Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

The Relationship Between Ca And Humor, Michael Sean Mcmurtry

Masters Theses

Research has shown that communication apprehension is seen as a negative effect of speaking in public as well as in other situations. The nervous and anxious feelings experienced in these contexts take away from understanding and add to the breakdown of interpersonal relationships. On the other hand, humor is found to be an excellent coping mechanism to deal with embarrassing and fear-related anxieties and it adds to group cohesiveness. The relationship between CA and humor was of investigated to determine what effects CA has on humor and how well the use of humorous messages alleviates the problems associated with CA. …

Visualization And Imagined Interaction As Cognitive Interventions For Lowering Levels Of Communication Apprehension, Kathleen A. Snyder

Masters Theses

Communication apprehension is something with which many students and people in general are faced when forced into an involuntary communication situation. Various treatments have been tested for coping with it. Imagined interaction and visualization, two cognitive processes associated with intrapersonal communication, were investigated in this study as interventions for lowering communication apprehension levels in introductory public speaking courses. One-hundred and fifty college students enrolled in introductory speech courses at Eastern Illinois University served as subjects and were assigned to one of four groups: a control group, a script visualization group, a performance visualization group, and an imagined interaction group.

The …

A Burkean Analysis Of The Rhetoric Of Sexual Harassment: An Examination Of The Polarization Of Attitudes Related To Consensual Relationships On Campus, Loretta Lovelace Wiman

Masters Theses

A history of sexual harassment traces the recognition and development of the issue as a social problem in the workplace and on college campuses. A review of research literature reveals both percentages of students involved and the effects on those students of academic or teacher/student sexual harassment. A brief overview of institutional policy statements shows that some colleges/universities have responded to the issue with a ban on all consensual amorous relationships between teachers and students; some ban such relationships only when a supervisory relationship also exists, and some do neither. Some policies include sanctions on those who violate bans; others …

Robert Frost And Maya Angelou: Poet-As-Rhetor In The Presidential Inauguration: Textual Symbols And The Symbol Of Enactment, Donna M. Witmer

Masters Theses

This criticism uses an organic approach to examine the rhetorical properties of Frost's and Angelou's inaugural poems and their individual enactments respective of the constraints and exigencies in the Presidential inaugurations of Kennedy and Clinton. Apparently responding to the constraints of television's sound bite as well as to exigencies of the traditional inauguration and the need to serve a new generation and a culturally diverse population, the Clinton Administration combined the poetic form, used to heighten an emotional response, with an enactment as a synecdochic symbol, used to assert sociopolitical ideology.

Editor's Page, Craig Newburger

Basic Communication Course Annual

Editor reflects on journal's first six years and acknowledges the service and commitment of past editors.

Contents

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Interactive Video Instruction For Teaching Organizational Techniques In Public Speaking, Michael W. Cronin

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article describes two interactive videodisc instructional programs for teaching organizational techniques in public speaking and reports the assessment of these programs. Formative evaluations indicate that students enjoyed the level III interactive video instruction (IVI). One-way analyses of variance indicated that students receiving IVI in "Constructing Speaking Outlines" (study 1) or "Developing Key Ideas" (study 2) achieved significantly higher recall/application test scores than did students in the control group in the respective study. Implications for the use of these IVI programs in supplementing traditional public speaking instruction are discussed.

Obstacles To Overcome In The Implementation Of A Program To Reduce Communication Apprehension In The Basic Public Speaking Course, Bruce C. Mckinney, Stephen J. Pullum

Basic Communication Course Annual

The problem of communication apprehension (CA) is well documented in the speech communication literature and many schools have implemented programs to help students overcome CA, especially CA associated with public speaking. Often times this is done as part of the basic course. However, there are many obstacles to overcome in the implementation of such programs. This article analyzes six common obstacles associated with implementing a program to reduce CA in a special section of the basic communication course.

An Assessment Of Panel Vs. Individual Instructor Ratings Of Student Speeches, David E. Williams, Robert A. Stewart

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study addressed the possibility of utilizing a panel of instructors to evaluate student speeches. Forty-six public speaking students were videotaped during an informative speech assignment. Instructor panels evaluated each speech using the same criteria as the real instructor. This study found that trait error exists in panel grading as it does in individual instructor evaluation. Panel and individual instructor ratings were generally similar but inferior speeches were graded lower by the panel than the real instructor. This suggests that panels may be less likely to experience leniency error and may give more accurate evaluations of weaker speeches. Considerations are …

The Incorporation Of Mentors And Assistant Basic Course Directors (Abcds) Into The Basic Course Program: Creating A Safety Net For New Teaching Assistants, Nancy L. Buerkel-Rothfuss, Donn S. Fink, Charlotte A. Amaro

Basic Communication Course Annual

TAs face many demands and expectations in their oftenconflicting roles. As a result, many TAs burn out not from lack of ability but from a lack of personal support. Some of the stress associated with the TA position may be reduced through the use of experienced peers who serve as mentors and by reliance upon assistant basic course directors (ABCDs). This paper describes a program designed to incorporate such peer support into a basic course program staffed by TAs.

Meeting Certification Requirements For Teacher Certification Through The Basic Course, S. Clay Willmington, Kay E. Neal, Milda M. Steinbrecher

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article explains how one institution of higher education designed their basic course to include communication proficiency for teachers as an integral part of the course. Features of the course include the following standardized assessments: a 60-question multiple-choice exam to assess cognitive proficiency; a one-on-one interpersonal encounter to assess interpersonal proficiency; a speech to inform to assess public speaking proficiency; and the use of the Steinbrecher-Willmington Listening Test to assess listening.

Instructional Resource Innovations For The Introductory Communication Course, Craig Newburger

Basic Communication Course Annual

The following four articles represent the proceedings of an SCA Seminar held at the New Orleans convention: "Instructional Resource Innovations for the Introductory Communication Course." These monographs detail four multi-media resource areas that introductory communication course directors can consider: Storytelling — the student-as-medium (Pamela Cooper); Visualization — the student-as-medium (Joe Ayres and Debbie M. Ayres); Self-confrontation — applications involving the use of videotape with public speaking instruction (Craig Newburger, Linda Brannon, and Arlie Daniel); and Computer-Mediated-Communication (Gerald M. Santoro and Gerald M. Phillips).

The Role Of Performance Visualization In The Basic Public Speaking Course: Current Applications And Future Possibilities, Joe Ayres, Debbie M. Ayres

Basic Communication Course Annual

This essay discusses current applications of visualization as well as future possible applications. At present visualization is used to help people cope with speech anxiety. Of the versions of visualization currently available, performance visualization seems superior because it helps people reduce anxiety and improve their presentation skills. The conditions under which performance visualization ought to be employed are discussed along with potential refinements in the procedure. The second section of the essay suggests that visualization may play a broader role in public speaking courses than it currently does. We point out that public speaking courses are grounded in a western …

Self-Confrontation And Public Speaking Apprehension: To Videotape Or Not To Videotape Student Speakers?, Craig Newburger, Linda Brannon, Arlie Daniel

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study examines the impact of self-confrontation (self-viewing of videotaped speeches) on student public speaking apprehension. Subjects who were confronted with their videotaped speeches (as post-performance feedback) did not experience a reduction in their public speaking apprehension, while subjects who were not so confronted did experience a significant reduction. The experience of presenting several speeches before an audience appears to be the intervening variable that invoked the reduction in public speaking apprehension, while self-confrontation appears to inhibit this reduction.

Author Identification

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Call For Papers And Editorial Philosophy

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.