Part 1
Course Management
FORMULATING A TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
One of the most important aspects of teaching is being able to formulate your own
teaching philosophy, which allows you to articulate your general and specific approaches
toward instruction. A teaching philosophy is beneficial because it encourages you to
assess your strengths and limitations as an instructor. It also helps you realize your short-
term and long-term pedagogical goals. After formulating a teaching philosophy, every
lecture, activity, and group discussion your class engages in should reflect it in some
way.
To design a good, complete teaching philosophy, it may be helpful to consider
several key issues. First, what do you believe to be the most effective teaching methods?
Using a traditional lecture format? Engaging students in collaborative learning? Utilizing
online teaching methods? Next, should students focus primarily on theory or skill
development? What types of courses require you to emphasize one rather than the other?
In addition to creating a general teaching philosophy, you should be able to formulate
specific teaching goals for each course, particularly as you strive to improve your
teaching methods. It is also helpful to inform your students about your teaching
philosophy and specific goals, both for your teaching and for their learning, as it
increases their understanding of your pedagogical choices.
SETTING AND ACHIEVING STUDENT LEARNING GOALS
In order to achieve the learning and speaking goals you put forward, students need to
know why they are taking a course in public speaking. Providing them with a rationale
for the course may help them to see public speaking as it relates to their chosen field of
study, as well as to their greater civic, social, and political interests. This will increase
student engagement with the subject and thus encourage student learning.
The same way that you formulate objectives for yourself as the instructor, you
should identify concrete course objectives in the course syllabus that you give to students.
The purpose here is to specify for students what you expect them to learn. Students
should be aware of objectives for the overall course, as well as for each unit or chapter.
Examples of learning objectives as stated on syllabi are “To enable students to command
an audience’s attention” and “To present oneself as a competent and credible speaker.”
Examples of chapter learning objectives may include “Students will learn how to avoid
plagiarism in any form in their speeches” and “Students will learn the four broad
functions of special-occasion speeches.”
Finally, students should be made aware of the requirements for the course. Your
school either may have a standard or common set of requirements for the public speaking
course or you may be responsible for setting the requirements yourself. If so, be sure to
address the attendance policy, penalties for absences, required textbooks and other
materials, number and format of exams, number and nature of speeches and written
If you will be utilizing online resources or requiring students to complete and/or
submit assignments online, make sure you take the time to clarify expectations and
procedures. Students should understand why these methods are being employed and how
it will benefit them to utilize these resources.
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR RUNNING THE CLASSROOM
There are three categories of information that an instructor should acquire in order to run
a classroom effectively and appropriately. First, whether you are given a standardized
syllabus or are required to develop your own, you should be knowledgeable about the
being offered? Is this course required, or is it an elective? Is this course theory-oriented,
skills-oriented, or both?
Second, develop an understanding of the course rules. In other words, be aware of
how the course should be conducted, the appropriate workload, how many of each type of
assignment (e.g., exams, speeches) are required, and so on. Also, decide on appropriate
Finally, consider what kind of personality you want to convey as a public
speaking instructor. This is an issue that will greatly concern your students. They will
want to know how easy you are to talk with, as well as how accessible you are. One way
to demonstrate approachability to your students is to learn and use their names early on in
the semester. Additionally, make sure to consistently remind students that their questions
The topics that follow provide detailed suggestions about test administration,
assignments, facilitating discussion, and so on. First, however, we have some general
suggestions for running the classroom. Try to balance lecturing time and classroom
discussions. Remember that it is important to disseminate information to your students;
this is how they gain the knowledge they will need to succeed in the course. However,
students may begin to lose interest if you lecture too long or fail to involve them. We
suggest that you lecture in increments of eight to ten minutes, breaking up those lectures
with discussions or activities. This will hold the attention of the students and keep them
HANDLING GRADE COMPLAINTS AND DEALING WITH
CONFRONTATIONS
Never allow a dissatisfied student to intimidate you or cause you to question your
competence or credibility. Most students who have a complaint do not intend to
undermine your expertise; usually, they simply want to clear up a misunderstanding or
care of the matter. Also, using a clear grading rubric typically results in fewer student
complaints because it is easy to identify specific areas needing improvement.
Unfortunately, there are always a few students who feel the need to be
confrontational, to question your credibility, or to be aggressive. The most you can do in
these rare cases is to remain calm and remember that no student has the right to challenge
your authority. You have every right to be teaching the course, no matter what a student
When students become aggressive or seem dissatisfied with your decision,
remember the chain of command that exists in your department or school. In many cases,
a course director, who reports to a department head or other administrative official,
oversees instructors. If you feel uncomfortable about dealing with a student or believe
GRADE COMPLAINTS
Include a mandatory twenty-four-hour waiting period between returning graded
assignments and discussing grade complaints. Ask that students put their grade
complaints in writing and require them to attach their grading rubric to the complaint.
