Teaching at UK

Vol. 3, No. 1 (Fall 1996)

Table of Contents
Developing Oral Communication Ability	Getting Ready	Oral Communication Activities	Strategies for Effective Communication Assessment

Developing Oral Communication Ability: Addressing the decline in the coherence, civility, and content of oral discourse

From its earliest conceptions, a liberal arts' education placed primary importance on the acquisition of the basic skills of rhetoric, logic, and grammar.

One hallmark of an educated individual was the ability to produce clear, well-reasoned, ethical oral discourse. Over the last several decades, this traditional focus has been augmented by a call from the professions to improve the ability of college graduates to speak and listen competently in the work environment.

We have also seen increasing concern expressed over the lack of coherence, content, and civility in public discourse. Our leaders and the general public too often seem to see the differences that characterize a democratic society as best resolved by granting the field to those who can advocate loudest and longest with the greatest control of the various communication media.

Numerous studies over the last two decades have shown almost unanimous agreement among academics, alumni of higher education, employers, and students across a wide variety of disciplines that graduates' lack of oral communication skills is contributing to a crisis that negatively affects the quality of work and community life.

The Teaching and Learning Center and the Department of Communication are working to supplement a cornerstone general education requirement with a more comprehensive approach to our students' need to develop oral communication skill.

USP Oral Communication Requirement and Beyond

1. assess the communication relevant qualities of the listeners;
2. construct messages that ethically and effectively adapt information and arguments to the perspectives of listeners so listeners can best understand and respond in an informed way;
3. deliver the message through verbal and nonverbal channels in ways that enhance, rather than detract from its effectiveness; and
4. consume oral discourse in an informed and critical manner.

This Fall Newsletter outlines a multidimensional effort now under way to deliver oral communication education to our students in ways that go well beyond particular courses in the University Studies program.

New Initiatives

• The principles of oral communication taught students in the core USP course must be reinforced, extended and applied across the curriculum for optimal effect. In order to aid such efforts, the Department of Communication, beginning in Spring of 1997, will provide a faculty resource person to the Teaching and Learning Center to work with faculty in integrating oral communication activities into courses of various types in all the disciplines.
• A summer workshop on oral-communication-across the-curriculum modeled after the writing-across-the curriculum effort is planned for the summer of 1997. A central topic for these efforts will be assessment practices. We have found that it is in the coaching/assessment part of the process that faculty in other disciplines most desire assistance.
• The Teaching and Learning Center has assembled a Re: Source packet of articles on teaching to improve students' oral communication skills.

Working together, we can more effectively pursue the goal of a community of students and alumni capable of engaging in oral discourse characterized by a high level of logical coherence, civility, and substantive content: discourse that better serves the needs of an ethical and humane community.

The brief articles included in this Teaching and Learning Center Newsletter are intended to break the ice on topics of preparation, assessment, and integration of oral communication education across the curriculum. We hope they will motivate colleagues across the university to contact the Teaching and Learning Center at 7-2918 or tlc@pop.uky.edu for more information about resource materials and/or to schedule time with the communication resource person.

GETTING READY: Some Preparation Tips

Put most clearly (and bluntly)--there simply is no substitute for preparation! Both you as instructor and your students may need to remind yourselves of this "motto" for effective communication practice. What follows are some tips that can increase the likelihood of successful presentations in your classroom.

For the Instructor . . .

Instructions.

Instructions for the presentational part of the assignment should identify the parameters: time limits your expectations about the content and the delivery of the message, video-or audio-taping of the assignment, form of your feedback, etc.

Time limits. (both minimum and maximum) are especially important. There must be sufficient time for all students to complete the assignment. Time influences the number of days the assignment is allocated on the course syllabus. It also influences how you manage the actual presentation day(s) so as to allow each student to complete the assignment without undue rushing at the end of the class period. If you want to include audio or video-taping of the assignment, you'll need to allow some extra time for dealing with the equipment. You will also want to indicate whether there will be any penalties if the student fails to meet these limits. You may want to ask one of the students not speaking that day to be your timekeeper.

