Examines how people edit arguments prior to speaking, and what editorial criteria (effectiveness, principled objection to argument type, person-centered issues, and discourse competence) different types of people prefer. Notes that argumentativeness, verbal aggression, interpersonal orientation, and respondent gender are associated with use of…

Presents guidelines for both effective speech practice and control of public speaking anxiety. (MM)

Argues that as long as classroom grammar is couched in vague or technical terms, it is not "basic" enough to help students with genuine literacy problems. Discusses how the grammar of students' speech can be sufficient for students' writing when properly brought to their conscious attention. (HTH)

A satisfying assignment for college freshman composition classes is to send students out to interview working writers in the college community. (HOD)

Describes a course in commercial copywriting for electronic media in which students must also present orally their copy to the class to drive home two points: (1) the writing has to sell products, and (2) the writer has to sell the spot or campaign to the client or employers. (HTH)

This paper argues that western instructors of public speaking courses, along with those in the forensics community, can benefit from the insights offered by the eastern tradition. Examining the Indian religious text, the "Bhagavad Gita," reveals insights that can change the way message construction, audience empathy, and speaker…

Provides a mnemonic device for remembering eight elements involved in planning oral business presentations. Discusses each of the eight elements. (RL)

Offers a unit on direction giving to help students identify effective and ineffective direction giving; become familiar with the preparation and presentation components of sound direction giving; and determine whether the message intended was the massage received. Discusses barriers to listening, misunderstandings, and provides exercises and steps…

Scholars and instructors of college writing may find that an examination of the literate sources behind Hugh Blair's bias for oral over written expression during the late 18th century gives perspective to their own teaching endeavors. The fact that there were many sources for Blair's own bias suggests that instead of the oral steadily giving way…

While audience analysis is an important concept to be taught in any beginning speech class, seldom are students urged to view their classmates as an authentic audience and to consider their needs and interests in speech planning. The Dyadic Interview Activity is one that can help students apply the principles of audience analysis in planning their…

Focusing on public speaking as a major instructional tool for teachers, this paper contains suggestions for more effective lecturing. In the introduction, classroom communication is analyzed according to four moves: structuring, soliciting, responding, and reacting. The paper then discusses four problems in studying learning from meaningful verbal…

The case for teaching speech for radio and television broadcasting. (CH)

The teacher-coach involved in a contemporary speech tournament rarely, if ever, hears eloquent speeches. The forensic vigor of oratory may be restored through a form of address called the speech to stimulate or the epideictic oratory. Such speeches may include declamatory speeches, speeches of praise (or blame), or speeches for special occasions.…

Thirty-two speech anxious college students participated in a study that examined whether four treatments that have been effective when applied separately would be equally effective when applied in combination. The treatments were (1) systemic desensitization (SD), (2) speech skills training (SST), (3) SST combined with coping skills training (CST)…