Old/Archived
| COMM 1112-12 <2025-FA> | Help desk | Content |
|---|---|---|
| MO/WE 2:50–4:30pm Behrakis 307 (map) |
Mo–Fr at 13:00 email to schedule Prof. Reagle, <j.reagle> Comm Studies, 215 Holmes Hall Tip: Enter at 41A Leon St. |
Public speaking is an essential part of personal, professional, and civic life. Even if you are nervous in front of others, effective speaking is a skill that you can learn to improve. An effective speaker needs to analyze the speech situation (e.g., the audience), their settings (e.g., noise and inhibition), and objectives (e.g., persuasion). They must then compose a well-organized speech appropriate to their situation and setting. An effective speaker delivers their content in a way that is vivid and effective. But this is not the end, they must also critically and respectfully offer analysis of others’ performances and take feedback on their own.
We will combine an introduction to the key elements of rhetorical theory with practical training and instructor/peer feedback, which is a central element of learning and improvement. Excellent feedback is both substantive and respectful, helping others hone their own skills.
Successful completion of this course enables you to:
In short, come to class on time and with the readings and assignments completed; be respectful and willing to collaborate. There are no provisions for missed exams or late assignments.
In general, if you have an issue, such as needing an accommodation for a religious obligation or disability, do not plead afterwards. Instead, beforehand, offer proposals that show initiative and a willingness to work.
Academic Integrity is critical: “The promotion of independent and original scholarship ensures that students derive the most from their educational experience and their pursuit of knowledge.” Violations include cheating, plagiarism, and participating in or encouraging dishonesty. If you cheat on an exam, you will receive zero credit and be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. If you plagiarize seven or more words in a row, the same will follow.
AI-based tools can help and hinder our education. They can tempt us to skip learning and misrepresent our work, this is academic misconduct (e.g., when used in quizzes and exams). They can also be used well and honestly, which requires careful effort — they can “hallucinate” facts and sources — and disclosure of their use. Therefore, AI tools cannot be used for quizzes or exams; doing so is misconduct. If you use them for anything else (e.g., ChatGPT for brainstorming or GrammarlyGo and Quillbot for writing), include a note or appendix describing your use, including important prompts; failing to do so is misconduct.
WARNING: To show your work is your own, you must be prepared to show a (1) real-time demonstration of your understanding and (2) evidence of its progression. Versioning is native to GDocs and Pages; MS Word requires use of Northeastern’s Office 365/OneDrive.
To facilitate movement between speakers, you should host presentation materials on the cloud (e.g., GDocs or Microsoft 365) so that they are publicly accessible from the classroom computer. Otherwise, you are responsible for ensuring your equipment and adapters will work with in-class equipment.
We sometimes use devices in class as part of an activity, but the default policy is for gadgets to be silenced and put away. If you want to use a device throughout the course, email me a device proposal with your intended usage. Device users might also be called upon you to perform tasks such as looking things up or taking collaborative notes.
Deviations from classroom professionalism and respect may result in dismissal from class and demerits against your grade. See full course policies for more detail.
Projects have specific due dates listed in the schedule. All speeches require a written speech outline and oral delivery in class.
There are 1000 points at stake over the term. This is converted to letter grades based on thresholds, without rounding. For example, 870 is a B+; 869 is not. Due dates are in the schedule.
Give a 2-3 minute speech introducing yourself to the class by way of a distinguishing quality. That is, what makes you essentially you?
You SHOULD NOT use speaker aids (e.g., outline or notes); you CAN NOT use media (e.g., a projected image); you CAN use props (e.g., a memento). Rehearse your speech, but don’t memorize it because that leads to flat delivery and “blanking.”
Give a 3-5 minute informative speech praising someone or something in history that you believe is underappreciated. This might be something like “sidewalk curb cuts”, a lesser known state or national park (e.g., Breakheart Reservation), individuals (e.g., “Ada Lovelace”), or groups of people (“oshiya” or “passenger pushers”). Include some context, if necessary, but focus on the underappreciated facet of your subject. This speech has elements of persuasion but the goal is not to convince everyone to agree, but for them to learn something interesting and appreciate why you hold your position.
You SHOULD NOT use speaker aids (e.g., outline or notes); you CAN use media (e.g., a projected image) or props (e.g., a memento); Rehearse your speech, but don’t memorize it because that leads to flat delivery and “blanking.”
Give a 6-8 minute persuasive argument for a position associated with a short (fictional) scenario. See the specific instructions from our controversy workshop and Dr. Tim Barr’s exemplar speeches.
You CAN NOT use speaker aids, media, nor props. Rehearse your speech, but don’t memorize it because that leads to flat delivery and “blanking.”
