage the verbal and nonverbal dimensions of communication in a variety of
contexts.
 Identify, evaluate and utilize the nature and functions of power and the strategies of conflict
negotiation.
 Deliver individual presentations using standard oral conventions.
Teer Learning Community
Teer Learning Community students take GWRIT 103, GBUS 160 and GCOM 121 together, though you
will receive an individual grade for each of the three classes. If you choose to drop any one of the three
classes, you must drop the other two as well.
Teer Learning Community students are required to perform a minimum of twenty (20) hours of
community service during the fall semester. Early in the semester, a representative from Community
Service Learning (CS-L) will come to your GCOM 121 class to discuss your service options. You will
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choose the organization for which you wish to work and keep track of your own service hours.
Community service is an ungraded requirement for membership in the Teer Learning Community.
However, if you fail to complete your service in a satisfactory manner, barring extenuating circumstances,
your final grade in each of the three classes will be lowered one full grade.
Policy on Late Course Additions
Students are responsible for registering for classes and for verifying their class schedules on e-campus.
Late course additions will not be permitted.
The deadline for adding a fall semester class without instructor and academic unit head signature is
Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Between Wednesday, September 3, 2006 and Thursday, September 11,
2008, instructor and academic unit head signatures will be required to add a class for fall semester 2008.
No student will be allowed to register for a fall semester class after Thursday, September 11, 2008.
Inclement Weather Policy
In this class I will follow the official JMU policy regarding inclement weather. If you are unfamiliar with
this policy, I have reprinted it below:
Decisions to close university operations will be made by the President or a designee. If the decision to
close is made, announcements will be made on JMU radio station 1610AM, on the JMU Home Page on
the World Wide Web and on area radio and television stations.
When it is necessary to cancel classes due to weather or other emergency, faculty members have several
options for making up missed instructional time.
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Hold class on the official university make up day, which will be designated as part of the
closing announcement.
Hold class at another time acceptable to class members. The department will arrange time and
location.
Hold class electronically, using a web-based source such as WebBoard or Blackboard.
Accommodate for the missed instructional time within remaining class meeting time.
When the university closes due to weather or other type of emergency, faculty will administer regularly
scheduled examinations at a time designated by the university unless otherwise announced in the course
syllabus. The official make up time will be designated as part of the closing announcement. Unless
otherwise notified, examination locations will be the same as the location for the regularly scheduled
exam.
If it is determined that exams cannot be given because of inclement weather or other emergency, faculty
will assign final grades to students based on the exams, tests and projects completed prior to the regularly
scheduled exam date.
Course Policies and Procedures
This class focuses on human communication and is designed to introduce you to this subject through a
variety of different experiences and perspectives. In order to facilitate this introduction, specific policies
and procedures have been developed and are presented below.
1. A roll sheet will be handed out at the beginning of each class period, so you need to be punctual. If
you come in late, make sure to check with me at the end of the class period to ensure that you are not
counted as absent. You are allowed to be absent TWO days for the entire semester for whatever
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reason. If you represent James Madison University as an athlete or in some official capacity and are
absent, that absence is considered to be university-approved and will NOT count against you. IF
YOU ARE SICK OR ILL, THAT IS NOT CONSIDERED A UNIVERSITY-APPROVED
ABSENCE AND WILL COUNT AGAINST YOU.
2. Each absence in excess of three (3) will result in points being subtracted from your final point total.
Four (4) absences will cause FIVE points to be deducted; five (5) absences will cause TEN points to
be deducted; and six (6) absences will cause FIFTEEN points to be deducted.
3. If you are absent, you are responsible for acquiring the lecture notes and copies of the handouts from
one of your fellow classmates. I do not bring handouts from previous classes with me to class.
Likewise, I cannot take time away from other students during office hours to talk you through a
missed class period. However, I am more than happy to help you better understand materials
discussed in the lecture or the book, and to discuss your progress in the course or any concerns that
you may have.
4. Written assignments will be collected at the beginning of the class period on the days on which they
are due. Late assignments will result in a loss of FIVE (5) points per day. If you don’t turn in the
assignment at the beginning of class, FIVE points will be deducted from the total. For each day after
the due date, FIVE points per day will be deducted from the total. Written assignment may always be
turned in any time prior to the due date without losing points. But I do not accept written
assignments that are e-mailed to me. You must put them in my department mailbox in
Harrison Hall.
5. In order to make up a test, you must provide proof of a legitimate university-approved absence.
Otherwise you will receive a zero (0) as your test grade. Illness does NOT count as a legitimate
excuse.
