About the Course
Considering that public speaking is an imperative skill across disciplines but is particularly essential for individuals pursuing workforce training in non-profits, this course and accompanying coursework are designed to help students hone the practical and professional skills necessary to interview, to pitch ideas, and to strengthen their verbal and embodied communication. Students will learn the critical skills necessary for strengthening word choice, organization, and delivery, all of which are key components of successful speeches, pitches, and interviews. Essentially, this course will dive into what you say, how you say it, and how you adapt content and delivery for your audience.
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of rhetoric (e.g., Aristotle’s three modes of proof, Cicero’s five canons of rhetoric)
- Demonstrate understanding of informational and persuasive speech nuances
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of speech construction (e.g., strategies for crafting introductions, conclusions, organizing their speeches and supporting arguments)
- Write original speeches
- Apply rhetorical and construction strategies into written speeches/ materials
- Deliver original speeches (dynamic embodied presentation of written work)
- Evaluate peers’ speeches employing understanding of rhetoric, construction, and delivery as criteria in explanations
- Be creative (combine understanding of rhetoric and construction to make creative choices, take risks, or play with craft in writing, delivery, and impromptu speaking)