Content expectations are important in this kind of assignment as in all instruction. It's best to provide a written handout of specific content expectations.

Delivery or presentational expectations are necessary especially if communication performance has not been a part of your regular instruction in the course. What are you expecting the student to be able to do in the presentation? Are they to use any visual aids or multi-media equipment? Do you expect them to maintain eye contact, use gestures or body movement, speak clearly and loudly, etc.? Are they to use notes, outlines or a manuscript as they present and are these for their use only or do you want to see what they use? These expectations may be most clearly set out if you supply a copy of whatever form (or set of questions) you plan to use in your evaluation of the presentation.

Feedback can be both oral and written, individual or for the class as a whole. If the assignment is taped, you'll also want to indicate how the tapes will be used. Students need to be forewarned about whatever means you will be using. [See the Assessment article in this issue for more information.]

For the Students . . .

Preparation. Effective preparation can provide speakers with a level of confidence that can get them through even the scariest presentational assignment.

Presentation content. In preparing for the message content of the presentation, students need to be especially mindful of the purpose of the assignment, the time limits, and whether they are required to use any kind of visual aid(s). If the purpose is clear, it can help the speaker focus on the most important aspects to include to meet the assignment. It is impossible for a student to present an entire semester's research project if the time limit for the presentation is five minutes. So, it will be very important that the specific purpose of this message is sharp and clear.

Notes. What a speaker uses for "notes" during the actual presentation may vary greatly with individuals. If you are expecting students to make eye contact with the class audience, they need to use whatever method will allow them to do so. Writing out the full text of the message only encourages students to read. Students will be more comfortable that the message is there, but not so many that they must continually be looking at them to get through the presentation. The key is to have notes in the most useful form for the presenter.

Visual aids can be very helpful by helping the class audience to see and understand--visualize--the presenter's points. Even more importantly for the presenter, though, the aid can provide a physical place for nervous hands. Of course, the aids can also become a hindrance when the presenter "talks to" the aid rather than the class audience, so some caution should be used.

Rehearsal. Actual practice of presenting the message aloud is critical. It's best if this practice can take place in the actual classroom so that the presenter gets the "feel" of the entire room where their audience will be sitting. Rehearsing allows students to time their message. Most of us speak faster during presentations when we are nervous. However, if the time limits are exceeded in practice by more than one minute, the speaker needs to look for points or items that might be eliminated.

References

Ayres, J. & Hopf, T. (1993).

Coping with speech anxiety. Norwood, NJ:Ablex

McCroskey, J. C. ~ Richmond, V. P. (1995).

Communication: Apprehension, avoidance, and effectiveness, 4th ed. Scottsdale, AZ: Gorsuch Scarisbrick.

Oral Communication Activities That Promote Active Learning

Instructors across disciplines and across the nation are beginning to incorporate oral communication activities into their classes to facilitate active learning. While such activities are clearly not meant to replace the core instruction in oral communication (public speaking, interpersonal communication, or group communication), they do serve to 1) augment the core oral communication instruction, 2) encourage class interaction, 3) empower students to participate actively in their own learning, 4) bring to life many of the lessons discussed in lecture, and 5) make learning a more enjoyable, imaginative, and creative process.

The following are some ideas that could be used in a variety of teaching contexts (seminar to mass lecture), class levels (100 to 500), and disciplines (biology to poetry). If such ideas spark your interest, we encourage you to contact the Communication Faculty Resource Person via the Teaching and Learning Center. The resource person is available to help you help your students learn!

Three categories of oral communication activities are discussed below (major course projects, preparing for exams, and enhancing classroom interaction). Each necessitates a different assessment type. Major course projects must include explicit and formal evaluation criteria and forms. Activities which assist students in preparing for exams must be evaluated primarily on the accuracy of information rather than delivery. Activities which enhance classroom instruction are designed as informal practice activities, and, as such, may be evaluated using more informal and holistic assessment techniques.

Major Course Projects

Group reports. Students are assigned a group and are given the responsibility to research, prepare, and present their topic to the class.

