PUBLIC SPEAKING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD

Transcription

1 PUBLIC SPEAKING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY SPRING 2015 MEETING TIMES: Tuesday, 5-6pm MEETING LOCATION: 156 Dwinelle FACILITATORS: Maggie Yang, Jenny Yu FACULTY SPONSOR: Professor Robert Berring WEBSITE: COURSE OVERVIEW: Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel -Ralph Waldo Emerson Thinking about law school? This course will prepare you to think on your feet in difficult situations, teach you how to give a speech in front of a daunting audience perhaps a jury, and help you master argumentation techniques. Or perhaps you are entering the professional world in a different field business, English, art, computer science. This course is being offered under the Legal Studies department because we think that public speaking is extremely important to those interested in pursuing law effective lawyers must be effective communicators and flexible and fast thinkers. However, no matter what field you plan on going into, public speaking is a nonexpendable skill that will launch your career into new horizons. This course teaches the fundamentals of public speaking in the professional world, and it will cover topics including interviewing, networking, non-verbal communication,

2 impromptu, and debate. All of these topics are not only geared toward preparing students to confidently enter into the professional world as they look for internships or future jobs, but also to teach students how to think in stressful and unexpected scenarios. Whether it is giving an impromptu presentation or responding quickly to an argument in a debate, students will be able to gain a sense of how to respond quickly, appropriately, and confidently. Class is taught through a series of lectures, but will predominantly focus on providing students with a comfortable and engaging forum in which they can practice the skills that we cover in class. Lectures consist of a presentation on the given topic, supplemented by a variety of engaging and interesting short practice activities throughout the presentation. For example, during our debate techniques lecture, we will demonstrate certain key points and techniques, and then ask students to come to the stage and engage in a SPAR (a short and informal debate) on interesting topics such as gun control laws or free speech rights. Then, students will receive immediate feedback from facilitators and peers. We believe in teaching through demonstration, and students will be able to learn not only from direct feedback, but also from feedback given to their peers. The only secret to public speaking is PRACTICE. Do not see the midterms as merely midterms they are opportunities for students to exercise their skills and receive valuable feedback from both their peers and facilitators. In addition to midterms, as aforementioned, lectures will also provide plenty of opportunities for students to engage in speaking and receive feedback. The professional world is full of last minute presentations or interviews students will be ready for all of these. At the end of the 15-week course, students will be able to effectively and confidently speak in the professional world students will be masters of interviewing, networking, impromptu speaking, nonverbal communication, and debate techniques. The engaging atmosphere of the class will also improve students interpersonal communication skills a very important skill in any environment. Most importantly, students will learn how to think on their feet and be prepared for any unexpected circumstances. GRADING: Students will be graded based on three midterms. Midterm 1 (Mock Interview) 10 Midterm 2 (Impromptu) 10 Midterm 3 (Prepared Speech) 10

3 Homework Assignments 10 Total 40 (35 points needed to pass) ATTENDANCE POLICY: Due to the importance of practicing in order to excel at public speaking, attendance is mandatory and will be taken on a weekly basis. To make things simple and straightforward, you get three absences for free. However, you cannot be absent for midterms days, which will be announced early in the semester. Being absent for a midterm will result in 0 points for that midterm, which amounts to an automatic fail. You can use these absences for any reason (illness, scheduling conflicts, etc.). For simplicity on our part and yours, we will let you make the decision about when you will miss a class. Organize your schedule carefully! More than three absences will result in an AUTOMATIC FAIL. Please don t be late! We will start promptly on Berkeley time, so please plan accordingly. Anyone coming in after class has started will be counted as tardy. Two tardies will equate to one absence. CONTACT US: Our contact info has been listed above. Please don t hesitate to us with any questions or concerns you may have, but allow us a 48 hour period for a reply. Also, please utilize the subject line-specify that your is for the DeCal (and specific instructor if needed). We will also be holding office hours (1 hour/instructor), during which you are free to come by for in-person assistance. This is especially recommended for before midterms. Office hours are TBD, announced on a close to weekly basis. Our policy is to please us at least 2 hours prior to the start of office hours if you plan on coming, so that we know whether or not to hold them for that day. HOMEWORK: Homework listed for the week is expected to be completed BEFORE class begins. Due to the nature of the course, presentation slides will be uploaded in advance, and you will be expected to gone and familiarized yourself with them before the lecture, so that the instructor doesn t need to spend a large amount of time going through lecture slides. Our class meeting times are very limited, and we want to allow as much time for practice as possible. There will be an introductory Linked-In assignment, as well as three Write-ups throughout the course. Quick guidelines are listed on the course syllabus, and more details will be given in class. Each write up is expected to be at least 1 page long, double spaced, 12 pt Times

4 New Roman font, etc. the standard academic formatting. Please have your write-ups typed and ready to turn in at the beginning of the class period which it s due. BSPACE: There will be a course bspace site. Materials will be uploaded to this site, as well as announcements and grades. Please make sure you are enrolled by the second class. SCHEDULE: There are three big units throughout the course: Interviewing & Networking (Week 1-4), Nonverbal Communication & Impromptu (Week 5-10), and Prepared Speeches (Week 11-14). Class Topic Homework 1 Course Introduction & Overview Reading: Slides and lecture notes Lecture and activities: Interviewing 2 Lecture, discussion, and activities: Networking Create a LinkedIn account (unless you have one), and add both instructors as your connections for credit 3 Practice and activities: Interviewing Prepare for Mock Interview and Networking 4 Midterm 1: Mock Interviews No Homework enjoy the break! 5 Midterm 1: Mock Interviews No Homework-enjoy the break! 6 Presentation and activities: Nonverbal Reading: Slides and lecture notes Communication 7 Presentation and activities: Prepare for midterm Impromptu Speaking 8 Practice and activities: Impromptu Prepare for midterm Speaking 9 Midterm 2: Impromptu & Nonverbal Communication No homework-enjoy the break! 10 Presentation and Practice: Prepared Reading: slides and lecture notes Speech Techniques 11 Presentation and Practice: Prepared Speeches Prepare 5 minute speech on chosen topic 12 Midterm 3: Prepared Speeches Prepare 5 minute speech on chose topic 13 Course Wrap Up, Final Questions, Survey on Course Write up: Your improvements and progress throughout the course. We hope you enjoyed the semester!

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