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INSTRUCTOR’S RESOURCE MANUAL
REAL COMMUNICATION
An Introduction
FOURTH EDITION
Dan O’Hair Mary Wiemann
Dorothy Imrich Mullin Jason Teven
Prepared by Jennifer Willis-Rivera
Department of Communication Studies
University of Wisconsin, River Falls
Bedford/St. Martin’s
Boston New York
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Contents
Introduction 1
Developing Your Course 1
Establishing Your Teaching Philosophy 1
Clarifying Course Goals and Objectives 2
Developing Classroom Policies 2
Creating a Positive Learning Environment 4
Addressing Challenging Classroom Issues 6
Advice for New Instructors 8
The First Day 8
Generating Interesting Class Discussion 9
Managing Your Time 9
Constructing Your Syllabus 10
Elements of a Syllabus 10
Sample Fifteen-Week Term—Four Speaking Events, Online Quizzes 18
Sample Fifteen-Week Term—Five Speaking Events 20
Sample Ten-Week Term—Four Speaking Events, Online Quizzes 22
Sample Summer Session—Eight Weeks/Four Speaking Events 24
Sample Summer Session—Five Weeks/Four Speaking Events 26
Sample Hybrid Course—15 Weeks 27
Sample Online Course 29
Using Real Communication in the Classroom 30
The Chapter Boxes 30
The CONNECT Feature 30
The And You? Feature 31
The What About You? Self-Assessments 31
The Real Reference 31
Evaluating Your Students 32
Examinations 32
Quizzes 32
Grading Rubrics 37
“Telling a Story” Speech 37
Self-Introduction Speech: “It Represents Me” 38
Demonstration Speech 40
Informative Speech 43
Persuasive Speech 46
Group Speech 51
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CHAPTER 1: Communication: Essential Human Behavior 55
CHAPTER 2: Communicating in a Digital Age 67
CHAPTER 3: Perceiving the Self and Others 76
CHAPTER 4: Verbal Communication 87
CHAPTER 5: Nonverbal Communication 98
CHAPTER 6: Communication and Culture 108
CHAPTER 7: Listening 119
CHAPTER 8: Developing and Maintaining Relationships 127
CHAPTER 9: Managing Conflict in Relationships 137
CHAPTER 10: Communicating in Groups 146
CHAPTER 11: Leadership and Decision Making in Groups 155
CHAPTER 12: Communicating in Organizations 165
CHAPTER 13: Preparing and Researching Presentations 172
CHAPTER 14: Organizing, Writing, and Outlining Presentations 181
CHAPTER 15: Delivering Presentations 188
CHAPTER 16: Informative Speaking 196
CHAPTER 17: Persuasive Speaking 201
APPENDIX A: Competent Interviewing 209
APPENDIX B: Mass and Mediated Communication 216
Introduction
I remember when I had to take my first communication course as an undergraduate student. I had
done competitive speaking in high school, so I thought it would be an easy, albeit boring, course
that I would sail through. However, that course changed my life. It was through that course that I
discovered the world of communication. It opened the door for me to look in a new way at how
one-on-one situations or through the media. I was never again able to look at communication as
simply “speaking,” nor at the study of communication as simply “public speaking.” Through your
communication course, you have that same opportunity to open a door to a whole new way of
thinking about communication for your students. This course can truly change the way students
think about how they communicate with and about others for the rest of their lives.
The right textbook is a very important key to opening these doors. With the fourth edition of
a textbook that is engaging and approachable, taking complex ideas and theories and breaking
them down into manageable concepts. The authors use current examples relevant to students’
lives—examples they will not only recognize, but be able to grasp and put into use quickly
because of how the concepts are introduced. This book allows an instructor to find multiple ways
to engage students, through stories, journaling, video examples, and so on, providing students
with various learning styles different ways to understand the concepts in each chapter.
