SPC 1315 / SPC 1321
Fundamentals of Public
Speaking /
Business & Professional
Speaking
Monday – Friday
(Mon) Wed-Fri, (Mon) Wed-Fri
Mon-Tues
Syllabus overview
 Be here on time, ready to start at 9:00
 Reasonable break time each day
 Outline shows test and speech dates
 Tests-- no make ups without major,
unexpected issue -- Test 1 Friday
 Speeches must be done on assigned
days -- Minor Speech 1 this week
Syllabus -- Grading
 Introductory Speech
50 points
 Group Projects & Evaluation 50 points
 Motivational Speech
50 points
 Interview Project
50 points
 Informative Speech w/VA
100 points
 Persuasive Speech w/ VA
100 points
 Three Exams
100 points each
 Participation/Attendance/Critiques
Impromptu Speeches
100 points
Syllabus -- Attendance
 Hard to pass a Winter Mini Term if you miss
 One day = one week of a long semester
 Attendance counted in hours
 Be sure to check the syllabus about the attendance
policy; expect to be in class each day
 Major event / partial class
 Work on speeches during some class time
Syllabus -- Attendance
 Students arriving late are marked absent.
 Class begins at the scheduled starting time and
resumes 10 minutes after in-class break.
 Arriving late or leaving at any time during class
will result in being marked absent.
 You will be marked for one hour of absences for
each hour of class meeting time.
 We meet 2 hours each day
Course schedule...
 Emily Witsell, Gee Library
 Greg Shirley &/or Tina Boitnott -- Career
Development
 For tomorrow:
 Read Chapters 1-3
 Bring a typed list of three or more Informative
Speech Topics, AND a list of three or more
Persuasive Speech Topics
Before the ‘big’ topics...
 Your first planned speech this week is a 4-
minute Informative Speech about ...
 "The Three Most Important People in My Life."
 Create a typed full sentence outline
 Create a 4 x 6 typed note card
 Three 1-minute main points plus a :15
Introduction and :15 Conclusion
 Do some research – report three ‘main points’
by tomorrow
Before the ‘big’ topics...
 Your second minor speech is a ‘Motivational’
speech
 Topic at the end of this week
 Speech work time Monday, Outline and note
card by Wed. night, Speeches next Friday
 :15 intro, 1:00 main points, :15 conclusion
 ‘something people should believe in’
 Emotional and/or rational appeals
 3 reasons why they should agree with you
The two major speeches...
 #1 -- Informative
 10 minutes
 Tell us about something interesting to you
 Find sources and cite them in the speech
 Research day on Monday 12/31
 Outline Wed. 1/2, Speeches Thurs-Fri
 Persuasive
 Continued...
#2 -- Persuasive
 Convince us of something
 Change a belief, move us to action, etc.
 10 minute speech
 Requires more library research
 Evidence, proof, reasoning
 Outline work in Week 3
 Speeches done on the last class days
Informative examples
 (1) ‘How to play lead guitar’
 (2) ‘How the Internet works’
 (3) ‘How the 4G cell phone system is different
from 1G, 2G and 3G’
 (4) ‘The differences in major political systems’
(democracy, authoritarian, monarchy etc.)
 (5) Developments in Artificial Intelligence
 (6) Types of cars that might replace the internal
combustion engine
 (7) How to get started investing in the stock
market
Informative examples
 (8) How the Romanov family influenced Russian
society
 (9) How the Beatles changed popular music,
 (10) ‘Understanding Iraq’
 (11) Differences in styles in artistic painting,
(12) The process of mummification,
 (13) Composing a symphony

..... etc.
Informative...
 Maybe take something within your major you
expect to need to know more about, maybe that
was in a class lecture, so you know some starting
points, but you expect to be able to find out more
about it.
 Basically, tell us about something we would enjoy
knowing more about and that you can speak about
authoritatively (see linked PowerPoint)
 DO NOT make it to convince us of something –
that will be the Persuasive Speech.
Informative
 Pick something you’re interested in.
 NOTE: You CANNOT modify another class
project or someone else’s speech to create your
speech—that is plagiarism. If your speech content
is plagiarized, you fail the course.
 After thinking of topics, see the discussion in the
book about topic selection.
 Otherwise, think about a particular skill or
knowledge area you could find some sources on
and share more about with the class in a 10-minute
speech that uses ‘visual aids’ – also called
‘presentation aids.’
Outlining
Note Cards
Persuasive
 Takes greater work in finding ‘proof’ or
‘evidence’
 Depends on a sound logical analysis
 Specific Proposition will be stated...
 Specific Organizational pattern will be
followed...
Propositions...
 Proposition of fact
 Draw inferences from available date
 Is / is not
 Proposition of value
 Good or bad, right or wrong
 Proposition of policy
 Most common, most complex
 Advocates specific course of action
 Should / should not
Organizational Patterns




Problem-solution (p. 148)
Comparative Advantages (p. 324)
Refutation Pattern (p. 325)
Motivated Sequence (like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Attention
Need
Satisfaction
Visualization
5. Action
 You must use one of these -- list at top of
outline
 Sample outline will also be provided
Persuasive Examples
 Violence on TV leads children to be more
violent
 All Americans should be required to be
available for military service at the age of 18
 The U.S. should break all diplomatic and
economic relations with China
 You should only buy American-made products
 Barack Obama is not an American citizen
More persuasive examples
 George W. Bush should have been impeached
 Barack Obama should be impeached
 Soft drinks are killing you
 Who really killed John F. Kennedy
 Proof that extraterrestrials exist
 Proof that ghosts exist
 Same-sex marriage should not be allowed
 Etc.
Reminder on Speech Topics
 The Most Influential People
 Content by tomorrow, outline due Wednesday
evening (email) and Thursday (hard copy), deliver
on Monday
 Informative - Major Speech 1
 3 Topic ideas Wednesday, outline end of next
week, speech first of 3rd week
 Persuasive - Major Speech 2
 3 Topic ideas Wednesday, outline end of 3rd
week, speech in the final week
Tests
 #1 over Chapters 1-8 this Friday 12/21
 Thursday 12/27 – Test 2 (Chaps. 9-14
and 32 & 35)
 Test 3 on Thursday 1/3
 See course outline, copy of syllabus, outline
and note card samples, etc. at...
http://www.tonydemars.com ... OR look
under Faculty Web Pages
So what else?
 Look back through syllabus today
 Class this week M-F
 Scheduled 7/2-3 then 7/5
 Start working on mock job interview --
make appt. and visit next week with
résumé for review & discussion
Break on the way
 Resume at 1:00 -- be back and ready
 Start writing down speech topic ideas
 Notice the requirement of NOT using
Google searches but instead looking for
material using academic research
 Be prepared to follow up with a library
contact after class visit this week
Break!
 Welcome to the class
 Uncertainties? Tony.demars@tamuc.edu
 Be sure to have Minor Speech plan ready to
turn in at the start of class tomorrow and
Informative & Persuasive on Wednesday
 Start now on topic ideas
 Back in your seat at 1:00