Great Basin College

COM 101 (EVE)

Oral Communication

Fall, 2010

Syllabus – 3 Credits

Location Section Course Call Number

Battle Mountain BV2 32717

Elko ER2 12437

Pahrump 1V2 23438

Winnemucca WV2 29636

Instructor: Wyoming Rossett

Class Meets: Wednesdays @ 7:00 – 9:45

Originating Location: Elko: HTC 123

Instructor Phone: (775) 753-2119

Instructor Fax: (775) 777-7758

Instructor Email: or via WebCampus E-Mail

WebCampus Enhanced Course: From the course menu choose:

“2010 Fall Humanities – COM 101 BV2”

Office Hours: Mon: 11:00 – 2:00

Thu: 9:00 – 11:00

Other times by appointment

Catalog Description:

Introduction to the fundamentals of effective speaking. Develops the vocal and intellectual skills required for effective and powerful speaking in conversation and before an audience.

Course Description:

Have you ever noticed that when you talk, there are usually other people present? That’s because the purpose of talking is to communicate with others. And that tells us that the most important purpose of speech is its social function. But as important as speech is to our lives and society, it is not instinctual to us. Humans have to learn speech and they couldn’t do so if there weren’t other humans around.

Our society develops and maintains itself through speech, whether it is for business, education, religion or the legal system. The printed word is not sufficient to maintain these institutions. We also gain co-operation and control of others through speech. You can steal someone’s money without talking if you have a gun, but it is much more socially acceptable to persuade a person to offer you their money.

We use speech to obtain a desired response from whoever is listening. We might want them to understand something, or perhaps feel a certain way, or even to believe in certain ideas. But just as a baby needs to learn to talk and then practice a whole lot to get the words right – we need to study and practice speech in order to perfect our abilities to organize our ideas, back them up with evidence, communicate them to others, and finally deliver them with the style and confidence so that our audience will respond favorably with understanding and cooperation.

Course Format:

Course content will be presented by lecture and assigned readings which will be augmented by demonstrations, practice exercises and video clips. Class discussion between IAV sites is extremely encouraged. Instructor critiques of student presentations will be provided.

Great Basin College General Education Goals/Objectives

Students completing this course will satisfy GBC’s General Education Objectives in the following ways:

  1. Communication Skills:

Students will learn, practice and develop the skills to orally communicate clearly and effectively. They will engage in oral presentation, discussion, reading, listening, and accessing and organizing information. While the main focus of the course is, by definition, oral interpretation, the student will learn, practice and develop the skills necessary to organize and prepare a good speech.

  1. Critical Thinking:

Students will support the theories expressed in their work with solid, documented data. They will need to present this information in terms in which their audience will clearly understand. In order to accomplish this, students will learn to integrate creativity and logic into their assignments. When information or opinions are presented from sources other than the presenter, these sources must be cited within the speech. The instructor reserves the right to question the student about their sources.

  1. Personal and Cultural Awareness:

Students will learn to understand the roles of individuals in society and the development of the human experience. Therefore, at some point the student will present a speech that will recognize and respect the rights of individuals that reflects an appreciation of the variety of diverse attitudes, values and beliefs in society, or present a speech that reflects an understanding of a cultural or historical heritage.

Speech is an incredibly powerful medium that should not be taken lightly. All speeches must show an appreciation of the consequences which could result from its presentation. The persuasive speech assignment towards the end of this course will include consideration of the ethical and practical implications of the chosen topic.

  1. Personal Wellness:

Public speaking requires a certain amount of confidence. That confidence is increased when a speaker is well-prepared and knows beforehand what ideas he/she intends to communicate and plans how to accomplish this goal. This class will give students the skills to organize information in such a manner that a confident presentation will result. The confidence that students gain from making their speeches will contribute to personal well-being and overall confidence in their life activities. Students will also learn positive techniques for using voice and body language as creative and powerful instruments.

  1. Technological Understanding:

Through the use of visual aids and presentation tools students will learn how to take advantage of technological developments in accomplishing their goals.

Learner Outcomes

Students will gain the necessary knowledge to successfully:

1.  Select and create appropriate, worthwhile speech topics that are manageable in the given time frame

2.  Organize the information they wish to convey into a logical, easy-to-follow arrangement

3.  Create an outline of the framework for a speech that will enable them to talk about their topic without memorizing or reading

4.  Present a speech that has impact, holds to a clearly stated thesis, makes clear points and transitions and is supported by high quality information and/or opinions.

5.  Create vivid images with language using his/her voice in dynamic ways

6.  Use their body as a communication instrument by employing appropriate gestures and posture and maintaining eye-contact

7.  Understand and use the elements of persuasion

8.  Analyze their audience and adjust their message and delivery accordingly in order to achieve maximum effectiveness

Measurements of Learner Outcomes:

Each student will be required to give five speech presentations. There will be a mid-term and final exam.

Assessment Method / Learner Outcomes
Speech #1 / 1, 2, 3
Speech #2 / 1, 2, 3, 5
Speech #3 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Speech #4 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Speech #5 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Mid-term Exam / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Final Exam / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Instructional Methods:

While reading assignments and lectures will remain essential, students will be encouraged to become active, rather than passive learners in this course. Class discussions of topics will be emphasized over lectures, with the instructor serving in the role of moderator. At times, students will be performing in-class practice exercises. Students will receive written critiques from the instructor for each formal speech presentation that they make, usually with 48 hours. The instructor may point out certain observations in class immediately following the conclusion of a speech so that the entire class may benefit from these annotations. When this is done, it is for the purpose of positive criticism only and no student will be subjected to embarrassment or offense.

