COMM 110: Fundamentals of Public Speaking

TTH, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm Section 2537 Fall 2010 3 credits

Instructor: Dennis Owen Frohlich

Catalog Description
Study and practice of the fundamentals involved in the speaking process.
Course Goal
The goal of this course is to help students become better communicators. Students learn how to speak
effectively in public. They learn why some people are more effective and others less effective as public
speakers. In short, students learn both the HOW and the WHY so they become better speakers and better
consumers of public communication.
General Education Requirements
This course has been approved to meet the Communication category in general education. The assignments
in this course will help students meet General Education Outcome 1: Communicate effectively in a variety
of contexts and formats. Students will demonstrate their abilities to communicate effectively through a
series of structured classroom presentations individually, in pairs, and in a group. This course will help
students to meet General Education Outcome 6: "Integrate knowledge and ideas in a coherent and
meaningful manner" by requiring topic selection, research and analysis of a vital issue, and competent
communication in a presentation to the class. Textbook readings, in-class activities, outlines, quizzes, and
tests will support both outcomes.
Objectives
o The student will describe the communication process.
o The student will use research skills to prepare speeches.
o The student will compose outlines for public speeches.1
o The student will demonstrate effective use of voice and body to deliver public speeches.
o The student will recognize and understand public speaking terminology.
o The student will understand the need for effective oral communication skills in professional and
personal settings.
Pre-COMM Learning Outcomes
o Students will recognize the different areas of communication studies and the relevance of
communication expertise in contemporary society.
o Students will demonstrate the capacity to conceptualize and develop ideas, organize and arrange
information, and use appropriate language when creating and delivering oral messages in relevant
communication contexts.
o Students will demonstrate the capacity to conceptualize and develop ideas, organize and arrange
information, and use appropriate language when creating written messages in relevant
communication contexts.

Required Textbooks and Materials

Nelson, P. E., Titsworth, S., & Pearson, J. C. (2011). iSpeak: Public speaking for contemporary life. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Public speaking workbook. (2010). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
o
o

You will need to purchase a folder which you can use to turn in your materials for each speech and
3 x 5 index cards.
Your textbook has many supplemental learning materials which can enhance your comprehension
and retention of course concepts, including:
o online chapter quizzes,
o chapter objectives and summaries, and
o flashcards of the key terms within each chapter.
These learning materials and resources are available for each chapter and can be accessed at the
textbook website: http://www.mhhe.com/ispeak10

Royalty Notice
Any royalties derived from sales of this book to students at NDSU go into an NDSU Development Fund for
recruitment, retention, and travel for graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of
Communication at NDSU. The local authors do no profit from the textbook or workbook sales.
Course Requirements
o Attendance
o Classmate Introduction
o Informative
o Group Symposium
o Persuasive
o Special Occasion
o Exam 1
o Exam 2
o Critical Thinking Essay
o Peer Critiques
o Research Participation
Total

Refer to policy below

25
50
100
100
20
65
65
50
25
10
510

Grading
All graded work will conform to the traditional grading scale. Points needed for each grade are as follows:
A
B
C
D
F

458510
407457
356406
305355
0304

All speeches must be completed to pass the course (either for a grade or not).
The grading scale is non-negotiable. A final grade of 457 points, for instance, is a B. All grades are final
unless questions about grades are addressed in writing within 2 weeks after the grade is posted on
Blackboard. Speeches may be regraded but the new grade may be higher or lower than the original.

Presentation Assignments
o Classmate Introduction This speech is an opportunity to get to know one of your classmates indepth. You will be asked to interview a classmate and plan a 2 to 3 minute informative presentation
about that person around a theme. For example, you could focus upon one of the individuals
personal goals, activities or qualities that have played a significant role in his/her life and which ties
together a number of other features you discuss in the speech. The speech should give listeners
sufficient information to help them remember the student you introduce.
(25 points total)
o

Informative This assignment is an individual, 3 to 5 minute informative presentation about a topic

you are interested in. To prepare, consider your individual experiences and areas of expertise. Next,
consider what your audience is likely to know about your topic. Expand on information that is new
or unknown to your audience. You may use this opportunity to prepare a speech about a topic
within your own major, a hobby or a skill in which you are proficient, or anything else of interest to
you.
(50 points total)

Group Symposium: Informative Presentations on a Vital Issue Groups of 4-5 students will be
assigned to explore one of the following vital issue topics in a symposium format: the environment,
education, health, democracy, ethics, diversity, economics or technology. The assignment has two
graded parts: a group portion and an individual portion. All individuals in the group are to
develop unique 4-6 minute speeches, which all relate to the vital issue. Then, the group is
responsible for formulating a brief summative introduction and conclusion, which introduces the
vital topic and provides a brief preview of the specific speeches on the vital topic. Likewise, the
summative conclusion should summarize or review the entire vital issue topic presentation.
Individually, each students speech should utilize at least two visual aids, use at least five
different sources or oral citations, and strongly establish listener relevance by developing a regional
or local focus to each individual speech. One of the five required sources should come from an
interview conducted by the student with a credible source for the individual topic.
(100 points total)

