Teaching Public Speaking Skills, Day by Day

Last semester, the lack of analytical interaction with speeches drove me crazy. Only at the end of the course did students engage directly with actual speech texts and discuss them in terms of their content and delivery. I want to see students engaging with public address from Day I. This is not to undermine the hybrid nature of the course. Rather, I think it reinforces it: I want students to see the universality of formal and clear communication skills, even on days they are not delivering speeches on their own.

Moreover, I want to have students stand up and present something every day. The transition between my lectures and student lessons was too stark; the contrast felt too strange. If each class begins and ends with a student speech, then I can consistently teach presentation skills in small bits all semester.

To this end, I am creating two routines in my class that will move through the semester and draw from a small number of participation points: analysis speeches and impromptu speeches.

I acknowledge that this is a sacrifice of 10-15 minutes from each class period. However, it is a sacrifice that reinforces presentation skills, develops a continual culture of student-centeredness, and will (especially with the impromptu speeches) probably be a lot of fun.

Analysis Speeches

On the first day, I am assigning students to deliver brief analysis speeches at the start of each class. These brief, three-minute speeches will have students analyze a speech that directly relates somehow to the content of that day’s lesson. The grades will pull from three points of students’ participation grade (I am doing this in place of quizzes). Almost every day, 1-3 students will stand up and deliver their brief analysis. This is a small sacrifice that adds a cool bit of routine and anchors each lesson.

At the start of the semester, each student will select a speech from a list that they would like to analyze. I will then assign those speeches for outside reading for all the other students on the day of relevant content/instruction. (If the speech is short, we might watch it in class before the student analysis. If it is longer, students will watch it/read it on their own time.) The student who selected the speech will then present their analysis of the speech in class. I will deliver two examples on the first and second day of class to make my expectations for these speeches clear.

The speeches will follow a basic structure:

•           An introduction including a brief discussion of the speech
•           A brief analysis of the speaker’s content
•           A brief analysis of the speaker’s delivery
•           A discussion of how the speech relates to the concepts in the textbook for that day
•           A conclusion

Below, I have listed some of the speeches I have selected for the various topics so far. Sometimes, the speeches relate thematically: that is, they address a topic that is also in the textbook. For example, the “Whisper of AIDS” speech concerns the subject of the importance of listening and speaking up on topics, which corresponds with the theme of the Listening chapter. Sometimes, the speeches relate in their delivery: when students are about to practice their vocal delivery, a student will discuss the ridiculous Stark County Treasurer speech for its vocal issues. And sometimes, the speeches literally address the content under discussion that day: the Robin Dunbar speech, for example, discusses the implications of electronically-mediated communication.

After the student speeches are finished, we’ll then discuss two points:

•           The student’s analysis—points of agreement/disagreement, as well as the student’s delivery
•           The relationship of the speech to that day’s reading: This will allow us to kick off each class period by jumping straight into an application of content, and sets the expectation that students arrive having read the material each day.

On the first day of class, a sign-up sheet will circulate the room. Students will simply sign up for which speech they’d like to analyze. It will look something like this (I have linked to each speech):

