Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
SLOs: Observing and measuring student learning
When students take our course, we assume they will learn something and that learning will be evident—
something we can observe and measure. Student Learning Outcomes, or SLOs, are the evidence we look
for. A SLO is a statement that specifies what a student will know,be able to do, or be able to demonstrate
when they have completed a course. Each SLO specifies an action by the student that is observable,
measurable, and able to be demonstrated. My colleagues and I devised the following five SLOs for our
basic public speaking course.
SLO 1: Relying upon the skills inherent to information literacy, the student will locate and gather credible
information utilizing the latest technology (such as library subscription databases and advanced
searches of the Internet) as well as traditional sources (such as interviews).
SLO 2: As a part of communicating effectively, the student will structure a speech with a well-stated thesis
statement, main points/ideas, sub-points (as needed), transitions, preview, and review—all of which
Program-level outcomes
Many departments are now creating program-level to improve teaching and learning. Identifying these is to
clarify what students who graduate with our degree should know, understand, and be able to do. For
insights and assistance, see the November 2015 issue of NCA’s spectra, which is devoted to the topic.
Helping students learn
People vary in terms of how they learn best and how they prefer to learn. Scholars have profiled learners,
using various schemes and categories. Some learners fare well working alone while others do better
working with a partner or group. Some need or prefer structure while others learn best with little
guidance. Some like details prior to seeing the “big picture” while others prefer the opposite. Some learn
well from reading or lecture while others need “hands on” experiences. Some do better with their ears
while others do better with their eyes. Some want to concentrate on learning existent knowledge while
a disadvantage. Sternberg took immediate action, explaining, “The goal was not so much to change my
teaching completely as to expand it to meet the needs of a greater proportion of my students” (p. 368).
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
The key for both teacher and student is to be flexible. Teachers need to plan sessions that draw upon
their strengths but that also utilize various ways of learning. Similarly, students “need to develop ways to
capitalize on their stylistic strengths, but they also need to develop the ability to move from one style to
Learning and diversity: They’re symbiotic
Julia T. Wood (1993) provides yet another reason for “style-flexing,” noting how “diversity” and
“learning” go hand in hand; when you promote one, you promote the other. Wood writes:
Varied teaching styles recognize and promote diversity in two ways. First, they model
An example of style-flexing
When trying to help students learn how to craft an effective introduction, the importance of the
introduction, and so on, we could approach the lesson any number of ways. For example, we might have
students view a sample videotaped introduction (such as one of the ones we provide on our videos) and
afterwards discuss what the speaker did, how well it worked, and what else the speaker might have done.
We could enter the observations on one side of the board.
sketch out ideas for the introduction of their forthcoming speech. We could evaluate whether they had
included the minimum, “required” elements. In addition, we could provide feedback on their ideas for a
particular introduction.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Helping students understand and remember
McKeachie (1994) states quite simply: “If you can link what you teach to what students already know, they
are more likely to understand and remember it” (p. 286). As teachers, we can make these links in a variety
of ways.
(1) Be sure to link today’s lesson to previous lessons.
Also, preview what’s next and note how it builds on what has been done.
Lessons and lesson plans
As noted in previous entries, you’ll want to set up each lesson with a particular goal in mind as well as
understand how that goal fits into your overall goals for the course. You’ll also want to employ a variety of
styles, daring to be creative and innovative in your approach as you contemplate what is going to work best
for your students, how you’re going to divide up the period, and so on.
Pin down the objectives for the day. What outcomes do you seek? You can think in terms of cognitive,
affective, and/or psychomotor objectives, but you also need to spell out what visible manifestations you
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
A general form for planning a lesson
Goal for the day: What outcomes to you seek?
Cognitive? What do you want them to know/understand?
Affective? What perceptions/attitudes would you like to nurture?
What are the best instructional vehicles for yielding the outcomes?
What will you do in class?
Lecture? Do you need to provide information?
