COMM 1110
Public Speaking
TR Policy Statement
Spring Semester 2015
Instructor: Mr. Bruce R. Daniel
Office:
Humanities 215
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-10:50 AM
MW 12:00-1:00 PM
TTR 8:30 – 9:20 AM
TTR 12:20-1:20 PM
And by appointment
Classes:
Section 01
Section 02
Section 06
Section 08
CRN 10588
CRN 10589
CRN 10593
CRN 10600
9:00-9:52 AM
11:00-11:52 AM
9:30-10:50 AM
11:00-12:20
MWF
MWF
TR
TR
HU 212
HU 212
HU 212
HU 212
Contact:
In order of preference: (other than face to face in the office)
E-mail
bdaniel@westga.edu AND bdaniel992003@yahoo.com
Cell
404-805-2448 (8 am until midnight)
Main Office: 770-839-6518
Note: the University has indicated that ALL official communication be done
through your “my.westga.edu” email account. Please check your emails EACH
day for important messages about class
Text:
Steven Beebe and Susan Beebe, Public Speaking: An Audience Centered
Approach, 9th edition. IMPORTANT ADDENDUM TO SYLLABUS
PROVIDED on availability of text online
4” x 6” or 5” x 8” note cards
Significant capacity (2 GB) storage device (flash drive or external hard drive)
Course Objectives:
This course fulfills the program goals of the Department of Mass Communications and meets the
objectives for the Core Curriculum of being able to:
1).
Identify, evaluate, and use information, language or technology appropriate to a
specific purpose.
2).
Prepare and deliver an effective oral presentation on an appropriate and
meaningful topic.
.
Originality of Student Work
All work presented in this class MUST be the original work of the student, including necessary
SOURCE CITATIONS of materials when presented, to avoid global, incremental or patchwork
plagiarism (see text on plagiarism). Students MAY adapt material from another course to the
assignments in this class, with prior approval of instructor. Non-originality of work WILL
result in failure of the assignment and MAY result in failure of the course.
AUDIENCE RESPONSIBILITIES, OBSERVATIONS, and ATTENDANCE:
A significant part of your progress as a speaker depends on your observation of other speakers
and comments concerning their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, you have a
responsibility to help provide an audience for others to address—just as they help provide an
audience for you. Hence, attendance is important. You are encouraged to be in class every day.
Students missing 4 to 6 class periods, REGARDLESS OF THE REASON FOR THE
ABSENCE will receive a ½ letter grade penalty (-5%) from his/her final course grade. If you
exceed 6 absences, you will receive a full letter grade penalty (-10%) from your final course
grade. Students who normally experience problems with attendance should consider withdrawing
from the course now. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure I have you marked present if
you enter class after roll has been taken. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure you have
been counted as present, so make sure to check with me before leaving class. Failure to do
so means you were absent.
IF YOU ARE LATE ON SPEAKING DAYS, DO NOT ENTER THE CLASSROOM
UNTIL YOU HEAR APPLAUSE.
Please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices before class begins and place them in back
pack, bag, or purse and/or under your desk. Such devices are subject to confiscation if repeated
offenses occur.
No texting, gaming, surfing the web, checking FaceBook (etc), talking, sleeping, or otherwise
disrupting student speeches. Be a courteous and respectful audience.
Missed Assignments:
Any assignment missed may only be made up without penalty if (1) I am notified in advance of
the class when the assignment is due that you will be missing the class; (2) if the assignment is
missed because of a legitimate reason (written confirmation required), such as a doctor’s
appointment (try to avoid scheduling them during class), infirmary visit, death or sickness in the
family, jury duty, or court date; and (3) IF TIME PERMITS. If you are able to make up an
assignment, plans should be made for the assignment to be made up at or before the next class
period. If you cannot reach me, leave a message on my cell phone voice mail or on my e-mail.
Additional important UWG rights and responsibilities information:
Students, please carefully review the following information at this link
http://www.westga.edu/assetsDept/vpaa/Common_Language_for_Course_Syllabi.pdf
It contains important material pertaining to your rights and responsibilities in this class. Because
these statements are updated as federal, state, university, and accreditation standards change, you
should review the information each semester
Grading:
I will assign your work 0 to 100 points based on how well the assignment fulfills the
specifications provided on the General Grading Standards handout and the specific requirements
on the handout provided for each speech. IF TIME PERMITS (and I will try to accommodate
this) speeches given late for unexcused reasons will be graded and then have a 1 letter grade
(-10%) penalty applied.
