Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
A Note About Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is not limited to the workplace but can exist in various other settings, including the
academic setting. Sexual harassment exists when any one of the following conditions is present:
Submission to sexual conduct is made, implicitly or explicitly, a term of employment.
In 1980, the National Advisory Council on Women’s Educational Programs established that, in the
academic setting, sexual harassment consists of the following:
The use of authority to emphasize the sexuality or sexual identity of the student in a manner
which prevents or impairs the student’s full enjoyment of educational benefits, climate, or
opportunities.
Sexual harassment in academic settings is not limited to that propagated by authority figures. As Diana K.
Ivy and Stephen Hamlet (1996) have observed, it can also exist among peers. For this reason, instructors,
staff, and students all need to familiarize themselves with the various categories that comprise
harassment. These, in brief, include the following:
If one encounters sexual harassment, here is what to do:
For the victim: For the instructor:
Don’t ignore it.
Know the law.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
References
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
The Group Presentation
—Abran Salazar, University of Rhode Island
Preview
Group Assignments and Presentations Are Important
I guess one of the first questions you are asking yourself is “why should my students participate in small
group assignment? I thought this was a public speaking class.” That’s a good question, and one I often get
from my students regardless of the class (sometimes even in small group communication classes!). For
some, working in small groups is tantamount to having a root canal. That question, though, can be easily
answered.
One reason why small groups are important is because they have the potential to promote learning of
course content through discussion which can inspire creativity. Individuals learn from others as they
Composing Groups
Typically, the goals of making use of small group assignments in classes are to hone the investigative,
analytical, and communication skills of students. Actual assignments can vary, such as assigning research
papers/projects, incorporating group problem solving and other illustrative exercises, and assigning
formal group presentations. I try to incorporate all three types of assignments in my communication
classes.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
Perhaps the first obstacle an instructor faces when contemplating using groups in class is how to
compose the groups. There are at least a few ways one may proceed: the instructor may assign individuals
randomly to groups (I do this alphabetically, taking the first five, the second five, etc.), or allow 15 to 20
Breaking the Ice
If the groups are to remain intact (not changing membership) throughout the course of the semester, I
would recommend you implement some sort of ice breaker so that group members have a chance to get to
know one another a bit better or, at least, exchange telephone numbers. This ice breaker can vary from
giving individuals five to ten minutes to interact with others in their group, to assigning a movie that they
watch together in some group member’s house or apartment and then report back to the class at the next
class meeting. I have found that it helps to pick movies which have a “group” theme, such as the themes
contained in “The Breakfast Club,” “Stand By Me,” “The Joy Luck Club,” and “Twelve Angry Men.”
The Presentation
In my group communication classes, I usually have two or three group presentations scheduled: two
minor and one major. This is not to say that you should or will have this many presentations, but they are
mentioned here for descriptive and reference purposes. One of the three presentations (the second minor
presentation) is not graded, but serves as a precursor or “honing up” experience for the group’s major
presentation. During this nongraded presentation, students are given feedback by their facilitator (TA or
Professor) regarding content and style of the presentation. The first minor presentation is what I like to
In preparation for this first presentation, I ask students, as groups, to arrive at a consensus on concepts
that interest them. These concepts may be ones that we have already talked about in the course, or they
are free to read ahead in the required course texts and identify concepts of interest in that manner. They
are asked to identify one or two such concepts. Then, I randomly assign groups to dates for their
presentations.
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
Put Everything in Writing
When designing group projects for undergraduates, it is imperative that all instructions are spelled out in
writing. Information regarding the format of the presentation, the time limit for the presentation, dates on
which particular groups will present, the time to be allotted for question and answer following the
presentation, responsibilities of students, how to grade individual contributions, how to handle slackers,
and so on. All of this must be written down.
I have found that having this type of information in writing does a few things: First, it places the onus
Handling Student Conflicts with Other Group Members
Invariably, you will find that there will be conflicts in some groups. Whether those conflicts stem from
personality differences, miscommunication, difficulty in finding a time to meet as a group, or having one
or more members doing a disproportionately large part of group work, conflicts are inevitable. Often,
those conflicts manifest themselves in one of two ways: (1) concerned students come to you in the hope
that you will mediate between the conflicting parties, or (2) the group presentation is poor—
disorganization may signal conflict. Students should be given guidelines about the procedures that are to
Evaluating the presentation
This is perhaps the most difficult part of having group assignments. Evaluation of presentations is
challenging. It is critical that the evaluator is consistent across presentations. That is, it is very useful to
prepare a list of criteria by which groups will be graded. When it comes to evaluating the presentation, I
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
presentation.
