Cambridge-Isanti High School

College Public Speaking

Cambridge-Isanti High School

Anoka-Ramsey Community College Concurrent Enrollment

CMST 2215 Public Speaking; MNTC: 1B, 2; Semester Credit Value: 3

fahrni.pbworks.com/CollegeSpeech

Companion Website:

Mrs. FahrniRoom 221 Phone: 763-689-6487

Required Materials: O’Hair, D., Stewart, R., and Rubenstein, H. (2010). A Speaker’s Guidebook (4th Ed.). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Course Description: Designed to help the student become a more effective communicator in public speaking situations. Emphasis will be placed on the development of advanced research, organization, adaptation and delivery skills, listening and nonverbal communication. Students will practice several different forms of public address experiences.

Course Objective/Rationale: During the course, you may be asked to stand before a group and deliver information, argue a position, present an award, introduce a guest speaker, speak with a group, or honor a special event. It is important that you command the audience’s attention and present yourself as a competent and credible speaker. In this course, you will be asked to present five major speeches. The goal is for you to gain more confidence in communicating in public contexts. The major areas of the course content will include:

1. Nonverbal elements affecting public speaking
2. Ethics in public speaking
3. Audience analysis and adaptation
4. Listening
5. Language
6. Organization and outlining
7. Types and sources of support
8. Reasoning-evidence
9. Techniques of persuasion including logos, pathos and ethos
10. Persuasive Speaking
11. Critical analysis of speeches
12. Impromptu speaking

Student Learning Outcomes: At the conclusion of the course the student should be able to:

1. Understand the process of communication, communication theories and models.

2. Exhibit skills in listening effectiveness.

3. Be able to distinguish the difference between various types of speeches and implement topic choice, research, support, organization, and delivery for various speeches.

4. Draft outlines and notes using inventions, organization, revision, and editing to prepare and present speeches.

5. Be able to use a variety of audience analysis approaches and techniques including choices of organizational appeals to apply to specific speaking situation.

6. Exhibit understanding of reasoning skills, use of evidence and the process of organization to make a logical analysis of a persuasive claim for the purpose of writing a speech or critically evaluating those of others.

7. Gather research from a variety of sources to prepare a variety of speeches.

8. Exhibit an individual style of speaking while incorporating ideas and information form other sources of authority when writing and presenting speeches.

9. Utilize language appropriate for a specific audience, topic, and occasion.

10. Be able to understand and use standard, college-level public speaking terminology as well as standard American English.

11. Recognize the complexity of causes for problems and develop viable solutions to those problems.

12. Be aware of the importance of physical delivery to the success of a speech.

13. Be more comfortable and confident in a public speaking situation.

14. Prepare and deliver speeches to inform.

15. Prepare and deliver persuasive speeches using a variety of coherent appeals: both logical and emotional.

16. Prepare and deliver impromptu or extemporaneous speeches.

17. Recognize the ethical responsibilities when presenting an argument

Assignments will include but are not limited to:

Required Speech Performances (50%)

Speech of Introduction

Special Occasion Speech

Narrative Speech

Informative Speech

Persuasive Speech

Required Daily Work (15%)

Self-Evaluation

Peer Evaluation

Speech Critiques

Chapter Notes

Required Exams (25%): Quizzes, mid-term and a final exam will be given during the semester. Each exam will consist of standard multiple-choice questions, true and false, and/or essay questions. These questions are constructed by the instructor and cover information from the text and lectures from class.

Daily Participation (10%)

+5 points awarded each day for being in class.

+1 for each participation √ received

-1 if not in seat when bell rings

-2 if not in classroom when bell rings *

-1 if not prepared for class

-1 for being disruptive

-1 for being off-task

Class Preparedness: It is your responsibility to come to class prepared. This means that you are well rested, alert, and ready to learn. You will have read the assigned chapter(s), and you will be ready to make comments, ask questions, and answer questions. Whether you volunteer to answer a question or you are called upon, you will have to speak up in class from time to time. Being unprepared for class may result in reduction in grade or possible failure. All speech performances must be presented in class. If the speech is not given, you will receive an incomplete which will turn into a failing grade, and you do not pass the class for the term.

Preparation: Speeches and Written Assignments

You will be required to deliver five complete formal speeches. You will be evaluated on your skill in selecting and researching a topic, organizing and delivering your speeches, and following instructor requirements. You will be evaluated on the criteria on the grading sheet(s), your ability to adapt while presenting the information orally, and your adherence to time limits. If you do not deliver your speech within the specified time frame, your grade will suffer. The penalty is 5 points for every minute that a speech is over or under time, and 3 points for intervals of less than 60 seconds.

All assignments will be submitted to me in class the day they are due. Late work will receive 10% off each day they are late.

