This paper outlines a speech communication unit that reflects the assumptions of competency-based education. The emphasis of the unit's content is on using knowledge rather than on how the knowledge is acquired. Students are required to participate in the decision-making processes of the unit to get them actively involved in their own learning and to make the course "life-centered." The procedures for an informative and a persuasive speech are described, showing how each student participates in a variety of roles and develops communication skills for them, throughout the communication process. (RL)