In matters of style, among other things, I critique use of voice and diction, nonverbal behaviors, dress,
use of visual aids, professionalism, and the demeanor of the students in answering questions from the
audience.
No doubt your list will be different, but regardless of how different it is, you must be consistent in the
use of criteria across the groups. Anything else raises issues of fairness.
The following readings should prove useful as you go about incorporating group assignments in your
classroom:
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
Group Presentation Evaluation Form Group # _____
1) Did the group adequately identify and define the problem area?
Were key terms defined?
Was the problem adequately limited in the discussion?
Was the group’s discussion question stated?
Comments:
2) Did the group adequately analyze the problem?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Were causes of the problem identified?
Were effects of the problem specified?
Did the group specify existing mechanisms for dealing with the problem?
Did the group specify how those mechanisms were inadequate?
Did the group set down acceptable criteria?
Comments:
3) Did the group propose a range of solutions to the problem?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comments:
4) Did the group pick the best solution?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Did the group compare each solution against the criteria it established?
Did the group modify the criteria?
Comments:
5) Did the group provide adequate discussion of the testing and implementation of the
solution?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
Did the group give adequate treatment as to how the solution would be put into effect?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Did the group discuss obstacles that have to be overcome before the solution could be put
into effect (e.g., funding, new or existing mechanisms, achieving public support, etc.)?
Comments:
6) How well organized and systematic was the discussion? How smooth was the overall
flow of discussion?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comments:
7) Did each member contribute equally to the discussion?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comments:
8) How well were the functions of leadership served?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Were relationships among group members’ ideas adequately explored?
Was group progression along a line of thought summarized?
Were ideas extended and elaborated?
Was discussion coordinated through communication by group members?
Were members encouraged to participate in discussion?
Comments:
9) Did the group use evidence to support their claims? Were sources cited? Did the group
make use of testimony? examples? statistics?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comments:
10) Overall poise and professionalism: Did the group appear confident and prepared? Did
the group exhibit professionalism? Were questions adequately answered and addressed?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comments:
Teaching Public Speaking 4e: Part Three
Consistency Across Sections
When I first began supervising the basic course and directing multiple sections, I found that most
complaints by students involved having tougher requirements in their section than the requirements their
friends faced in other sections. Several of their observations were legitimate, pointing to discrepancies in
number and type of speeches, assignments, and exams; discrepancies in grading criteria; and
discrepancies in penalties (or lack thereof) for time violations and penalties (or lack thereof) for excessive
absence.
The best way to ensure a sense of fairness and to minimize complaints is to establish some uniform
requirements and procedures that every instructor will observe. It also pays to discuss these elements
every semester in order to critique them, make changes, and ensure that every instructor is “on the same
page” and proceeding accordingly.
The value of uniform policies
If policies are to be observed across sections for attendance, time penalties, and so on, consider yourself
lucky. These policies remove your need to devise ones of your own, and they give you the automatic
support of the department. Should students complain, simply note that it’s departmental policy, explain
the pedagogical rationale (when possible), and refer them to the course director if they have further
questions or comments.
Flexibility for instructors
Even though the course (as with any other) belongs to the department and even though we must be careful
to have consistency across sections, these factors do not preclude individual freedoms for the instructor.
It’s still up to you, for example, to determine the best manner for presenting a particular lesson, the best
Assessment
You’ve heard the word. Assessment refers to a formal appraisal of curriculum, including an
evaluation of whether students are learning what they are supposed to be learning. If you follow
the game plan offered above for creating a portfolio, you will be conducting a self-assessment.
Creating and instituting a program of assessment seems a daunting task for departments and
turn to Shawn Spano who simplifies the matter for us and suggests a way to proceed.
Spotlight on . . . Assessment
Shawn Spano, San Jose State University
My take on assessment is to treat it as a kind of evaluation research, and it
I would propose something like this:
The first step is to outline what it is you want students to do/achieve
(goals and objectives, skills). For example, it could be writing organized
and logically sound speech outlines. What do these outlines look like? How
will you know a good one when you see it?
The second thing to do is to assemble a group of speech teachers to
assess actual samples of student outlines in order to see how well they meet
the objectives, goals, and so on. Veteran teachers as well as TAs could be
involved.
The third step might be to look at specific teaching practices for
outlining in light of the objectives/goals and the student outlines.