Any speech going over or under the listed time for that assignment will receive a 1-letter
grade (-10%) penalty to the grade.
At the end of the semester, in order to determine your final grade, I will take the
numerical scores received on each assignment and multiply them by the percentage of the final
course grade that the assignment was worth (see assignment list below). These numbers will
then be added together along with any extra credit or attendance minuses, to determine your final
course percentage. Grading levels (I will guarantee the following grades if you have this
percentage or higher): 89.5%=A; 79.5%=B, 69.5%=C, 59.5%=D, less than 59.5%=F.
ASSIGNMENTS:
ORAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Speech of Introduction
1-2 minutes
Informative Speech
2-4 minutes
Process Speech
4-6 minutes
Policy Advocate Speech
7-10 minutes
Final Speech (Student choice)
2-4 minutes
TOTAL ORAL WORK
non-graded
15%
15%
20%
20%
70%
As a general rule of thumb, you should expect to spend a minimum of 2 hours per minute of
the assigned time for each speech in preparation and practice. Typed work for each speech will
be detailed on the speech assignment. Incomplete, late, or incorrect typed work for each
speech will result in points being deducted from your speech grade. Typed work
(minimum size 14 font) for each speech includes a worksheet OR outline AND/OR a typed
self-evaluation paper (minimum of one page).
YOU MUST GIVE ALL SPEECHES, EVEN THE NON-GRADED ONES, IN ORDER TO
PASS THE COURSE.
Written Assignments:
Midterm examination
(MC, TF, short answer)
Final Exam (comprehensive)
(MC, TF, short answer)
Total written work
15%
15%
30%
Extra-Credit Opportunities:
During the semester, there will be several chances for you to do outside observation reports of
public speaking situations. I will announce these at various times during the semester, as they
arise. If you notice any opportunities, which might be suitable for these written reports, please
bring these to my attention so that I may announce the availability to all of my classes. YOU
MAY ONLY DO TWO REPORTS. To receive extra-credit, the following criteria must be
fulfilled:
(1) A minimum of one page, typed (double-spaced, size 14 font) report must be turned in
(2) The report should include a description of the setting, summary of the
speaking event, and your personal evaluation of the event (what you learned from the
event, evaluation of the speaker(s) content and delivery)
(3) Your reaction to the event (valuable, enjoyable, confusing, worthwhile, etc)
(4) The report will be due no later than the class period 1 week after the event.
(5) I will BANK the extra credit to be applied at the end of the semester. You do NOT
receive an independent grade for the extra credit
Each extra-credit report will count +1 to your final course grade.
COMM 1110
“I WILL SURVIVE”
HELPFUL HINTS
1.
Attend class regularly
2.
Do all assigned readings and practice exercises
3.
Come to class on time; do not leave early
4.
Come to class prepared to ask questions, provide constructive comments, and to listen
attentively and courteously
5.
You may tape record any/all sessions of this class to facilitate note-taking and
learning
6.
Make use of my office hours. Come by and discuss speech assignments before you
give your speech. E-mail me partial or complete speech outlines for comments and
corrections before you speak. Come by after your speeches with your evaluation
forms to seek additional feedback and advice for the next speech.
7.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and then practice some more. Practice in
front of your friends; practice in front of your enemies. Practice with the notes you
are going to use in your speech. Practice the speech OUT LOUD. Time the speech
when you are practicing it. Practice it extemporaneously. If possible, audio or video
tape your speech and listen/watch it before you present it in class.
8.
DON’T prepare your speech the night before it is due. You will not have time to
adequately prepare and practice. Practice increases your confidence, hence your
credibility, and thus, your effectiveness in getting your message across to your
audience.
9.
If, at anytime, you have questions about materials covered in lectures, materials in the
text, handouts, power points, or about student speeches, ASK THEM. The only
“dumb” question is the one not asked. If you have a question, the chances are very
good that others in the class have the same or similar question. SPEAK UP in this
class and others. It’s good practice and educationally sound.