You must show all of the skills you have learned and trained during this semester in a 5–7 minute speech for (“Affirmative”) or against (“Negative”) a proposition, along with a cross-examination period (of 2 questions; of less than 15 seconds, with 1 minute for response).
You will be assigned your proposition and sides at least one week prior to the debates.
You CAN NOT use speaker aids, media, nor props for your speech. You CAN use a single index card or piece of paper to take notes during your partner’s speech. Rehearse your speech, but don’t memorize it because that leads to flat delivery and “blanking.”
Transcribe your first (“introductory”) and third (“controversy”) speech from a video or audio recording. Transcriptions must be precise word-by-word, and include errors, fillers, pause indicators, etc.
Follow you transcription with a short (~500 word / 1 page) self-critique with suggestions for improvement. Please use double-spacing an APA citations for references to our texts as needed.
These are ongoing activities required throughout the term.
Short and unprepared speeches given throughout the semester.
Participation entails much more than (even perfect) attendance; participation is assessed rigorously. Please see participation assessment for more.
Unexcused absences will affect your participation grade. Excused absences are shared with the instructor beforehand and include: athletic, religious, health and disability accommodations, and two Wellness Days (via Student Hub).
Our college requires all students to complete TRACE evaluations at the end of the semester even if you (anonymously) opt-out of completing the survey. Those who send me evidence of completing TRACE receive a 2pt bonus.
All speeches require an outline; grades are dependent on this and the actual delivery. Please submit your outlines on Canvas before the beginning of the first class of the speech assignment. Speeches for which the outline has not been handed in on time will receive a grade reduction of up to 50%. Be prepared to deliver your speech at any time during the timeslot for the respective speech type. If you cannot attend a class during this period, please see your instructor in advance. Speeches that are not delivered on the required date without written documentation of an appropriate reason for absence will receive zero points.
Communication Studies courses are expected, on average, to have a GPA of no more than a 3.3 (B+); this means those receiving an A or A- are in the minority.
Letter grades mean the following:
And, according to the course rubric, an excellent “A” student:
The outline’s purpose is to help you to deliver the best speech you can. An excellent outline:
When possible, feedback will be given for all speeches during class from the instructor and audience/students. An excellent speech:
See presenting for other tips and thoughts.
An excellent speech reflection shows an impressive level of:
As the writing rubric states, excellent prose:
Please review the grading scale and participation assessment.
Most readings are from the book or linked to from this page, if not check this zip file. For selections, I specify the chapter (ch=) or pages (pp=) to read.
If you encounter a paywall, try incognito mode; pasting the URL at archive.ph, archive.org, or searching for the title at Proquest via our library. I use the browser plugin Web Archives to help with this.
Welcome! We introduce ourselves, cover class logistics, and think about the relevance of public speaking.
Please listen to the introduction and first segment of the following This American Life. Is this funny? Is this public speaking?
Also, bring a mnemonic that connects your name with a memorable image: “Imagine me …” I could say: “Imagine Prof. Reagle being chased by beagles.”
Remember to turn in your speech outline.
Remember to turn in your speech outline.
To prepare for the controversy speeches, in class we’re going to discuss a controversial scenario and the genre of argument.
After class, by the end of the day, review the sample controversies and email me your top three candidates. I will allocate you a scenario based on: even distribution, expressed preferences, and order (first-come-first-served). You may then decide which position in the controversy you wish to take.
TED Talks are one of the most popular examples of oratory today. But do they spotlight “ideas worth spreading” or dangerous sophistry? Come to class prepared to identify, discuss, and defend a position on this question.
Remember to turn in your speech outline.
The debate speech builds on what we learned about reasoned argument and persuasion while preparing for the controversy speech. The differences are that (1) we will use real-world debate topics, (2) that require some research (e.g., ProCon.org and Congressional Research Service), and (3) you will have a partner whom you rebut.
Today we discuss how to find reliable sources and information.
We discuss the supposed importance of debate, especially in the higher-ed context, and assign topics and sides for our own debates.
For each reading, bring a compelling quote, a novel insight, and a question; these will be shared in a “go around” discussion circle.
Let’s consider a recent debate on “wokeness” at the Oxford Union, associated with, but independent from, Oxford University. The Union was established in 1823 to give junior students the ability to discuss topics the university otherwise forbade them.
I’ve selected speakers (Butterworth and Lindsay) who were opposed and spoke fairly well without a heavy reliance on notes. (Unfortunately for our purposes, speakers often read from notes.) James Lindsay is (in)famously anti-woke and was mistakenly assigned his side and chose to satirize via argumentum ad absurdum. At its conclusion, 89 people left via the “Ayes” door and 60 through the “Noes.”
Watch these before class and note the timestamps of one or more segments from each speech (minutes:seconds) to review and speak to in class with respect to substance or style.
Remember to turn in your speech outline.
Let’s conclude with reflections on what can go wrong and what to do.