01/28	Foundations of Verbal Language & Nonverbal Communication Berko et al. Chapter 2 & 3	Melissa Marshall - Talk Nerdy To Me Roger Ebert Loses his Voice
01/30	Listening & The Interview Berko et al. Chapter 4	Mary Fisher - A Whisper of Aids Steve Jobs – Commencement Speech
02/04	The Interview & Interpersonal and Electronically Mediated Communication Berko et al. Chapter 8 & 6	Turkle – Connected But Alone Robin Dunbar – Can the Internet Buy You More Friends
02/06	Interpersonal Skills and Conflict Management Berko et al. Chapter 7	Susan Cain - The Power of Introverts Phillip Zimbardo – The Psychology of Evil
02/11	The Concepts of Groups Berko et al. Chapter 9	Tom Wujec - Build a Tower, Build a Team
02/13	Participating in Groups Berko et al. Chapter 10	Deborah Gordon – Ant Colonies
02/18	Group Presentation – Delivery Rehearsal	Phil Davidson – Stark County Treasurer Speech
03/06	The Self and Perception & Planning the Message Berko et al. Chapter 5 and 11	David Foster Wallace – This is Water Robert Kennedy  - Speech on the Assassination of MLK Jr. Ronald Reagan – Challenger Disaster Address
03/11	Informative Briefing Berko et al. Chapters 12 and 14	Nathan Wolfe - Viral Forecasting [Student Speech] Quantum Physics [Student Speech] Menu Psychology
03/13	Structuring the Message & Using Language Berko et al. Chapter 13	Martin Luther King, Jr. – Mountaintop Speech Franklin Delano Roosevelt – Pearl Harbor Address John F. Kennedy – First Inaugural Address
04/10	The Persuasive Speech Berko et al. – Chapter 15	Arnold Schwarzenegger – Address to 2004 RNC Barack Obama – Address to 2004 DNC
04/15	The Persuasive Speech	Richard Nixon – Checkers Speech Dwight Eisenhower – Farewell Address
04/17	Logic and Argumentation	Malcolm X – Message to Grassroots Clay Shirky – On SOPA and PIPA
04/22	Persuasive Speech Delivery Berko et al. Chapter 16	[Student Speech] Stem Cell Research Persuasive Speech – The Homeless
04/24	Persuasive Speech Delivery	JD Schramm – Conversation about Suicide

Impromptu Speeches

I also want to incorporate more impromptu speeches into class. Impromptu speeches are awkward, however, so it’s important that students get some basic training in this skill early on so these are actually a productive way of reinforcing extemporaneous speaking skills (which is the main point of doing this).

In addition to the analysis speeches, I also will have a few students deliver brief impromptu speeches at the end of each class (student performances will serve as bookends). I will give out a prompt each day and put one minute on the clock. I will then call on a random student (or a few students) to stand up and deliver a 1-2 minute speech on the topic at the front of the room. I will give two participation points, mainly for having the guts to get up and do it (every student will perform at least once, maybe twice, over the semester).

The structure of these will be simple:

•           Attention getter
•           Thesis
•           Reason I
•           Reason II
•           Reason III
•           Conclusion

For prompts, I recommend simple persuasive prompts that require students to develop a simple argument with a few reasons to back it up. These prompts could be:

•           The most evil person in the world is…
•           The University of Maryland is awesome because…
•           The best major you can pursue at UMD is…
•           If I could transform into any animal, I would pick a ____ because…

The point of these prompts is that they’re easy. They take the pressure off of students to develop some awesome, world-changing thesis and position. Instead, they place the emphasis on the students’ ability to conversationally talk off the top of their head and spontaneously structure ideas.

Again, I will put myself on the spot with these speeches and deliver an impromptu speech of my own with a student-selected topic—both as an illustration of what I’m looking for, and so they feel less nervous about the whole arrangement.

Time and Structure

As college instructors, we have to do battle with the increasingly challenging social attitudes surrounding higher education. As a professor of mine in undergrad told me, "College isn't college anymore. College is job training. College is high school. Graduate school is real college." Time management issues are endemic among college students who, granted freedom and flexibility all at once, don't know how to use the time.

This post will address two proactive steps I'm taking to set firm expectations with students about their time management, and help them make the transition to the balanced time commitments required of a college education.

A Simple Day-by-Day Comparison

I've crafted this PowerPoint slide as an illustration. I'll probably project it the first day of class, and talk through it with the students.

I'm hoping the simple juxtaposition will be revealing--especially to those students who, after a lifetime of success in structured high school settings, have struggled to make the transition to college. The day-to-day drudgery of high school can weigh down some students and make them hate their life; the move to longer-term projects and deadlines is liberating for some. For others, those incremental due dates and assignments were necessary to keep them on track. And as K-12 education obsesses, more and more, about structuring every single minute of every single day, we will find college students less and less able to make wise use of their own time.

I'll admit the tone of this seems a little extreme. But what I'm trying to illustrate with this breakdown of time is that actually, the expectation that students legitimately dedicate three or four hours a week to reading and practicing assignments for our classes is a perfectly reasonable expectation, and we have every right to guilt trip them and dock their grades if they have not dedicated that sort of time to their work. I think framing matters this way is fairly reasonable, insofar as it illustrates that we are simply being no more unreasonable than their high school teachers were about how they spend their time.

