COM 1003 – BASIC ORAL COMMUNICATION

Course Philosophy	Intended Student Outcomes	Method of Instruction	Required Text	Assignments
Final Exam	Grading	General Course Policies	Course Policies on Late Work and Professionalism	Course Calendar

Basic Oral Communication is designed to stress the importance of the spoken word and to increase the student’s ability to communicate in public through effective speaking and listening.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE COURSE

This course addresses one of the University’s Intended Student Outcomes (ISO) – the ability to communicate effectively.   Although the formal focus of the course will be on preparation and delivery of speeches, you will be learning informally about effective communication in other settings, including working with a group and providing individual feedback for your classmates. 

My philosophy is that a “basic” course in public speaking should help students gain the foundational skills they need to be successful in giving speeches – most especially, gaining confidence and poise in front of an audience.  As a result, I try to create a supportive atmosphere in which students work together to help each other to become more confident; however, “supportive” does not mean “mollycoddling.”  I expect high-quality work from students who want high grades.

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Intended Student Outcomes

To achieve the University’s ISO of “communicating effectively,” this course will have a set of specific course objectives:

To help you

·         learn skills in preparing and organizing a speech;

·         develop an extemporaneous speaking style;

·         build confidence in your ability to speak to audiences; and

·         develop skills in critical listening and thinking.

More specifically, we will work on the following goals on each level of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning:  

Knowledge

Students will list the elements of the communication model as a transaction

Students will list the basic divisions of speech structure and what is included in each division

Students will list the different types of speech delivery

Students will list purposes for presentation aids in a speech

Students will list important design considerations for presentation aids in a speech

Students will list audience factors to consider when preparing a speech

Students will list the stages of the listening process

Students will list Aristotle’s three “proofs”

Students will list four different types of reasoning

Comprehension

Students will explain the differences between the action, interaction, and transaction models of communication

Students will explain why extemporaneous delivery is preferred in most speaking situations

Students will define communication apprehension and discuss ways to manage it

Students will discuss ways to orally document information from sources in a speech

Students will define (in their own words) the four different types of reasoning

Application

Students will label elements in a communication setting with elements of the communication model

Students will place information into the appropriate division of the speech structure

Students will use extemporaneous delivery when giving speeches

Students will demonstrate appropriate use and design of presentation aids for their speeches

Students will use critical listening skills to listen to a classmate’s speech

Students will label persuasive messages according to the type of “proof” or appeal used

Students will correctly document information from sources in their speeches

Students will demonstrate poise when delivering speeches (meaning they are using techniques to manage communication apprehension)

Analysis

Students will choose appropriate speech topics (which shows analysis of situation and audience)

Students will demonstrate consideration of audience factors in planning support and development of their speeches

Synthesis

Students will gather information appropriate for their speeches, based on audience analysis

Students will demonstrate originality and skill in choice of topic, organization of material, and development of ideas during a speech

Students will use appropriate persuasive appeals during their persuasive speech

Evaluation

Students will use critical listening and thinking skills to evaluate evidence provided by a classmate during his/her speech

Students will critique presentation aids in terms of purpose and design

Students will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of speeches given by their classmates.

Students will provide oral or written feedback about speeches to classmates.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Text and Materials

We will not be using a textbook for this class; instead, we will use a course website that will contain information you will be required to read before class.  The website will be an integral part of the course, so make yourself familiar with it early in the semester.

