Recent studies show that training in oral communication skills is one of the primary needs of industry. Among those skills are listening, persuading, and instructing. One reason that oral communication skills are becoming increasingly important is that business, industrial, and government organizations are larger and more complicated than they…

The rationale and procedures for assessing students' oral communication skills at Alverno College (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) are outlined in this paper. Since the curriculum at Alverno emphasizes ongoing performance assessment as an integral part of the learning process and as an effective measurement of educational progress, the discussion focuses on…

Offered in response to the broad appeal of Charles Dickens's performance career to various disciplines, this annotated bibliography lists 40 resources concerned with Dickens's success as a performer interpreting his literary works. The resources are categorized under books, theses and dissertations, articles in scholarly journals, nineteenth…

Based upon research conducted during the past decade that identifies speech features of form, topic, content, and use of language as male- or female-associated, this paper examines the rhetoric of Sojourner Truth in reference to these features. It classifies her directness, originality, and action as male-associated and her modesty, emotionalism,…

A course on women in public speaking, developed at the University of Cincinnati, focuses on the rhetoric of selected women who have been involved in various movements and causes in the United States in the twentieth century. Women studied include educator Mary McLeod Bethune, Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt, Helen…

A handbook for a community relations coordinator for Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. is presented. An explanation of placement and advance planning is included. Information on flyers, posters, and newsletters; advance preparation of photographs, identifying them, and getting releases; and examples of news releases and steps in preparing them…

Coaching students for excellence in the individual events of forensics should encompass the contexts of education, rhetoric, art, and competition. Coaches must keep in mind that forensic events are built on the principles of communication theory, not the rules of contest, and that an effective individual event experience will be the result of…

SPEECH PROFESSIONALS, SPECIALIZING IN THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SPEECH BEHAVIOR AND COMMUNICATION, SHARE THE COMMON ASSUMPTIONS THAT (1) SPEECH IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND UNAVOIDABLE OF MAN'S LEARNED BEHAVIOR, (2) SPEECH IS THE HUMANISTIC CENTER FROM WHICH THE SEARCH FOR AND TRANSMISSION OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MAN PROPERLY PROCEED, AND (3) EVERY…

This research guide provides an overview of the basic concepts as well as a comprehensive list of references that can help both the beginning and advanced speaker. Emphasis in this document is placed on researching, writing, and delivering a speech. In addition to information on finding and developing a topic, the book contains a chart of the…

The author presents a fully annotated bibliography of 80 items relating to the subject of ghostwriting of public addresses and other forms of persuasive communication. Most of the items deal with ghostwriting in the areas of political persuasion and public relations, although some general entries are included. Topics of the material range from…

Designed to help prepare community college students for transfer to four-year institutions, this speech course was developed for a metropolitan area of 10,000 to 15,000 population. It consists of four stages: entering behavior, instructional objectives, instructional procedures, and evaluation. The students average 25 years of age; many are…

Combines assignments in oral communication and writing long, formal reports to improve listening skills, public speaking skills, and evaluation techniques of students in technical writing courses. (RL)

Tyrone Crider, the director of admissions at Central State University speaks to black high-school students about the importance of succeeding in school and in life. He uses the Top 20 songs for inspiration, giving a traditional educational message in a non-traditional way. (MLW)

Reports on a study into the use of three classroom communication techniques in an upper-level crop physiology course. Results indicated that three-fourths of all previous students wished their college coursework had offered more opportunities for public speaking. (TW)

Investigates the implications of conceiving writing-as-performance. Claims that public speaking compares closely with a writing-as-performance course. Focuses on students' perception of themselves as writers and of their audience and presents several analogies comparing writing with other performance activities. (JD)