Listen to the student’s complaint, then wait another twenty-four hours before making a
decision. Let the student know why you have made your decision.
DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS
Refrain from trying to humiliate or embarrass the student.
Ask the student a question about the lecture or move toward the student while
lecturing.
For more serious discipline problems, ask the student to stay after class or to attend
office hours.
If you believe the student is harassing you in any way, document the incident and
report it to the course supervisor, department chair, or appropriate campus office.
LECTURING AND FACILITATING GROUP DISCUSSION
As suggested previously, you may want to alternate lectures with discussions. This not
only maintains students’ attention and interest but also helps students to participate in the
learning process and to integrate the material in order to learn and understand it. Eight to
ten minutes of lecture, followed by ten to fifteen minutes of discussion, followed by more
lecture and discussion, may be a good format for you to try.
Having a few basic guidelines for discussion will help you encourage students to
talk. First, come to class with a list of prepared questions that cover a range of topics
from basic public speaking concepts to more rhetorical questions concerning careers,
current events, or local issues that are affecting students’ daily lives. This may relieve
prior to class time. Additionally, students will feel a sense of ownership of the discussion,
thus encouraging their engagement and involvement. Second, ask more open-ended
questions and fewer yes/no questions. Third, be sure to provide an example of the
concept or principle you are covering in order to place that concept or principle in
context. Do not be afraid to wait a few seconds after asking a question. Fifteen seconds is
Another pedagogical strategy is to engage students in peer instruction, which
involves students teaching other students in order to facilitate learning. Assigning
students to pairs and having them tutor each other, assigning each student to “teach” all
or part of a chapter to the class (with guidance from you), or having students work in
teams to discuss the material can all be part of peer instruction. Whatever method you
choose, be sure that students know what is expected of them and what material they
should cover. If students are teaching the material to others, then all students are
your class is extremely apprehensive or indifferent. In terms of additional potential
advantages to this teaching strategy, there are many. First, students learn from actually
having to do the teaching. Second, peer instruction takes pressure off the instructor. And
third, it can reduce students’ anxiety by allowing them to obtain the material from people
ENCOURAGING AND UTILIZING COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE THE
CLASSROOM
Communication between instructors and students that occurs outside the realm of
classroom instruction can be a useful tool for instruction. Communication can take place
at many times, such as during office hours. Office hours provide you with an excellent
opportunity to interact with your students outside the classroom in a somewhat more
will also allow you to chat with students in order to establish a good rapport with them.
Providing an office phone number or e-mail address so that students can contact you may
also be an efficient way to enhance communication. Nowadays, e-mail is the most
TEST GIVING, EVALUATIONS, GRADING SPEECHES, AND ASSIGNMENTS
Writing good tests is an important skill for instructors to develop, but it is not an easy
skill to acquire. A Speaker’s Guidebook is accompanied by a test bank of questions for
your use. However, if you decide to write your own tests, the following guidelines can be
of help:
Test construction should take into account the desired learning outcomes: Are
students expected to analyze a topic or simply recall it?
If you use multiple-choice questions, there are a variety of questions to incorporate. A
question may ask:
1. What a term means
3. Whether something was or is true in a specific instance
5. What the chief problem or basic issue is
7. What is likely to happen under certain conditions
9. How to do something
10. What to do under certain conditions
Avoid writing multiple-choice questions that contain the word not, as in “Which
of the following is not true?” or that ask students to identify a false statement. Such
questions can confuse students, possibly causing them to choose an incorrect answer.
Also, in writing questions, avoid listing fewer than four or more than five choices.
An important issue in testing is security, or the curbing of cheating. Students
cheat for many different reasons: poor preparation, fun, peer pressure, and so on. The best
way to deal with cheating is to prevent it from happening at all. Although total prevention
may seem unrealistic, you can take several steps to cultivate an environment that makes
cheating difficult. First, provide a clear and rigid policy on cheating in your syllabus:
what it constitutes, the school’s policy regarding cheating, and the consequences of being
caught. Unfortunately, this may fail to deter some students, so you may need to take a
Remember, some students feel very apprehensive about taking tests, and this may
hinder their performance. If you have students who suffer from severe test anxiety, you
can refer them to the office on campus that deals with these anxieties (e.g., center for
learning disabilities)—that is, if your school has such a department.
Otherwise, there are methods you can use to alleviate mild cases of test anxiety.
You can foster an atmosphere that encourages students to ask questions about any
material, offer extra help in the form of extra course credit, encourage students to meet
with you outside class, or use the board or other media to display your notes so that
students will know exactly what to study. In addition, you can develop tests that are
nonthreatening and are clear to students. In writing tests, your objective should not be to
trick students. Rather, a test should assess students’ knowledge fairly, while being clear
and understandable, without being excessively rigorous.