However, no matter how exciting and engaging a textbook is, students need an instructor who
will help them grasp and wrestle with ideas—especially those ideas that may be very different
from what they have been exposed to previously. This is how I hope this Instructor’s Resource
• Why did you become a teacher?
• What do you like best about teaching?
• What do you dread about teaching?
• What do you remember most about a teacher who inspired you?
• What do you remember about the worst teacher you ever had?
• What do you think is the most important thing to improve teaching?
• What do you think is the most important thing to improve learning?
Once you respond, look over your notes. It is likely that some key words or phrases will stand
out to you and are repeated over and over again, if not in exact wording, then in idea. These are
the threads of your teaching philosophy. Take those ideas and try to construct an answer to the
following question: What kind of teacher are you? This is your teaching philosophy. A teaching
philosophy is meant to be an adaptable document—one that will change as you do. Take the time
to look it over each semester or each year and adjust it if needed. Be sure it is embedded in your
syllabi—metaphorically, if not literally.
CLARIFYING COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
First check with your department to find out if specific goals or objectives are required for this
course. If they aren’t, or if you are allowed to add other goals, think about what you really want
the students to learn and how you will assess if they have learned it. It might help to go through
the objectives listed at the beginning of each text chapter, thinking about what specific aspects
you will focus on within each chapter.
As you determine what you want to focus on, be sure each objective is measurable. In other
Later, you will want to go through that data (graded or not) to see if students actually did learn the
concept, and if not, where you might have to reinforce or adjust.
Also be sure to check with your department to see if there are assignments from your course
you from collecting your own assessment data. Remember, good teaching that isn’t assessed goes
unnoticed. Be sure to be able to support your claims of good teaching with good data! Such data
DEVELOPING CLASSROOM POLICIES
Attendance
higher education. Whichever way you come down on this debate, there are a few things to think
about before you make a final decision.
• Does your department require attendance? For the university or at the department level,
attendance is sometimes required throughout, and sometimes required only for particular
classes. Find out the rules before you go further.
• How many absences will you count as “free,” if any? Is there a policy at your
school/department covering this issue?
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conferences)? What proof will you require for these excused absences? Check to see if your
school’s health center or clinic offers notes for absences before requiring them of students.
• If you are going to be taking attendance, how will you do it? If you have a large class, does
your class have clickers that you can use to take attendance? If not, are you going to call roll
factor that into your teaching time. Are you going to have students sign a sheet every day? If
attendance every day.
• If you are going to call roll each day, why not make it fun? One of the instructors at our
Participation is often vaguely defined on a syllabus. While many instructors have participation on
their syllabus as a graded item, many can’t really define what they mean by it. Here are a few
things to think about.
• If you use participation as a “buffer” for student grades—tell them that! If you say that you will
give points if a student is generally there most of the time and makes meaningful contributions
in class, then tell students that up front.
speak up “on the fly” in class. Other students may have cultural barriers to speaking up in
class. For example, I once had an Asian student explain to me that in her culture, speaking in
class was like swearing at your grandmother—you not only don’t do it, you don’t even think
about it. When participation equals speaking in class, an instructor can unintentionally put
some students at a disadvantage.
with students, the less likely you are to have problems as the term progresses.
Grade Policies
questions.
Assignment Policies
• Although most students will complete assignments correctly and on time, there are always
students who don’t. What will you do in that case? It is best to think these issues through now
(and put them on your syllabus) rather than when they come up.
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• Will you take late work? For how long? What percentage (or how many points) will be
deducted? Is that deduction per day or per class day? What if the student has an excused
absence? How long do they have to make up the work?
• What about speeches? Can students make up speeches that are missed? Under what
circumstances (if any)? What parameters are necessary for the student to make up the speech?
If students completely miss speeches, can they pass the class regardless of their overall grades?
• What about exams? Can students make up exams? Under what circumstances (if any)? Will the
student make up the same exam, or will it be a different exam? If it is different, will it be the
same format, or different? Will it cover information you provided on a study guide, or will it be
more comprehensive? These are all important aspects to consider (and put on the syllabus)
before they come up.