All written assignments are to be neatly typed, double-spaced on 8 ½ x 11 white paper with 1-inch margins. Incomplete sentences and mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling will adversely affect your grade. Follow MLA style for all citations. Consult the style manuals for MLA in the library or for further help, go to To help format your works cited, try citationmachine.net.

Speech Critiques: You will critique two speeches outside the classroom setting (e.g., speakers in other classes, in the city council, in a place of worship, at a special occasion.) You must bring proof of your attendance (e.g., pamphlet, handout, note, ticket stub). One evaluation must be turned in by the end of the fifth week of class. The second evaluation must be turned in toward the end of course. These dates will be announced.

Self-Evaluation: You are required to view your informative and persuasive speech online. To do this, go to justintv.com/kellfair. The password for this channel is college. Use the self-evaluation sheet found at the front of the room. Turn this in one week after your performance.

Passes out of Class: You will receive four passes out of class for the term. Any passes NOT used by the end of the trimester may be turned in for extra credit. Each one is worth 5 points which will be entered in the participation category.

Late Work: Late work is discouraged, but should you need to hand in late assignments, you will receive 10% off for each day late until the assignment is worth no more than 50%.

Makeup work:

1. Excused absences due to illness on a DUE DATE will not count against you. Any work which was due when you were absent, must be turned in upon arrival back in class, otherwise it will be considered late.
2. You are responsible for all work you miss due to absence from class. There will be makeup work for everyday missed.
3. You will find the makeup assignments posted in class. Any handouts can be found nearby.
4. Turn completed make-up work into the appropriate place as indicated within one week of your absence unless prior arrangements are made with the instructor. If you turn in your work within one week, you will receive daily participation points; otherwise you will receive a zero for days absent.

Email Correspondence:

Communicating effectively is an important aspect of both academic and professional success. The faculty and staff at ARCC and CIHS expect communication to be well-written and professional. Use the following guidelines for communicating with faculty and staff:

1. Address the recipient by his or her preferred name or title.

2. Identify yourself by name and course.

3. Include a clear subject in the content line of the e-mail.

4. Utilize formal punctuation, grammar, and mechanics.

5. Avoid informal text abbreviations.

6. Use a polite, professional tone.

7. Allow a reasonable response time.

Electronic Devices: You may have cell phones in this classroom under ONE condition. Upon entering the classroom, you must turn your phone off and place it at the top left-hand corner of your desk. If you are found to have your phone any place else, whether it is on or not, it will be taken from you until the end of the class period. If this happens consistently, your phone may be taken for longer periods and/or further disciplinary action may occur.

Behavioral Expectations for Speeches: It is essential that you design your speeches with respect for all members of your audience. Likewise, all audience members should be respectful of the speaker and pay full attention to the presentation. This means that you may not read or write during a student speech. If you speak or behave disrespectfully during speeches, you will be excused from the classroom that day and possibly dropped from the course.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism occurs in written work and in oral and visual presentations when the writer presents materials as his or her own that have originated with someone else. Such materials include information, data, ideas, conclusions, words, sentence structures, images, movies, sounds, and music. Neglecting to include quotation marks or accurate documentation with these materials is plagiarism. The penalty for plagiarism is an automatic zero with no chance of making up the work. Allowing someone to copy your work will result in a zero for you both.

BE RESPECTFUL, BE RESPONSIBLE, RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

By enrolling in this course, you have become a welcome member of a community of learners, an honor and a privilege for each one of us. Your membership in this community and your success in this course are dependent upon your ability to do the following:

Be Respectful. Respect your instructor as an expert in his or her subject area and as the person responsible for facilitating a productive course for everyone. Respect each of your classmate’s right to a valuable class experience, free of offensive language, intolerance, or harassment of any kind. Respect these facilities and our time together by eliminating all distractions, especially mobile devices of any kind, and by refraining from disruptions of any kind, including sleeping in class or talking when no formal class discussion is taking place. Finally, respect yourself by participating fully in each class session and making the most of this learning opportunity.

Be Responsible.As a student in this college course, you are entirely responsible for your success. You are responsible for reading and following the syllabus. It’s expected that you arrive to each class session on-time, with assigned work completed, ready to participate fully. If you miss class, you are responsible for the consequences. You are also responsible for obtaining notes, assignments, and syllabus adjustments. Finally, you are responsible for being an active participant in this class rather than a passive observer.

Rise to the Challenge.College-level courses are demanding. They require deeper thinking, more effective writing, and greater personal involvement than many students realize. In order to succeed at this level, you must be willing to accept the challenges presented by the course material, your instructors, and a rigorous schedule. One of the rewards of this challenge can be the discovery that you are capable of much more than you imagined. Therefore, expect great things from yourself, work hard to achieve them, and seek help when you need it. The other members of this community of learners are here to support you, but it’s up to you to rise to the challenge.

Note: Save this syllabus for future reference and transfer information for college credit.