6. If you do not make your speech presentation on the day assigned to you, a score of zero (0) will be
entered into the grade book. The only way to make up this presentation is if you have a legitimate
excuse and can provide written proof. Otherwise, the zero stands. As the instructor, I decide what
constitutes a legitimate excuse.
7. Finally, you are expected to know and uphold JMU’s Honor Code. All forms of academic dishonesty
(i.e., plagiarism and cheating are violations of the Honor Code) are deemed to be serious matters in
this class, and will not be excused. Each student is expected to observe complete honesty in all
academic matters and to assume responsibility when another student has violated the Honor System.
Every student is a member of the Honor System. The JMU Student Handbook provides full
information on the Honor System, and the Honor Council office provides students with assistance in
understanding Honor System policies.
Grading Scale and Evaluation of Student Work
In this course, grades will NOT be given as rewards for coming to class, completing your readings and
homework in a timely fashion, or having a great attitude. I expect these behaviors from all of my JMU
students. Rather, grades will serve as both a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the quality of
work you are producing. The following scale represents how I will be grading your work and the level of
my expectations for the class.
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A
Exceptionally well-prepared and executed completion of assigned work, indicating unusual effort,
individualized creative style, and demonstrating a thorough grasp of the related material. This
constitutes outstanding work. Only work handed in on time can earn an “A.”
B
Creative, well-prepared work demonstrating considerable effort, talent, or grasp of the material
that is distinctly superior to an average or “C” effort. This is above average work.
C
Satisfactory completion of assigned work at a level of effort and competency normally expected
of the majority of students (i.e., basic completion, average performance, reasonable effort and
preparedness). This is average work that fails to stand out in any way.
D
Assigned work is not completed satisfactorily, indicating either misperceived objectives or failure
to grasp key concepts. The effort made is reasonable, but the work is below average.
F
Student fails to complete assigned work or fails to grasp key concepts due to lack of reasonable
effort. Work is below the minimum level of acceptance.
Grades will be assigned on a percentage of the total points possible, with the plus/minus system in effect.
There is no curving of grades on exams, papers, or presentations in this class. Here is what the
breakdown looks like:
95-100
90-94%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%
73-76%
70-72%
66-69%
60-65%
<59%
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Course Assignments and Point Values
Discussion Board Participation
100 points
Exam 1 (Chapters 1-7)
50 points
Exam 2 (Chapters 13-18)
50 points
Exam 3 (Chapters 8, 9, 11, & 12)
50 points
Final Exam
100 points
90 Second Communicator Presentation
50 points
This I Believe Presentation
50 points
Informative Speech Presentation
100 points
Informative Speech Critique
100 points
___________________________________________________________________
TOTAL POINTS
650 points
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Discussion Board Participation Assignment (100 points)
Throughout the semester, you will be asked to reflect upon questions that I will post as a thread on the
Discussion Board section of Blackboard. These questions will be posted on Blackboard as we begin to
deal with the content in each chapter of the Rothwell textbook.
In-Class Examinations (150 points)
You will take three in-class exams. The format of the exams will consist of multiple choice and true-false
questions. The first exam will cover Chapters 1-7, the second exam will cover Chapters 13-18, and the
third exam will cover Chapters 8, 9, 11, & 12.
Final Examination (100 points)
The final exam is cumulative and comprehensive, and will be given during the scheduled final exam
period. This test will be taken individually, and will consist of 100 multiple-choice questions; each
question will be worth 1 point each. These questions will be derived from your textbook readings,
lectures, and in-class discussions. The final exam will be taken on a computer in the Ashby Hall
computer lab. Because all sections are full, you will have to take the final exam on the scheduled day and
time. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.
The Teer Learning Community will take the GCOM 121 final exam on Monday, Dec. 8 (8:00-10:00) in
the Ashby Hall computer lab.
90 Second Communicator Presentation (50 points)
Each of you will be given a unique part of the text and will have 90 seconds to give us a focused look at
your section. Regardless of the amount of information assigned, you will only have 90 seconds to
present the content to the audience.
This I Believe Presentation (50 points)
The “This I Believe” presentation is based on a personal essay that is focused on belief or insight about
life that is significant to you the presenter. What you present to the audience is based on both experiences
and relationships that have taught you what individual values are most important.
Informative Speech Presentation (100 points)
Each student will deliver his or her original informative speech.
Informative Speech Critique (100 points)
After the speech presentation, each student will have one week to review his or her videotaped speech and
critique his or her performance.
