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Instructor’s Resource Manual with Test Bank

For

Cheryl Hamilton’s

Essentials of Public SpeakingFourth Edition

Marty EnnesWest Hills College Lemoore

Cheryl HamiltonTarrant County College

Full file at http://TestbankCollege.eu/Solution-Manual-Cengage-Advantage-Books-4th-Edition-Cheryl-Hamilton

Copyright page

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ContentsPART I: Welcome to the 4th edition of Essentials of Public Speaking

Planning Your CourseTechnology Resources for Essentials of Public SpeakingTeaching Philosophy and MethodsStructuring AssignmentsTroubleshooting and Course MechanicsMulti-Section CoursesConstructing the Course SyllabusVideo Suggestions for Public SpeakingSample Course SyllabusSample Student ContractSample Student Data SheetSample Speech Evaluation FormsSample Grade SheetSample Guidelines for an Informative Speech

PART II: Chapter-by-Chapter Resources: Objectives, Outlines, and Classroom Exercises

Chapter 1: Public Speaking, Ethics, and YouChapter 2: Building Speaker ConfidenceChapter 3: Listening: What Speakers Should KnowChapter 4: Analyzing Your AudienceChapter 5: Selecting and Researching Your TopicChapter 6: Supporting Your IdeasChapter 7: Organizing Your Speech: Introduction, Body, and ConclusionChapter 8: Outlines, Speaking Notes, and Critical ThinkingChapter 9: Delivering Your MessageChapter 10: Perfecting Language StyleChapter 11: Preparing Effective Visual AidsChapter 12: Informative SpeakingChapter 13: Persuasive Speaking: Individual or TeamChapter 14: Persuasive Methods and Team TheoriesClassroom Exercises for Special Occasion SpeakingVideo Suggestions for Public Speaking

PART III: Test QuestionsChapter 1: Public Speaking, Ethics, and YouChapter 2: Building Speaker ConfidenceChapter 3: Listening: What Speakers Should KnowChapter 4: Analyzing Your AudienceChapter 5: Selecting and Researching Your TopicChapter 6: Supporting Your IdeasChapter 7: Organizing Your Speech: Introduction, Body, and ConclusionChapter 8: Outlines, Speaking Notes, and Critical ThinkingChapter 9: Delivering Your MessageChapter 10: Perfecting Language StyleChapter 11: Preparing Effective Visual AidsChapter 12: Informative SpeakingChapter 13: Persuasive Speaking: Individual or TeamChapter 14: Persuasive Methods and Team Theories

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Welcome to the 4th edition of Essentials of Public Speaking

Planning Your Course

The fourth edition of Cheryl Hamilton’s Essentials of Public Speaking brings a proven formula for success in public speaking courses to students, as well as new or seasoned instructors. The text has a strong focus on verbal messages, and includes ways to integrate technology into both the classroom and the student presentation. The Quick Start Guide at the beginning of the book gives important information for preparing speeches that may be given early in the course. Essentials of Public Speaking includes Speech Builder Express, a step-by-step program for putting together speeches for different purposes and occasions. The Hamilton Essentials of Public Speaking website provides resources as well as web quizzes that can be easily added to the course.

This manual is designed as a resource guide to support every level of instructor. If you are new to this course—a first-time instructor or a graduate student—you will find it helpful to read the manual in its entirety before putting together assignments and conducting class. If you are a more experienced instructor, use the manual as a handbook to supplement your own teaching practices. Each class of students is unique, and every group will develop their own ideas, distinctive styles of speaking, and select topics that are compelling to their reality. Similarly, each instructor will approach the public speaking course with their own individual perspective and will bring their own gifts to the learning process. What you will find most useful about Cheryl Hamilton's approach to the process is that her text allows for flexible adaptation to your particular instructional style, student audience, and teaching environment; yet the text emphasizes sound fundamental principles that any competent graduate of the course will acquire. You will find that some ideas and exercises work well for you, while others just aren't suited to your teaching style. Dr. Hamilton uses a basic, common sense, step-by-step approach for developing a professional presentation with creative and easy-to-read visual aids.

Technology Resources for Essentials of Public Speaking

The following resources are available with the 4rd edition of Essentials of Public Speaking. To receive additional information about these products or a demonstration, please contact your local Cengage Learning representative or call the Academic Resource Center at: 1-800-423-0563.

