Policies & Procedures

* Brydon, Steven R. and Michael D. Scott. Between One and Many: The Art and Science of Public Speaking. 4th ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield P. 2003.

Course Overview: Welcome to Public Speaking! For many of you, this may be a course you've dreaded; for others, this may be a course you're anticipating. I suspect that for all of you, public speaking is an activity that you predict will be part of your careers. My hope is that by the end of the course, most, if not all, of you will find speaking in public a manageable--even an enjoyable--experience.

That's the most important goal for this course, but there are some others. First, public speaking isn't just about giving speeches in public. Although most of the assignments you will complete are speeches to us in this classroom, this course is built on the assumption that speaking is only one small part of the act of communication. Therefore, you will learn some basic principles of communication, among them the following:

4. How non-verbal communication and the emotional content in words affect an audience's perceptions not only of you but also of your message.

5. How to listen and respond accuratelly and sensitively because communication is always, ALWAYS at least a two-way street.

Methods: How will you learn these principles and practices? Through reading and discussing the concepts in the textbook, and of course, applying them in classroom activities, from small group interactions to whole class discussions to, of course, giving speeches. And even though this is a speech course, there will be some writing involved--in generating note cards and outlines, in a self-assessment paper and a speech analysis, and in a portfolio. So, if you're still reading this and not frantically trying to drop/add, read on for policies and procedures.

Policies and Procedures: Your continued participation in this class signals your acceptance of and agreement with the policies and procedures below:

Attendance: Although I recognize that anytime before mid-afternoon is a serious challenge to many of you, understand that this class is preparation for your work life, for which you will be expected to be prepared and on-task by 8 am, or even earlier. Therefore, like your employer, I will allow some absences—3, to be exact—without penalty. After that, your final grade drops by 10 points for every subsequent absence, just as your pay would be docked and you would eventually be fired from your job. Obviously, if extraordinary circumstances occur in your life, treat me like your employer here too: notify me as soon as you can. As the situation allows, let’s see what we can work out.

Late Attendance: The participatory and communal nature of this class dictates that you come to class on time. If you come to class after I finish calling roll, you receive an "L" (late) for attendance that day. Three "Ls" equal an absence. If I don't see you come in, it is your responsibility that day to notify me that you are present so I can change your absence to a "late." Coming to me at the end of the semester, weeks after a day you strolled in 15 minutes late, is asking too much of my memory--especially if I didn't notice your coming in in the first place.

Participation: You know the drill by now: your classmates and I need not just your presence but your active participation in small groups and large, your knowledge of the material in the text, and your preparation of written and oral work. On speech days, we will also need non-speakers to help with videotaping, with equipment set-up and tear-down, and with timing of speeches. If you attend and participate in all but one class, you earn 5 bonus points. And if you attend and participate in all classes, I will reward that exemplary record with 10 bonus points.

Double Coupons: Now, for those of you who do your best to make every class, and fate deals you an illness or some other disaster, do not despair. Once or twice in the semester, I will declare a “double coupon” day, in which your attendance and participation on that day will also wipe out a previous absence. The timing of these is arbitrary: I do not announce them in advance although I will warn that “double coupon season” is approaching. I am evil; I admit it, but my goal here is to encourage your attendance and participation.

Assignments: 4 speeches increasing from 3 minutes to 9 minutes in length; I will give you handouts with the specifics for each assignment well ahead of each due date. At least one of the first two and one of the second two speeches must be videotaped. One 3 page self-evaluation paper after the first two speeches. A written analysis of a speech performance. A portfolio, including a final self-evaluation. Of course, read the assigned chapters in the textbook; they cover important principles of communication that will help you during and after this class!

Speech 1: Tell a Story--about yourself, your family, your job, a wonderful/weird experience. 3-4 minutes.

Speech 2: Define a Word or Saying: Choose a word or saying that means something to you, and tell us about it. 4-5 minutes.

Visual aids optional.

Speech 3: Give Information: explain something to us. 7-9 minutes. Visual aids required.

Speech 4: Persuade us: talk us into or out of something. 7-9 minutes. Visual aids strongly encouraged.

