Public Speaking Semester 1: Introduction

Syllabus:

Unit 1: Introduction to Rhetoric

In this unit, you’ll learn about the history of public speaking and rhetoric, including both Aristotle and Cicero’s ideas on what makes a good rhetorical argument. You’ll also begin to look at how to recognize rhetorical devices at work in the speeches of others and how to assess the effectiveness of an argument.

What will you learn in this unit?

• Explain what is meant by “rhetoric.”
• Identify rhetoric as a particular form of utterance.
• Describe Aristotle’s three rhetorical proofs.
• Explain how those proofs impact the persuasiveness of a speech.
• Describe Cicero’s five canons of rhetoric as well as what each one refers to.

Unit 2: The Influence of Rhetoric

In this unit, you’ll learn about how rhetoric influenced the development of democratic and republican political systems in ancient Greece and Rome, which in turn influenced the development of the modern world. You’ll learn about how Hitler used rhetoric for destructive purposes during World War II, as well as how rhetoric has more recently been used to create hope in the American people by Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama. You’ll also begin learning how to recognize bias, prejudice, and propaganda, and how repetition can be used to create an emotional effect.

What will you learn in this unit?

• Explain how rhetoric influenced the development of the first democracy and the Roman Republic.
• Explain how the Roman Republic influenced the development of many other political systems throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
• Explain why Hitler’s rhetoric was biased and illogical.
• Explain why Hitler’s rhetoric was successful despite its biased and illogical nature.
• Define bias, prejudice, and propaganda.
• Identify some of the basic manipulative techniques used in advertising.
• Explain how an emotional effect can be created in a speech through repetition.

Unit 3: Listening and Analyzing

In this unit, you’ll learn all about how to listen actively to speeches in order to analyze their form and content. You’ll learn about the different types of public speech and their different characteristics and begin learning about how a speech is structured in order to create an emotional effect.

What will you learn in this unit?

• Define active listening.
• Demonstrate various strategies for active listening including repetition, note-taking, and mental imagery.
• Identify your own tendencies to distraction to guard against them.
• Describe the three different types of public speech and their characteristics.
• Explain the intention of each type of public speech.
• Deconstruct a speech to examine the purpose of each section.
• Explain how the structure of a speech can inspire emotions in the listener.

Unit 4: Speaking Strategies

In this unit, you’ll learn all about planning speeches including how to identify the purpose of your speech, how to choose an appropriate subject and tone, and how to choose a persuasive angle.

What will you learn in this unit?

• Explain how the purpose of your speech affects subject and tone.
• Identify the purpose of your speech.
• Identify the audience’s expectations and your own aims.
• Choose an appropriate subject and tone.
• Identify the persuasive angles of other people’s speeches.
• Find your own persuasive angle.

Unit 5: Building an Argument

In this unit, you’ll learn how to thoroughly research a topic in order to begin building a strong argument for a speech. This involves learning where to find information as well as how to assess the quality of that information, how to identify bias and vested interests, and how to analyze that information.

What will you learn in this unit?

• Explain the difference between a primary and a secondary source.
• Describe the different characteristics of studying, reading, and research.
• Describe the differences among various information sources.
• Assess the quality of a piece of information.
• Weigh pieces of factual evidence to come to a conclusion.
• Consider the implications of a piece of information.

Unit 6: Using Supporting Materials

When speaking in front of an audience, it’s important to present your material in a way that makes it easy for your audience to view you as an expert on the topic you are presenting. One way to do this is by including relevant and interesting supporting materials in your speech. In this unit, we’ll take a look at what supporting materials are available, the different ways you can present them to your audience, and the most effective ways to use supporting materials to get your point across.

What will you learn in this unit?

• Identify different types of supporting materials.
• Explain why supporting materials are important and where they are found.
• Understand where to find supporting materials from different types of sources.
• Understand guidelines on how to evaluate and use supporting materials.

Unit 7: Ethics and Public Speaking

With all public speaking, it’s very important that you hold yourself to the highest ethical standards. Ethical considerations should guide you throughout your entire process—from when you choose your topic to how you evaluate your research materials and, finally, to the words you choose when speaking to your audience. In this unit, we’ll take a look at how to be an ethical speaker, how to ethically analyze your sources, how to avoid plagiarism by ethically citing your sources, and some general guidelines for speaking ethically.

What will you learn in this unit?

• Explain what it means to be an ethical speaker
• Describe the importance of analyzing sources
• Demonstrate how to cite sources accurately to avoid plagiarism
• Understand general principles for speaking ethically

Unit 8: Outlining Your Speech

When speaking in front of an audience, it’s important to carefully prepare what you plan to say. Creating and using an outline is the most effective way to accomplish this plan. Outlines are a way to succinctly organize the research you’ve done and figure out how you want to use that research in your speech. Your outline will also help you develop strong introductions and conclusions, which you’ll use to gain the audience’s attention before your speech and have your topic stick with them after your speech has concluded.

What will you learn in this unit?

• Describe why an outline is important
• Identify the three types of outlines used in public speaking
• Explain how to create an outline for a speech
• Discuss the purpose of introductions and conclusions