Hamilton Essentials of Public Speaking Website

The Hamilton Essentials of Public Speaking Website for the Fourth Edition includes numerous student and instructor resources. For students, chapter-by-chapter resources include learning objectives, activities, InfoTrac activities, a digital glossary, speech preparation forms, speech evaluation checklists, and a practice quiz. In addition, all of the URLs included in the book are maintained for each chapter under WebLinks, and select chapters feature special dynamic tools

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such as an interactive version of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA) and the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) in Chapter 2.

Resource Center for Speech Communication

The Resource Center for Speech Communication offers a variety of rich learning resources designed to enhance the student experience. These resources include self-assessments, blogs (online journals), images, video, web resources, and animations. All resources are mapped to key discipline learning concepts and users can browse or search for content in a variety of ways. More than just a collection of ancillary learning materials, The Resource Center for Speech Communication also features important content and community tools that extend the education experience beyond a particular class or course semester.

Speech Builder Express

How many times have you heard students say that they were almost finished with their speech when the computer crashed? With Speech Builder Express, students won’t have to worry about losing information on faulty discs or because of computer crashes. SBE can be accessed from any computer that is Internet accessible at any time of day or night. Students can build their speech from the thesis statement to the conclusion, do research, add transitions and signposts, and go back to the SBE website at their convenience to work on their presentation. This tool is not designed to be a substitute for classroom study but can be used as an aid to help students create a professional presentation.

InfoTrac College Edition

Four months of FREE anywhere, anytime access to InfoTrac College Edition (the online library) is automatically packaged with each new book. The new and improved InfoTrac College Edition puts cutting edge research and the latest headlines at your students’ fingertips, giving them access to an entire online library for just the cost of one book! This fully searchable database offers more than 20 years worth of full-text articles (more than 10 million) from almost 4000 diverse sources, such as academic journals, newsletters, and up-to-the-minute periodicals including Time, Newsweek, Science, Forbes, USA Today, and Vital Speeches. This is an excellent resource for speech topic selection and speech research. Integrated activities throughout the text guide students in using this resource.

PowerLecture for the 4th Edition of Essentials of Public Speaking

This one-stop lecture tool makes it easy for you to assemble, edit, publish, and present custom lectures using Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerLecture lets you bring together text-specific lecture outlines and art from the text, along with video and animations from the web or your own materials—culminating in a powerful, personalized, media-enhanced presentation. The CD also

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features an electronic version of the Instructor’s Resource Manual and ExamView software. With ExamView you can create, deliver, and customize tests and study guides (both print and online) in minutes with this easy-to-use assessment and tutorial system. ExamView offers both a Quick Test Wizard and an Online Test Wizard that guide you step-by-step through the process of creating tests, while the unique what-you-see-is-what-you-get capability allows you to see the test you are creating on the screen exactly as it will print or display online. You can build tests of up to 250 questions using up to 12 question types. Using ExamView's complete word processing capabilities, you can enter an unlimited number of new questions or edit existing questions. ExamView® features over 750 questions specific to Hamilton’s Essentials of Public Speaking.

Video: Student Speeches for Critique and Analysis

Volume I: 0-534-56258-2Volume II: 0-534-56262-0Volume III: 0-534-56447-XVolume IV: 0-534-56454-2

Featuring impromptu, informative, and persuasive speeches as well as speeches of introduction and group speeches, these videos are a great tool for helping students learn to analyze and provide effective feedback on imperfect and exemplary speeches. Select speeches feature non-native English speakers and the use of visual aids. A table of contents, packaged with each cassette includes the running time of each speech. The speeches featured as models in this text are included on Volume I (Drinking and Driving), Volume III (“They Made the Blind to See” and “Trucks”) and Volume IV (“Electoral College” and “Credit Card Debt”).

Teaching Philosophy and Methods

You will want to share your teaching philosophy for the course with your students in one of the earliest class meetings. Many instructors stress a few crucial observations about the process of public speaking and the nature of the course that follow.

