Presents the COPS form (Content, Organization, Planning, and Style) for critically analyzing and grading oral presentations. Includes an example of a COPS form. Discusses each dimension analyzed. Describes strengths and weaknesses of the form. Suggests that the form is very effective for improving communication skills in sociology courses. (DK)

Indicates that speaking skills (especially dialogue) are not adequately taught in management education. Describes effective dialogue as: defining the problem, gathering facts, interpreting the evidence, considering alternatives, and reaching decisions. Discusses various aspects of agreement and disagreement. (TJ)

Speaking across the curriculum programs are a readily accessible venue for the assessment of oral communication competence and in some instances are already being used for such purposes. While so far the implementation of simple holistic judgments for quality assurance purposes has emerged as one practical procedure, further exploration should…

Because engineering schools are recognizing the need for graduates to be able to speak and write well, many programs are including communications in various facets of the curriculum. Suggestions for enhancing student communication skills during the senior year are presented. (DH)

The open-ended scenario was developed to expand the role-playing technique by introducing new information into a predetermined situation so as to force decisions and alter the direction of the action. Suggests this method enables students to learn to make communication choices and develop verbal strategies consistent with own interaction styles.…

Presents a syllabus for the study of contemporary feminism focusing on feminism as a rhetorical movement as well as on the major topics that currently are being debated by both feminists and the general public. Summaries of lectures, sources, and sample discussion questions are included. (JMF)

Traces the organization of a business communication course, noting that interspersing oral business communication assignments with written assignments keeps class interest high and challenges student ingenuity. (RL)

The study examined the behaviors of educable mentally handicapped (EMH) children in repairing their utterances when their listener requests clarification. Subjects were 10 EMH children, aged 11-13, with mental-aged matched controls. Repair behaviors were elicited using a picture description and matching game with a barrier between the subject and…

The ability of debate coaches and instructors to define the goals of their activity is essential to any meaningful evaluation of success in achieving those goals. Much of the criticism of debate rests on the faulty assumption that coaches and instructors agree as to what they are trying to teach students. Numerous writers have addressed the…

A review of communication models and research reveals four areas of communications skill: listening, empathy, non-verbal communication, and expressive abilities. Models of listening behavior suggest that, rather than being a passive activity, listening involves sorting stimuli and encoding messages, analyzing listener needs, and assessing speaker…

Focuses on guidelines to be used by high school speech communication teachers when designing a new program that diffuses the teaching of communication skills from the classroom into the entire curriculum. (MH)

Discusses the nature and sources of test bias in measuring communication skills. Recommends structured performance assessment to reduce bias, contending that performance tests, if carefully administered, can be valid, unbiased methods of assessing communication skills. (PD)

Reports on the development and measurement of a course to improve the communicative performance of tax enforcement officers. Includes an account of a unique content-analytic system for measuring communicative performance in situations considered flexibly formulaic transactions with objectives and prescribed strategies. (JMF)

Describes a four-part journal format for use by students in an interpersonal communication course. The four parts are (1) student assessment of skills; (2) goals; (3) strategies for implementation of goals; and (4) review. (JMF)

This paper argues that instructors can enhance the effectiveness of oral instruction through attention to both the verbal and nonverbal aspects of their teaching. After defining and offering 2 means of achieving effective speaking, the paper discusses how lecturers should analyze their delivery, and makes 32 recommendations for improving delivery,…