I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Public Speaking

2. Course Prefix & Number:
COMM 1430

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic principles of effective public speaking, focusing on informative and persuasive techniques. Topics included are topic selection and research/development; message and argument construction; audience and occasion analysis, critical thinking and evaluation; outlining and structure; and delivery and presentation skills. Students will also compare and contrast mediated communication performance skills and theory with traditional delivery mediums of public address.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Alexandria Technical and Community College, COMM 1415 Public Speaking, 3 credits
Anoka Ramsey Community College, CMST 2215 Public Speaking, 3 credits
Inver Hills Community College, COMM 1110 Public Speaking, 3 credits

III. Course Purpose

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 1 – Written and Oral Communication
• Goal 2 – Critical Thinking

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate oral communication skills	Complete at least four speeches from the two categories of informative and persuasive speech (fulfilling both categories).
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Complete appropriate outlines for speech type.
Apply ethical principles in decision-making	Demonstrate critical thinking and appropriate ethical choices through persuasive speech research, organization, and speech delivery.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Understand/demonstrate the writing and speaking processes through invention, organization, drafting, revision, editing and presentation through the organization, outlining and speech delivery process accumulating in a minimum of four speeches within the informative and persuasive classification (MnTC Goal 1);
• Locate, evaluate, and synthesize in a responsible manner material from diverse sources and points of view through the speech research process as well as through the use and citation of appropriate supporting materials (MnTC Goal 1);
• Select appropriate communication choices for specific audiences, based on effective analysis of audience, occasion, and delivery channel (MnTC Goal 1);
• Use authority, point of view, and individual voice and style in their writing and speaking (MnTC Goal 1 and 2);
• Compare and contrast fundamental speech theories in traditional and web-enhanced delivery modes (MnTC Goal 1);
• Understand and demonstrate critical listening (MnTC Goal 2);
• Effectively use appropriate presentational aids (MnTC Goal 1 and 2);
• Define plagiarism and demonstrate ethical choices throughout the speech process including appropriate oral source citation (MnTC Goal 1 and 2);
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills though the assessment of claims and arguments, evaluating evidence of credibility, and identifying barriers to critical thinking (MnTC Goal 2); and
• Construct logical, ethical and coherent arguments applied through written outlines and delivery of persuasive speech (MnTC Goal 1 and 2).

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Fundamental Speech Theories
• Transactional communication theory
• Classical origins of speaking
• Semantics: the power of words
• Speaking styles and types of speeches
• Introduction
• Descriptive informative
• Demonstrative informative
• Persuasive
• Extemporaneous
• Special occasion
• Persuasive speech theories
• Role of ethos, pathos, and logos
• Role of critical thinking skills and barriers to critical thinking both rhetorical and emotive
• Motivated sequence and organizing your persuasive speech
• Role of technology
• Fundamentals of mediated communication theories
• Compare and contrasts of mediated vs traditional delivery modes
• Best practices for web-enhanced deliveries
2.  Variables Effecting the Speech Process
• Influence of cultural diversity
• Audience analysis
• Role of perception
• Needs and motivation of audience
• Demographic influence
• Data collection
• Critical thinking: features and forms of argumentation; evaluating evidence, assessming claims and arguments
• Ethics
• Speaker ethics
• Listener ethics
3. Building Your Speech
• Choosing a topic
• Conduct research
• Types of resources and supporting materials
• Evaluating evidence
• Establishing credibility
• Primary and secondary sources
• Media/internet literacy
• Note taking
• Interviewing
• Building a bibliography
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Specify purpose and write a specific thesis statement
• Organizing and formalizing outline
• Principles of outlining
• Preparing from an outline
• Effectively choosing and using presentational aids
• Importance of preparation and practice
4. Listening
• Process and types of Listening
• Overcoming listening obstacles
• Active listening
5. Speech Anxiety
• Communication apprehension
• Overcoming speech anxiety
6. Delivery
• Vocal delivery
• Visual and nonverbal delivery
• Proper breathing
• Confidence and self-talk
7. Performance
• Informative Speech (description or definition) REQUIRED
• Demonstration Speech (RECOMMENDED)
• Persuasive Speech (REQUIRED)
• Speech of Introduction (RECOMMENDED - Can be done earlier in sequence of speeches)
• Other speeches to choose from: Special Occasion, Small Group, Extemporaneous (OPTIONAL IF TIME ALLOWS)