How will you judge their performance?
Gathering ideas for lessons
If time permits, discuss your instructional goals and ideas with other instructors. Your colleagues might
help you improve upon your plan and/or, through the process of thinking aloud, you might gain new
insights.
As part of your dialogue with other instructors, you might ask them what has worked well for them and
why. You can obtain additional ideas by perusing various collections of suggested lessons (such as the
Constructing a syllabus: Zooming in on the goals
The syllabus, when carefully constructed, facilitates up front planning. Among other things, it helps the
instructor gain a better grasp of goals. As noted in part three below, we can use instructional goals to
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
determine lessons and their order, assignments along the way, and a final project that demands and displays
cumulative learning/development.
Once you’ve determined goals and lessons targeted towards the goals, draw up a calendar of available
Other aspects of the syllabus (while we’re on the subject)
In addition to using your goals to plan and list course objectives and to spell out how you will judge
performance, you will need to contemplate and include other elements on your syllabus. Many schools
“assist” by specifying what must appear on a syllabus. These guidelines likely include some version of the
following elements (not necessarily in this order):
(a.) Official title of the course along with its class code
(b.) The classroom where class will convene and the times for meeting
(c.) Instructor’s name, office location, office hours, phone, e-mail address, and so on
Multiple audiences for the syllabus
Chances are that your syllabus will be read by other audiences, not just your students. Administrators
likely will want to view what you do, as might accreditation agencies reviewing the curriculum of a
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
References
Brookfield, S.D. (1987). Developing critical thinkers: Challenging adults to
explore alternative ways or thinking and acting. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Publishers.
Dwyer, K.K. (1998). Communication apprehension and learning style preference:
Correlations and implications for teaching. Communication Education, 47, 137–150.
Goodnight, L. (1993, February). Feminist Pedagogy and the Basic
Communication Course. Paper presented at the meeting of the Midwest Basic Course
Directors’ Conference, Kansas City, MO.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Instructional Strategies
Preview
Effective instruction of public speaking depends on quality
materials, an understanding of the writing process, and an
ability to utilize a variety of teaching methods.
One’s textbook
Instructors of public speaking are fortunate that numerous good texts exist for the course. Of the wide
array, instructors likely can find one with an approach and coverage they find suitable, allowing them to
lecture less and concentrate more on active learning. As Donald H. Wulff and Jody D. Nyquist (1990)
observe, a highly informative text allows the instructor to “devote a small part of class time to clarifying
and supplementing textual material and the balance of the time to applying and amplifying materials”
(p. 253).
Encouraging careful reading and reflection
An instructor might encourage reading by specifying some simple task for students to complete during
their encounter with the text. For example, on Patty’s syllabus (in part two, above) she specifies in one
syllabus as well as on Hogan’s—both of which I provide in part two above.
Lecturing as a teaching strategy
Even though we can rely on a text to communicate the bulk of instructional information, we no doubt will
want to amplify and/or supplement its coverage. The lecture is a dependable means to these ends, though
studies suggest we’ll want to avoid lecturing for an entire period; listeners will begin fading out “after 15
or 20 minutes” (Frederick, 1984, p. 44).
Abbreviating lectures is pedagogically wise for another reason as well; Wilbert J. McKeachie (1999)
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
ideas are clarified” (p. 283). Book also notes that an introduction and conclusion (as we well know!) can
amplify the structure as well capture the imagination.
Richard Weaver II (1993) provides similar suggestions. Weaver emphasizes the importance of using a
Developing the lecture
When contemplating materials for a lecture, examples and principles are wise choices. William E. Cashin
(1985) notes that examples (which support and develop points) and principles (derived from the overall
presentation) are things people especially understand and remember. Within the content, then, provide
examples and identify/supply a few principles. Note: The principles could be the points of the lesson, and the
goals you identify will likely suggest the principles you want to explore.