Scaffolding Due Dates and Assignments

Now that we've all taught COMM 107 for a semester, we're aware of the incremental little assignment deadlines that creep up--both on students and on us. Making firm deadlines from day one that break down the assignments into increments can help students pace themselves and give you more opportunities to catch any student errors or slacking along the way. This all can be worked into the initial syllabus, and requires some initial thought about the structure of dates in the semester. Here's my dates and assignments for next semester. (Note: I've listed out the speeches we'll view/reference for my own reference. I won't assign all of these as homework, but I will assign some for outside viewing).

Day of Class	Topic	Reading and Viewing	Assignments
Week 1 – 01/23	Course Overview & The Human Communication Process	Berko et al. Chapter 1
W2 – 01/28	Foundations of Verbal Language & Nonverbal Communication	Berko et al. Chapter 2 & 3 Melissa Marshall - Talk Nerdy To Me Roger Ebert Loses his Voice
01/30	Listening & The Interview	Berko et al. Chapter 4 Mary Fisher - A Whisper of Aids Steve Jobs – Commencement Speech	Group Project – Comm. Issue Analysis Due
W3 – 02/04	The Interview & Interpersonal and Electronically Mediated Communication	Berko et al. Chapter 8 & 6 Turkle – Connected But Alone Robin Dunbar – How Many Friends does One Person Need	Informative Interview – Outline Due
02/06	Interpersonal Skills and Conflict Management	Berko et al. Chapter 7 Susan Cain - The Power of Introverts Phillip Zimbardo – The Psychology of Evil	Group Project – Group Members/Topic Due
W4 – 02/11	The Concepts of Groups	Berko et al. Chapter 9 Tom Wujec - Build a Tower, Build a Team	Group Project – Group Discussion Video Due
02/13	Participating in Groups	Berko et al. Chapter 10 Deborah Gordon – Ant Colonies	Group Project – Group Discussion Analysis Due
W5 – 02/18	Group Presentation – Delivery Rehearsal	Phil Davison – Stark County Treasurer Speech Come to class prepared to perform the group presentation.	Group Project – Outlines Due
02/20	Group Presentations (A)	Attendance on these days is non-negotiable. You receive a zero if you are not present.	Group Presentations 1-3 Due
W6 – 02/25	Group Presentations (B)		Group Presentations 4-6 Due
02/27	Midterm Review	Review Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 before class. Prepare a list of questions you want to ask.	Group Project – Grading of Group Members Due
W7 – 03/04	Midterm Exam	Watch and examine Twelve Angry Men before your Midterm.	Informational Interview – Reflection Due
03/06	The Self and Perception & Planning the Message	Berko et al. Chapter 5 and 11 David Foster Wallace – This is Water Robert Kennedy  - Speech on the Assassination of MLK Jr. Ronald Reagan – Challenger Disaster Address
W8 – 03/11	Informative Briefing	Berko et al. Chapters 12 and 14 Nathan Wolfe - Viral Forecasting Quantum Physics  Menu Psychology	Informative Briefing – Topic Due
03/13	Structuring the Message & Using Language	Berko et al. Chapter 13 Martin Luther King, Jr. – Mountaintop Speech Franklin Delano Roosevelt – Pearl Harbor Address John F. Kennedy – First Inaugural Address	Informative Briefing – Outline Draft Due
03/18	Spring Break!
03/20
W9 – 03/25	Informative Briefing Delivery Rehearsal	Come to class prepared to perform your informative briefing.	Informative Briefing – Final Outline Due
03/27	Informative Briefings (A)	Attendance on these days is non-negotiable. You receive a zero if you are not present.	Informative Briefings 1-6
W10 – 04/01	Informative Briefings (B)		Informative Briefings 7-13
04/03	Informative Briefings (C)		Informative Briefings 14-20
W11 – 04/08	Informative Briefings (D)		Informative Briefings 21-25
04/10	The Persuasive Speech	Berko et al. – Chapter 15 Arnold Schwarzenegger – Address to 2004 RNC Barack Obama – Address to 2004 DNC	Informative Briefing – Reflection Due
W12 – 04/15	The Persuasive Speech	Richard Nixon – Checkers Speech Dwight Eisenhower – Farewell Address	Persuasive Speech – Topic Due
04/17	Logic and Argumentation	Malcolm X – Message to Grassroots Clay Shirky – On SOPA and PIPA	Persuasive Speech – Outline Draft Due
W13 – 04/22	Persuasive Speech Delivery	Berko et al. Chapter 16 Stem Cell Research Persuasive Speech – The Homeless	Persuasive Speech – Come to class with introduction prepared.
04/24	Persuasive Speech Delivery	Come to class prepared to perform your persuasive speech. JD Schramm – Conversation about Suicide	Persuasive Speech – Final Outline Due
W14 – 04/29	Persuasive Speeches (A)	Attendance on these days is non-negotiable. You receive a zero if you are not present. On 05/06 and 05/08, review Chapters 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 before class. Prepare a list of questions you want to ask.	Persuasive Speeches 1-7
05/01	Persuasive Speeches (B)		Persuasive Speeches 8-15
W15 – 05/06	Persuasive Speeches (C) & Final Exam Review		Persuasive Speeches 16-20
05/08	Persuasive Speeches (D) & Final Exam Review		Persuasive Speeches 21-25
TBA	Final Exam	We will meet in the same room at ___________.	Persuasive Speech – Reflection Exercise Due

