Instructor: Arthur Khoyetsyan
Educational Department Office # 303
Yerevan State Linguistic University
e-mail: akhoyetsyan@brusov.am, art_kho@freenet.am (please send to both)
COURSE GUIDE
WRITING FOR ADVANCED PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed for students who have completed the introductory
instruction and practice in public speaking to gain a higher level of expertise in speechwriting
skills, debating, and advanced presentation skills. Throughout the course, you will have
readings on rhetorical criticism and on speechwriting process and history. This will enable
you to understand the context and historical development of public speaking clearly. Then,
you will construct and deliver informative and persuasive speeches of your own. Through
exercises aimed at analyzing and evaluating the speeches of others, you should expect to
master the ability to complete a speech critique of other speakers. This class will develop your
own critical thinking skills to draft and deliver your speeches as well as apply those
techniques in analyzing the politicians’ discourses in a democracy.
OBJECTIVE: This is an advanced public speaking course so it presents advanced theories
and skills training, which are used in persuasive public speaking. Advanced instruction in
communication, research, argumentation, analytical and persuasion skills is provided.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with tips and techniques in a way that by the
end of the course successful students will have acquired the knowledge necessary to feel
comfortable in debating with each other, writing and peer-critiquing each other’s speech, and
speaking in public effectively.
READINGS:
Brydon Steven R. and Michael D. Scott. Between One And Many 2000
Burghchardt C. Readings in Rhetorical Criticism 1995
McCutcheon R., J. Schaffer and J. Wycoff. Communication Matters 1994
Ritter K. and Martin J. Medhurst. Presidential Speechwriting: From the New Deal to the
Reagan Revolution And Beyond
Wood Roy., and Lynn Goodnight. Strategic Debate 1995
http://www.abacon.com/pubspeak/index.html
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek4/speech.htm
www.xlibris.com/BasicPublicSpeaking.html
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COURSE POLICIES:
1. Grading policy
2. Attendance and participation policy
3. Academic Honesty
4. Student conferences
1. Grading Policy: The course grade is determined by attendance, participation, in-class
assignments, writing and delivery of speeches, and the final comparative analysis paper.
Each speech will be graded according to content, organization, and delivery. You will turn in
an outline of every speech the week before you give the speech in class. If you don't turn in an
outline, you will not give a speech.
Attendance and participation
In-class assignments [skills and tips]
Informative speech
Persuasive speech
Final Comparative Analysis Paper
TOTAL
Grading Scale:
10 points
20 points
20 points
20 points
30 points
100 POINTS
91 – 100 = A (excellent)
76 – 90 = B (good)
56 – 75 = C (satisfactory)
55 or below = D (failing)
2. Attendance and class participation are vital and will be used to determine a portion of
your grade. Your promptness is appreciated and noted. If you are late, please enter quietly.
On speech days, please do not disrupt the class. Wait outside the door until the speaker has
completed his/her speech and then enter the class. If you are tardy, it is your responsibility to
remind the instructor of your presence; otherwise it may remain recorded as an absence. You
are allowed a maximum of two unexcused absences. More than two unexcused absences will
result in losing points as it will directly affect your participation in group discussions. Six
unexcused absences will result in failing this course.
Classroom conduct is to be professional, courteous, and supportive. Cell phones, pagers and
other equipment are to be turned off when you come to class. Checking e-mail, viewing the
websites, and disruptive behavior will reduce your final grade by 10 %.
3. Academic honesty
Plagiarism: taking somebody else’s ideas, words and using them as if they were one’s own
(Oxford Advanced Learner’s Encyclopedic Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1993).
Your written works are to be original ones. If you cite any author’s or even your classmate’s
words you must give credit to him or her. So, cheating in any form or plagiarizing is a serious
offense, followed by serious consequences. It will not be tolerated, and the result is your
failure in this course.
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4. Student conferences
Each student is encouraged to schedule a conference with the teacher sometime during the
semester to discuss his or her work individually. Email conferencing is also welcomed. This
will give us opportunity to meet with students, as learners and thinkers individually, so please
do not hesitate to schedule one.
Tentative Schedule: February 7 – May 24, 2005
Week 1
The week begins with the discussion of the personal needs and ability to speak publicly of
human beings. We will cover Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to understand that human
communication is a need as basic to our well-being as the food we eat, water we drink, and air
we breathe. Then, you will be introduced to the role that speaking plays in your professional
promotion. You will gain an understanding of the transactional and symbolic nature of the
process of public speaking including the following elements: situation, speaker and audience,
message, construction and interpretation of symbols, channels and perception.