Delivering the lecture
Scott Titsworth’s (2004) study (discussed above) revealed an additional finding well worth noting. These
pertain to the lecturer’s use of immediacy during lectures. He found that “teacher immediacy appears to
Using class notes to enhance learning and provide feedback
Here’s a possible safety measure to address problems with student’s note taking—be it distractions that
we pose as a lecturer or other interference they might experience. A common technique that enhances
learning is to ask students, at the conclusion of a lecture, to examine the notes they have just taken.
Instruct students to mark anything that is unclear. After allowing a moment for their review, provide
further explanation for what they have marked. Not only will this quick review provide an additional
exposure to the key points and details, but it also helps illuminate what has been learned—providing
invaluable feedback for the lecturer.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Enhancing lectures and learning via computer-generated slides
We’ve discussed using presentational aids in the text. Presentational aids obviously can yield the same
benefits in lectures as they do in speeches: providing emphasis, providing support, promoting clarity,
helping with extemporaneous delivery, enhancing your credibility, and engaging multiple senses to
promote interest. As noted above (in “Lecturing as a teaching strategy”), you’ll simply want to follow the
guidelines we offer in Chapter 12 of the textbook. Your use will model how to use the medium
effectively. In addition to the main lesson, students will be learning about the visual medium, the
technology, and how to use both in a manner that assists and does not distract.
Aside: Chanting It’s not just for Gregorian Monks
At the risk of appearing looney tunes, I dare suggest that you might have your students
chant as a form of audience participation. Professor Glen Gass, at Indiana University,
did so with smashing success.
Intrigued? Here’s how to proceed. Like Gass, insist that they chant a response
you supply, explaining it’ll show they’re paying attention. (For example, every time
Gass would mention Elvis, in his award-winning class on the history of rock-n-roll, his
class would respond: “King!”) Reveal both cue and response. Once underway, you’ve
got them on their toes. (Not such a bad thing, huh?)
Discussion and learning
A good lecture can captivate an audience and stimulate high-level learning. A good discussion can do
likewise, and perhaps is even more likely to do so. Summarizing the literature about discussion and
learning, Wilbert J. McKeachie (1991) notes that “discussion methods are generally more effective [than
less active methods] for goals of long term retention, for application, for motivation for further learning”
(p. 226). Obviously, then, an instructor can do well to promote discussion in the classroom. (And our
various “Discussion Questions,” complete with suggested “answers” in part one, will help you do so.)
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
1) Andersen, J., Nussbaum, J., Pecchioni, L., & Grant, J.A. (1999). Interaction skills in instructional
settings. In J.A. Daly, G.W. Friedrich, and A.L. Vangelisti (Eds.), Teaching communication: Theory,
research, and methods (2e, pp. 359–374). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
After discussing the value of classroom discussion and how it represents student-centered
teaching, these authors review the research regarding interactional teaching techniques.
They review the anatomy of a good question and how not to ask questions, namely those
that require a “yes” or “no” response; those that simply ask for “more” from a student
2) Marrus, F.E. (1993). Leading classroom discussion in the basic course. In L.W. Hugenberg, P.L.
Gray, and D.M. Trank (Eds.), Teaching and directing the basic communications course (pp. 219–
226). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
Francine E. Marrus provides similar coverage as that described in the preceding entry;
she discusses the value of discussion and techniques for facilitating discussion, including
how to ask good questions and how to respond to student contributions.
Marrus also addresses the drawbacks of discussion, namely the “considerable amount
of time” it might entail, noting also that “students may become frustrated” (p. 219) if so
little time is allowed that participation is curtailed. She notes, as well, that instructor and
3) Pearson, J.C. (1991). Gender bias in the college classroom. In J.D. Nyquist, R.D. Abbott, D.H.
Wulff, & J. Sprague (Eds.), Preparing the professoriate of tomorrow to teach: Selected readings in TA
training (pp. 73–79). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
materials as well as in how instructors interact with students and evaluate them. We need
to eliminate bias in all of these areas, of course, but let’s focus here on the implications
for classroom discussion.