10.
If, at any time you do not feel adequately challenged by this course, please feel free to
ask for additional assignments.
11.
The instructor reserves the right to change the daily syllabus, as cause warrants, with
advance notification.
GRADING STANDARDS
You may be wondering what factors determine your grades on your speaking assignments.
During this semester, I will be listening for how well you do on two basic elements of good
speaking—speech composition and speech delivery.
Each of these two factors has degrees of competence associated with it; they are not simply
present or absent. Described below, in general terms, is the difference between a “C”, “B”, and
an “A” speech.
THE “C” SPEECH To receive a grade of “C”, a speech must be basically COMPETENT.
This is a speech in which nothing major goes wrong. The introduction gets the speech started
appropriately—capturing your audience’s attention and directing it toward your speech’s theme;
it relates the topic to the audience in some way, establishes your credibility on the topic,
previews your main points, and leads smoothly to the body of the speech. The body of the “C”
speech is divided in a way that is appropriate to the topic, is developed with appropriate
supporting materials, and is cast into language which accurately and clearly expresses your ideas,
making use of interest factors. The conclusion fulfills the minimum essentials—summarizing
your theme and major points and giving the speech a definite sense of finality—a psychological
ending.
The delivery of the “C” speech is one in which you do not look visibly nervous, nor do you have
distracting postural, gestural or movement mannerisms (such as slouching over the lectern,
brushing hair out of your eyes, and rocking or squirming while you speak). Furthermore, to
receive a grade of “C” you should at least maintain more eye contact with your audience than
with your notes, the walls or the ceiling. Your voice should be relatively flowing, loud enough
to be heard without the audience having to strain, and free from vocalized pauses (non-fluencies)
such as “uhs”, “you knows”, “like”, “well” and the like. Finally, the “C” speech keeps the
audience at least politely attentive throughout. The topic must be interesting and significant
enough to be worthy of their time, always justifying “why” the audience needs to know about
your subject.
The vast majority of the speeches in a beginning public speaking class fall into this category.
For most students, being able to present their ideas in a coherent and developed manner while
looking reasonably poised and confident standing up in front of their classmates is an important
and significant accomplishment for a single semester. A grade of “C” on your speech is an
indication that you have achieved this level of competence.
THE “B” SPEECH. To receive a grade of “B“, a speech must be more than simply competent.
It must also be interesting. The introduction to the “B” speech is usually more fully developed,
spending more time and effort in relating the topic to the audience and preparing them for what
is to follow. The body of the “B” speech has a clear pattern of organization, which is closely
related to the central theme. The “B” speech also has fuller development and employs a wider
variety of interesting supporting materials (such as specific instances, illustrations, testimony,
statistics, comparisons and not just explanations), as well as more fully adapting those materials
to this particular audience. It may also incorporate visual aids to enhance the audience’s
understanding. Often the conclusion of the “B” speech is more fully developed and integrated
with the theme of the speech as well.
Delivery in the “B” speech has you more animate and fluid. Not only do you not look
Uncomfortable, you are beginning to actually look comfortable and at ease. Your posture
remains good, you are beginning to gesture naturally, and your movement on the platform begins
to serve the conveyance of your speech’s content. Your voice is becoming more expressive and
emphatic and your audience shows signs of active interest in your speech.
THE “A” SPEECH To receive a grade of “A”, your speech must be much more than
interesting, it must be memorable. The introduction actively involves us with your topic in some
way and makes us want to hear more, starting the speech out with a bang. Your analysis of the
subject is unusual, insightful, novel, or unexpected. Your supporting materials are especially apt
and well adapted to your audience. Your language choices are vivid (perhaps employing some
effective imagery or sustained metaphor, which unifies the entire speech); the statements of your
main points are memorable. Transitions between points are varied and appropriate; you make
good use of signposts; the audience knows at all times precisely where you are in your speech
and how the parts relate to the whole. The conclusion of the “A” speech not only rounds the
speech out by giving it a sense of completeness; it actually gives the speech a sense of impact or
forcefulness.