1. Public Speaking is not an innate talent; it is an acquired skill. Amazingly, many surveys have shown that people often place fear of public speaking on par with fear of death. It is extremely important for the instructor to create a cooperative, supportive learning environment and encourage a sense of “togetherness.” When students feel that they know their classmates, it is easier to discuss, critique, and brainstorm. Students who feel they are speaking to a group of friends usually experience less communication anxiety and have a greater chance of completing the course successfully. The activities provided in this manual will help the instructor create a sense of community within the public speaking classroom. Ultimately, what matters most to the student are the professional skills they have acquired that will allow them to succeed in real world contexts. While in-class feedback should always be a part of this highly interactive course, comments can and should be constructive and should emphasize how speakers can maximize positive speech behaviors they already

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have, while minimizing or eliminating those negative presentation behaviors that are marring their performance. Everyone can become a competent and poised speaker if he or she is willing to take the time to learn the principles of effective preparation. The instructor can be a great influence in creating a community approach to goal-setting and improvement over the term. The classroom should be a place where students can make honest mistakes as they learn, and where they can experiment with their personal approach to public speaking. The only dishonor in public speaking is a lack of preparation.

2. Public Speaking is a course in critical thinking, listening, and criticism. By its very nature, public speaking is a course in critical thought because making assertions is an integral part of the speech process. Assertions require logical proof and as such are always open to debate and discussion. Critical assessment of any speech centers on two dimensions, the content of the message and its execution. Since students often select their own topics, their speeches yield a marvelous opportunity for the sharing of divergent opinions on the full range of issues. A successful instructor will spend as much time, if not more, listening than they will spend lecturing. In terms of oral and written criticism, you will want to expect your students to do as much teaching as you do, and in that they will serve as a sounding board for their classmates' views. Students should not come to this class with the expectation that they can be passive participants in the process; they can expect to have their own values, beliefs, and attitudes challenged. This can be an incredibly exciting process for everyone in the classroom. Sometimes an outstanding speech can actually change classmates' (and instructor's) viewpoints on a controversial issue. In cases where opinions are not altered, those with opposing viewpoints may come away from the speaking situation with stronger and more legitimate reasons for retaining their original viewpoint. Public speaking should challenge and educate.

3. Public speaking is a content-oriented class. It is writing intensive and requires competency in research skills, as well as a conscientious awareness of current events. Many students entering the fundamentals course in public speaking mistakenly assume that it will be a "fluff course." It is always helpful to disavow them of this notion on the first day. In many ways, public speaking is more demanding than other liberal arts courses, because not only do students have to meticulously research and craft a written or extensively outlined version of their speech, they must also rehearse and present it in class, usually with supporting aids. Students who challenge themselves will find the course invaluable in terms of reinforcing library, interviewing, and Internet research skills that will help them succeed in all their courses and in life in general. The presentation aspects of the course will also bolster the student's self-confidence and self-presentation style in contexts beyond the public communication arena by helping them in interpersonal and group communication as well. Finally, the course requires that students monitor current events to allow them to select intriguing, fresh, and contemporary informative and persuasive topics. A sophisticated awareness of current issues is also of great importance in the role students serve as critical assessors of their classmates' work. This focus on global awareness absolutely reinforces the notion of engaged citizenship. In

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addition to becoming a more effective speaker, the successful graduate of any solid course in public speaking should become a much more effective critical consumer of communication.

4. Develop standardized grading criteria. While public speaking can be a very individualistic exercise, fair assessment of speeches must be based on reasonable, standardized criteria. Cheryl Hamilton's text and this manual provide several suggested approaches to developing a criteria list that will suit your teaching situation. It is always important to remind students that the instructor never gives them grades; rather, the instructor assesses the success of their assignments in terms of how they fulfilled the stated assignment goals as defined by the assignment criteria. In other words, students earn a grade. (You will also want to discuss your grading philosophy with your students during the first week of class. You may choose to stress that you render professional assessments of the student’s work as presented, with a focus on future goals for improvement. This process has absolutely nothing to do with the student's personality. Similarly, when grading speeches on controversial social or political issues, you assessment should be completely divorced from your personal viewpoints, and instead reflect the degree to which the speech fulfilled the stated speaking and audience goals.) What is particularly helpful is to provide explicit instructions both orally and in writing for all assignments well in advance of due dates. Being proactive not only helps the students better realize your goals for them, but it also provides you with a written record of grade requirements that defends your methods in any potential grade disputes.