It’s on video: We take up this issue and enact an instance in the video
that accompanies our supervisor’s manual.
4) Wood, J.T. (1993). Diversity and commonality: Sustaining their tension in communication
courses. Western Journal of Communication, 57, 367–380.
In this article, Julia T. Wood applauds discussion as a teaching method and suggests
guidelines for discussion that will facilitate learning and improve relations. She advocates
(among other things) that “instructors should disabuse students of the misperception that they
can understand others completely” (p. 375). Wood writes:
The important insight that can arise from conversation among diverse students is that
their views are not the only views, their ways of communicating are not the only
In addition to the four sources described above, the following readings also provide helpful insights and
strategies for discussion and learning:
Cooper, P.J. & Simonds, C. (2007). Communication for the Classroom Teacher (8th ed.).
Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Priming the pump: Stimuli for discussion
1) Brief in-class writings, which I call “mind sprints,” are a good stimulus for discussion. From time to
time I’ll give students three to five minutes to pen a quick response to some question I pose (akin to those
2) Sample speeches on video provide good stimuli for discussion. Segments of speeches that
illustrate a particular concept or principle are even better (see Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, 1997). In addition to the video recordings provided by our publisher, you’ll likely
have others you can use.
For instance, Dutch Driver (while an instructor at McMurry University) showed his students
a videotape of the first speech he presented as an undergraduate. Dutch laughs, explaining that he
would always take them by surprise—simply letting the video play and seeing how long it took
them to figure out who they were watching. Soon they’d all be laughing—and they’d be learning
a lot, too! In addition, Driver noted, after seeing how awful their instructor once was, it reassured
3) The notes students have taken also can be used as stimuli. After an abbreviated lecture and/or
discussion, instruct students to compare their entries with a classmate to identify discrepancies,
missing information, as well as anything they’d like to discuss more, or anything for which they
can provide an example.
Once the partners have compared notes, discuss any discrepancies or curiosities as well as
have them offer any examples they have generated.
Note: You may wish to encourage students to adopt a strategy for note taking that allows supplementation. I
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Encouraging student contributions
Teaching is at its best when students are actively engaged. To underscore my expectations that
students think, explore, and contribute, I apprise them early on that one of the items on their final
exam will be an essay in which they respond to the following: “What have you taught the class
this semester/quarter?”
In a brief essay (two developmental paragraphs), I have them describe their contribution and
its significance, as well as the specific reactions of their classmates and myself. In order to
“Stay the course”: Conducting coherent in–class discussion
An instructor must prepare for discussion through careful planning. Basic pointers for facilitating
a productive discussion include the following.
2. Know where you are going with the topic. Where you are going, of course, is mapped
out by the goals you’ve identified in your lesson plan.
4. Plan an introduction, several internal summaries, and a conclusion. Doing so will focus
5. Work with student responses and comments. Display verbal and nonverbal immediacy,
and attempt to involve everyone. Show them that you value their contributions. Respond
to “wrong” contributions with diplomacy and tact.
Be sure, too, to paraphrase comments when you’re responding, to ensure that you’ve
understood correctly—and to perhaps express them more accurately and in a manner
consistent with the terminology in the text. Rephrasing the comments will also help
ensure everyone has heard what has been offered.
“The devil you say”: Conducting cordial in-class discussion
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
When tempted to play devil’s advocate, as many of us may be prone to do in response to
something a student has stated, we probably should let the students know what we’re up to by
providing a bit of feedforward. For example, I might say something like: “That’s provocative,
Randi, very provocative, indeed. But let me play devil’s advocate for a moment. Suppose that I
did as you suggest and. . . .”
Lecture vs. discussion: Which is best?
