Course Description - Speech: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Beginner Speech Class
This course is an introduction to speech communication which emphasizes the practical skill of public speaking, including techniques to lessen speaker anxiety and the memorization of a proven speech organization paradigm to enhance speaker presentations. 

The goal of this class is to prepare students for success in typical public speaking situations and to provide them with the basic principles of organization and research skills needed for effective speeches.  Listening and critical thinking skills are emphasized.

"Because life in postmodern America requires coping skills from all of us, we should not overlook the role of speech in public settings. In fact, Americans today seem to have only two real alternatives in coping with the challenges of the era – better speech or sullen silence."* The goal of this course is the former.   *The Heritage of Rhetorical Theory, New York: McGraw Hill, 1997

“Communication is the most important skill in life.”  

~Stephen Covey

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Intermediate Speech Class:

This course is an intermediate level speech communication class which emphasizes the demonstrated ability to plan and present impromptu and prepared speeches, conduct research, synthesize the information, and present to targeted audiences.

Using the principles of rhetoric as a guiding lens, this course allows students to gain practical experience in speech composition, delivery, and critique. 

The practice in evaluating historical and famous speeches, as well as  those of their peers, is integral to this course. 

“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Advanced Speech Class:     

This course focuses on the social and pragmatic aspects of public speaking as a communicative system, strategies of rhetorical theory, and the presentation of diverse forms of public communication. An advanced level of thinking, commitment to excellence, and class input are required. Advanced levels of thinking include:

• the ability to apply communication principles in and out of classroom situations

• rhetorical analysis

• the ability to organize and arrange speech content in timed scenarios

• the on-going improvement in producing unique and compelling communication messages 

 This course prepares students for school and future career situations that necessitate organized, well reasoned, effective presentations that are analytical, and/or persuasive.  Constant improvement in presentation is expected. 

"In college and career, strong public speaking skills will set you apart ... and give you the ability to take on leadership roles."  

~Steve Bailey (BestColleges.com)

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These courses are beneficial in bolstering excellence in school settings. Learning, practicing, and honing speech skills provide a life-long advantage. It is important to begin early so that students gain confidence and expertise. 

“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.” ~Colossians 

The Power of Speech & Debate Education

Speech and Debate are valuable pursuits for students of all ages.  Experience with speech and debate hones skills for other academic pursuits.  

Most obviously, it builds confidence in public speaking, and it helps students to express their ideas eloquently.  

The comfort of speaking in front of others is useful in so many areas of life, from interviews to school presentations to discussions in college seminars.

The benefits of speech and debate include developing strong critical thinking and research skills.  As F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”  

Debate (and research based speeches) require students to research their ideas, analyze them, and support them with evidence. This teaches students to conduct research and assess sources.  According to Arne Duncan, then-Secretary of Education, debate is “uniquely suited” to build skills required of a modern citizen, including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Those skills help students express their thoughts better in their academic work and their college applications. 

The College Board recently revamped the SAT test to focus more on exactly the sorts of skills speech and debate teaches.  As the New York Times explained, students taking the new version of the test must write “a critical response to a specific argument” based on analysis rather than personal experience.  Debaters are used to responding to unfamiliar arguments in time-sensitive situations; thinking critically about a written passage on the SAT is not so different from responding to an opponent’s argument in a debate round.  Debaters likewise outscore non-debaters on every section of the ACT.  

For students who commit to speech and debate, it offers a lifetime of benefits.  Forbes published an article titled “How to Find the Millennials Who Will Lead Your Company,” suggesting that the leaders of the future are ex-debaters.  As that article notes, [speech and] debate teaches “how to persuade, how to present clearly, and how to connect with an audience,” exactly the skills businesses look for in their young employees.  

You’ll find ex-debaters in every area of public life, from Bruce Springsteen to Oprah Winfrey to Nelson Mandela.  60% of Congressional representatives participated in debate, as well as at least a third of the Supreme Court.  There are ex-debaters excelling in business, law, politics, academia, and many other fields.

Sources: 

Forbes

New York Times

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Stanford

Latitudes in Learning by Frank Duffin