Comprehensive Study Notes on Public Speaking, Research Methods, and University Learning Strategies

Informative Speech Requirements, Evaluation, and Rubric Standards

• Informative Speech Assignment Overview:

  • Speech Length: Strictly $3$ to $5$ minutes in duration.
  • Topic Criteria: Speech must inform the audience about an object, person, idea, event, or place of personal interest.
  • Communication Stage: Fits into the "adapt and awareness" stage of the Principles of Communication for a Lifetime framework.
  • Speech Purpose: Purely informative. Speech topics must avoid persuasive intent, biased language, or asking the audience to choose a side or take action.
  • Topic Pre-Approval: Topics must be submitted to Blackboard by Sunday including title, topic, $3$ main points, and a visual aid concept.

• Mandatory Speech Day Checklist:

  • Two Printed Copies of the Outline: One copy for the speaker at the podium, and one copy for the instructor at the back of the room. Missing a printed outline results in a zero on the outline grade, which costs $10$ points off the overall speech score (maximum achievable speech score becomes $90/100$).
  • Printed Copy of the Speech Rubric: Downloaded and printed from Blackboard by the student.
  • Communication Lab (CommLab) Receipt: Proof of attendance for a CommLab appointment (Zoom confirmation email or physical signature). Worth $10$ points.

• Speech Rubric Structure and Grading Scheme:

  • Top Half: Organization & Content (Graded out of $10$ points per section):
    • Outline: Printed copy provided ($0$ points if missing).
    • Introduction: Must contain all $5$ mandatory introductory elements. Deduct $1$ point for every missing element.
    • Body Paragraphs: Clear $3$ main points with explicit transition statements between main points.
    • Conclusion: Restates thesis/topic, summarizes $3$ main points, provides a wrap-up takeaway, and ends with a thank-you statement.
    • Content & Sources: Evaluated on integration of required verbal citations during delivery. Tracked via tallies and written comments (e.g., "no title").
    • Presentation Aid: Earns a full $10/10$ participation grade as long as a visual aid is present and used.
  • Bottom Half: Delivery & Presentation (Graded out of $5$ points per section):
    • Eye Contact: Consistently looking up from paper/outline.
    • Gestures: Natural hand usage. Points deducted for holding/gripping the podium or standing stiffly.
    • Vocal Variety & Articulation: Adequate volume for the back of the room, proper pacing, and effective use of pauses.
    • Movement: Purposeful posture; points deducted for swaying or distracting body movements.
    • Language Choice & Vocal Fillers: Deductions applied for vocal fillers such as "um", "like", or "ah".
    • Extemporaneous Delivery: Speaking freely from outline key terms rather than reading word-for-word.
    • Dress: Standard is business casual (e.g., nice shirt and jeans; sweatpants and t-shirts are prohibited).
    • Time Requirements: Must land within $3$ to $5$ minutes. A $1\text{-point}$ deduction is assessed for every $30\text{-second}$ increment over or under the time limit. Time visual cues: Yellow card shown when minimum time ($3\text{ minutes}$) is reached; Red card shown when time limit ($5\text{ minutes}$) is reached.

Speech Structure, Outlining, and Content Organization

• Five Core Elements of an Introduction:

  • Attention Getter (Hook): Engaging prompt such as a question, show of hands, compelling fact, rhetorical prompt, or relevant quote.
  • Credibility Statement: Establishes why the speaker is qualified to present on the topic based on personal experience, hobbies, education, or research (e.g., "I have been an ice skater for two years" or "I have attended NSU for six years"). Does not refer to source authors.
  • Audience Relation: Connects the topic directly to the audience's interests or daily life (e.g., "Everyone carries a smartphone camera in their pocket").
  • Thesis Statement: One concise sentence declaring the topic and informative intent ("Today, I will inform you about [topic]").
  • Preview Statement: Concise listing of the speech's $3$ main points ("I will explain physical therapy by discussing its impact on the body, its impact on the mind, and how it works").
  • Introductory Timing: The introduction should last between $1.0$ and $1.5$ minutes maximum.

