Public Speaking is a basic communication course designed to improve your speaking and listening skills. It will provide you an opportunity to research, organize, write and deliver several oral presentations in front of a group, and to improve your listening skills through critiques of others’ speeches.
1. Speaking Competencies: Speaking is the process of transmitting ideas and information orally in a variety of situations. Effective oral communication involves generating messages and delivering them with attention to vocal variety, articulation, and nonverbal signs. The competent speaker must be able to:
a. Complete a minimum of four speeches that include a written assignment and peer review and that require increasingly rigorous research. They must be delivered in front of a live synchronous audience.
b. Compose a message and provide ideas and information suitable to the topic, purpose, and audience
c. Transmit the message by using delivery skills suitable to the topic, purpose, and audience
2. Listening Competencies: Listening is the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages. People listen in order to comprehend information, critique and evaluate a message, show empathy for the feelings expressed by others, or appreciate a performance. Effective listening includes both literal and critical comprehension of ideas and information transmitted in oral language. The competent listener must be able to:
a. Demonstrate literal comprehension
b. Demonstrate critical comprehension