5. Provide models of good communication. The most prominent model of good communication in the classroom should be the instructor. We all have to remember that teaching is a form of public speaking and we should be vigilant to present an appropriate example of effective and professional communication. Beyond our own personal behaviors as teachers, it is extremely useful to show videos of successful student speeches for analysis and deconstruction in class, as well as videos of effective political or social issue speeches from national figures. Allowing for extra-credit assessments of speakers outside of the classroom can be a remarkably fruitful activity. (Even a bad speech can be highly useful in terms of demonstrating what doesn't work in a speaking contingency.) You may also want to start a file of outstanding student speech outlines or texts as examples of what you would like to see your current students emulate in their own work. Video recording each student’s presentations is also an excellent model that can be used in the classroom. When students give an outstanding presentation, ask them to fill out the permission slip (provided in this manual) so that their speeches can be used in other classes as an example of a professional, confident presentation. Most students are excited to think that their presentation will be seen by others and used as a model of an excellent presentation.

6. Encourage involvement and improvement. The key to a successful course often lies with the enthusiasm exhibited by the instructor. Everyone should have a voice in the class, and you will want to make a special effort to draw out the more reticent members of class and encourage them with praise when deserved.

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Take a personal interest in each student and realize that each one has different goals. Some may be very glib and confident in performance but may need to improve their research and content; others may be outstanding on paper but uncomfortable or awkward in verbal and/or non-verbal delivery. Every student will not have the same goals. A student with a great deal of debate or individual speaking experience may find the course a useful arena in which to refine skills they already possess. Total novices with a fear of public presentation may have much further to go. The best approach is to grade on improvement, while applying the same evaluative criteria to all speeches. (You may want to integrate the improvement concept into your assignment percentage "weighting" scheme in your syllabus. An easy way to do this is to have the major speaking assignments increase in value as the term progresses. The final speech is worth far more than the first, because it should reflect significant improvement.)

7. Public speaking is an excellent course for schools that provide learning communities. The concepts provided in Dr. Hamilton’s text can be easily integrated into a learning community. Strong speaking skills, the requirements for creating a sound outline, and heavy research skills will incorporate public speaking into any discipline within a learning community.

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Structuring Assignments

Anyone who has taught public speaking recognizes that the course is always top-heavy: students seem to have to learn everything before they're allowed to do anything. To some extent, that assessment is correct. Without a firm grounding in the principles of effective communication, speeches of even the most capable students can be disorganized messes of partially developed and poorly articulated ideas. For this reason, Cheryl Hamilton has included The Quick-Start Guide (at the beginning of the book), is an easily-accessed tool to provide brief information on the nine steps in putting together a professional presentation.

The key to success in this kind of course is designing the assignments incrementally, gradually working toward longer and more demanding speeches. This technique also puts less stress on speakers who may suffer from severe speech anxiety.

The incremental approach works on several different levels. Usually the time of speeches will increase as students become more proficient at research, and as their presentations develop more detail. When speakers become more confident, they naturally feel more comfortable about giving longer speeches. A workable time progression for the speeches might look like this:

Speech 1: 2-3 minutesSpeech 2: 3-5 minutesSpeech 3: 5-7 minutesSpeech 4: 5-10 minutes.

These times weren't just pulled out of thin air. A class of 25 students ordinarily would take two weeks or more to deliver a round of speeches if each presentation lasted ten minutes. Most instructors can't afford such a leisurely pace if they hope to cover all the necessary material. Naturally, the time you allot to speeches (and the number of speeches you require) will be dictated by the number of class meetings, your school’s curriculum, and the enrollment. (Hint: You will probably find it necessary to schedule speeches so that at least 15 minutes of class is left free for transitions between speeches, setting up visual aids, and question-and-answer sessions. Again, much depends on the time constraints unique to the instructor's school situation. Some instructors reserve three minutes after each performed speech. After the speaker concludes his/her presentation, the next speaker on the day's roster begins setting up his/her visual and supporting aids, while the preceding speaker takes questions. Other instructors prefer to reserve time at the end of each delivery day so that the speeches of the day can be discussed as a group. No matter which arrangement you prefer, you may want to randomly ask one student for a comment or opinion on the topic, content, or delivery and follow up by selecting one student to mention one positive tactic or strategy employed either in terms of content or delivery and one suggestion for improvement. The trick is to encourage students to be succinct. You may also want to point out anything that was exceptionally well done or improved upon.)