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Assignments

To successfully complete this course, you must do the following:

1. Prepare and deliver three major speeches, as well as several informal speaking exercises.  The final speech must clearly be a persuasive speech; all three speeches must include a visual aid of some kind.  The major speeches will be given twice.  The first time, the speech will be given in front of your student work group (see section below) and videotaped; you will receive feedback on the speech from members of your group.  You should then watch the videotape (which will be on reserve in the library), and use your observations and the comments from members of your group to make appropriate changes before delivering the speech to the class as a whole.  Final versions of your speech will also be videotaped.
2. A portion of your grade will be assigned based on your participation in class.  An important part of this participation will be your work with the small work group to which you are assigned (see below).  Although I try to be as objective as possible in assigning participation grades, it is important for you to realize participation grades are by nature subjective.  My advice is to leave no doubt as to your excellence!  To enhance your participation grade, you should come to class having read and thought about any assignments and prepared for discussion (including listening closely and interacting effectively with classmates).  Please note that simple attendance does not guarantee full credit on your class participation grade.

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Cooperative Student Work Groups

Research has shown that working in small groups benefits students in many ways, including learning to cooperate in a common task (an important skill in most jobs), learning to give and receive constructive feedback, and learning to be good listeners.  For this class, we will make use of peer feedback groups.  During the fourth week of classes, you will be assigned to a group you will work with for the remainder of the semester.  Your task as a group is to help each member develop his/her speaking skills.  One way in which this task will be accomplished is by giving practice speeches or “drafts” of each major speech for the course; the group will then give feedback to each member on his/her speech.  You will receive a grade for giving feedback to your peers in the group.  More details about working with your group will be given in class and on the website when groups are assigned.

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Late work

For assignments other than speeches, my general policy on late work will apply.  The policy for late speeches is as follows:  For each speaking assignment, I will prepare a schedule of speakers.  You will be assigned a speaking slot on a different day of the schedule for each speech.  The speaking schedule will be given to you when groups are assigned, and a copy will be posted by my office and on the website.  I expect you to be prepared to give your speech at your assigned time.  If illness or emergency makes you unable to speak at the assigned time, you will be allowed to make up the speech with no penalty IF you notify me as much IN ADVANCE as possible (10 minutes before class is not considered advance notice!).  If you do not notify the instructor of a problem and miss your speech time, you may still make up the speech; however, a 15-point late penalty will be assessed.  A missed speech must be made up within one week (exceptions will be made for documented, serious illness).  Speeches will be made up in class if the schedule permits; if not, a special make-up time outside of class will be scheduled.  If you miss a special make-up time or if the speech is not made up within a week, you will receive a ZERO for the speech.  (NOTE:  This does not apply to practice speeches; no makeup will be allowed for practice speeches.) 

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Professionalism

In addition to the general policy on professionalism, I add the following policies for speech class.  Out of courtesy to your classmates, please observe the following:

1. Listen to each student’s speech.  Don’t be rude by reading, doing work for another class, talking, laughing, or sleeping.  If you are disruptive or rude during a speech, you will lose participation points for the class.
2. Be on time for speech days.  If you must be late on a day when speeches are scheduled, please wait until the speaker is finished before entering the classroom.

Remember, you want to be treated with courtesy while you are speaking! 

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Final Examination

The final examination for this class is scheduled for Thursday, May 8 from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (noon section) or 2-4:30 p.m. (1:00 section). NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE TO THIS SCHEDULE, so make travel and other plans accordingly.  If you have four exams on that day, please contact the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

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 GRADING POLICY

Grades will be based on the following point values:

In-class activities	10 pts. each	Major speeches	100 pts. each
Self-evaluations	25 pts. each	Documentation exercise	25 pts.
Practice speeches	25 pts. each	Outlines	25 pts. each
Critiques of others	20 pts. each	Final speaking exercise	75 pts.
Exam	100 pts.

The number of points you earn for the semester will be divided by the total number of points possible to yield a percentage

Grade estimates will be given to you at midterm, but you are welcome to come discuss your grade with me at any time.  If you are having problems that are interfering with your ability to learn in this class, please come talk to me about the problem.  Don’t allow these problems to become an excuse for poor academic performance.

NOTE:  I assign extra credit only when the activity meets the following criteria: 1) it has legitimate educational value for this course; and 2) it is available to everyone in the class.  Unless I believe an activity meets those criteria, there will be NO extra credit in this class.

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