Public Speaking Hermeneutic

What's In This Class?

This class is lecture, performance, and discussion-based, with an emphasis on being able to effectively
communicate observations and thoughts

Classwork & Homework (25% of total grade)

This category might include all work begun and/or completed in class, warm-ups, class discussions, group activities,
Socratic Seminar sessions, student journals, participation and other assigned tasks. Class notes also serve as
Classwork assignment – students are expected to take notes in Cornell format. In order to encourage this
method’s widespread use, extra credit will be awarded to students who use this method in other classes as well.

Assessments (35% of total grade)

This category might include tests, quizzes, presentations, projects and quarterly or unit assessments. These may
include written analyses, expository papers, research assignments, public speaking tasks, or formalized debates.

Final Project or Exam (40% of total grade)

This category deals with the final comprehensive project or exam, including any performance, written, or other
project-specific tasks throughout the class, such as benchmark assessments.

Class Goals:

 I don’t expect you to walk in without stage fright. That’s why you’re here. I do want willingness to try to
speak. Without that, we can’t get anywhere.
 This class is about giving speeches. You’ll never overcome stage fright, fear of public speaking or learn
what a bad presentation will teach you if you skip instead of trying. You cannot fail a speech if you get up
there and try. Don’t skip because you’re afraid or not very well prepared. You’ll reduce your grade
significantly by skipping a presentation. It’s better to come and do badly than to not come at all.
 Introduce great speeches and rhetoric to students. Speakers and speeches from the past have much to
teach us, but only when we listen and evaluate what is said and how.
 To learn to tailor a speech to the event and audience.
 To understand the circumstances of a speech: the event, venue, audience, and speaker’s credentials.
 To gain a practical understanding of the use of rhetorical devices.

Evaluations

Public speaking is the most important skill a person can develop. It’s also one of the scariest. My goal is to provide
an opportunity to every student to try to do something hard and very challenging personally.
In order to do that, this classroom has to be seen as a place where people have the freedom to try and not succeed
and not worry about being the butt of jokes or fodder for gossip.

What happens in this classroom will not be discussed outside of this classroom with people who are not concerned
about this class. Don’t gossip. Don’t tell about other student’s mistakes. Never mock, never shame anyone.
Everyone will be giving all the other students evaluations of their speeches. I will be giving you a form to fill out to
help you give each other your opinions on how to improve. This information should not be shared outside of the
classroom with anyone other than the speaker who is being evaluated.

Course Texts
There is no written text for this class; missing a class means you’re missing notes. You may have to ask a classmate for
notes. Help someone else out, please, if you’re asked.

Policy on Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use of the words, facts, ideas, or opinions of someone else without specific acknowledgement of
their source. It is the attempt-deliberate or unintentional-to pass off as one’s own what in fact has been
borrowed. To fail to indicate sources of information and/or to fail to identify them constitutes plagiarism. Any
work which has been plagiarized will receive a 0 and the student will forfeit the right to re-do the assignment for
credit. Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated.

Class Presentation Schedule

You will be giving a minimum of 4 prepared speeches over the course of the class. Your final exam is a 5-7 minute
speech on a topic chosen by the instructor.

Ice Breaker: An introduction to yourself.

Tell us about yourself. You can talk about your favorite hobbies, your family, your pets, whatever you want. Your
choice.
Speech time: 3-5 minutes.

Informational Speech: What to Do with a Plastic Fork

You will demonstrate how to build or create a project with a plastic knife. This speech must include some visual
aid.
Speech time: 4-7 minutes.
Purpose: to teach organization of speech and use of visual aids.

Storytelling
You will tell a story in a speech. It may be a personal story, one you’ve written, or one you’ve found from another
source. Be sure to cite your source. You may use up to 3 props.
Speech time: 4-7 minutes
Purpose: emotional engagement, body language and vocal variety development.

Persuasive Speaking
You will pick a particular topic that you want to persuade us to agree with you. If you want to practice convincing
your parents about a particular issue, this may be the place to practice.
Speech time: 4-7 minutes
Purpose: development of speech content, rhetorical devices (logos, pathos, ethos).

Oral Interpretation
Take a story or poem and interpret it for us. This piece may require memorization.
Speech time: 5-10 minutes.
Purpose: Vocal variety, body language, emotional engagement.
 Speech Scope and Sequence
SL.11-12.1(a) Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material
under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts
and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned
exchange of ideas.
Section One *How To Write a Speech for Your Audience SL.11-12.1(b) Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-
* Peer Feedback and Effective Critiquing making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of
alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
SL.11-12.1(c) Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that
relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate
others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and
rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of
Section Two *Ethos, Logos, and Pathos emphasis, and tone used.
*Avoiding Being Boring SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual,
and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings,
reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats
Section Three and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions
*Mind Mapping Your Speech
and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and
noting any discrepancies among the data.
*Body language SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual,
Section Four
*Eye Contact and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings,
*Moving and Motion reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and
rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of
emphasis, and tone used.
Section Five SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a
*Organizing Your Speech
clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning,
alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization,
development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a
range of formal and informal tasks.
*Setting The Stage SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and
Section Six
*Establishing Tone rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of
*The Anecdote emphasis, and tone used.
SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a
clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning,
alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization,
Section Seven *Taking Your Audience on a Journey
development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a
*Presentation Techniques
range of formal and informal tasks.
SL.11-12.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a
command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.