BASICS OF SPEECH

Issue 1

2017-2018

Ms. Leslie Muhlbach [email protected] Twitter @muhlbachl Remind 101: 81010 @basicspee Facebook (Ms. Leslie Muhlbach) Lincoln High School direct line to classroom: (614) 479-1592

IN THIS ISSUE

Welcome to Speech Class! Speak The P.R.I.D.E. It is with great pleasure and esteemed excitement that I welcome you to our Speech experience in room H166! I am going to share with you a critical secret! 100% of people suffer from some level of stage fright or performance anxiety. That’s right! Every student enrolled in speech has this one fear in common! It is your job to work and figure out how to cope with it when it rears its ugly head. Am I sharing this to frighten you even more or to intimidate you? Absolutely not! You should know that you are not alone if you are experiencing anxieties about getting up in front of people. Speaking in public can frighten even the most outgoing people. That is precisely why I am here. It is only with diagnostic attention and regular practice with the support of a trained professional (me) and engaged listeners (your classmates) that speaking in front of an audience improves over time. As the semester begins and expectations seem challenging, keep in mind that this a journey. It will get easier with time and practice, practice, and more practice. “Courage is knowing what NOT to fear” (Plato). The fear of speaking may be overwhelming as our journey begins. We must help train the mind to believe there are much more substantial evils in the world to fear than our own thoughts and ideas about speaking to others.

Performance Expectations Before we even begin to discuss grades and various forms of assessment, let’s get to very bottom of what I expect from you as a presenter. I expect each of my students to put forth a sincere attempt to improve over the course of the semester. Yes, that means I expect all students to at least TRY to complete all assignments to the absolute best of their abilities. I have been doing this long enough to know that your potential for learning far exceeds what most of you even know you are capable of achieving. Most of us fear giving our all because if it works out in our favor, people will come to expect that level of performance from us. Guess what? I already expect that level of performance from you. Now that we have taken care of my expectations, let’s address yours.

#Speak UP, #Speak OUT, #Speak ON Students participate in mock job interviews, present awards on stage, and debate critical thoughts about contemporary issues.

Professional Expectations I will do my absolute best at all times to be a positive role model for effective and positive communication in and outside of my classroom. Confidentiality, honesty, and transparency are what you can expect from me as a professional educator. If you ever have questions or concerns, please just ASK!

Assignments/Assessments Grades are based on a growth model that rewards students with “badges” for their abilities to self-reflect, set reasonable goals for improvement, and demonstrate performance skills over the course of the semester.

Classroom Supplies *We do not teach from a Speech textbook, but rather use supplemental texts, handouts, and videos for instruction on the fundamentals of communication theory, basic speech vocabulary, and guidelines for formatting outlines and properly referencing copyright protected material. *Students will be required to refer to my portal and access Google Classroom for notes, project/speech guidelines, and to link to various video and audio files as references for numerous speech assignments throughout the semester. Refer the teacher portal for instructions on how to register yourself for your assigned Google Classroom.

GOALS FOR THE COURSE *To understand how speech communication can enrich our lives.

Class Supplies -

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A folder to keep handouts Internet access to use Google Drive and Classroom (can be provided at school) Loose-leaf paper Writing utensils/highlighter

*To gain confidence and skill in public speaking and performance.

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An open mind Positive Attitude Active Listening Skills Supportive relationships with classmates

*To discover the importance of communication in our relationships with others and the world around us. SHARE GOALS ON TWITTER! @muhlbachl

Attendance Expectations AKA BE HERE! ESPECIALLY ON DAYS WHEN YOU ARE A LISTENER IN THE AUDIENCE!

Attendance is critical to your success. Speech class is planned for your growth and improvement each and every day. You cannot expect to improve and grow if you are not here to participate in teacher- designed activities. All daily work will be posted and shared in the Google Classroom making it very reasonable for you to complete all work whether or not you are in attendance. However, keep in mind that those assignments are supplemental to what you will actively learn in class each day. Excused Absences: You are responsible for Email your teacher in advance if you know you will be absent. It communicates responsibility on your part. -Tests, quizzes, presentations or classwork previously assigned or on the calendar are to be taken, turned in, or made-up on the day you return.