As noted above, discussion often is heralded as best, but that is not necessarily the case. In a
study comparing lecture and discussion methods, Colleen Garside (1996) found that both had
“significant effects on learning critical thinking skills” (p. 225) and both were about equal in
terms of their overall effectiveness.
Activities
Lectures and discussion, if done well, can activate a student’s mind. Activation is vital;
summarizing the findings of cognitive psychologists, Wilbert J. McKeachie (1991) observes:
“Active learning is very important. Students need to talk about, to think about, to write about, to
do things in the laboratory with their learning, if they are going to use it later. You can’t just
preach it to them in large lectures” (p. 226).
In-class exercises are a good way to facilitate active learning. For example, I’ve found the
following two to be especially fruitful as well as widely applicable.
1) Student-generated examples. Have students devise examples for a particular concept (or
set of concepts) for which you know they will have ample real life experiences begging
anything discussed in class or in the book.
2) Students as entrepreneurs. Have students devise an assignment and model its completion.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Orchestrating group activity: Providing instructions up front
Before you assemble students into working groups for an activity, tell them what you’re going to
have them to do, why, and how to go about it.
If the task is the least bit complex, simply brief them on it and provide more detailed
Orchestrating group activity: Forming partners/groups
Okay, you’ve explained the activity and how they’ll proceed. Now it’s time to determine who’ll
be working with whom and assign each group an area in the classroom.
I compose partners or groups depending on the activity and the amount of time it will require.
If it’s something we’ll do quickly—or if time is of the essence—I may have students gather with
their immediate neighbors in groups of three or four, or simply choose a partner if it’s an activity
Managing group activity
If you’ve explained the activity clearly in terms of what you want, why it’s worthwhile, and how
they are to proceed, you’ll not only alleviate confusion, but you’ll more likely see students
behaving like they are on a mission. Then you can casually circulate from time to time, listen in a
bit, and provide appropriate verbal and nonverbal encouragement. Let them see that you’re
Bringing the activity to a meaningful end
All contributions have been made, but you’re not through yet. You need to bring closure to what
has transpired. Doing so is quite simple, and it should be kept simple—as well as brief. Quickly
remind the class of what you sought and what resulted. Speak fairly rapidly and succinctly. At the
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Another outcome of activities: Relational development among peers
In-class activities can be meaningful in another way as well. They can help foster collegial peer
Generating a good activity
You likely will come up with good ideas on your own, but you may benefit from checking out
exercises other instructors have created and their tips for classroom use. In addition to the
activities we suggest in our chapter-by-chapter guide in part one, your colleagues may be able to
suggest activities they find especially fruitful.
You might also consult various collections, such as the series by our good friend, the late
Lawrence W. Hugenberg, and his beloved partner and colleague Barbara S. Moyer (1998). Larry
Using quizzes and exams to promote learning
Activities can heighten student involvement, and so do exams. Quizzes and tests present an
The instruction of writing in the basic course
As Stephen E. Lucas (1990) observes, “The process of speech composition is not much
different—and certainly is no less demanding—than that of composing a written essay” (p. 69).
To do well in our course, students will have to write well. Understanding how to write well
depends, in large measure, on understanding the process involved.
In chapter six of the textbook we address the writing process, trying to help students
Good writing requires several revision sessions, and—at times—reading one’s work aloud.
The writing process and its implications for speech composition
You likely will want to begin instilling, early on, what we suggest in chapter six of the text
regarding the writing process. Emphasize that composing a good speech requires ample time and
nothing will substitute for the time required.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Encourage, guide, and reward revision
I require students to revise their first speech, based on the detailed, written feedback I provide.
Students are motivated to take the revision seriously as it is a relatively easy way to earn points
The revision is worth half as many points as those available on the speech they had submitted.
For example, if the first speech was worth 100 points, the revision is a separate score of 50 points.
