Because strong oral communication skills have well-known academic, social, and professional benefits, they are increasingly targeted and reinforced throughout general education programs in higher education. In these efforts, public speaking assignments most often ask students to discuss information they have previously written about (e.g., theses…

As educators, we've all probably experienced presenting in new places and/or audiences, and having some sort of mishap. Therefore, as part of their professional preparation, we should prepare our students with realistic presentation practice, mishaps and all! Within this paper, I will outline a pedagogical tool that randomizes potential…

Scholars recently have called for a more civic-based approach to education. In this article, we report on the use of a civic participation exercise in a large public speaking class. The assignment guides students to employ concepts from the course to organize a community event designed to productively affect a specific civic cause. Gaining…