NOTE: This syllabus and schedule are subject to change. All changes will be announced in class. It
is the responsibility of each student to keep up with any changes.
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GCOM 121.02
Fundamental Human Communication: Presentations
The 90 Second Communicator*
Purpose
To have you “boil down” information in the Gamble & Gamble textbook to the most essential elements
and present that information extemporaneously to an audience in 90 seconds.
Background
These presentations are based on the “90 Second Naturalist” a program on National Public Radio that
runs from 6:58 to 7:00 AM every weekday morning locally on WMRA (at 90.7 FM). We will listen to
several examples in class and discuss them. You are welcome to listen to examples of the program on
your own.
Expectations
You will be expected to provide the audience with a limited overview of this course by taking us through
part of the textbook. Instead of presenting information about nature, you will be sharing information
about communication. Each of you will be given a unique part of the text and will have 90 seconds to
give us a focused look at your section. Regardless of the amount of information assigned to you, you will
have just 90 seconds to convey the content to the audience.
1. You will hand in an outline of your speech before you begin your presentation so that your
instructor can follow your speech as you go. (see below)
2. You SHOULD NOT use any visual or audio aids for this speech.
3. Timing is critical! Practice your speech so that you get the timing right. You will be responsible
for adhering to the time limit when you give your speech. The best way to do this is to practice
so well that your speech is perfectly timed! You will be penalized if you run short or long. You
have 90 SECONDS!!!
This is an extemporaneous speech. That means that you are prepared well enough to be able to speak
without reading from notes. You will not be allowed to take a manuscript or a copy of the outline of
your speech with you to the front of the classroom. If you must use notes, you are only allowed a
SINGLE note card with a few bulleted main points to remind you what you are going to talk about. The
note card should NOT contain a script for you to read. If you read from notes, you will be penalized.
Your outline is altogether different from a speech note card. It is a fully written-out version of your
information. If you need help with (or information about) outlining, you should read Chapter 15 of the
Gamble & Gamble textbook, which starts on page 430.
Take a look at the Evaluation Sheet that will be used for your presentation, you will see that the
presentation is worth a total of 50 points — 25 points for the outline and 25 points for the presentation.
The Evaluation Sheet can be found on the Blackboard site for this class.
* Special thanks to Dr. Roz Leppington for sharing this idea with me.
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GCOM 121.02
Fundamental Human Communication: Presentations
“This I Believe” Presentation
Presentation purpose
The “This I Believe” presentation is based on a personal essay that is focused on belief or insight about
life that is significant to you the presenter. What you present to the audience is based on both experiences
and relationships that have taught you what individual values are most important.
Time limit
The oral presentation should be no more than 3 minutes in length (that’s about 500 words).
What a personal essay is
A personal essay communicates the significance of a central idea or insight that has a deep personal
meaning to the presenter. The purpose of the essay is more reflective, but it may sound persuasive to
some audience members. The essay should be based upon the presenter’s personal experiences and/or
anecdotes and should be written and presented in the first person rather than in the third person.
Presenting the essay in the first person makes for a presentation that is more conversational or
entertaining in style.
What a personal essay is NOT
Your personal essay should NOT be a sermon, religious or lay. It should NOT editorialize or promote
sectarianism or “finger-pointing.” In this presentation I want to know what you live by and I want it
expressed in terms of “I” not the editorial “we.” Be affirmative in your personal essay and say what you
believe in. Do NOT focus on what you don’t believe in.
Procedure
1. Develop a 500-word essay about what you believe in. While the idea for the essay must be
personal, make the frame big enough to allow your audience to find parallels between your
experience and theirs. Even if your audience has not been on a mission trip to Africa, the
effective presenter must draw in an audience to show a more universal implication of a very
personal experience or belief.
2. Make a 3-minute oral presentation to the rest of the class using your written personal essay.
3. Submit your written essay to This I Believe, a not-for-profit organization established to promote
the free and respectful exchange of ideas through media, outreach, and educational activities.
Personal essay tips
For this presentation, focus on these five aspects:
1. Tell a story. Take your beliefs out of the ether and ground it in the events of your life. Consider
moments when belief was formed or tested or changed.
2. Be brief. Your personal essay should be about 500 words (that’s about 3 minutes when spoken).
3. Name your belief. Rather than writing a list, consider focusing on a core belief (because 3
minutes is a very short amount of time).
4. Be positive. Avoid preaching or editorializing. Talk about what you do believe, not what you
don’t believe. Make your essay about you; speak in the first person.
