Division of Fine Arts
Syllabus

&
General Guidelines
Speech 1315
Sections 21, 24, 36, 41, 42, 47

Instructor: Dr. Margarita Gangotena Class schedule
Office: H234
Office Hours: by appointment
Teaching Schedule: MWF: a.m.: 8-8:50; 9-9:50. MW: p.m.: 4:15-5:30.
TTR: a.m.: 7:45-9:00; p.m.: 2:50-4:05; 4:15-5:30.
Phone: 979-821-0291 office; 979-846-3451 home
mgangotena@blinn.edu

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: none

Introduction

The professional requirements of our society make it indispensable that the modern day college graduate be able to prepare polished verbal presentations. It is often the case that the advancement of a person’s career will be dependent on their ability to speak in public. Hence, the purpose of Public Speaking, SPCH 1315, is to train students in the art and science of public address. It shall focus on the invention, design, and delivery of speeches. It shall also include principles of speech analysis and critique.

Objectives

The student shall demonstrate competency in inventing, designing and delivering informative and persuasive speeches. The student will also demonstrate competency in invention, design and delivery of one or more of other types of speeches. The student will demonstrate competency in critiquing speeches.

Competencies & Exams

Competencies required include the presentation of at least four formal graded speeches.

Other:

Self Presentation. (4-5 minutes).

A presentational speech using an informative design. (5-8 minutes)

• Development: The student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech that reflects the development of a new theory, idea and/or product with the appropriate graphs, charts, and figures. The type of presentation one might give to a board of Directors.
• Description: The student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech that creates a clear and accurate visual image.
• Definition: The student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech that takes the form of a demonstration of complex process or explanation of a difficult theory. A visual aid should be used.
• Demonstration: The student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech that demonstrates a product or process. Emphasis is on the use of visual aids within the presentation.
  

Persuasive. (8-10 minutes)

• Convince: The student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech designed to either change an attitude and/or belief.
• Actuate: After researching a product or service, the student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech with the goal of the audience performing some physical action. Topics range from sales to argumentation.
• Inspire: After examining current issues in business, the student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech, which uses positive motivational techniques.

Ceremonial. (4-6 minutes). Conference Presentation.

• The student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech designed to be appropriate for a special occasion, such as a tribute, introduction of a speaker, a humorous “after dinner” speech, or other ceremonial occasion.
• Entertain: The student will be expected to prepare and deliver a speech that will reflect an experience. This may be an unusual employment interview, a job that will always be remembered, a memorable employer, or unusual customer relations situation.

Exams

Midterm. Chapters 1-6, 12-14 and lecture notes. (See your Student Survival Workbook)

Finals: Chapters 7-11, 15, and lecture notes. (See your Student Survival Workbook).

Grading System

• Total number of points 1,030
• Bonus 30
• Self-presentation 150
• Informative speech 200
• Persuasive 250
• Ceremonial 150
• Class Participation 100
• Midterm 70
• Final 80

A=1030-901; B=900-801; C=800-701; D=700-601; F=-600-

Notes on Grading:

1. You are starting with a class participation grade of 100 points and you maintain these points by is attending class regularly and participating in class. You are expected to give input, pay attention, hand-in assignments on time, and ask questions. This grade also includes pop quizzes worth 10 points each.

2. You start with 1,030 points that are reduced as you loose points. The 30 points are a bonus.

Example:
POINTS YOU GOT MAX PTS. POSS. PTS. LOST
Self-presentation 120 150 30
Informative 160 200 40
Midterm 45 70 25

__
GRADE 95
If the instructor judges a speech to be exceptional (A+), the student has the option of making the speech into a web page and will get up to 150 points for their work.

The students will have also the option of extra points for attending/listening to a speech and critiquing it, for 20 points. Another option worth 20 points is for the student to write another persuasive speech from the four formats that the instructor provides for persuasive speeches.

Instructional Materials

1. The required text for the course is Osborn and Osborn’s Public Speaking, 4th edition.

2. The student is required to visit the website for the textbook:
www. hmco.com/college/communication/index.htm
in order to prepare for exams and to prepare for their speeches.

3. If you desire to record your presentations in the classroom, you will need to purchase a videotape and an audio tape. You will need to inform your instructor ahead of time so that the equipment will be in the classroom the day of your presentation.

Course Requirements/Student Responsibilities

1. Speeches. This is a speech course and the greatest emphasis is on the ability to construct and deliver speeches. There will be at least four formal graded speeches and one or more informal speeches which will focus on particular speech skills. All speeches must reflect the use of documented speech sources beyond a student’s personal experience.
2. Reading. Regular assignments will be made from the textbook
3. Outlines. Full sentence outlines are required for each of the four formal speeches. A written bibliography is required. The outlines are due on the day of the presentation.
4. Tests. There will be at least two exams during the semester: a MIDTERM and a FINAL.
5. Attendance. Required. A significant part of the progress as a speaker depends upon observation of other speakers and instructor’s comments concerning the speakers’ strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the student has a responsibility to help provide an audience for others just as the others help provide an audience for the student. Therefore, attendance in this class is very important.
6. Late assignments other than speeches and speech outlines shall be penalized with a 10 points reduction for the first day 20 for the second day, and will not be accepted after that. (For speeches and outlines see numeral 3 below)
7. Evaluation test. The students will take a pre-post evaluation test.
8. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the structure of the course as needed to facilitate the learning environment.
9. The students are required to follow the “General Guidelines” section of this syllabus and also written in the Survival Workbook and to follow and use the instructional material in the Workbook.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

We would like to help students with disabilities achieve their highest potential in college. To this end, in order to receive accommodations on exams or assignments, students must make arrangements with me prior to the exam or assignment. In addition, it is recommended that students with disabilities learn about their rights and responsibilities from a counselor in the Academic Advising and Counseling Center.