• Four Core Elements of a Conclusion:

  • Review Statement: Restates the speech topic and reiterates all $3$ main points.
  • Wrap-Up: Provides a concluding thought or item for the audience to chew on.
  • Encouragement / Application: Brief takeaway encouraging practical use of the presented knowledge.
  • Thank You: Explicit verbal signal indicating the speech is complete so the audience knows to applaud.

• Organizational Patterns for Main Ideas:

  • Chronological Order: Structured sequentially by time (e.g., History of Cherokee Nation: Trail of Tears $\rightarrow$ relocation $\rightarrow$ modern origination).
  • Topical Order: Divided by themes, sub-topics, or subjects (e.g., First Amendment aspects: freedom of speech, religious exercise, right to assemble).
  • Spatial Order: Arranged according to physical space or geography (e.g., Describing Wilson Hall starting from the ground level up to the second-floor Communication & Media Studies department).

• Organizing for Oral Listening Comprehension:

  • Transition Phrases: Mandatory verbal bridges placed between main points (e.g., "Now that I have educated you about [Point 1], I am going to explain [Point 2]").
  • Repetition: Repeating key preview terms, main points, and summaries aids audience retention in oral presentations.

• Enhancing Informative Clarity and Engagement:

  • Word Pictures: Sensory language appealing to sight, sound (e.g., buzz, crackle, hiss), smell (e.g., new car smell), and touch (e.g., rough as sandpaper).
  • TEACH Method (Used for teaching processes or demonstrative speeches):
    • T = Tell (Describe what listeners need to know)
    • E = Example (Demonstrate how to perform the skill)
    • A = Apply (Allow listeners to perform or visualize the skill)
    • C = Coach (Provide guidance and constructive feedback)
    • H = Help (Assist and answer listener questions)

Source Research, Evaluation, and APA Formatting

• Academic Database Research Process:

  • Search the university library main search engine to query all subscription databases simultaneously.
  • Filter search results by selecting "Peer-reviewed" and restricting format types to "Article / Downloadable PDF".

• Source Evaluation Criteria (CRAAP Method):

  • Currency: Timeliness of the information. Acceptable timeframes depend on the subject (e.g., technology sources from 2020 are outdated, whereas psychology research from 2005 may still be valid).
  • Relevance: Importance to the specific speech topic; ability to extract $1$ to $2$ direct quotes.
  • Authority: Credentials, education, degrees, and background of the author.
  • Accuracy: Truthfulness and correctness of the content.
  • Purpose: Intent of the source; distinguishing between objective information ("telling") and biased promotion ("selling").

• Verbal Citation Requirements (Four Total Required During Delivery):

  • Five Potential Citation Components:
    1. Author Name: Last name preferred.
       • $1$ Author: State last name or full name.
       • $2$ Authors: State both last names (e.g., "Chan and Dale").
       • $3+$ Authors: State the first author followed by "and others" (e.g., "Chan and others").
    2. Author Credibility: Relevant professional background matched to topic (e.g., "doctors in communication", "dog trainer", "French poet"). Select the $1$ or $2$ most relevant credentials.
    3. Publication Year: Publication or copyright year only (e.g., 2016, 2024). Do not state month or day.
    4. Source Type: Format of the publication (e.g., website, journal article, book, excerpt).
    5. Article Title: Required ONLY when no individual author is credited and an organizational author is used (e.g., Public Broadcasting System, American Kennel Club).
  • Abbreviation Rule: Spell out full organizational titles on first reference (e.g., state "Public Broadcasting System" before saying "PBS"; state "American Kennel Club" before saying "AKC").
  • Periodical Rule: Never cite a source in delivery as "according to the Journal of Psychology"; cite the specific article title and named authors instead.
  • Sample Verbal Citation Formats:
    • With Named Authors: "According to doctors in communication, Chan and Dale's 2016 article in Communication Quarterly…"
    • With Organizational Author: "According to the nonprofit organization, Public Broadcasting System's 2015 article titled Downton Abbey Trivia…"

• APA Reference Page Formatting Rules:

  • Header: Titled "References" centered at the top of its own dedicated page at the end of the outline (created using a Ctrl + Enter page break).
  • Alphabetical Order: Entries listed alphabetically by the primary author's last name or organizational title.
  • Hanging Indent: $0.5\text{-inch}$ hanging indent applied to all entries (Format $\rightarrow$ Align & indent $\rightarrow$ Indentation options $\rightarrow$ Special indent: Hanging). Manual tab spacing is prohibited.
  • Typography: Double-spaced throughout in $12\text{-pt}$ Times New Roman font.
  • Dates & Identifiers: Include publication year in parentheses (2024). Include URLs for online sources. Peer-reviewed entries must list journal title, volume number, issue number, and page ranges.