 Ch. 1, “Everyday Speaking” (pp. 3-25) from Between One and Many: The Art And
Science of Public Speaking by Steven R. Brydon and Michael D. Scott (2000)
Week 2
In this week you as future public speakers will learn to focus your analysis on the audience
whom you will be addressing through studying the rhetorical situation. Good analysis of
rhetorical situation, including various constraints on the speech like factual, legal, ethical,
nature of the occasion, traditions, or time, increase the likelihood that the speaker will achieve
his or her speaking goal. Apart from this you will have additional theoretical reading on
presidential speechwriting. You will read and discuss in class the article “On Political
Rhetoric of Franklin Delano Roosevelt” and understand the success of his rhetorical
presidency.
 Ch. 5, “Adapting To the Audience” (pp. 105-136) from Between One and Many: The
Art And Science of Public Speaking by Steven R. Brydon and Michael D. Scott (2000)
 Ch. 1, “Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Rhetorical Politics and Political Rhetorics” (pp. 339), see Course Reader
Week 3
As speakers you will be struggling with topics that involve ethical considerations: Why should
you care about ethics? Do the ends justify the means? These are some of the questions we will
address in this module. After completing this module you will understand the differences
among such key concepts as ethical relativism, universalism, utilitarianism, and situational
ethics. Also, you will be able to apply ethical principles to a variety of public speaking
situations. In your theoretical reading during this week, you will study Reagan’s rhetoric,
namely the “rhetoric of morals and values.” In addition to this, you will read and discuss in
class Walter Fischer’s essay “Narration as Human Communication Paradigm: The Case of
Public Moral Argument,” where narration is seen as a powerful, alternative means of
persuasion – the focus of Reagan’s presidential discourse.
 Ch. 6, “Ethical Speaking” (pp. 137-162) from Between One and Many: The Art And
Science of Public Speaking by Steven R. Brydon and Michael D. Scott (2000)
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
Ch. 6, “Narration As Human Communication Paradigm: The Case of Public Moral
Argument” and “Telling America’s Story: Narrative Form and the Reagan Presidency”
(271-317) from Readings in Rhetorical Criticism ed. by Carl Burghchardt (1995)
Week 4
Speechwriting is an integral part of this course and that is why you are assigned readings on
the speechwriting process. Now, we shall study its impact on the formation and the
development of major policies during Jimmy Carter presidency. This week you will apply our
study to write an argumentative paper, so important to you as speechwriters. You will study
three classical appeals used in argument: logos (logic), ethos (ethics), and pathos (emotion).
You will also be familiarized with the five basic claims made in argument: claims of
judgment, fact, interpretation, cause, and policy. You will learn to explain and demonstrate
the different kinds of argumentation, sort them into categories, and weigh their strengths and
relevance.
 Ch. 20, “Shaping An Effective Argument” (pp. 285-316) from Reasoning And Writing
Well by Betty M. Dietsch (2000)
 Ch. 2, “Logical Argument and Critical Thinking” (pp. 21-46) from Strategic Debate
by Roy V. Wood and Lynn Goodnight (1995)
 Ch. 7, “The Language of Politics And the Practice of Integrity” (165-193) from
Readings in Rhetorical Criticism ed. by Carl Burghchardt (1995)
Week 5
This week we will consider informative speaking as a process by which an audience gains
new information. Therefore, informative speaking is related to learning in that the speaker’s
goal is to explain, instruct, demonstrate, or describe something to the audience. You will learn
how to write an informative speech outline and start working on your own informative speech
to deliver next week. Apart from this, you, as usual, are going to have some theoretical
reading during this week. An article you are going to read addresses the space speechwriters
try to mediate between policy and the public, the government and the people, between past,
present, and future.
 Ch. 12, “Informative Speaking” (pp. 317-338) from Between One and Many: The
Art And Science of Public Speaking by Steven R. Brydon and Michael D. Scott
(2000)
 Ch. 5, “From Private Deliberations to Public Declaration – The Making of LBJ’s
Renunciation Speech” (pp. 108-136), see Course Reader
Due: Outline of the Speech to Inform (see the outline in assignment #1)
Week 6
This week you will deliver a 6-8 minute speech to inform. You have to submit the outline of
the speech beforehand. The speeches will be analyzed and critiqued by your peers.
Due: Delivery of the Speech to Inform (Assignment #1)
Week 7
In order to be successful speakers you must be critical thinkers who are able to construct
arguments based on valid reasoning, then communicate these to the audience. Therefore,
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during this week you will construct, analyze, and evaluate arguments using the Toulmin
model of argumentation. You will learn to differentiate among the patterns of reasoning, to
detect and refute common fallacies of argument. Besides, you will have an additional reading
concerning a rhetorical analysis of Abraham Lincoln’s speech at Cooper Union, which is
considered to be one of his most significant speeches illustrating his ability as a reasoner.