(107 instructors will notice some major adjustments to the group assignment. Don't freak out--this is something a group of us is piloting for this semester in an effort to introduce more scaffolds to the assignment next year. Various instructors are trying out different approaches to the assignment to see what helps students develop stronger group interaction and presentation skills. If you're interested in some of these changes, shoot me an email and we can discuss.)

Here are a few of the considerations that went into this schedule:

1) Staggering assignment deadlines. Last semester, I had a few instances where several assignments were due on the same day. This messed up my pacing with grading, and messed up students' pacing with completing the assignments (because they waited until the last minute on them--see, College Freshmen). Now, there's ostensibly something due every day, but only one thing each day. This will help keep students moving with the proper momentum: they will always know they have something to do.

2) Reasonable time spans. Last semester, several students were late on their informational interviews. This semester, I've simply expanded the length of time they have to get the interview done. BUT I have still made the outline due exceptionally early, which means students will need to get on the ball about who they will interview very early. This pressures students to find their interview subject early, but avoids those issues we had last semester: "My person says he won't let me interview him now!" "I couldn't schedule a time to interview him until next week!" Now there is an ample length of time (literally until the mid-term) to let students figure all of that out.

3) More time for writing/rehearsing speeches. I have staggered out the preparation time on the informative and persuasive speeches dramatically to ensure that I have the time I need to coach students. Note that some element of these speeches is due every single day. I have especially emphasized that students be ready to perform part of their speeches in advance. This way, I can head off delivery issues early with some during-class coaching.

4) More drafts. I am requiring students to prepare multiple drafts of each speech. I won't necessarily consider these first drafts in great detail, but I know my concerns. I will simply glance at each one, identify "trouble drafts," and email those students a heads up that their topics, organizational patterns, methods of source citation and evidence, etc. simply will not fly on their final drafts.

5) Shifting some chapters. Without making any changes to the assignment deadlines, I've rearranged some of the reading. Many students I interviewed in other classes, as well as students who wrote feedback in my own class, all felt that the class was too front-loaded with book content and too back-loaded with speeches. I've moved one of the chapters back and extended the time spent on the speeches. I will use the extra time I've opened up on speech days to briefly address content-related issues on those days.

6) Daily attention to oral presentation skills. Here, I've been inspired by my colleague Jean, who assertively makes students stand up and do vocal warm ups in the classroom. She is not hesitant about this, and students go along with it. Yea, these college freshmen seem resistant and too cool for school initially, but they legitimately have fun with it all. Moreover, it sets a firm, daily reminder of what the expectations in the classroom are. I also have been developing some daily class-opening exercises dealing with these issues, which I will address in another blog post soon!

In all, what I suggest everyone does is this: seriously reflect on what issues dragged you down last semester in your teaching. What habits did students continually frustrate you with? Then, systematically design your schedule to head off and avoid some of those concerns. You'll find your second semester will run much more smoothly than the first, if you've never taught this class before--I know mine will!

Michael