Speech Chapter 2 Homework Signature Date Note Complete This Form And

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Part 2

Organizing and Structuring a Public Speaking Course

This section provides the following resources to help instructors structure and organize the

introduction to a public speaking course.

• Sample syllabus

• Student’s record of grades

• Information sheet for instructor

• Guide to teaching online

SAMPLE SYLLABUS

The following syllabus represents what an instructor might typically expect of a student taking an

introductory public speaking course. These requirements should be adapted to fit the expectations

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Public Speaking Syllabus

Course Description: Students will learn the skills and strategies needed to prepare and deliver

special occasion, informative, and persuasive speeches. Special consideration is given to adapting

Course Objective/Rationale: During the course, you will be asked to stand before a group

and deliver information, argue a position, present an award, introduce a guest speaker, or honor a

special event. It is important that you command the audience’s attention and present yourself as a

Instructor:

Voice mail: ext. Email address:

Office room no.: Office hours:

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Student Learning Outcomes

2. Students will deliver special occasion, informative, and persuasive speeches.

4. Students will manage their apprehension about communicating in public contexts.

Attendance: You are expected to attend all classes. Absences require a physician’s note that you

are to be excused. Do not be late for class. Coming to class late or leaving early will be counted as

an absence for the entire class period.

The following is the Department of Communication’s absenteeism policy:

Absences beyond the allotted amount will result in a 10-point reduction from your final grade for

each occurrence.

Inform your instructor if an emergency prevents you from giving a speech on an assigned date. If

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are responsible for finding out what material was covered and whether any announcements were

made.

Text: Dan O’Hair, Hannah Rubenstein, and Rob Stewart’s A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking,

Exams: Three 75-point exams will be given during the semester. Each exam will consist of

twenty-five standard multiple-choice questions worth 50 points, and multiple-choice, short-

Preparation: Speeches and Written Assignments

You will be required to deliver four speeches. You will be evaluated on your skill in selecting

and researching a topic, organizing and delivering your speeches, and following instructor

requirements. You will be evaluated on the criteria on the grading sheet(s), your ability to adapt

while presenting the information orally, and on your adherence to time limits.

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Note: On each day that you are scheduled to perform a speech, you must turn in two typed copies

of your outline and your grading sheet. One outline will be graded and returned to you; the other

copy will be kept in the course administration file. If you fail to turn in the required copies, you

You must prepare an outline for each speech. All written assignments are to be neatly typed,

double-spaced on 8.5 × 11-inch white paper with 1-inch margins. Follow APA (American

Psychological Association) guidelines regarding fonts, headings, and pagination. Incomplete

sentences and mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling will adversely affect your grade.

Self-Evaluation: You are required to upload a speech video to LaunchPad for A Pocket Guide

to Public Speaking, Sixth Edition, for self-evaluation. Each instructor will select the speech to be

uploaded and evaluated, so check with your instructor for the date you upload the video.

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Speech Critiques

You will critique two speeches either inside the classroom setting (e.g., guest speaker,

competition tapes) or outside it (e.g., speakers on campus, in the city council, in a place of worship,

at a special occasion). If the instructor does not provide this opportunity during class time, you are

Grades: You will be graded in this class based on (1) the number of points you earn for each

exam, speech, and written assignment; and (2) your class participation. The total number of points

available for the semester is 1,000. Keep track of your scores on the Student’s Record of Grades

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SPECIAL NOTES

Academic Misconduct: The guidelines in the Student Code of Responsibility and Conduct will be

upheld in this course. According to the Academic Misconduct Code:

Academic misconduct includes (a) cheating (using unauthorized materials, information, or

study aids in any academic exercise; plagiarism; falsification of records; unauthorized

possession of examinations; intimidation; any and all other actions that may improperly affect

To prevent the use of recycled speeches or papers on campus and the downloading of speeches

from the internet, each student will be required to turn in two copies of written assignments. One

Reasonable Accommodation: Students who have a disability that may prevent them from fully

demonstrating their abilities should contact the instructor or the course director as soon as possible

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STUDENT’S RECORD OF GRADES

Speeches

Special Occasion Speech ____ /50

Informative Speech ____ /140

Exams

First Exam ____ /75

Second Exam ____ /75

Third Exam ____ /75

Instructor Points ____ /100

Team Workshops Activity (optional)

Assurance Readiness Quizzes (optional)

Other Required Assignments

Informative Communication Research Paper ____ /100

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Speech Critiques (2 @ 25 points) ____ /50

Subtotal ____ /1,000

Less ____ absences × 10 points each ____

TOTAL ____

NOTE: It is your responsibility to record your grades for this class. Do not expect your

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INFORMATION SHEET FOR INSTRUCTOR

Name

Phone

Email

Class Level

Major and Concentration

What are some other communication classes you have taken? Where were they taken?

What are your career objectives? What do you hope to gain from this course to meet those

objectives?

Do you have any concerns about completing this course?

Do you understand the policies set forth in the syllabus? If you do and you agree to abide by them,

please sign below. If you have any questions or concerns, please see your instructor as soon as

possible.