WebCampus Module:

This course is enhanced by a WebCampus module that will make facilitating this class over multiple IAV sites feasible. At our WebCampus class site, you will find useful information such as class assignments, lecture notes, the Powerpoint slides that I use in class, announcements, a class calendar, a record of your grades, an e-mail module and lots of other features. Most importantly, it will be your main route for turning in the written components of assignments, and receiving the evaluations of your speeches.

If you are not familiar with navigating the WebCampus system, now is the time to learn it. From the GBC Internet homepage, click “WebCampus” in the right-hand column, or on the button at the top of the page. That will bring you to the WebCampus Entry Page. If you click on the button, “GBC Help – Help with WebCampus,” you will be brought to a page with various help features including video tutorials.

If instead, at the Entry Page, you click on the button, “WebCampus Login,” you will be brought to the Log In Page. Your Username is the part of your GBC e-mail address before the @ sign. Your Password is the last 2 digits of the year you were born, the 2 digit month, then the 2 digit day (yymmdd).

After logging in, you will be brought to a menu of courses that you are enrolled in that have a WebCampus component. This course is labeled, “2010 Spring Humanities – COM 101 BV2.”

If logging in doesn’t work for you, contact the Tech Desk at 775-753-2167. Try logging in now. Don’t wait until we are well into the coursework to discover that you have a problem.

Required Text and Materials:

Vasile, Albert J., Speak with Confidence: A Practical Guide, 10th Edition, Pearson Education, ©2008.

A pack of 4 x 6 Index Cards

Guidelines for all Speeches

The following guidelines apply to all speeches. Additional requirements will be detailed on the assignment sheet for each speech. Consider these guidelines the basics.

  1. Outlines

Speeches #3, #4 and #5 require you to submit an outline to me at least 24 hours in advance of the first day of that speech’s presentation date, regardless of the day you actually expect to present. The WebCampus Assignment Dropbox is the best way to get it to me. The WebCampus E-mail is the next best thing. If all else fails, my regular e-mail address is: You may also fax it to (775) 777- 7758.

The Subject Line of the e-mail or fax should be similar to this example:

“COM 101 Speech #3 Outline”

If I do not receive the outline by your presentation date, you will not be permitted to give your speech. Late outlines result in a 20% penalty for your speech (see #6).

  1. Time Limits

Each speech assignment will be given a time limit and this time limit will be monitored closely with a stopwatch. In most speaking situations, you will be given a time limit to which you must conform. On the job, going over time may mean you are told to sit down before you’ve concluded, you may receive a poor job performance evaluation, and you may indeed lose control over a project. Time is money in the work world. Our class time is also a very finite commodity and the IAV system will automatically terminate our session at the precise scheduled end-of-class time. We must fit in every student’s speech.

A strict time limit also encourages you to fine-tune and practice your presentation. If you are unable to hit the 2-3 minute window given for each speech, you really have not prepared thoroughly. You can’t know how long your speech is unless you practice it out loud several times.

I will give you a 1-minute and a 30-second warning that your maximum time is about to expire. If you exceed the time limit, 10 points will be deducted from your score for each 30 second increment. After 2 minutes of overtime, I will cut you off and your speech will be evaluated without its ending.

Your speech must also meet its minimum time increment. 10 points will be deducted from your score for every 30 seconds it is short.

  1. You Must Speak Extemporaneously

You will not be permitted to read from a fully written speech or script!

Do not memorize! If you try to memorize, there’s a good chance you will forget. Nervousness will make matters worse and you will set yourself up for a horrifying experience.

You should make yourself a key word outline on 4 x 6 index cards. The text gives several good examples and it will be discussed in class. Simply know what you want to say and use your note cards to remind yourself of the next point.

  1. Research

Although not every speech assignment will warrant research, one goal of this course is to enhance your research skills. When doing research, you should use a variety of sources and not just the Web. Evidence has shown that using the Web as a sole source frequently fails to develop a well-supported speech. You should also beware of innacuarte information from the Web since there is no official regulation of sites.

When relaying information that results from your research, you should briefly cite its source, including any interviews you personally conduct. If you fail to do so, I may ask you what your source was after the conclusion of your speech and you will need to have the answer. One aspect that your speeches will be rated on is the proper citing of your research sources.

5. Ethics

All speeches must conform to the ethical and cultural sensitivity guidelines discussed in Chapter 6. If you are not sure about the implications of some element of your speech, please consult with me ahead of time.

6. Scheduling

Some speech assignments given will be presented by the entire class in one class period. Speeches with longer time windows may take several classes. When an assignment is given, I will draw names (on camera) from a hat to determine the presentation order. If you have a desire to go first, you may make your request at this time.

Once the presentation order is determined, it will not be changed. You must be ready to give your speech when it is your turn. If you do not give your speech when it is your turn, I will try to schedule a make-up time for you, but that is not guaranteed. If I am able to schedule a make-up, your score will be penalized by 20%. If I am not able to, you will receive a 0 for the assignment. Only under the most dire of circumstances may you ask for an exception to be made and this request must be made in advance.

If a speech assignment will encompass more than one class period, all students must still be prepared to give their speech on the first day. This includes getting your outline to me 24 hours in advance of the first day. If a student scheduled to speak before you, for whatever reason cannot do so, the next person scheduled will be expected to go. So don’t count on giving yours on the second day even if you’re way down in the presentation order draw.

Remember, if I have not received your outline, when it is required, you will not be permitted to give your speech as scheduled and the above penalties will apply.