Academic Dishonesty
Policies for Students with Differing Abilities
• Most schools have policies that cover students with differing abilities. It is important to follow
these policies, as many of them may be required by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). If you are unsure of these policies, check with the chair of the department or your
school’s equity officer.
CREATING A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Instructor Availability
• Check with your department to see if there are requirements for the number of office hours that
should be held per class hour taught. If there aren’t, it is up to you to determine what your
availability will be. However, how many hours you hold should not be your only consideration
when scheduling office hours.
• Will you and can you hold some office hours online? What about by Skype, FaceTime, Google
Hangout, or some other video calling service?
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© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
• What is the culture of your department? Do faculty come in at 8:00 A.M., leave at 5:00 P.M.,
and then work Saturday mornings? Or do they come in only for class and office hours? The
culture of your department may factor in a great deal when setting your office hours.
• Can your students call you at home? Will you give out your cell phone number? Are there
hours you will be in your office when you don’t want students to interrupt? Be clear on these
requirements so that you can help your students find you when they need you, but you can also
draw the line between home and work, or perhaps between teaching and research.
Respect for Diversity
• Diversity in the classroom does not come just in the form of race/ethnicity. It can also
encompass gender, ability, sexuality, geography, and even ideas.
and form opinions.
• Remember, diversity encompasses differences in not just what students say, but how students
say (or don’t say) things. Different cultures may have different norms about class participation.
Some cultures put very little value on public speaking, perhaps especially speaking in class,
which may be seen as challenging someone with a higher status. Be sensitive to these
differences.
Building Community
The more you are able to build community with students, the more comfortable they will be in
their speaking performances and discussing issues in class. There are a number of ways you can
work to achieve this community.
• Share your own experiences when discussing concepts. Instructors who open up to their classes
are more likely to have classes that open up, which will help build community.
• Have some fun. Schedule some time (especially at the beginning of the term) when you find
out information about the students. What makes them tick? What are they interested in? What
music are they listening to and what movies are they watching? Finding out more about your
students can help you to find more relevant examples for them when discussing course
concepts. Using attendance questions might be a way to do that.
ADDRESSING CHALLENGING CLASSROOM ISSUES
Disrespectful Students
Disrespectful students are a challenge that no instructor wants to face, but most eventually will.
There are a number of ways instructors can approach those who are being disrespectful.
• Address the problem early. If a student is borderline disrespectful once, you might wait until a
second offense to address the problem, but otherwise, address it immediately.
• When you do talk with the student, be direct and firm, but kind. Explain to the student what the
behavior was and why you see it as disrespectful. Tell the student that the behavior needs to
stop if he or she is to continue in the class.
• Any exchanges between you and the student about the issue over email should be carbon
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© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
health issues that are interfering with their academics. Refer them to offices where they can get
professional help.
• Don’t promise confidentiality. If a student comes to you and asks to speak to you in
confidence, do not agree. Legally, you may be required to break that confidence, which will
break the trust of your student. Tell him that you would be more than happy to discuss the issue
but that you cannot promise confidentiality.
• Finally, keep your supervisor updated on all these issues. Again, supervisors hate surprises.
Establishing Authority
It can be difficult to establish authority in the classroom when you look to be the same age (or
younger) than your students. However, here are some tested techniques you can use to help you
establish authority.
• Dress the part. If you appear young in age compared to your students, dress more
professionally. Students are more likely to take you seriously as a professional if you dress the
part.
call you by that title, or at least Mr. or Ms.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously. There is a fine line between establishing authority and being
just plain stuffy. While it is important to establish some authority in the classroom, do your
best to ensure that this authority does not become a wall as you try to create a positive class-
room culture.
Communication Anxiety
are some ways you can help students combat this issue.
• Create a positive classroom climate. This goes further than anything else in helping to alleviate
communication anxiety. Students are much less worried about speaking in a trusted climate
than they are in one where they don’t feel comfortable or included.