Visual Aids and Presentation Standards

• Acceptable Visual Aid Formats:

  • Physical objects, models, people, drawings, photographs, maps, charts, graphs, audio clips, video clips (must be under $30\text{ seconds}$ in length), and PowerPoint slideshows.

• PowerPoint Design & Slide Formatting Rules:

  • Recommended Slide Structure: Minimum of $3$ to $4$ slides (Slide 1: Title & Name e.g., "Photography by Brianna Little Bear"; Slide 2: Thesis & $3$ Main Points; Slides 3–5: One slide per main point; Final Slide: Conclusion / Thank You).
  • Text Limits: Use bullet points and summary text only. Full sentences and paragraphs are prohibited. Slides must not be dense with text.
  • Image Rules: Maximum of $2$ pictures per slide. Every online image must feature an APA citation printed directly beneath the visual.
  • Color & Design: Avoid neon color combinations (e.g., red background with yellow text). Use high-contrast colors and large, legible font sizes. Avoid clip art, audio animations, or distracting slide transitions.
  • Delivery Guidelines: Do not turn back to read slides to the audience. Always be prepared to give the speech without visual aids if technology fails.

University Academic Strategies, Reading Methods, and Note-Taking

• Course Codes and Credit Hour Study Ratio Formula:

  • Course Level Identification: First digit represents course level ($1000$ level = Freshman, $4000$ level = Senior).
  • Credit Hours: Final digit indicates earned credit hours (e.g., course code ending in $3$ = $3\text{-credit}$ class).
  • Standard Study Ratio Formula: For every $1\text{ hour}$ spent in class per week, a student must dedicate $2\text{ hours}$ to outside study and preparation.
  • Study Time Calculation Example:
    • A $3\text{-credit}$ course requires $3\text{ hours}$ in class + $6\text{ hours}$ of outside study = $9\text{ total weekly hours}$.
    • A full load of $12\text{ credit hours}$ requires $12\text{ class hours}$ + $24\text{ hours}$ of outside study = $36\text{ total academic hours per week}$.

• Academic Reading Categories & Strategies:

  • Reading Types: Reading to introduce new content vs. Reading familiar content to deepen subject comprehension.
  • Determining Reading Pace: Time reading speed over $5\text{ minutes}$, $30\text{ minutes}$, or $1\text{ hour}$ to calculate page-per-hour rates for each academic course.
  • Recursive Reading: Rereading material multiple times to establish familiarity and deep comprehension (similar to watching a TV show season recap).
  • Six Elements of Recursive Reading (Non-linear, circular process):
    1. Accessing prior knowledge
    2. Asking questions
    3. Inferring and Implying (Distinction: Readers/listeners infer meanings; Writers/speakers imply meanings)
    4. Learning vocabulary
    5. Evaluating content
    6. Application (applying theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios in health, engineering, or law)
  • Active Reading: Direct engagement with text via note-taking, posing questions, and annotating.
  • Skimming: Fast-paced reading focusing on main ideas, chapter headings, defined terms, pull quotes, visual tables, context clue phrases (e.g., "summary", "finally", "in conclusion"), and analyzing the first and last paragraphs of sections.

• Note-Taking Methodologies:

  • Cornell Method: Divided chart/grid organizing main notes, cues/questions, and a bottom summary block.
  • Outlining: Hierarchical bullet-point organization.
  • Charts and Tables: Matrix layout for comparative material.
  • Content Mapping & Visual Note-Taking: Diagrammatic and spatial visual webs.
  • Venn Diagrams: Overlapping circles used for contrasting overlapping concepts.
  • Shorthand & Annotations: Direct marginal note-taking or transparent sticky notes applied directly onto textbook pages.