5. Be personal. Use words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak.
As with all oral presentations, you will be evaluated according to the speech requirements. You will also
be evaluated on the detail and creativity of your personal essay, the organization of the presentation, the
clarity of your personal beliefs, and your verbal and nonverbal delivery skills.
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GCOM 121.02
Fundamental Human Communication: Presentations
Informative Speech Presentation
Overview
The informative speech presentation will be on a topic chosen by you. The presentation will be entirely
original and the result of your creativity and research. At the time of presentation each student will bring
to class a DVD-RW so that the presentation can be recorded. After the presentation, each student will
review the recorded presentation and write a critique of his or her performance. This critique is due one
week after the presentation.
A speech done previously by you in another setting or for another class would not be considered original
and thus would be a violation of the Honor System. Any presentation deemed to be in violation of the
Honor System would be given a grade of zero. Failure to present your informative speech on the
scheduled day will also result in a grade of zero.
Procedures
Time
The speech is to be 6-8 minutes in length. Speakers who exceed the time limit will be stopped at 8:30 and
will not receive credit for the portion of the speech that is not delivered.
Delivery
Extemporaneous delivery is required. Speakers will be allowed to take one note card or a one-sheet
outline to the podium. The speech MUST NOT be read or memorized.
Documentation
Documentation must be ample, convincing, and adequate to the point being made. A minimum of FIVE
citations from THREE different types of sources (e.g., magazines, newspapers, journals, books,
interviews, personal experience, or the Internet) is required. ONLY ONE CITATION CAN BE FROM
THE INTERNET. The sources must be cited in the speech in such a manner that the audience can judge
the adequacy of the source.
Visual aids
At least one visual aid (e.g., handouts, posters, video clips, sound/music clips) must be used in the speech.
You may use PowerPoint in the presentation, but you cannot count this software program as a visual aid.
Visual aids should be appropriate, adequate, and presented well.
Outlines
A formal outline is required on the day the speech is delivered. You will hand the outline to me before
you begin the presentation.
Delivery date
All speeches must be delivered on the date assigned. Failure to deliver the speech on the assigned date
will result in a grade of zero.
Recording
Each student will bring a DVD-RW to class on the assigned speech day. The recorded speech will be
used by the student to prepare the critique that is required for this assignment. Failure to bring a burnable
DVD for recording means that the student will not be able to earn the 100 points possible for the
presentation critique.
Critique date
Speech critiques are due one week after the speech delivery date.
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GCOM 121.02
Fundamental Human Communication: Presentations
Fall 2008
Tentative Weekly Schedule
Week 1 (Aug. 25-29)
Introductions
Gamble & Gamble, Chapter 1
Week 2 (Sept. 1-5)
Perception, Personal Identity/Intercultural Communication
Gamble & Gamble, Chapters 2, 3 & 4
Week 3 (Sept. 8-12)
Verbal, Nonverbal Communication & Listening
Gamble & Gamble, Chapters 5, 6, & 7
Week 4 (Sept. 15-19)
Preparing to Speak/ Presenting Public Speeches
Gamble & Gamble, Chapters 13, 14, 15, & 16
Week 5 (Sept. 22-26)
Informative & Persuasive Speaking
Gamble & Gamble, Chapters 17 & 18
Test #1 (Sept. 26)
(Gamble & Gamble, Chapters 1-7)
Week 6 (Sept. 29-Oct. 3)
90 Second Communicator Presentations
Week 7 (Oct. 6-10)
Interpersonal Communication
Gamble & Gamble, Chapter 8
Week 8 (Oct. 13-17)
Interpersonal Communication
Gamble & Gamble, Chapter 9
Week 9 (Oct. 20-24)
Communicating in the Small Group
Gamble & Gamble, Chapter 11
Test #2 (Oct. 24)
(Gamble & Gamble, Chapters 13-18)
Week 10 (Oct. 27-31)
Communicating in the Small Group
Gamble & Gamble, Chapter 12
Week 11 (Nov. 3-7)
This I Believe Presentations
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Week 12 (Nov. 10-14)
This I Believe Presentations
Week 13 (Nov. 17-21)
Test #3 (Nov. 19)
(Gamble & Gamble, Chapters 8, 9, 11, & 12)
Week 14 (Nov. 24-28)
Thanksgiving Break — Classes will NOT meet this week
Week 15 (Dec. 1-5)
Individual Informative Speech Presentations
Week 16 (Dec. 8-12)
Final Exam (Dec. 8)
The start time for the final exam is 8:00 am. (You will have two hours to complete the
exam). The exam will be given in the Ashby Hall computer lab.
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