Persuasive Presentation Each individual will develop a 6-8 minute persuasive speech. The
assignment requires two presentation aids and the use of eight to ten sources with oral citations.
Your presentation should advance a policy with an audience call to action by clearly establishing
the problem/cause of the problem, solution /visualization of the solution, and the practicality of
putting the proposed solution into place. In essence, you will attempt to change the behavior of
your audience and solve an actual problem.
(100 points total)

Special Occasion Impromptu Presentation This 2 to 3 minute speech requires approximately two
minutes of preparation time. You are required to present an impromptu speech as your final
presentation (during finals week). Topic will be provided the day of the final.
(20 points total)

Exams
The course has two examinations. Exam questions will come both from your textbook and class material.
Each exam is worth 65 points. Exams will not be discussed during class time. You can stop by during
scheduled office hours or make an appointment to see and discuss your exam. Study guides for each
chapter are included in the back of the workbook. Use these to your advantage.
(130 points total)

Critical Thinking Essay

This assignment is an individually written essay about using persuasive strategies and building persuasive
arguments. This essay is designed to have you think critically about persuasive messages. You will find
two options for completing this assignment in the course workbook. The first option is to counter-argue the
persuasive speech you delivered. The second option allows you to critique a speech and discuss the
persuasive strategies the speaker used. Choose only one option and follow the particular assignment
description and essay requirements.
(50 points)
Peer Critiques
For each speech you will critique two of your classmates speeches using the peer critique form provided in
your workbook. The classmate introduction, informative, and group peer critiques will be worth 5 points
for each speech, and the persuasive peer critiques will be worth 10 points. To get full credit you must
provide at least two good comments in each box of the form.
(25 points total)
Research Requirement
As a student at a research university, you will be asked to participate in two research studies during the
course of the semester. These include completing a survey, participating in an in-depth interview, or
participating in a focus group. I will provide you with a variety of opportunities to complete this
requirement throughout the semester. Each research study you participate in is worth five points. If you
do not feel comfortable participating in research, please notify me and an alternative assignment will be
provided.
(10 points total)
Attendance and Participation
As you will spend more time listening than speaking, attendance is required for this course. Attendance
and active class participation are necessary to fully engage in the public speaking process.
Students who are unable to attend class may receive an excused absence. Excused absences are those that
are approved by the university and deemed acceptable by the instructor. Serious illness must be verified in
writing by a doctor. You MUST talk to me beforehand if possible for all excused absences. If you will miss an
assigned speech or exam, you MUST email me prior to the start of class.
You will also be given two unexcused absences that will not affect your grade other than the work you
miss. Three or more absences will, however, lower your final grade by five points for each day missing. For
example, if you miss five unexcused days your first two will not count against you and you will receive -15
from your total score. Students with excessive absences will be strongly encouraged to drop the course
since a passing grade will be difficult to attain.
If you attain perfect attendance and your attendance remains punctual, 5 bonus points will be added to
your final course grade at the end of the semester. Punctuality is defined as being no more than five
minutes late at the beginning of class and remaining until the class is officially dismissed. Students must
also be engaged in class to be considered present.
The attendance policy coincides with the late speech policy for both unexcused and excused absences. If
you use one of your two unexcused absences on a speech day you will not lose attendance points, but you
will receive a zero for your speech.