Unexcused Absences: You are responsible for communicating with the teacher after you have missed a class. This is to be done before or after school, via email, or during 6th or 8th periods. Avoid asking for missed work during the 5 minutes between classes. Teachers are expected to be monitoring the hallways and checking for important allschool information during that time. -All work missed or due on the day of the absence will be marked as zero in home access until the work has been made-up and emailed to Ms. Muhlbach. Students have the same amount of time to make up work as days absent. (Absent 1 day=1 day to make up work).

DEALING WITH STAGE FRIGHT

Classroom Responsibilities AKA TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS

SUCCESSFUL LEARNING COMMUNITIES THRIVE BECAUSE STUDENTS HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES.

Self-Advocacy According to WrightsLaw.com, self-advocacy is learning how to speak up for yourself, making your own decisions about your own life, learning how to get information so that you can understand things that are of interest to you, finding out who will support you in your journey, knowing your rights and responsibilities, problem solving, listening and learning, reaching out to others when you need help and friendship, and learning about selfdetermination. This is a critical life-long skill that you must practice and master during time in school when you can partner with teachers and classmates who are working to understand your journey. You will be held accountable for the following:

Personal Responsibility No one but you will ever truly know how YOU feel when speaking in front of an audience of any size. That’s why you must employ self-advocacy in learning how to develop strategies for coping with anxiety that could negatively affect your ability to communicate with others. It is nearly impossible to speak sincerely to our listeners if we are fixated on our own fears. I can give you the tools to help, but you must be willing to participate and practice.

FAST FACTS

100% The number of people who are affected by performance anxiety or what is known as “stage fright.” 75% of people have speech anxiety that negatively impacts ability to communicate effectively.

50/50 Males and females are equally affected by public speaking anxiety.

BEING PREPARED- Everything you need for daily participation must be ready to access at the time it is needed. We will use Google Drive for all assignments to make the transition from one speaker to the next as smooth as possible. IF YOUR MATERIALS ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE AT THE TIME OF YOUR SPEECH, YOU WILL BE RESCHEDULED WITH A PENALTY. SHOW CHARACTER- Honesty and integrity are expected. Plagiarism and copying homework are unacceptable. (This includes NOT giving credit for sources used in speeches. These infractions will result in disciplinary action taken by the teacher and administration). DOCUMENT GROWTH- You will be expected to complete a number of assessments that will reflect your unique experiences in the class (ie. behavior inventories, surveys, selfevaluations). Your honesty in completing this work will be reflected in your growth and improvement over the course of the semester. These pieces of evidence are required for the course, but more importantly necessary to make the most of our time together.

Responsible Citizenship SHOW RESPECT AND COURTESY- This class is about equal access to and fair treatment of the creative, diverse, and unique voices of our classmates. It is a natural right of human beings to be treated in a way that preserves dignity and inspires contribution. Much of what is expected of your treatment of classmates I would like to think is common sense. However, if you need a crash course on how to behave for each other, please just consider the following: *ACCEPTANCE IS KEY- ALL students have the rights to feel as though their voices deserve to be heard, even if you do not agree with what is being said. *LISTENING IS KEY- You cannot listen and be distracted at the same time. The best speakers are the best listeners. You are responsible for listening attentively and empathetically to your classmates. That means show respect for yourself and classmates by putting away items that would tempt you to be distracted. *CIVILITY IS KEY- We will be discussing and debating critical issues of our time. That means that you will hear some thoughts and ideas that will differ from your own. WHAT A BLESSING! Responsible citizens listen to each other while developing strategies for communication that involve questioning, research, and refutation that is intellectually guided and conducted with courtesy and professionalism. *HUMILITY IS KEY- We must be humble in our practice and be open to the challenge of growth. In order to improve and become more effective communicators, it is important that we invite our listeners to offer observations of our weakness, tips for improvement, and partnership in practice. YOU WILL RECORD EVERY SPEECH PRESENTATION IN THIS CLASS. All speeches will be saved in your Google Drive shared by me for open access. Only when we self-assess can suggestions made by others be validated.

"Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." ~Mattie Stepanek

Grading Policies and Procedures

SPEECH PERFORMANCE GRADES

AKA “I WAS CHECKING MY GRADE IN HOME ACCESS…”

Speech is a performance class in which you are expected to demonstrate growth and improvement in skills over a period of the time (the semester). This means that a point based grading system does not best serve as an accurate measure of your growth and improvement over time. All grades in this class are weighted based on what the overall value of a particular type of assignment will have on your growth and development. See below for the weighted categories of assignments: 30% - Speech Performance including in-class presentations, video submissions, panel discussions, debates, symposiums. 30% - Speech preparation including outlines, research notes, in-class rehearsal and practice, quizzes/tests over terms and concepts. 20% - Speech evaluations including selfreflections, growth charts, peer evaluations, speech evaluations of historical or live presentations, TEDTalk reviews. 20% - Ouside-of-class-work including discussion posts, Google Classroom posts, surveys, observations. LEARNING TARGETS are growth measures that students will demonstrate throughout the course of the semester. Home Access Center will communicate student progress toward meeting learning targets. Grades will be reflective of student growth and learning over time, they are not necessarily a reflection of an individual assignment or event. Students should not see grades as mistakes and obstacles to the real LEARNING. Students will work with the teacher to develop a set of goals for improvement based on various theoretical approaches to communication and diagnostic evaluation of skills. For example, poor performance on a single assignment one day in class may change as the student practices and continues to improve and show growth. The final grade will reflect the learning over time instead of a single poor performance. Short term grades are more of a “snap shot” & serve to let students “know where they stand” for each category.

Assessments will be evaluated using a scale of 5. These markings should accurately reflect your growth and improvement in key areas of mastery. A student consistently (2) performing at a 5 in any area will earn a performance badge. 5- Work reflects mastery of learning. Shows comprehensive understanding of communication concepts. (90-100) 4- Work demonstrates understanding of content and exhibits strong use of skills. May include minor mistakes. (80-89) 3- Reflects basic understanding, shows partial use of skills, but lacks depth. (70-79) 2- Shows little or inconsistent understanding, skills are limited or work is partially incomplete. (60-69) 1- Reflects little to no effort in learning required skills. Reluctant to cooperate with the teacher in developing a growth plan for improvement. A student who is reluctant to put forth effort in individual growth and improvement is in danger of failing the course and being required to remediate. (Fail) Students should be able to demonstrate the following learning targets: *I can use methods to reduce anxiety. *I can vary my voice to accommodate for my audience and my environment. *I can use nonverbal language to enhance my presentation style. *I can organize my thoughts using logic and reasoning. *I can prepare notes and use effectively when presenting. *I can effectively use visual aids to enhance my speech. *I can compose engaging introductions and conclusions to make my speech memorable. *I can locate and use evidence to support my topics. *I can develop arguments on both sides of an issue. *I can formulate a rebuttal during debate. *I can ask critical questions during debate. *I can dress professionally and appropriately for an interview or presentation. *I can collaborate with classmates in groups. *I can demonstrate critical listening skills. *I can be effective group discussion leader. *I can be an empathetic listener. *I can identify effective and ineffective communication.

Individual Speeches Students will choose to present in a variety of formats to demonstrate mastery of voice development, body language, organizational skills, and audience connection.

Group Discussions Students will learn about the numerous barriers that can challenge even the strongest communicators when working in groups. By strengthening confidence when working with a partner, a group of 5, or a group of 10, students will notice confidence carry over into presentations to an audience of 30!

Practice and Rehearsal Students learn strategies to practice and rehearse in order to prepare for important presentations. These include tips for organizing notes, warming up the voice, mental focus, and breath control. Students agree the more they practice, the less they fear, and the more people listen.