Public speaking is a universally useful skill. Whether you’re an athlete, a student, an academic, a corporate or non-profit employee, or even a child or parent, your ability to carefully craft an argument and confidently and skillfully convey it to your audience is of utmost value. This course will help you learn to think of speaking as a conversation rather than a theatrical performance, construct convincing arguments, recognize unethical speakers, and other functional aspects of public speaking. Ideally, this course will be a cornerstone of your college education—one that will be of broad use to you in the remainder of your courses here, in your future job, as well as in your current and future personal life.

1. To develop your confidence as a public speaker, and, if necessary, overcome some of your fears and anxieties over public speaking. 2. To learn how to construct a speech from the beginning planning stages through the point of execution. 3. To learn the fundamental skill set necessary to deliver an effective public speech. 4. To learn how to critically listen to and reflect on speeches you hear in your everyday life.