Optional Outside Readings

Ayres, Joe & Miller, Janice. Effective Public Speaking. Madison, WI: Brown and Benchmark, 1983.

De Vito, Joseph A. The Elements of Public Speaking. New York: Longman, 1997.

Fletcher, Leon. How to Design and Deliver a Speech. Harper Collins College Publishers, 1995.

Gronbeck, Bruce E., et. al. Principles of Speech Communication. Harper Collins College Publishers, 1994.

Logue, Cal M.. et. al. Briefly Speaking a Guide to Public Speaking in College and Career. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1992.

Lucas, Stephen E. The Art of Public Speaking. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.

Makay, John J. Public Speaking Theory into Practice. Ft. Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1995.

Vassallo, Wanda. Speaking with Confidence: A Guide for Public Speakers. White Hall, VA: Betterway Publications, Inc., 1990.

General Guidelines

1. Reading materials. These are the assigned readings. You are expected to have completed the reading assigned prior to class.
2. Lecture notes. These are all the lectures that the instructor gives, including examples, anecdotes, and visual aids. Each student is responsible to get and study the lecture notes for the day they were not in class. Each exam covers the entire lecture notes to that point.
3. Speeches. For each speech the student must have a written outline and give a verbal presentation. A minimum of two of the presentations must be made using Power Point. Help in the use of this program is available at Blinn's Learning Center. The other two can be done using overhead projections and/or flip charts. The instructor will pass out a paper for the students to sign for the day they intend to give their speech. The date can be changed with at least a one-day advance notice, except due to circumstances clearly outlined in the Blinn College official handbook. For each day the student is late in giving the speech he/she looses 20 points on the informative and persuasive grades and 10 in the ceremonial and in the fourth speech. The student will receive a “0” for the speech if it is not given by the last date in the schedule of speeches, except if justified by circumstances clearly outlined in the Blinn College official handbook.
4. Outlines. The outline you hand-in the day of your presentation represents half of the grade for your speech. The other half of the points come from the delivery of your speech. If you do not hand in the outline right as you get up to give the speech you will loose the total points for the speech.
   You are expected to have the required and completed outline in the format that is required for each type of speech. The self-presentation speech, the ceremonial speech, and the informative speech must have an outline that follows the outlines for each in this workbook. The persuasive speech requires an outline in the structure of one of the four formats you will find in this workbook under “Persuasive Outlines. The ceremonial speech follows either the informative outline in this workbook or the motivational outlines.
   The instructor reserves the right to keep a copy of the outlines and of the presentation. Be sure that you keep a copy for yourself. For each presentation, the outline should be printed on paper and given to the instructor before you begin your speech. Besides, you will need to have a copy of the outline and of the power point presentation in a floppy disk that you have to hand-in to the instructor after your speech. The floppy should be properly labeled with your name and the type and title of the speech.

A Complete Outline. The outline is not complete unless it has a reference page (refeor works cited page) and as many visual supports as needed. You are required to have 5 works cited, one of which must be an interview. The other four must come from reputed books, journals, magazines, and from the web. The outline must also contain the supports for your speech written into it, with the sources from which you got them. The absence of them will mean 20 or more points off in your grade for that speech. Besides having supports and sources written in the speech outline, you must tell us verbally the sources as you give your speech.
The material you hand in to the instructor should be a complete outline (Informative for the self-presentation, informative, and ceremonial speeches, one of the persuasive outlines for the persuasive speech.) It shall consist of:

• The outline itself with the sources of your information indicated on it,
• The works cited page,
• Mention and copies of the presentational aids, except for objects of personal property,
• Acopy of the handout to be distributed to the students,
• A copy of the floppy disk with the complete outline and the complete presentation.
• Grading of Specific Parts of the Speech. What is required in your speech has been discussed in class, but you also have been given a copy of the evaluation form I will be using to evaluate your speeches. When you include the required elements in your written outline, but do not say them in your speech, or vice-versa, you loose 10 points. If in your outline/speech you do not have items three to five under “substance,” you will loose 10 points for each if they are not in the outline and an additional 10 points if you do not mention them in your speech, a total of 20 points. Other items that are essential include having every point of the structure that is required in the formal written outline and in the speech; not having them will make you loose the same number of points as mentioned for “substance.”
• Visual Aids. Your aids should be pleasant and organized. The fonts of the headings should be from 24 to 28. For the text you should use fonts from 18 to 24.
• Style. All speeches must be presented in an extemporaneous style. The student is expected to make use of the instructions given on posture, use of visual aids, and timing. If you need to review the videotape on visual aids, I’ll be glad to have you look at it again. The use of notes, outlines, or index cards is permitted with the ceremonial speech only. If they are used otherwise you may loose anywhere from 20 to 50 points.
• Time Limit. The speeches can go over the assigned time limit but only up to a minute-and-a-half. If more time is going to be needed, the student needs to request the instructor for extra time. The instructor will grant this request based on the time available during that class period.
• Dress Code. Students are to be dressed formally for all the speeches, except for the first and second informative speeches. By formal attire is meant, for men, slacks, shirt, and tie and for the ladies, professional attire.