Recently I attended a City College press conference. More than 500 community members attended. I found myself running through a gamut of emotions as city politicians, activists, students, teachers and classified staff shared personal stories that illustrated the impact City College had, had on their lives. I felt the anger, confusion and positive uplift of their words. Public speaking is more than a general elective in the path toward a degree. Public speaking is a door opener to a new position or career, a confidence builder, a call to arms, and builds social power in our community. Now as the technological world reimagines "the classroom", we are asked to public speak in a Zoom session or present a polished interview video to a potential employer. This class introduces the student to a variety of speaking occasions, improves our strategies, experiments with vocal variety and practices adaption to different audiences. Whether your goal is to major in Communication Studies or you are simply mustering up the courage to talk to the barista in Peet's coffee, there is a place of growth for everyone.

Course Information

Here are a few things to know to start class with a ready, willing and able attitude!

The Textbook

Whalen, Kristina. Public Speaking for College, Advocacy and Career. 1st ed. Southlake: Fountainhead P., 2014. Print.

• ISBN 978-1-68036-059-2

• Located at the CCSF bookstore. This text has been edited and a chapter added on Speaking to Entertain.

• Information on the Book Loan Program:

AS Bookloan Program
Student Union 104B
415-239-3914
bookloan@mail.ccsf.edu

Attendance/Drop Policy

The First Week

As this is an asynchronous class, your attendance is determined by the actions you take to show that you are engaged. To prevent being considered a “No Show” follow the steps below in the first week of class.

• Login on Monday to read the weekly announcement and check in several times throughout the week to stay on top of Discussion posts/replies.

• Attend the opening week CityZoom orientation session held on Wednesday or make alternative arrangements with me if there is a time conflict. Click on the City Zoom link in the class Navigation bar to find the scheduled session. The link is available here.

• In Module 0 complete an initial post by Wednesday and a reply by Friday to be counted. This is an ungraded practice Discussion but vital for attendance.

• Students who fail to login to Public Speaking class by the end of the first week will be considered a no show and may be dropped from the class.

Stopped engagement after the initial submission or first attendance

• Lack of participation in learning activities/Discussions may be cause to drop you from the class. I will attempt to reach you by Canvas email to check in first to see if you need support.

Participation | Going Forward & Staying Active

This is a highly participatory class and your audience feedback, questions, and inclusion in discussion are essential to improve as a communicator. There are a few ways to show that you are in class for the long haul, consistently present and ready to learn.

• Login on Monday to read the weekly announcement and check in several times throughout the week to stay on top of Discussions and assignments. Have your notifications set to alert you of new updates.

• Set your calendar to remind you to post to Discussion by Wednesday 11:59 and Reply by Friday 11:59pm.

• Turn assignments in on the posted due date.

• Come to optional help sessions to ask questions or simply sit in and listen to others.

• This is a highly participatory class and your audience feedback, questions, and inclusion in discussion are essential to improve as a public speaker.

• A number of activities will be assigned in Discussions and graded. It is to your advantage to take part in the classroom community. To become an active listener and communicator your role as an individual and community member is crucial to this class. Your participation is dependent on your involvement and ability to access your goals via the self-evaluations, and your ability to improve upon your communication goals throughout the semester. Your questions, comments and feedback are what enhance understanding and improvement—challenge your comfort zone! Our ability to accurately assess our own communication is interlinked with the impressions others relay to us. The self-evaluations are a time to reflect, ask questions, and to ponder the impact we leave on others. It is also a time for introspection and setting new goals. You will have multiple graded and ungraded opportunities to look at the different dimensions of self in the introduction speech, self-evaluations, feedback and Discussions.

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, for several consecutive, unexplained absences, the instructor may drop a student.

Important Dates