Signature Date

Note: Complete this form and give it to your instructor during the first two weeks of classes.

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GUIDE TO TEACHING ONLINE

CLASS WEB PAGE

An easy-to-use class web page is one that has a clear organization and a clean layout. You may

want to visually diagram the web page’s contents first so you can be consistent with where and

how you upload material. For example, assignments need to be uploaded in the same format (as an

item or a file) to the same tab (Content folder of home page). A benefit to creating an item is that

you can write the assignment directly in the text box and students do not have to download any

Posting and Receiving Assignments

It is also important to be consistent in the way in which you accept assignments: Do you want

Syllabus

It is best to create a Syllabus tab so students can easily navigate to it. If the syllabus is modified,

post the changes under Announcements to ensure that all students are aware of changes made.

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Links

Limit the number of links that students have to follow. If the assignment is written in a Word

document, copy and paste the content directly into an item folder rather than making it an

Interactive Tools

Adding interactive tools such as discussion boards, journals, and wikis can be a great way to

facilitate classroom participation. Creating a new forum each week in the Discussion Board tab

Online Journal

Assigning an online journal is a good way to invite feedback and to increase communication

between students and instructor. Require students to keep a journal where they are free to write

about the class, the curriculum, the delivery, and any anxieties or concerns. This is an excellent

way to check in with students when face-to-face contact is minimal. It also helps students reflect

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Wiki

Creating a wiki can be a creative way to produce a class glossary of important or misunderstood

terms. Students can post a term they do not understand and other students can define it, helping to

Grading

One aspect of online learning that appeals to students is the fast and easy grading. Students can

easily and conveniently keep track of their grades and monitor their progress; instructors save time

Exams

Administering exams online can be done with as much control as in a classroom environment.

Time limits and test accessibility can be determined by each instructor. If group efforts or cheating

are a concern, you can issue a test password to each student. Once a test is completed, detailed test

SAMPLE COURSE SCHEDULES

Three sample course schedules follow—for courses offered within a semester system, a quarter

system, and a summer session.

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Semester Schedule (Tentative)

15 weeks

Week Speeches, Lectures, and Exams Readings

1 Syllabus

Becoming a Public Speaker Ch. 1

Listeners and Speakers Ch. 5

3 Analyzing the Audience

Selecting a Topic and Purpose Ch. 6

Organizing the Body of the Speech Ch. 7

Citing Sources in Your Speech Ch. 11

Exam 1 (Chapters 1–7, 10–11, 25) Ch. 10

4 Speech 1: Special Occasion Speeches (outlines due)

Speech 1: Special Occasion Speeches

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6 Introduce Informative Speech/Paper Assignments

Principles of Informative Speaking Ch. 22

Developing Supporting Material Ch. 8

Finding Credible Sources in Print and Online Ch. 9

9 Speech 2: Informative Speeches

Speech 2: Informative Speeches

Speech 2: Informative Speeches (papers due)

10 Discuss Persuasive Speech Assignment

Persuasive Speaking Chs. 23–24

Speaking with Presentation Aids Ch. 19

Designing Presentation Aids Ch. 20

11 Using Presentation Software Ch. 21

Methods of Delivery

Ch. 16

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12 Speech 3: Persuasive Speeches (outlines due)

Speech 3: Persuasive Speeches

14 Discuss Group Presentation Assignment

Communicating in Groups Ch. 27

Delivering Group Presentations Ch. 28

Social Science Courses Ch. 33

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QUARTER SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE)

12 weeks

Week Speeches, Lectures, and Exams Readings

1 Syllabus

Becoming a Public Speaker Ch. 1

2 Discuss Special Occasion Speech Assignment

Speaking on Special Occasions Ch. 25

From A to Z: Overview of a Speech Ch. 2

Analyzing the Audience Ch. 6

3 Selecting a Topic and Purpose Ch. 7

Organizing the Body of the Speech Ch. 11

Developing Supporting Material Ch. 8

Finding Credible Sources in Print and Online Ch. 9

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Principles of Informative Speaking Ch. 22

6 Developing the Introduction and Conclusion Ch. 14

7 Speech 2: Informative Speeches (outlines due)

Speech 2: Informative Speeches

Designing Presentation Aids Ch. 20

Using Presentation Software Ch. 21

9 Methods of Delivery Ch. 16

Your Voice in Delivery Ch. 17

10 Speech 3: Persuasive Speeches (outlines due)

Speech 3: Persuasive Speeches

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12 Speech 4: Group Presentation (outlines due)

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SUMMER SESSION SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE)

4 weeks

Week

1

Speeches, Lectures, and Exams Readings

Day 1 Syllabus

Becoming a Public Speaker

Ch. 1

From A to Z: Overview of a Speech Ch. 2

Day 3 Selecting a Topic and Purpose Ch. 7

Analyzing the Audience Ch. 6

Day 5 Speech 1: Special Occasion Speeches

Speech 1: Special Occasion Speeches

Week

2