Universities and colleges are increasingly recognizing the need for programs in oral communication across the curriculum. Many small colleges that do not have faculty in communications do have faculty in theatre who are skilled in oral communication. This article describes a pilot program in oral communication coaching for undergraduate students…

The battle for communication skills has already been won; the task ahead is to get teachers in the trenches to teach them, either in separate units or in their subject areas. Nine references are listed, and a list of resources for implementing instruction in speaking and listening is provided. (Author/DCS)

Research indicates that about 40% of the population fear public speaking. There is a wide variety of possible causes for this unwillingness to communicate: a lack of skills, social introversion, alienation, lack of fluency in English, and communication apprehension. Despite the fact that evidence indicates everyone may have some difficulty with…

Recurring questions on the discipline of speech communication include whether it is in fact a discipline, whether it justifies its own department, and what job prospects await speech communication graduates. These questions are not unique, but are taken very seriously by most administrators when evaluating speech programs. Reasons underlying most…

Cable television's local access option may be a way for colleges and universities to expand their media offerings. For example, some institutions are using cable capabilities to broadcast direct and inservice instruction or to provide hands-on training for broadcast students. A small private liberal arts college in Iowa successfully uses cable…

There are several recommended strategies for speech communication departments to help ensure their central role in the developing general education programs at community colleges. Although based on the experiences of one community college, the suggestions are generic in nature and can apply to many different college circumstances. Department…

The Oral Communication Across the Curriculum (OCXC) program is a university-wide program using oral communication activities to enhance learning of course content and to improve oral communication skills of participating students. Implementing OCXC programs in postsecondary institutions involves planning, publicizing, gearing up, conducting,…

A moot court program developed for undergraduate debaters at Ball State University (Indiana) is presented. Following a brief introduction that establishes the benefits of such a program for the students and the department of communication, the first section of the paper explains how the moot court concept was modified to emphasize communication…

The functional communication course described in this paper was created in response to requests by students and administrators at the University of Minnesota for a single course that would combine writing, speech communication, and audiovisual topics. The paper provides background information about the general college of the University, which is…

The undergraduate organizational communication series at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs has been designed to develop competency through knowledge, skills, sensitivity, and values. The four courses in the series--Introduction to Organizational Communication, Business and Professional Communication, Advanced Organizational…

A survey of 80 department chairpersons, directors of forensics, and debate coaches indicated an increased use of nontraditional, audience-centered debate paradigms since the National Developmental Conference on Forensics issued its report advancing alternative debate options during the 1970s. Report recommendations on expanding the role of…

A program (entitled "Across the Curriculum") that integrated speaking, listening, reading, and writing instruction into content areas across the curriculum, in Central College, Iowa, is described in this paper. The paper first discusses the formation of the program, which was predicated on a desire shared by faculty members in all academic areas…

This article, written for speech educators, explores some of the concepts of communication theory as they relate to teaching speech communication in the high school. Suggestions for curriculum study, change, and development are given in (1) a rationale for a communication theory approach to high school speech, (2) a description of the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 10 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the development of an instrument to assess the communication needs of the community college; (2) the development of a kindergarten through twelfth grade interdisciplinary approach to…

Acknowledging that one of the most difficult challenges postsecondary educators must face is the maintenance of adequate student enrollment, this paper describes the creation of a speech communication laboratory as one component of a university-wide effort to maximize student retention. The paper first discusses several suggestions researchers…