Speaking Procedure: You will sign up for speaking dates in class. Everyone needs to sign up for an early speaking date and a late speaking date at least once. You are allowed to switch times with other speakers as long as everybody involved agrees; just let me know. On the day of your speech, you must turn in your typed, full-sentence outline, worth 25 points. The text, every professional speaker on the planet, and I recommend that you use note cards for actually delivering your speech, but if you truly feel more comfortable working from a page of outlined material, then do so. However, I want you to use note cards at least once to have the point of comparison.

Videotaping: I’m requiring you to videotape one of your first two and one of your last two speeches. Trust me, you’ll learn a great deal from these videotapes—not all of it pretty. Plus, the review of the videotapes will give you great material for writing your mid-term self-assessment and your portfolio self-assessment. For each videotaping day, non-speakers need to volunteer to manage the equipment; that’s part of your participation grade as well!

Responses: Your classmates and I will provide you with written and oral responses for each of your speeches. In turn, you will write a critique of at least one speaker per class period. Keep your own responses plus mine in your portfolio; your participation, both oral and written, will affect your class participation grade for the semester, while the number and completeness of your written responses will affect your portfolio grade.

Time Limits: In many "real world" speech situations, speakers are restricted to specific times, so working with such limits is a crucial skill for you to master. You must speak within 1 minute, plus or minus, of the speech time limit. Thus, a 5 minute speech may not be less than 4 minutes or more than 6. Your grade will be reduced 10 points for violating time limits, so time it ahead of class!

Missed Speeches/Late Papers: Needless to say, missing assignments irritate me, especially if you miss a speech. In general, I will not accept late papers or missed speeches, except under penalty—a full grade drops for every class day a paper is late. Missed speeches are really serious because they disrupt the class and because the make-up session will be substantially different from the class situation. However, I will schedule a make-up under the following circumstances: 1) you accept one grade lower for the speech. 2) you call or email me as much in advance as possible so I can shift to "Plan B." 3) you provide documentation of a serious reason for your absence. 4) you attend a make-up session on the last day of class and agree to stay to respond to other speeches.

Notifying Me: My daytime contact information is on the first page, but if you need to reach me after normal working hours, you should call me at home the night before: 463-7535--although I screen calls after 9:00 p.m. That's how seriously I take being notified. I also accept notes in my mailbox or through e-mail, timed before the end of class. (I check both frequently.) So, now there is no way on the planet you cannot at the minimum leave me a message at my office, the department office, or home.

Grading: Final grades will be based on the following scale:

Grading Scale: Assignment Point Values

A = 811-900 points Speech 1 100

B = 721-810 points Speech 2 100

C = 631-720 points Speech 3 150

D = 541-630 points Speech 4 200

F = anything less than 541 points Outlines (25 points/ea) 100

Midterm Self-Eval Paper 100

Speech Analysis 50

Final Portfolio 100

Total Points 900

Plagiarism: All work, written or oral, must be yours. References to sources must be clearly indicated in your outlines according to MLA or APA format. In your speeches, just acknowledge the original author and/or title. We'll talk more about this in class. Of course, if you borrow material without acknowledging the source, I will be forced to initiate the procedures for penalizing that theft as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalogue. Penalties can range from failing the paper or speech to failing the course, depending on the severity of the theft. Please don't force me into such a move; if you have any doubt about how you're crediting a source, consult me ahead of time. It's my job to help you with such things!

Speaking of Theft . . . Although I accept notes in my mailbox, I don’t accept course papers in it unless you and I have made arrangements in advance. Faculty mailboxes are not secure, and papers have disappeared from my box, so don’t put a paper in my box and think that I have received it. The paper is your responsibility until you verify it's physically in my hands. Advance arrangements with me tell me to check for that paper. To make your paper more secure, ask someone in the office for an envelope.

Pledge: If you work hard and take responsibility for your actions, I will do my best in turn to make this class a positive--dare I say even an enjoyable?--experience for you. But I can't do it alone; I'll need the help of each of you. If you return to class, I'll assume you agree to help!