Listening

Does your cultural background affect your ability to listen to others?  Check this out and "free-write" your comments by clicking "post a comment" above to receive up to 15 points (due by class time next week).  Full credit will be awarded to those who provide an insightful, well-thought out comment free from grammatical and spelling errors.

Diagnostic Speeches

We're diving right in!  Next week, everyone will need to deliver their first speech of the semester.  DON'T PANIC!  This is meant to be a (relatively) stress-free presentation about the topic you know best -- You!  It's also meant to help you see (1) how I grade speeches, (2) how speech days work, and (3) where you excel and where you need to improve when it comes to public speaking.  It is NOT meant to make or break your grade!  Here are the guidelines:

Diagnostic Speech Requirements

                Choose one of the following topics:

                     -- "My best/worst character trait is. . . "

                     -- "If I could have lunch with anyone (living or dead), I would choose. . . "

                     -- "One event that has shaped me as a person was. . . "

                     -- "My favorite memory of childhood is. . . "

                     -- "If I had a million dollars, I would. . . "

                Time Limit -- 1 - 2 minutes (wrap-up signal at 3 minutes, cut-off at 4 minutes)

                You may use note cards if you wish

                DO NOT write the speech out in advance -- it should seem spontaneous but planned

                Practice so you know how much (how little?) info you need to fill 1 - 2 minutes

You should definately check out the rubric here, so you know what I'm looking for.

Here's a sample speech to get you started:

The Classical Roots of Rhetoric

Below is an excerpt from a text on public speaking. It provides some insightful ideas on the roots of oratory. You should read through this and make sure you understand the information, as it is fair game for the midterm.

You can also take a 10-point quiz on this handout here -- due by your first class session next week.

First Day

Greetings, students, and welcome to the fall semester!  Here are two small tasks that you need to complete before we really get going in here.  The following assignments are worth 5 assignment points each and they are due by next Tuesday.  Email or come by my office if you need help!

1.  Use the printed number I gave you in class to sign up on engrade.  Use an email address you check often. If you need help getting signed up, there is a "help" tab under "Gradebook" on the blog.

2.  Subscribe to the blog and/or "like" edgarcomm on facebook. Both options are on the right side toolbar of the blog.  Use an email address you check often.  Once you've clicked through the box on the blog, you'll need to click through the confirmation email you receive in order to receive credit.

Note: Liking edgarcomm on facebook does NOT allow me to see your profile, nor does it make us "friends."  It WILL post course assignments in your newsfeed.  It WON'T send you email updates -- if you want those, you should subscribe instead.