• Encourage students to practice—often—and with each other. The more students practice,
especially with others, the less likely they are to experience communication anxiety.
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© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
• Ease them into it! As you will see from the sample grading rubrics given on pp. 00–00, the
aspects used to grade students vary depending on the speech. I like assigning introductory
speech very early in the semester (in the second or third week). I grade this speech based only
on very simple aspects—generally few of them performance related. I like to joke that the
introductory speech is the one speech where students can make no eye contact, rock back and
forth, and still get an A! This gives the students a feeling of success on which to build for the
rest of the course. It is also helpful for students to see that their classmates often make the same
mistakes they do.
• Seek help. Again, know your resources. If you have students that need accommodations
through your Differing Abilities Office, help them get connected with that office. Find trusted
colleagues (inside or outside your school) who can help you work through these issues. They
may have some good advice to offer.
ADVICE FOR NEW INSTRUCTORS
THE FIRST DAY
For those of you who are new—welcome to a wonderful profession! I hope you enjoy your stay,
and that you are able to find the fulfillment I have enjoyed in this adventure of teaching. That
being said, here are some ways you can make the first day a great beginning.
• Give yourself time. I know, you look at the textbook and think “There is no way I can fit all
this in,” but still, take the time on that first day to get to know your students.
• Give a “quiz” on the syllabus. This is best done online, but it works in class as well. Allow
students to use the syllabus, and be sure the questions are ones that reinforce information you
want them to pay attention to. For example, one question might be “What is the penalty for
turning in late work?” This keeps students from using the “I didn’t know that” excuse later and
starts them off with a good grade.
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© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
GENERATING INTERESTING CLASS DISCUSSION
Class discussion is always difficult for instructors to manage. Will students participate, or will
you be talking to yourself? Will class discussion be productive or go out of control? Here are
some ways to promote class discussion without the class going off on unintended tangents.
topics. That way you will always be prepared, even if you don’t have too much time.
• Ask open-ended questions. Don’t come to class and ask questions that require only yes-or-no
answers—at best, you will get exactly that. On the other hand, don’t ask questions that are so
open that the students have no direction. Asking, “What did you think of the reading?” will
elicit a guaranteed lack of eye contact as well as lack of discussion.
• One of the best things you can do is to start discussion with an example or a case. This should
be not necessarily a true case study (though those can also be beneficial), but an example of
someone (preferably some of the students) engaging in the concept you wish to study. For
example, in talking about nonverbal communication, you might ask students if they have ever
encountered someone sitting too close to them in a public place. Odds are good that more than
one person will share their story. This can lead to a discussion about proxemics and how we
learn what is uncomfortable and what isn’t.
discussion board or blog so you can move on to another topic during class.
MANAGING YOUR TIME
While many people might think that instructors have all the time in the world, get summers off,
and have to work only a few hours a week, you and I know better. Because there is not the same
structure in academics that there is in a typical nine-to-five workplace, time can often be harder to
manage, and many colleagues assume you “have time” for what they need. Here are some ways
to manage your time well.
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© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
• Partition your schedule. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to divvy up my
time based on what the expectations were in my department. What percent of my time am I
supposed to be devoting to teaching? To service? To research? Once you have that formula
(ask around—your department chair will likely know), divvy up your time accordingly. How
much time do you plan to spend working each week? If 80 percent of your time should be
devoted to teaching, that is 80 percent of your work hours. When scheduling your teaching, be
sure to plan time for prep and grading. That way you won’t panic at having done too much of
one and not enough of the other.
• Do you really want to be a good teacher? Read about the subject. Schedule a small window of
time each day to read about what makes an excellent teacher. Keep a journal where you make
notes about what you read.
• Speaking of journals, keep a journal for each class. Note what went well in class (and what
didn’t). Write down interesting ideas you might have for the next time you teach the subject. It
only takes about ten minutes per day, but it becomes an invaluable time saver in upcoming
terms.