Students then have ample reason to do their best on both assignments—the original and the
In-class workshops
For the first speech (and sometimes later ones as well), I designate the due date for the formal
outline for a period or two before the presentations begin. Rather than collect the outlines, though,
I have students swap outlines and provide one another feedback. I structure the workshop by
designating (via visual display) what to examine, in what order, and I model each element with a
hypothetical example. The directions remain on-screen to guide their efforts while they are
underway. (You’ll find these directions entered immediately below.)
Rather than completely turn them loose, I circulate to assist each pair of students, establish a bit
of quality control, and provide input. I also sign my initials on their outlines (which they are to hand
in with a revised, final version) to show that they had met the due date for the assigned draft.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Guidelines for critique
1) Read through, quickly, without stopping
to comment.
2) Scan it again, quickly. Are the areas
appropriate divisions of the topic?
3) Read only the thesis and main points,
4) Read each main point and its development.
Does the development really enable the
point to be made?
Are the materials quality materials?
5) Does the speech seem to achieve its
author’s purpose for speaking? Explain.
Doing what you would have others to do
Okay, so you’re teaching a class in public speaking. You are coaching folks on how to draft and
present an effective, meaningful speech. But let me ask, when was the last time you drafted a
speech yourself, and according to the guidelines you give your students? It’s a good idea to
Writing, when focused on one’s audience, can lessen anxiety
Choi, Honeycutt, & Bodie (2015) recently investigated imagined interactions (IIs), concluding
that “through the mental preparation enabled by IIs, an individual can reduce disfluencies and
mitigate the anxiety that arises from a speech. Enlisting Honeycutt’s earlier work, they define IIs
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part One
Written assignments in the public speaking course: Guidelines to consider
Students will write a lot in our course. At a minimum, they will prepare several speeches. In
addition, instructors often assign other papers, such as a self-critique, a peer critique, or a critique
1) Have students do some “informal writing” about a subject prior to tackling it in a major
assignment.
One way we might accomplish this, in a course in public speaking, is to have students
submit a written topic proposal for a subject they wish to pursue for a major speech. I
2) Have students exchange and critique one or more drafts of a particular assignment. In addition,
try to meet briefly with each student (or set of partners) to discuss a draft.
Building in class time for students to discuss one another’s writing can be very
productive. Be sure to structure the activity, though, telling them how to proceed, what
to look for, what to address, and so on (as I’ve illustrated above).
Meeting with students individually may seem nearly impossible, given the time
involved, but some semesters you might be able to do so. From time to time, when I
have a smaller class size than usual, I have been able to meet with each student about
the topic proposal they submit. To do so I sat aside a day or two of class time (for
students who insist they have no other time to meet), office hours, and a few additional
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3) Make the assignment really mean something. Give them a sense of communicating something
to a real audience who wants to know about it.
Again, I point to the topic proposal. One item I have them address is why the topic is
4) Have students meet in groups to “motivate and educate” each other.
Likely we can set aside a few minutes in class for students to meet with one another to
5) Have students critique previous, actual submissions we’ve collected. Fulwiler says these
should include good and not-so-good examples and to have students “judge why which is which.”
The use of models is something we (like Isocrates) have emphasized, and the approach
is validated by scholars such as Albert Bandura (1986) in his studies of “observational
learning.”
Use speech texts as models. We supply several of these in the text. You likely will
6) “Require a series of short papers rather than one long one.” Fulwiler explains that we can
“find out almost as much about writing skills in a page or two” as we can in “ten.” He says to
“request careful, thoughtful and efficient treatment of some idea” in a short assignment, making it
“as demanding a task as a more loosely written [longer] assignment.” Shorter assignments are
also a lot easier on you, and the students won’t complain either—not as much anyway.
The “real value,” though, Fulwiler observes, is that we’ll be “teaching students
progressively.” Our comments on each successive paper will help them to “think and write even
more sharply each successive time.”
In a public speaking course, the proposal process would help achieve this. We might
also have students submit what could be termed a “skeleton” of their upcoming