One of the thorniest problems facing teachers of public address and other speech performance courses concerns students' reticence in classroom criticism and discussion of fellow students' performance. Many teachers believe that discussing the speeches in class provides valuable feedback to the speaker and helps foster critical thinking skills in…

Assuming that different programs for communication apprehensive/avoidant students attract different types of students according to their needs and apprehension types, a study examined the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and general people orientations, as measured by the Personal Record of Communication Apprehension-24…

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous research on the relationship between communication apprehension (CA), biological sex, and psychological gender. With the objective of reducing the potential for instrument bias, the possibilities for context dependent effects were explored to a greater degree than in past studies and…

Debate as an elitist activity can be defined in two ways: it may mean that entry to a tournament is restricted to only a few participants from any one school, or it may mean that although a wide range of students may participate in debate, only the best debaters are allowed to compete in prestigious national tournaments. The restriction on the…

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…

The educational benefits of debate suggest several reasons for funding debate programs on college campuses. First, debate training improves communication skills (analysis, delivery, and organization) and helps students in other communication situations. Second, debate promotes depth of educational experience by exposing students to important…

One of the most memorable eulogies delivered in the United States Senate is the one by Senator Michael Mansfield for President John F. Kennedy. An analysis of his word choice reveals that he (1) forced the audience to participate in the creation of the message; (2) employed active, forceful descriptions; (3) focused on praiseworthy qualities of…

Data were collected over a three-year period from 10 sections of an advanced public speaking course at a midwestern university in a study to determine (1) the extent to which debaters who are not ego-involved can accurately judge classroom debate speeches, and (2) the specific variables that affect this accuracy. All 10 sections were taught by the…

One of the major problems facing the profession of speech communication is the need for an increased concern with teaching the "basics" involved in listening carefully and speaking clearly and with vigor. Speech communication educators must take great care in defining the basics of discourse; they should teach the mechanics of grammar and syntax…

Proposes two kinds of contract grading criteria relating to preparation and measurement of assignment objectives. (MH)

Classroom speaking poses a unique opportunity for the evaluation and the clarification of human values. Value clarification is possible when a specific method is followed that encourages potential behavior change on the part of the speaker. Value clarification can thus be usefully applied by speech communication teachers as a natural, integral…

Unique in its communication effectiveness, the preaching style of George H. Morrison cannot be defined according to a particular communication classification system. Morrison's preaching reflected his deep concern for the individual person through simplicity of language, certainty of word choice, confident assertion of Scripture, and careful…

The four modules described in this course syllabus are designed to present general concepts, principles, and skills of human communication to undergraduate students. Since students enrolled in the course can vary considerably in their professional, intellectual/academic, and personal needs, the self-inventory approach is used in the four modules…

THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE MEDIUM OF TELEVISION IS AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT METHOD OF PROVIDING PROGRAMS FOR SUPERVISORY DEVELOPMENT WAS TESTED. FOR NINE CONSECUTIVE WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, FOUR CLASSES OF FROM 10 TO 16 STUDENTS, SUPPLIED BY THE FOREMAN'S CLUB OF COLUMBUS, ALONG WITH FOUR UNTRAINED AND INEXPERIENCED GROUP LEADERS, WERE GIVEN…