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2026 Fall

Public Speaking - COM110 Fall 2026


Course
Mary Angiolillo
For information about registration please contact our admissions.

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

Sep 1

Note: THIS COURSE CANNOT BE TAKEN REMOTELY. As for recording the first two sessions, some class time is outside of the classroom - a demonstration of how the voice works with vocal exercises and an immediacy exercises is done in another space, so cannot be recorded. We will go through course expectations and briefly introduce ourselves. We will do some exercises in "immediacy."

2. Session 2 - Communication

Sep 8

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

Sep 15

We will share and respond to personal experience speeches.

4. Session 4 - Organisation

Sep 21

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 - Introducing & Concluding

Sep 28

We will explore techniques for making introductions and conclusions. The first test will be given.

6. Session 6 - Informative Presentations

Oct 5

We will present informative speeches to each other, teaching each other about something that we didn't already know.

7. Session 7 - Demonstrating

Oct 12

We will prepare for demonstration speeches in class, examining how to use presentational aids. Ted Talk assignment is made for the next session. Groups formed..

8. Session 14 - Ted talk analysis

Oct 19

Students analyze Ted talks on communication.

9. Session 8 - Demonstration Presentations

Nov 2

We will present demonstration speeches in class, teaching how to do or make something; or showing how something works using visual aids

10. Session 9 -Persuasion

Nov 9

Unit on persuasion likely to be started.

11. Session 10 - Persuasion

Nov 23

We will explore persuasion, examining how it works and looking closely at the Monroe Motivated sequence organization pattern for persuasive speeches.

12. Session 11 - Persuasion continued and Group Discussions

Nov 30

Persuasion continued. We will look at examples of persuasive speeches. We will role play positive and negative roles one can hold in group discussions. Test on chapters 10, 11, 14, 15 (chapters on presentational aids, delivery, and the two chapters on persuasion)

13. Session 12 - Persuasive Presentations

Dec 7

Half of the class will present their persuasive speech with Q&A following

14. Session 13 - Persuasive presentations continued

Dec 14

Half of the class presents persuasive speeches with Q&A following

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