PUBLIC SPEAKING - COM110 Spring 2025
Course

Course Contents:
The communication process, listening, impromptu speeches; freeing the voice and body, listening, outlining; personal experience speech; organizational patterns, beginning and ending speeches; delivering another person’s speech from an outline; informative speech; persuasive speaking, appeals, Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs; audience analysis, reasoning with evidence and argument, Monroe pattern for persuasion; effective communication in groups.
Here is the course outline:
1. Session 1 - Introduction
Feb 4
We will go through course expectations and briefly introduce ourselves. We will do some exercises in "immediacy" and vocal projection. |
2. Session 2
Feb 11
We will explore the communication process in an interactive way. Class members will give speeches introducing each other, prepared in class. Personal experience speeches are assigned for next week. |
3. Session 3 - Personal Experience
Feb 18
We will share and respond to personal experience speeches. |
4. Session 4
Feb 25
We will explore organizational patterns that work for giving informative speeches. Impromptu speeches will be made in small groups to illustrate these. |
5. Session 5
Mar 4
We will explore techniques for making introductions and conclusions. The first test will be given in class. |
6. Session 6
Mar 11
We will present informative speeches to each other, teaching each other about something that we didn't already know. |
7. Session 7
Mar 18
We will prepare for demonstration speeches in class, examining how to use presentational aids. |
8. Session 8
Apr 1
We will present demonstration speeches in class, teaching how to do or make something; or showing how something works using presentational aids |
9. Session 9 - Persuasion
Apr 8
We will explore persuasion, examining how it works and looking closely at the Monroe Motivated sequence organization pattern for persuasive speeches. |
10. Session 10 - Persuasion continued (logic)
Apr 15
Persuasion continued. Role-playing on roles one can play in group discussion. Test on chapters 10, 11, 14, 15 (chapters on presentational aids, delivery, and the two chapters on persuasion) |
11. Session 11
Apr 22
At least half of the class will present their persuasive speech. Ted talk assignments could also be presented at this time. |
12. Session 12
Apr 29
Persuasive speeches presented. Ted talk presentations could also be made at this time. |
13. Session 13
May 6
For those who haven't yet done so, Ted talks are presented and analysed in class. |
14. Session 14
May 13
Session is reserved for possible makeup speeches, if needed. |