Delivery in an “A” speech goes beyond general poise and a sense of looking comfortable in front
of your audience; in the “A” speech you are actively projecting your personality to your
audience, actively employing your posture, gestures and movements to engage your audience’s
attention and direct it towards your ideas. You are aware of your audience’s response to your
speech and are able to take advantage of the natural ebb and flow of their attention as you present
your speech—adapting your presentation as you progress through your speech. Your voice
becomes more like a musical instrument, which you control for tempo, volume, rhythm and rate
to best serve your ideas—building climaxes and crescendos and retardendos to heighten the
impact of your ideas on others. Finally, then, the “A” speech has the audience actively listening
and responsive to your speech, eagerly waiting for what comes next.
COMM 1110
TR DAILY SYLLABUS
SPRING SEMESTER 2015
Tuesday, January 6
Orientation to course
Distribution of policy statement
Read Chapters 1 and 2 and quizzes
Thursday, January 8
Activity: Getting to know your class
Interviews for speeches of Introduction
Assignment:
Speeches of Introduction, all students, non-graded
Tuesday, January 13
Speeches of Introduction, all students
Assignment:
Read chapter 3 and 4 and do quizzes
Thursday, January 15
Speeches of Introduction, Carryovers
Lecture:
Speech Delivery
Lecture:
Choosing Speech topics
Assignment:
Handout exercises on specific purposes and CIS
Read Chapters 11, 5 and 6 and complete quizzes
Tuesday, January 20
Lecture:
Lecture:
Activity:
Specific Purposes
Central Idea Statements
Specific Purposes and central ideas handout
Thursday, January 22
Lecture:
Assignment:
Support Materials
Read chapters 7 and quiz
Speech to Inform
Tuesday, January 27
Lecture:
Lecture:
Assignment:
Organizing the speech
Phrasing main points
Read chapter 8 and quiz
Thursday, January 29
Lecture:
Lecture:
Introductions
Conclusions
Read Chapters 9 and quiz
Tuesday, February 3
Lecture:
Lecture:
Assignment:
Interest Factors
Visual Aids
Midterm Review Sheet
Read Chapter 12 and 13
Thursday, February 5
Speeches to Inform, Groups 1 and 2
Assignment:
Process Speech
Midterm Exam
Tuesday, February 10
Speeches to Inform, Groups 3 and 4
Thursday, February 12
Informative speech carryovers
Tuesday, February 17
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Assignment:
Process speech, Groups 2 and 3
TR DAILY SYLLABUS
SPRING SEMESTER 2015
Thursday, February 19
Process speech, groups 2 and 3
Tuesday, February 24
Process Speech, group4 and 1
Thursday, February 26
Process Speech, carryovers
Lecture:
The Nature of Persuasion
Lecture:
Choosing topics for the advocacy/persuasive speech
Lecture:
Propositions
Assignment:
Advocacy Speech
Assignment:
Topic conferences for the advocacy speech. Your topic must
be approved by March 7. No speeches may be given on an
unapproved topic. If your topic is not approved by March 7,
2015, you will receive a 5% penalty on your advocacy speech
grade. If you give a speech on an unapproved topic, you will
FAIL the speech.
Tuesday March 3
Lecture:
Lecture:
Thursday, March 5
TOPIC CONFERENCES FOR PERSUASIVE SPEECH
Tuesday, March 10
Lecture:
Reasoning
Thursday, March 12
Lecture:
Lecture:
Lecture:
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Motive Appeals
Source Credibility
Tuesday, March 17
NO CLASS: Spring Break
Thursday, March 19
NO CLASS: Spring Break
Tuesday, March 24
Advocacy Speech, group 3
Thursday, March 26
Advocacy Speech, group 4
Assignment:
Final Speeches
Tuesday, March 31
Stock Issues
Organizing the advocacy Speech
Advocacy speech, Group 1
Thursday, April 2
Advocacy speech, Group 2
Tuesday, April 7
Advocacy Speech, carryovers
Thursday, April 9
Advocacy Speech, carryovers
Tuesday, April 14
Final Speeches, groups 4 and 1
Thursday, April 16
Final Speeches, groups 2 and 3
FINAL INSTRUCTIONAL AND EXAMINATION PERIOD
9:30 TR class
Thursday April 23
8:00 – 10:30 Course evaluation and final exam
11:00 TR class Tuesday April 21
11:00-1:30 pm Course evaluation and final exam