In a world where public speaking often determines whose needs are addressed and whose values prevail, how can we create brave classroom spaces where young people can effectively express their thoughts and advocate for themselves and others? In "Amplify Student Voices," AnnMarie Baines, Diana Medina, and Caitlin Healy introduce…

This case study investigated the effects of different speaking activities (oral presentations, discussions, debates) on the speaking performance of 11 young adult EFL learners at a university in central Mexico. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and an online survey and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed…

Teaching survey courses at the university level can be a difficult task. The vast majority of students have to take survey classes as part of their curriculum and, as a result, bring a fair amount of resentment and/or ambivalence with them. Furthermore, many students already arrive on campus with negative opinions about history classes. This…

This article presents an activity that engages students in a fun and collaborative process of learning, with a primary objective of teaching them how to identify and label formal and informal argumentative fallacies. After playing a variation of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?," students ought to be better prepared to craft stronger arguments and…

The purpose of this preliminary study was to look at forensics-based competition events and determine what, if any, impact they could have on the language learning and public speaking skills of interpreters in training. This paper details the nature of the impromptu and extemporaneous speaking events in forensics competitions and introduces a…

Many controversial subjects characterize geography in the 21st century. Issues such as climate change, sustainability and social exclusion generate much discussion and often involve clear differences in opinion of how they might be addressed. Higher education is an important space for critical engagement with challenging issues. Preparing for and…

The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions for using public speaking tasks in English language teaching (ELT) and to highlight some of their many advantages. For the purpose of this article, the author will focus on two types of these tasks: student presentations and debates. Student presentations may consist of either individual or…

This article is based on the authors' reflections on observations and interviews with students and staff involved in a debate competition in London secondary schools. Taking the data we collected as our starting point, we seek to draw on research from a range of perspectives, including political education, political philosophy and debate as a…

This paper describes the use of British union, or parliamentary, debating in a college public-communication course. This debating format, practiced at British universities and used in the British House of Commons, promotes interaction between speaker and audience, emphasizing the effective methods of persuasive discourse that evoke audience…

Several writers have criticized the traditional structure of the forensics programs--on college and high school levels--as perpetuating a "reality gap" between contest debate and actual public communication. There are methods, however, whereby high school directors can help to bridge this gap and can present a more interesting and enriching…

Examines William Norwood Brigance's distinguished career as a teacher, scholar, and leader in the speech communication profession. Questions why Brigance remained at Wabash College throughout his teaching career, and describes how his articles, books, and speeches reinforced his commitment to teaching effective citizen participation in a…

Concludes that debate research and teaching must avoid the anti-intellectualism and non-logical approaches currently practiced. (CH)

Examines teaching women's literature to students who are not habitual readers. Explains that two teachers addressed the problem by dividing class time into (1) an introductory minilecture; (2) an "initial reaction" discussion; (3) student oral performances; and (4) a final, synthesizing debate. Suggests means of moving students beyond…

The public speaking course has been around for a long time but, while there have been changes, the heart of the course remains intact. The many skills and sensitivities instructors try to cultivate in their students come together in three fundamental metaphors that may reflect deep tendencies in what is taught. In the first metaphor, student as…