TEACHING STRATEGIES
ROLE-PLAYING AND GAMES
Role-playing and games allow you, the instructor, to vary the format in which you
present material, and they provide you with a chance to incorporate creativity and fun
into your schedule. When considering using a particular game or activity, be sure that you
The main purpose of role playing is to disseminate facts and give students an
opportunity to practice communicating. This practice may include forming an opinion,
organizing, communicating interpersonally, resolving conflict, or simply talking in front
of others.
FIELD TRIPS AND CLASSROOM GUESTS
Taking field trips and inviting guest speakers to class are beneficial to a course because
they add supplemental information that students may find useful; they also add variety to
the schedule. As with activities and games, students should know how the field trip or the
guest speaker relates to core concepts; otherwise, they may appear to be superfluous.
Field trips require much foresight and planning. You may have to check with your
school or department about policies regarding them. Your best option may be to limit
your trips to other locations on campus, such as the library (to acquaint students with
resources for speechwriting) or another department or office. However, field trips to other
locations may prove useful, depending on what you are discussing or covering in class.
Some basic strategies to incorporate include being familiar with the setting that you plan
are covering, and they provide an additional perspective to supplement your primary
material. Guest speeches also expose students to more public speaking, and require them
to practice listening skills. Be sure to contact your guest speakers in advance, and then
remind them of their speaking engagement as the date of their talk approaches. Possible
COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION
Try to incorporate some computer media into your lectures. There are many programs
available that you can use to enhance your presentation of course material. One popular
program is PowerPoint by Microsoft, which provides templates with which to construct
slides and handouts. Encourage your students to learn and use PowerPoint in their speech
BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorming works very well as a tool to help students generate ideas for speech topics.
A brainstorming exercise involving free association is particularly helpful. No matter
what the purpose, the key idea behind brainstorming is quantity, not quality. Many
students initially think they have nothing interesting to talk about, but if they have an
encouraging and nonthreatening atmosphere in which to brainstorm, they will find it easy
to come up with ideas.
The same freedom inherent in brainstorming can be applied to encourage students
to get involved in class discussions. If students understand that they will not be criticized
or judged for what they say, and that every idea they present need not be perfectly crafted
right away, they will be more likely to contribute.
HOMEWORK
Homework should facilitate students’ learning of the material by underscoring the
important aspects of a lecture; it should also provide students with an opportunity to
apply the material they have learned. The most productive thing you can do as a public
and keeping up with the course. Such homework assignments can include listing the key
points of a chapter before it is discussed in class, or writing a reflective essay on the
assigned chapter.
However, homework that becomes busywork or simply an accumulation of points
or extra credit will seem trivial and irrelevant to students. Students who feel that they are
being given trivial homework will become frustrated with the course, discouraged, and
INCORPORATING OUTSIDE SOURCES AND MATERIALS
SELECTING FILMS AND VIDEOS
There are several advantages to using films and videos in public speaking class. First,
they are a resource that students are familiar with and are comfortable using. Second,
they are appropriate for students with a variety of different learning styles and abilities.
show clips or segments of films, interspersing them with lectures and discussion to add
creativity and variety to the class. In addition, consider showing one or two movies
throughout the semester and assigning a paper or some in-class homework that applies
certain concepts. You can also ask students to watch videos outside of class and come to
class prepared to discuss and apply course material with respect to the video.
Remember, films that depict violent scenes can be difficult for some students to
watch, particularly those who have suffered acts of violence themselves. Make sure
students who choose not to watch the film have a legitimate reason for doing so.
It is important to show a variety of speech samples, including both professional
and student speeches. This can help students visualize the transformation from a novice
to a professional speaker. Many professional speeches can be found online at
www.ted.com, www.americanrhetoric.com, and www.historychannel.com/speeches as
well as in the supplemental video library accompanying A Speaker’s Guidebook.
There are several movie genres that work well to show examples of public
speaking.
POLITICAL DRAMAS AND DOCUMENTARIES
Movies such as Lincoln, The King’s Speech, The American President, The Verdict,
Malcolm X, Gandhi, Good Night and Good Luck, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Dave,
and Ali can be used to discuss how to deliver an effective speech, the importance of vocal
DEBATE MOVIES
Clips from films such as The Great Debaters and Rocket Science can encourage a
conversation about how speech can be used to inform and persuade, and how students
can overcome speech anxiety. You may also consider having students locate and analyze
FILM ADAPTATIONS OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS
Show an excerpt of a film adaptation from one of Shakespeare’s plays to prompt analysis
of delivery and to exemplify the ways that vocal and nonverbal delivery can make even
difficult or obscure language understandable.
SPORTS FILMS AND TELEVISION SHOWS