Another incremental progression involves the rigor of assignments. The first graded speech tends to allow students to get the feel of giving presentations. The later speeches become more

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oriented to research and argumentation. A few rounds of impromptus can be given early in the course, without actual graded assessment but with oral critiques. This allows the students an opportunity to become comfortable in front of the class and to receive feedback before the graded assignments begin. The progression might look something like this:

Speech 1: (Informative or Instructive) Three outside sources required. Visuals encouraged but not required and not graded. 10%

Speech 2: (Informative) At least five outside sources. One visual minimum. 20%Speech 3 (Persuasive) At least five to seven outside sources. At least one primary

research source required, and two visuals required. 30%Note: Additional points can be given for a fully detailed outline and source bibliography. This can be turned in and graded and returned with suggestions for refinement to the student at least two class periods prior to scheduled performance date. Some instructors also choose to meet individually with students (in the classroom or in their office) to go over the outline and bibliography. This gives an opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of the presentation choices, suggest additional supporting material, help with citing sources, and discuss visual aids. If you choose to do this, try to schedule this day at least a week before the presentations are due so that the students will have time to make any needed corrections. This system requires that the outlines are handed-in well in advance of the actual speech, but it encourages the writing and rewriting processes that reward conscientious preparation.

(The number of required speeches can be rounded out with special occasion speeches, group presentations, final projects, and impromptu exercises. How many speeches you choose to require should be dictated by the course curriculum as well as enrollment and class time.)

Whatever system you develop is your choice and ultimately should work for your classroom needs, but an incremental system seems to be popular in that it does emphasize and recognize improvement over the term or semester. This system reinforces a crucial principle all good speakers know: speaking skills constantly evolve and no speaker is ever finished learning or improving. (Some instructors use this system and video-record both the first and last speech the student does; the student then writes a "capstone" assessment at term or semester's end on their progress and sets future goals.)

Troubleshooting and Course Mechanics

This section provides an overview of some common situations you will confront as an instructor. It also will enable you to respond to students more confidently when questions arise regarding the course.

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Extra Credit

A public speaking course provides ample opportunity for extra credit assignments outside the classroom throughout the term. (Most institutions host guest lecturers from industry, politics, and the arts, as well as social advocates on the lecture circuit. Similarly, televised speeches such as the President's State of the Union Address, social advocacy speeches on C-SPAN, and political campaign speeches provide interesting models for criticism. All are rich opportunities for students to exercise their critical assessment skills outside the classroom and to become engaged with their world.) The most important thing for students to remember is that such activities are extra credit above and beyond their fulfillment of basic course requirements. Their ultimate grade should reflect how well they performed on their major class assignments, not how many extra credit assignments they did. You may want to implement a cap on extra credit assignments to discourage students from missing classroom assignments and attempting to “make up” the work with extra credit.

Many students, especially those who have just performed poorly on an assignment, will ask for extra credit. (As those of you more experienced instructors know, these requests are usually made by marginal students during the last days of exam week!) The choice to award extra credit rests with you, but you should use this privilege wisely and sparingly. First, make absolutely sure that if you award extra credit, equivalent opportunities are available for all students. The cardinal rule in grading is that everyone has an equal chance to earn a grade. If you are teaching a section of public speaking in a large program, you may wish to verify that other sections allow similar opportunities. Otherwise, your students have an unfair advantage. Finally and most importantly, any extra credit opportunities should be earned in activities that relate directly to the content of the course. Try to encourage a healthy work ethic by insisting that extra credit points be the result of efforts to further communication skills. (Hint: announce opportunities in class and establish guidelines for how the extra credit will be awarded—requiring students to write a critique or assessment is one to handle this. Talk with your local high schools and find out if they have a forensics program. If they do, they often need judges for their competitions. Your students may find this an excellent opportunity to learn more about public speaking by observing and judging competitors.) You may want to limit the number of extra credit assignments a student may attend (or total points they may earn) or you may want to apply the points only to their class participation grade. This prevents someone with a "C" average on in-class assignments from getting an unfair "A" grade due to excessive extra credit points. Again, extra credit is just that...extra.

