Career Focus

Exceptionally effective leaders must have the ability to communicate clearly, persuasively, and thoughtfully to diverse audiences.

Skillful communication is essential, even if you don’t plan to be on the front lines or give frequent formal speeches. While this course focuses on public speaking, I designed it to also explore speaking beyond the formal podium: disagreeing with the boss, holding an employee accountable, giving a peer critical feedback, speaking on your feet, influencing someone to change their behavior, resolving conflicts, and more.

This class is for anyone ready to take risks, hungry to receive and apply feedback, and eager to improve the quality of their results and relationships.

Course Objectives

The course’s principal goal is to strengthen your capacity to achieve desired results and influence others, by communicating more effectively and authentically.

This course is highly participatory. Through hands-on activities, exercises, and application, participants interactively build skills in key competencies, including:

• Finding your voice and generating ideas
• Communicating complex information effectively (includes using visual aids and programs such as PowerPoint effectively)
• Understanding and applying effective frameworks for structuring your message
• Building trust and credibility
• Discussing topics that are high stakes, controversial, and emotionally charged
• Improving storytelling skills
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Resolving conflict
• Communicating under high stress/crisis communication

Course Outline

The class focuses on building skills around critical aspects of communication. On speech days, students deliver a series of speeches and receive feedback from the instructor and classmates. Speeches are videotaped and posted on the course webpage for later review and reflection (only visible by course participants).

Assignments

1) Speeches:

• Two in-class speeches of roughly 3-4 minutes. Prior to each speech, students submit a one sentence “thesis” that summarizes their speech, an outline of the key points of their speech, the name of the student they practiced with, and two bullet points for what improvement they wish to focus on in their delivery.
• One additional speech that students arrange outside of class on their own that is not a requirement of another class. Options include (but are not limited to) speech at a class event, Toastmaster meeting, fundraising event, local club (Lions Club, Kiwanis, Junior League, etc.), K-12 school, community event, orientation, non-profit, or undergrad organization. Credit requires submitting a 30 second video of speaking engagement and a reflection on lessons learned.

2) Reflection email:

• Watch video of speech from class
• Submit a paragraph via canvas confirming that you watched your speech and stating improvements/focus for going forward. Paragraph must be submitted within 48 hours of speech delivery.

3) Tough Conversation:

• Hold a significant conversation with someone you disagree with.
• Write a one-page reflection on how it went and what you could do differently next time.

4) Briefing:

• Submit a briefing via canvas

5) Journaling:

• Keep an active “speaking journal” collecting quotes, notes, ideas, and reflections.
• Journals are used in class and outside of class.

6) Practice:

• Each student is expected to practice their speech with one other student prior to their speech.

7) Feedback:

• Provide meaningful feedback to peers following their speeches, throughout the course, and in small groups.

8) Weekly assignments:

• Complete communication challenges each week. For example, “watch 3 TED talks of your choosing that you haven’t seen before.” Bring reflections on these weekly assignments to class.

Grading

Three Speech Presentations 50% Weekly Assignments, Tough Conversation, and Briefing: 25%

Class Participation—includes giving written/oral feedback and receiving feedback 25%

If for some reason a student must miss a section when their peers deliver speeches, they will be expected to watch the section video and send feedback via email, cc’ing the course instructor, to each student who delivered a speech that day. This must be done within a week of the missed class. In the rare instance where a student must miss a section when they are scheduled to deliver a speech, they must arrange a one-to-one switch with another student, to keep an even number of speeches in each section each week.

Attendance and Expectations

Increasing our skills in public speaking requires practice, receiving and applying feedback, and observing other speakers. As a result, students must attend and participate in class to pass this course.

Time requirements for this course are likely to be high.

Attendance at all class meetings is required. Every unexcused absence, or repeatedly arriving late or leaving early, will negatively affect your final grade. Certain exceptions for sickness, religious holiday, or personal emergency will be granted only if you contact the instructor and course assistant via email in advance (not right before class starts). Any other reasons, including missing class because you have another class across the river, or you scheduled a job interview at the same time, or you have a speech elsewhere, is an unexcused absence and will reduce your final grade.

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