This paper describes a short course for middle school students that was sponsored by the Higher Education Council of Columbus, Ohio, and undertaken to promote the development of self-expression capabilities by using public speaking as a communicative channel. The class was designed to be completed in three class meetings of three hours each, convening once a week. Included in the guide are the following: (1) detailed lesson plans for each of the class meetings; (2) instructions for individual speech assignments; (3) a list of lecture topics covered at each class meeting; (4) objectives and criteria by which the speeches should be formulated and judged; (5) a copy of the course description which is used for advertising the course; (6) a copy of the letter sent to parents at the beginning of the course, emphasizing that the parents should not plan on attending since this has been shown to significantly inhibit speakers; and (7) a copy of a course completion certificate which is awarded to each student upon finishing. (HB)