Late Speech Policy

Your public presentation day will be assigned well before you give each speech. You must speak on your
assigned speaking day or are responsible for trading days with a classmate. You are responsible for
making the trade and for notifying the instructor to receive full points. Students who do NOT speak on
their assigned day will be evaluated as follows:
a. An Excused Speech Absence: No point deduction
Students may present their speech with no points deducted during the next class period where time is
available for:
(1) A university sanctioned activity where prior notice has been provided (i.e., sports, music tour,
military, etc.).
(2) Illness verified in writing by a doctor.
(3) An emergency with documentation provided through their advisor or other appropriate
authority.
b. Unexcused Absence: Zero points
Students without an acceptable reason for missing their speech will make up the assignment at the
instructors discretion for zero points. Unexcused absences include: missing class to study for a test,
oversleeping, not being ready to speak, and having to work.
Grievance Procedure
Occasionally, students are dissatisfied with the course. In such cases, students should first schedule a
meeting with the instructor. If the student and instructor cannot reach a satisfactory resolution, the student
should schedule a meeting with the Director of the Public Speaking Course to discuss the issue. Students
who remain dissatisfied should schedule a similar meeting with the Head of the Department of
Communication.
Special Needs
Any students who need special accommodations for learning or who have special needs are invited to
share these concerns or requests with the instructor as early as possible.
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism
Work submitted for this course must adhere to the Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct as cited in the
Handbook of Student Policies:
The academic community is operated on the basis of honesty, integrity, and fair play. Occasionally,
this trust is violated when cheating occurs, either inadvertently or deliberately. This code will serve as
the guideline for cases where cheating, plagiarism [written or oral], or other academic improprieties
have occurred.Faculty members may fail the student for the particular assignment, test, or course
involved, or they may recommend that the student drop the course in question, or these penalties
may be varied with the gravity of the offense and the circumstances of the particular case. (p. 65)
Academic Honesty Defined
All written work and oral presentations must respect the intellectual rights of others. Statements lifted
word-for-word from the publications must be cited as quotations. Ideas, summaries or paraphrased
material, and other information taken from the literature must be properly referenced. (Guidelines for the
Preparation of Disquisitions, The Graduate School, NDSU: p. 4)
Blackboard & Email
This course requires the use of Blackboard and email. Assignments, the syllabus, grades, and other course
information will be found on Blackboard and students are responsible for reading emails from the class.

Course Daily Schedule Tuesday/Thursday Fall 2010

Date
T, Aug. 24
R, Aug. 26
T, Aug. 31
R, Sep. 2
T, Sep. 7
R, Sep. 9
T, Sep.14
R, Sep. 16
T, Sep. 21
R, Sep. 23
T, Sep. 28
R, Sep. 30
T, Oct. 5
R, Oct. 7
T, Oct. 12
R, Oct. 14
T, Oct. 19
R, Oct. 21
T, Oct. 26
R, Oct. 28
T, Nov. 2
R, Nov. 4
T, Nov. 9
R, Nov. 11
T, Nov. 16
R, Nov. 18
T, Nov. 23
R, Nov. 25
T, Nov. 30
R, Dec. 2
T, Dec. 7
R, Dec. 9
R, Dec. 16
8:00 am

Class Topic
Course & Instructor Introduction
Chapter 1: Why We Study Public Speaking, Communication Components,
& Communication Apprehension
Chapter 2: Preparing Your First Presentation
Five Cannons, Tips, & Common First Presentations
Classmate Introduction Speech Assignment
Explain Assignment & Interview Classmate
Speaking Day: Classmate Introduction Speech
Chapter 10: Presenting to Inform
Informative Interest Speech Assignment
Chapter 3: Selecting a Topic and Purpose
Chapter 4: Analyzing the Audience
Chapter 6: Organizing and Outlining your Presentation
Chapter 5: Finding Information/Oral and Written Citations
Required In-Class Work Day
Speaking Day: Informative Speech
Speaking Day: Informative Speech
Review for Exam #1

Have Read

Exam #1 (Chapters 1-6, 10)

Assign Vital Topics/ Informative Vital Issue Group Speech Assign/ App. A:
Working and Presenting as a Group
Chapter 8: Choosing your Words
Chapter 7: Delivering your Speech
Chapter 9: Visual Resources &Information Technology
Required In-Class Work Day
Speaking Day: Group Speech
Speaking Day: Group Speech
Speaking Day: Group Speech
Chapter 11: Presenting Persuasive Messages
Persuasive Speech Assignment
Persuasive Speaking continued
Critical Thinking Essay Assignment, Writing Tips
Required In-Class Work Day
NO CLASSVeterans Day
Speaking Day: Persuasive Speech
Speaking Day: Persuasive Speech
Speaking Day: Persuasive Speech
NO CLASSHappy Thanksgiving!
Chapter 12: Special Occasion Speaking
Final Questions about Critical Thinking Essay
Critical Thinking Essay Due
Practice for Final Speech (Special Occasion/Impromptu Speech)
Review for Exam #2 (Chapters 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, & App. A)
Exam # 2 (Chapters 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, & App. A)
Speaking Day: Special Occasion/Impromptu Speech
Final Exam Period

Chapters 1-6 & 10

Appendix A & Group
Speech WB p. 27

*Schedule may change throughout the course of the semester

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Classmate Introduction
Speech Assignment WB p. 8
Chapter 10 & Informative
Speech WB p. 17
Chapter 3 & Chapter 4
Chapter 5 & Chapter 6

Chapter 8
Chapter 7

Chapter 11 & Persuasive

Speech WB p. 53
Critical Thinking Essay
Assignment WB p. 49

Chapter 12 & Special

Occasion Speech p. 71