Convention panels. A group of students is assigned a broad topic relating to the course's content. Each student writes a paper focusing on a specific aspect of that topic. Students orally summarize their research in class, as if at a professional convention.

Team debate. Instructors assign students to debate ethical, legal, and / or policy issues related to course content. Instructors can be innovative in adapting debate formats to their classes. Teams typically range from two to four in number.

Preparing for Exams

Quiz shows. Jeopardy, Family Feud, and other quiz show formats can be used to review course content.

Enhancing Classroom Interaction

Role-playing. Students role play situations individually or in groups. For example, students may play roles of defendant, victim, police officer, judge, and juror to illustrate different perspectives and issues in criminal justice.

Moderating case studies. Instructors have students read and be prepared to discuss specific cases. A different student is assigned to moderate each discussion. The moderator prepares a list of questions that highlight the key and controversial points of the case, and conducts the discussion.

Interviews. Students schedule outside-of-class interviews with experts on course-related topics. Often, they record these interviews on audio or video tape. They transcribe quotations for use in their papers, or they play excerpts from the tapes for their in-class oral reports.

Listening: Using student summaries. Instructors begin each class by calling on a student to present a five minute summary of the material covered in the previous class period. This random selection encourages all students to take careful notes on lecture material and review those notes before the next class period.

Many of these ideas were adapted from Radford University 's newsletter, Speak Easy (Volume VII, Number 2, Spring 1995).

Strategies For Effective Communication Assessment

Criteria

• Appropriateness can be defined as the degree to which the presentation fits the situation. Questions to consider include: Is the topic appropriate to the speaker, audience, and occasion? Is the message constructed using quality information? Is the presentation organized with sufficient structure, documentation, unity, and coherence? Is the delivery clear and concise?
• Effectiveness can be defined as the ability of a presentation to fulfill the objective or purpose of the assignment. Structure, substance, analysis and reasoning, clear and appropriate language, and delivery (verbal and nonverbal) constitute categories which assess the effectiveness of a presentation. Effectiveness can be assessed by answering one primary question: Does the presentation achieve the goals of the assignment?

Individual Competencies to be Assessed:

Audience analysis requires the students to take the perspective of their audience and apply that knowledge to the form and substance of their communication. Students assess the expectations, beliefs, and values of the audience as well as features of the situation relevant to their communicative task by using in-class surveys, small group discussion, etc.

Instructors evaluate students' ability to adapt to their audience. In assessing students' skill at analysis instructors might ask among other things if the assumptions informing the students' argument are valid for the target audience, if the evidence employed is credible for that audience, and if the delivery style chosen is appropriate for the audience and occasion.

Message construction competencies consider whether students have made ethical, listener-adapted arguments with quality information.

Message construction is assessed by considering whether students (a) effectively utilize information re sources, (b) demonstrate an understanding of rational argument by applying models such as Toulmin's model, (c) analyze data, assumptions, and claims of current popular arguments, and (d) apply principles of evidence and ethics.

Message organization is a competency which involves structure, balance, and other elements unique to oral contexts.

Among the most critical elements are a clear thesis, a preview statement which forecasts the order of points to be presented in the message, an organizational structure which integrates ideas based on the principles of simplicity, symmetry and orderliness, and a summary. General assessment of the introduction and conclusion may also be included.

Message delivery is a competency which involves both verbal and nonverbal components. Message delivery involves the use of voice, body, and space to effectively communicate. Delivery can be assessed using written feedback which includes specific evaluation criteria, videotape, student self-assessment, peer evaluation, and/or oral feedback from the instructor.

It is important to let the assignment dictate the specific evaluation criteria and potential format of the assessment instrument.

Constructive Assessment Practices

• assessment is objective;
• assessment is clear and understandable;
• assessment is definite;
• assessment is adapted to the student; and
• assessment is constructive and helpful.

Contact the Teaching and Learning Center at 257-2918 or tlc@pop.uky.edu to schedule time with the communications specialist, for more information about resources!

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UK Reports

Posted July 1, 1997
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