Extreme Communication Apprehension

Instructors of public speaking encounter a phenomenon few other teachers must face. We can be sure that the vast majority of students harbor some degree of fear about doing what the course requires: speaking in public. Occasionally, however, we find students who have a debilitating fear of public communication. Don't feel badly if you can't identify these students.

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Since the degree of communication apprehension is unrelated to intelligence or to physical factors, you can't be expected to diagnose severe communication apprehension on sight.

The nightmare of every student and instructor is to have someone break down before or during a speech, unable to speak because of utter terror. These worst case scenarios are rare. Part of instilling confidence comes from a friendly, cooperative classroom environment that provides encouragement while maintaining academic rigor. (You may wish to remind your students that unlike undertakings such as skydiving or bungee jumping, it is rather hard to expire as the result of giving an address! They are in fact much more likely to die crossing the street than they are from delivering a speech.)

To predict who might suffer from severe apprehension, you may find it useful to administer the PRCA questionnaire (Personal Report of Communication Apprehension) at Hamilton’s Essentials of Public Speaking Web site, located under Student Resources for Chapter 1, as early as possible in the term. After privately noting the students who have the highest scores, make sure that they have ample opportunities to practice the anxiety reduction techniques described in Chapter 2. Regular classroom exercises and homework designed to reduce apprehension will benefit all class members. If you are teaching in a large program, you may wish to check with your course director to see if your school offers a special section for self-described apprehensive speakers. If your program does not currently offer such a section, establishing one may be worth consideration.

It is quite common for communication apprehension to become a vicious cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy. A student is reluctant to communicate because he or she has developed a self-image of incompetence. This fear then causes the student to prepare inadequately, using the illogical but convincing reasoning of "I'll do badly anyway, so why bother?" Because the speech was not prepared and practiced adequately, the speaker's worst fears come true. To assure adequate preparation, make frequent progress checks as students prepare their presentations. Ease them into their first speeches by having everyone discuss their topics and give feedback to classmates. This way you'll be able to discover who needs extra help.

Generally, very apprehensive students tend to prefer speaking early, usually requesting the first spot for each round of speeches. Honor such requests when they are made. The reason is simple: students who see many other speeches precede theirs will tend to compare those speeches to their own. For a high CA (someone who suffers from severe communication apprehension), such comparisons can be devastating. Since high CAs tend to have low self-concepts, they will downgrade their own speaking abilities even more, thinking: "I could never do as well as she did. The audience will really think I'm stupid now." Aside from the self-imposed comparisons, however, speaking early can have its benefits in reducing anxiety. As everyone knows, the longer someone tries to put off a task, the more difficult that task becomes. This phenomenon applies to public speaking with a vengeance. The longer a high CA has to think about giving a speech, the greater the chance that some negative thoughts will creep in to disrupt even the positive imagery.

Sometimes it proves helpful to have high CAs engage in supervised, structured practice to make sure they are well-prepared. You may want to offer "test run performance" opportunities

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during office hours for those who are concerned about their confidence levels. If you conduct such sessions, use the time to practice positive imagery as well as the speech itself. The best way to overcome extreme speech anxiety is to practice anxiety reduction regularly and rigorously. Such disciplined practice might call for your supervision until the student becomes accustomed to initiating anxiety reduction techniques independently.

This is another time when video-recording speeches comes in handy. Without making a big production of the recording, do it with each speech during the semester. When it is explained, expect massive moaning, groaning and complaining. Let the students know that they will be the only one to view their video, unless they choose to share it with others. It is also good to tell the students that there may come a time in their professional career when they will need to be recorded while speaking. By practicing in the classroom, they will be seasoned professionals when the time comes to be taped in a business setting.

Recording speeches allows students to see themselves in a different light, through the eyes of others. Those speakers with anxiety are usually pleasantly surprised when they view their video. Many students cannot believe that it is really them, because their perception of themselves is so different from what the audience sees. One student once told an instructor, “I couldn’t believe that was me on the tape. I have always thought my voice shook when I spoke and that my face got red. I didn’t see any changes at all, and my voice was very strong and confident.” She started the semester with high communication anxiety, but after viewing her video, her anxiety lessened, her confidence increased, and she ended the semester as one of the most outstanding speakers in the class.

You may also want to have your library order some books on speech anxiety and put them on reserve for students to use throughout the course. There are many excellent books with numerous exercises students can try. (A quick Google search on “speech anxiety books” netted 167,000 hits!)