 Ch. 14, “Thinking And Speaking Critically” (pp. 371-410) from Between One and
Many: The Art And Science of Public Speaking by Steven R. Brydon and Michael
D. Scott (2000)
 Ch. 18, “Detecting Fallacies” (pp. 251-267) from Reasoning And Writing Well by
Betty M. Dietsch (2000)
 Ch. 6, “Lincoln at Cooper Union: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Text” (174-186)
from Readings in Rhetorical Criticism ed. by Carl Burghchardt (1995)
Week 8
This week is devoted to tips and practices of persuasive speaking integrating Aristotle’s
concepts of logos, ethos, and pathos. You will learn to analyze the audience in terms of
cultural, demographic, and individual diversity, as well as explain the rationale for presenting
and constructing a two-sided persuasive message. You will be working on your persuasive
speech to deliver it next week. Remember that your speech outline must be turned in
beforehand. For this week you will also have two readings. One is the analysis of the
rhetorical choices Senator Edward Kennedy made to have a powerful impact on the audience
in his “Address to the People of Massachusetts.” The other one is an article on textual analysis
that seeks to study the relationship between the inner workings of public discourse and its
historical context to discover what makes a particular text function persuasively.
 Ch. 13, “Persuasive Speaking” (pp. 339-370) from Between One and Many: The
Art And Science of Public Speaking by Steven R. Brydon and Michael D. Scott
(2000)
 Ch. 4, “A Pentadic Analysis of Senator Edward Kennedy’s Address to the People
of Massachusetts, July 25, 1969” (221-226) from Readings in Rhetorical Criticism
ed. by Carl Burghchardt (1995)
Week 9
This week you will deliver a 6-8 minute speech to persuade. You have to submit the outline of
the speech beforehand. The speeches will be analyzed and critiqued by your peers.
Due: Delivery of the Speech to Persuade (Assignment #2)
Week 10
It is better to debate a question without settling it
than settle a question without debating it.
- Joseph Joubert
This week opens the study of necessary debating skills required for a public speaker. The
session will start with a discussion on debate as a strategic activity. You will understand the
nature of debate, its advantages, and the process itself. The session will introduce you to
policy debate and you will learn the basic debate strategies: how to prepare the affirmative,
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the negative, and the defense. For your usual theoretical reading, you will have an article
emphasizing the role of metaphor in rhetoric.
 Ch. 15, “What is Debate?”; Ch. 17, “Policy Debate” (pp. 415-435, 463-493) from
Communication Matters by R. McCutcheon, J. Schaffer and J. Wycoff (1994)
 Ch. 1, “Fundamentals of Strategic Debate” (pp. 3-19) from Strategic Debate by Roy
V. Wood and Lynn Goodnight (1995)
 Ch. 7, “Metaphor and the Rhetorical Invention of Cold War “Idealists” (347-363) from
Readings in Rhetorical Criticism ed. by Carl Burghchardt (1995)
Week 11
During this week you will recognize the main debate types and formats, understand the use of
preparation time and the varying roles of the speaker. Then we will discuss the article
covering the issues of a presidential inaugural address as a kind of discourse Aristotle called
“epideictic.”
 Ch. 5, “Debate Formats And Speaker Responsibilities” (pp. 143-164) from Strategic
Debate by Roy V. Wood and Lynn Goodnight (1995)
 Ch. 7, “Inaugurating the Presidency” (423-439) from Readings in Rhetorical Criticism
ed. by Carl Burghchardt (1995)
Week 12
This week introduces you to effective skills to debate the affirmative. First, you will look at
the definition of terms, which sets the parameters for the debate. Second, you will examine
presumptions and the burden of proof as it applies to the affirmative. Then you will recognize
five specific types of affirmative cases: traditional need, comparative advantages, goals, net
benefits, and alternative justifications. For this week’s study of writing, you will have regular
theoretical reading on stylistics of “The Declaration of Independence.”
 Ch. 6, “The Affirmative Constructive”, Ch 7, “The Affirmative Case” (pp. 165-184,
185-212) from Strategic Debate by Roy V. Wood and Lynn Goodnight (1995)
 Ch. 12, “The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence” (531-546) from
Readings in Rhetorical Criticism ed. by Carl Burghchardt (1995)
Week 13
This week looks into constructing negative argumentation. Along with debating affirmatively
you must also know how to develop a negative argumentation and master the negative
strategy. The latter is a counter plan that is an alternative to the affirmative proposal. Thus this
session will address counter plan debating and strategy in detail. The session concludes the
series of regular theoretical readings with an article on the analysis of the “Gettysburg
Address” by Abraham Lincoln.
