Although effective faculty development programs rely heavily on evaluation and instructional techniques related to speech communication, very few faculty development centers have utilized the expertise of speech communication professionals. Speech communication professionals can do five things to improve their profession and to use their…

This paper outlines the teacher training program in rhetoric and communication at Temple University (Pennsylvania). The aspects of the training program outlined include (1) academic preparation, (2) inservice activities, (3) training assignments, (4) supervision and evaluation of intern teachers, (5) consistency in training experiences, (6)…

This paper is designed for both experienced and novice educators who want to participate in lifelong learning programs. The various sections of the paper (1) explain the principles of communicative competence, (2) apply these principles to processes of lifelong learning, and (3) describe the benefits of effective communication for the teaching and…

Many basic writers who possess minimal composition skills are able to articulate their thoughts but are unable to express these thoughts on paper. The talk-write method of writing rehearsal is an approach that allows these students to experience prewriting and composition processes in an enjoyable way. In the talk-write technique, the student…

The rapid growth in the field of interpersonal communication has outstripped educational planning in the field, resulting in the espousal of questionable methods of selecting and presenting the materials germane to interpersonal communication. One of the more recent directions of instruction in interpersonal communication has been toward a…

A study focusing on argument as a receiver-contained phenomenon assessed the differential importance of (new) arguments stimulated by a message, as opposed to (old) arguments previously integrated. Data were collected from 207 college students in a pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest design. The subjects provided information on their attitudes…

As part of a national assessment of speech communication education in secondary schools, a 1979 survey was conducted in 336 Indiana schools. Typically, the basic speech course offered in Indiana high schools was an elective, one semester course covering a combination of topics, including public speaking, interpersonal communication, debate,…

A survey was conducted of schools in 15 states to provide a comprehensive view of the status of speech communication in secondary schools and to compare the current status to that found in earlier surveys. Of the 4,341 schools responding to the survey, 76% indicated that they offered a speech course and of these, 32% indicated that they required…

The roles that essentially contested concepts play in persuasive discourse are examined in this paper. The first section of the paper reviews W. B. Gallie's original explication of the nature of essentially contested concepts and the body of theoretical literature that has developed in response to it. It then notes three major areas of…

This study was concerned with determining the attitudes that prisoners and guards at Indiana State Prison hold toward one another, and with examining the interactions between prisoners and guards. Data were collected by means of structured interviews with 25 prisoners and 25 guards. Perceptions of each group were reported for the following areas:…

Speeches and compositions often become mere word lists, obscuring the message's true meaning with too many words. This paper shows that the words "use,""of," and "it" can be eliminated from writing and speech, making communications shorter, more understandable, and more efficient. Examples are provided. (RL)

As part of a research program designed to explicate the construct "power," a formulative research strategy was used to identify 37 personal orientations toward power. A preliminary instrument based on these orientations was administered to samples of corporate executives, government employees, law enforcement personnel, and sales associates. A…

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the 1972 presidential campaign of George McGovern embodied a rich Neo-Populist rhetorical vision that served as a framework for the candidate's campaign rhetoric. The thesis of the paper is that the Neo-Populist vision of McGovern included three particular fantasies, each of which dressed the…

Encouraging creativity is an important aspect of communication instruction. Qualities to be encouraged include sensitivity, flexibility, originality, imagination, perception, and the ability to analyze. A teacher can do this by creating the proper atmosphere, generating ideas, focusing on content, and applying content. Creativity can be evaluated…

This study investigated the effects of two treatment conditions--cognitive modification and informed teachers--on communication apprehension in children in grades 4, 5 and 6. The subjects were 109 students who scored one standard deviation or higher above the mean for their grade level on the Measure of Elementary Communication Apprehension…