Speech Order

The issue of speech order raises two questions: (1) what should be the order of the assignments, and (2) what should be the order of the speakers? Let's consider both matters.

As for the sequence of assignments, examination of almost every major textbook yields a consensus: informative speeches should precede persuasive speeches. Hamilton’s textbook preserves this order. The reason is that persuasive presentations involve all the skills of informative speeches plus additional skills such as advocacy and covering opposing arguments. It is logical, therefore, that persuasive speeches be scheduled only after those skills have been covered. Special occasion speeches can fall anywhere. Many instructors use ceremonial speeches early in the term because they require less formal research (such as gathering materials from libraries) than the other genres. Sometimes ceremonial speeches can provide a fitting conclusion for a course because these presentations resemble speeches that students will make at important junctures in their lives: receiving awards, delivering eulogies, proposing wedding toasts. The central guideline for the sequence of speaking assignments is that students

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have ample opportunities to learn and practice the necessary principles before delivering a graded speech. The Quick Start Guide offers survival skills for a first speech and can be referred to when questions arise that need a quick reference guide.

Who speaks when? The order for each speech must be settled before the speeches begin. To avoid chaos, there are several ways to approach setting up the order of presentations. One method that keeps students on their toes is randomization. All students are instructed to be prepared to speak the first scheduled speech day. The instructor then randomly picks people to speak on each day that speeches occur. Randomization has the advantage of fairness: everyone has exactly the same amount of time to prepare, because everyone must be ready the first day. On the other hand, randomization can cause headaches for students who must lug cumbersome visual aids to class, uncertain whether they will be used that day.

Another method of deciding speaking order is to settle it randomly at the beginning of the semester (or when each speech is assigned). Construct a schedule based on your official class roster. Allow students to switch their speech days before finalizing the schedule. Once you have set the schedule, students can switch their speech days only in case of dire emergencies.

Many instructors also choose to use a "sign-up" sheet, circulated a week or two before the actual performances, which allows some degree of selection choice. Over the years, this system has proven most popular as it allows students with rigorous schedules to balance the demands of exams and presentations in other classes and in the other aspects of their lives with their responsibilities in speech class. The list can be passed in the front of the class for the first speech and the back for the next and so on; those who are absent on "sign-up" day have to take "pot luck." You can also offer advance sign-ups for students who know they will not be in class on a certain day due to an excused absence. You can also randomize the sign-up by putting the sign-up sheet on the lectern during impromptu speeches. Those who deliver their impromptu speeches first get to sign-up first.

If you are teaching an online course that requires students to come to an “in person” meeting to give a speech, you can also develop a sign-up sheet. Determine the dates, times, and locations in advance and post them on the discussion board. The instructor should also determine exactly how many speakers will be presenting during each time slot. Let the students know in advance how many speakers you will have time to hear during each time period and ask that no one else sign up when they see the time slot is full. This method has proven to be a very successful way of organizing presentations for online students. Several online instructors organize their “in-person” speeches by asking students to speak with others in their section. This creates a group of speakers that will remain together during the entire semester.

The principle that guides the speaking order is fairness. No one should have to speak first or last repeatedly. Another option is to rotate the speaking order to guarantee a variety of placements. This rotation is not only fair but teaches a very useful lesson. Beyond the classroom, students will not be able to choose when they speak; they will have to adapt to a variety of speaking situations.

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If a student needs to switch the day of a speech, the best way to do that is to exchange the speaking position with someone else. These mutually agreeable switches must be confirmed with you beforehand to make sure that the speeches run as planned. This also puts responsibility for switched dates where it should lie, with the students.

It is usually wise to "top load" the speaking schedule, putting the fewest people on the last scheduled day to account for possible overruns in time or last-minute emergencies. A typical schedule for a five-minute speech in a 50-minute class of 25 students might look like this:

Speech Day 1: Speakers 1-6Speech Day 2: Speakers 7-13Speech Day 3: Speakers 14-20Speech Day 4: Speakers 20-25

Notice that the schedule allows time for setting up and dismantling visual aids and for brief question-and-answer sessions. Packing a dozen or so speeches into a 50-minute session may be possible but is not recommended if you or your students want to retain your sanity.