 Ch. 8, “Negative Argumentation”, Ch 9, “The Negative Counterplan” (pp. 213-240,
241-262) from Strategic Debate by Roy V. Wood and Lynn Goodnight (1995)
 Ch. 12, “Gettysburg and Silence” (547-562) from Readings in Rhetorical Criticism ed.
by Carl Burghchardt (1995)
Week 14
During this week you will study cross-examination strategies and techniques in debate. You
will recognize the value, the nature, and the goals of cross-examination. Then you will learn
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to recognize logical and analytical fallacies of your opponent’s argumentation. You will be
able to anticipate possible arguments and develop sound strategies to attack them, and to
explain the strategies of refutation and rebuttal in debate.
 Ch. 10, “Cross-Examination Strategies and Tactics”, Ch 11, “Refutation and Rebuttal”
(pp. 263-274, 275-302) from Strategic Debate by Roy V. Wood and Lynn Goodnight
(1995)
Week 15
This week you are to submit drafts of your final paper which are going to be workshopped and
peer-critiqued in class. Please bring three copies of your draft to class.
Note: You start working on your research paper throughout the course by presenting me the
outline of your final paper together with thesis statement so I can make sure you are on the
right track.
Draft of Final Paper Due (see assignment for final comparative analysis paper)
Week 16
During this last week you will be analyzing the popular Lincoln – Douglas debate. All the
relevant argumentation, debate, persuasive speaking techniques, and skills that we have
covered in this course are at play in the debate. You are going to identify stock issues in this
debate and explain the basis for judging them.
 Ch. 12, “Fundamentals of Lincoln-Douglas Debate”, Ch 13, “Lincoln-Douglas
Strategies and Tactics” (pp. 303-348) from Strategic Debate by Roy V. Wood and
Lynn Goodnight (1995)
 Ch. 16, “Lincoln-Douglas Debate” (pp. 437-461) from Communication Matters by R.
McCutcheon, J. Schaffer and J. Wycoff (1994)
Final Paper Due
ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment 1
For additional reading you may visit http://www.abacon.com/pubspeak/index.html where you
can find relevant materials for this course and read speeches.
Prepare a written organization of your own informative speech (the speech to inform). Use the
chronological method for organizing the parts of speech: introduction, body, and conclusion.
You may select any recent or current political event that has been broadly discussed in public
or a topic of your own and support it with facts, figures and illustrative material.
OUTLINE FORMAT
Name of the Speaker ____________________________________ Date of speech ________
Title
“__________________________________________________”
(write a catchy, short title)
Occasion ________________________________________________________
Expected Audience __________________________________________
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I
Introduction
A. Attention Getter
B. Purpose
C. Thesis
D. Preview Main Points
II Body of speech
A. First Main Point
i. First reason / evidence
a. concrete illustration / proof
b. supporting info
ii. Second reason / evidence
a. concrete illustration / proof
b. supporting info
iv. Effect
B. Second Main Point
i. First reason / evidence
a. concrete illustration / proof
b. supporting info
ii. Second reason / evidence
a. concrete illustration / proof
b. supporting info
iv. Effect
C. Third Main Point
i. First reason / evidence
a. concrete illustration / proof
b. supporting info
ii. Second reason / evidence
a. concrete illustration / proof
b. supporting info
iv. Effect
III
Conclusion
1.
2.
3.
4.
IV
Review Main Points
Restate Thesis
Restate Purpose
Tie Back to Attention Getter
References (5 – 7)
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Length: 5 pages type-written double-spaced
Duration of Delivery: 6-8 minutes
Due Date: Week 6
Points: 20
Assignment 2
Prepare a written organization of your own persuasive speech (the speech to convince), using
all the persuasion techniques you know. Select and arrange your content for maximum
persuasion (for the speech outline and the instructions see assignment #1).
Length: 5 pages type-written double-spaced
Duration of Delivery: 6-8 minutes
Due Date: Week 9
Points: 20
Assignment for Final Comparative Analysis Paper (Gender Discourse Peculiarities In
Politics)
Today, the issue of “gender discourse” draws more and more attention. According to Carol
Cohn “…gender discourse” is a system of meanings, of ways of thinking, images and words
that shape how we experience, understand, and represent ourselves as men and women…”
(Carol Cohn “Wars, Wimps and Women: Talking Gender and Thinking War,” Exploring
Language, ed. by Gary Goshgarian, 1995, Harper Collins College Publishers pp. 166-177).
While analyzing political discourse one can see many differences as well as similarities
between male politicians and the female politicians. The study of political discourse show the
male is “abstract and cool,” whereas the female is “emotional and concrete.”
You should make a comparative analysis focusing on speech peculiarities, distinctions, and
similarities of male and female politicians. You should point out differences/similarities in
ways of thinking, words, rhetoric, and syntax employed by them. Keep in mind, that you
ought to provide an illustrative material (excerpts from speech) in which the reader can see the
analyzed examples your research is based on.
Here are sample topics for your research:
 A military conflict
 A current news event
 Trends in the economy
Length: 7 – 8 pages type-written double-spaced
Due Date: 3 days after Week 16
Points: 30
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