• Save time for you. Exercise, sleep, and eat healthily. It may be difficult to make time to go to
the gym when you have sixty-four papers screaming at you (metaphorically, I hope), but do it.
You will be glad you did in the end. Your students can wait an extra day or two for their grades
if need be. If you grade papers while you are cranky because you missed a workout, they may
end up with worse grades anyway.
• Remember your priorities. You have entered a profession where, if you worked twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week, you would never be “done.” What’s most important to you?
Be sure to schedule yourself around that—be it family, time with friends, an important hobby,
and so on. If you learn how to balance your life now, you will be thankful in future years.
• Enjoy yourself! You are in a position where you can have a powerful effect on perhaps
hundreds or thousands of students. Enjoy that experience—but remember, you may not get
many thank-yous. Often students don’t realize how much they learned from you until years
later. Be content in knowing you did have an effect on them, and you worked to make that
effect positive and beneficial—for them and for you.
CONSTRUCTING YOUR SYLLABUS
ELEMENTS OF A SYLLABUS
Following is a sample syllabus. This syllabus is very detailed and includes many elements. As
times change, more elements may need to be added or others taken away. For example, if a
student is “Skyped” into class by another student, does that count as an absence? It isn’t a
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common occurrence yet, but it might become one, so it is better to think about it now rather than
later. Also be sure to check with your department to see if there are standard syllabi you should
be using or if there are standard parts of the syllabus that should remain the same across courses
or sections (for example, attendance, office hours, and so on).
Introduction to Communication COMM 100
Section #11, Fall 2017
Tues. & Thurs. 9:30–10:45 a.m., Room B19
Instructor: Micaela Rivera
or before 8:00 a.m. Email: best.instructor@your.u.edu
— Please note, the most effective way to reach me is through e-mail. —
Keep in Mind
• Always start with the title of the course as well as the course number.
• The section number can be handy if you are teaching multiple sections of a course.
Also be sure to have the time, date, and room where the class is held.
• Basic information is essential—your name, office phone, email, and office number as
well as your office hours.
• Be sure to check with your department to see how many office hours are required. Let
students know they can schedule other times with you, in case your office hours
conflict with their class schedules.
• Check with your department to see if it is customary for instructors to leave personal
phone numbers for students. If you do give a home or cell phone number, it is a good
idea to give parameters about when to call (or not to call).
Keep in Mind
• This may be the very first college course your students take. If so, it might not be a bad
idea to tell them the function of a syllabus.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? In this class, we are going to work at becoming better
communicators, meaning the content we cover will go beyond just teaching you how to give
good public speeches. Communication is such an important part of everyday life that you will
find developing good communication skills will help you in almost any situation. After you
complete this course you should be able to:
• Define selected terminology related to communication theory
• Explain and apply selected concepts from communication theory
• Demonstrate the skills of speech composition and delivery
• Demonstrate ability to work in groups
• Apply computer technology in research and the production of visual aids
• Evaluate the effectiveness of public communication
• Apply communication principles and theories in an international context
WHAT’S THE CLASS LIKE? This course may be different from what you are used to. I am
an advocate of active learning, which means you are in control of what you get out of this
class! No one else can decide what goes into your head; there’s not a “magic tank” in your
brain I can pour knowledge into. Expect a class with lots of discussion, in-class activities,
collaborative learning groups, peer-teaching sessions, self- and peer evaluations, written
assignments, speeches, examinations, and possibly an occasional standard lecture. Please feel
free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Keep in Mind
• Give students an idea of your teaching style—help them to understand how class is
generally going to function.
• O’Hair, D., et al. (2018). Real Communication (4th ed.). New York: Bedford/
St. Martin’s.
Keep in Mind
• Be sure you put down which text(s) you will be using. If you are using supplementary
materials, you should list those here as well.
WHAT ELSE DO I NEED? In addition to your textbook and basic class materials