New instructors should be aware of the fact that some students do not attend class on the days they are scheduled to speak. Make sure you think about this and determine how you will handle it in your syllabus. Some instructors assign an automatic zero for students who do not show up when they are scheduled to speak; others will allow students to make-up the speech after everyone else has gone if there is time (these “make-up” speeches are often giving a reduced grade because they were late).

Oral Critiques

Every instructor needs to decide whether or not they wish to give oral critiques in class. This can be an integral part of the learning process but should be balanced by written evaluations by the instructor, and assessments, both oral and written, by classmates. (Often, our students make excellent and perceptive points about details instructors might miss. The broader the range of assessments students receive, the more beneficial their experience.)

While it goes without saying, the key to successful oral critique is compassion and tact. You also want to balance praise with suggestions for improvement. Even the worst speech in the world delivered by the most incompetent speaker has some quality that can be singled out for praise. You can make a few limited suggestions for improvement goals and reserve the more detailed remarks for your written assessment. Oral criticism can be an invaluable tool to build confidence and self-esteem. It is a golden opportunity to praise improvement and encourage; it also allows the instructor to celebrate student accomplishment and engender a classroom community focus on goal attainment. Informal or formal critiques by students also reinforce critical thinking. (One idea is to require each student to assess a partner student both verbally and on a pre-designed form and grade the critique as well as the speech being assessed. This can work particularly well on speeches toward the end of the semester or term). You will want to create a supportive environment for your students, but that concern must be balanced by the realization that in the real world, they will be judged by competitive standards, so they need to learn how to receive constructive criticism.

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Here are a few suggestions for additional post-performance comments that may stimulate discussion:

• What did you find was the easiest part about preparing for this speech?• What did you have the most trouble with in preparing your speech?• What advice would you give other speakers for their next presentation?• What did you learn from preparing this assignment?• What will you do differently in the next speech?

Oftentimes students have no idea of how to give oral critiques and may say things like “They did a great job” or “I liked their speech.” Several days before presentations begin, you may want to hand out a copy of the critique that will be used for grading and spend some time going over the evaluation form with the class. This allows you to discuss each criteria, what it entails, and how to achieve it. This seems to assist the students and give them additional in-depth information on giving oral or written critiques. You may also want to consider opening class critiques with open-ended questions such as “What worked?” and “What needs to be improved?”

During presentation days, the students can be given evaluation forms and asked to evaluate two classmates in writing. Dr. Hamilton suggests putting their initials in the top corner of the form and giving points for a well done evaluation that contains both constructive criticism, praise for areas of improvement and comments on various aspects of not only the content but delivery. (You may also want to consider having students write an over-all critique of the speeches. Have them focus on two or three elements that are essential for an effective speech and then use examples from their own and their classmates’ speeches to support and illustrate their points.)

Disputes about Grades

Grading any assignment involves a certain degree of judgment. Inevitably you will encounter students who are dissatisfied with the grade earned. What do you do when confronted by an irate student?

Remember that most emotional reactions to grades are knee-jerk responses. It is quite normal for a student to get back an assignment, look at the grade, and immediately begin to dispute it without reading the reasons behind that grade. These situations can be defused easily. First, always return graded material at the end of class unless you plan to review it right then. Chapter 3 in the text discusses internal stimulation, which is the thoughts a person generates that might interfere with listening. Do you want to risk students missing what happens in class because they are fuming about a grade they disagree with? Second, allow a cooling-off period so the student can digest your comments and review the rationale for the grade. This waiting period, which can be a few hours or one or more days, gives the student a chance to calm down and approach the situation rationally. It is useful to require all grade disputes to be discussed in office hours. This allows you time to review the student's grades and prevents the individual

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discussion from sidetracking class time or distracting the instructor from setting up the class agenda and materials prior to class. It also enforces the cooling-off period.

Every student deserves to know the reasons behind a grade. You are obligated to explain those reasons to the student, who may not agree with you but at least should be able to understand the justification for the grade. Treat all questions about grades with respect and interest. Some instructors get very defensive about any questions regarding grades. If you feel secure about how you grade, you should have no qualms about explaining your reasoning. Most importantly, if you have been pro-active and have given students a detailed written criteria for each assignment well in advance, you will be able to effectively and fairly justify the grade. Written criteria will also serve to protect your interests if the student seeks redress from a higher authority later on.

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