Speech class ideas

1. have students pick a random slip each day and do a mini-speech on that topic

1.1. one grading point per mini-speech will reward class attendance, but not unduly penalize a few absences

1.2. hearing about a variety of topics is interesting for listeners

1.2.1. because the answer is personal, it will be easy to formulate, yet also meaningful to talk about

1.2.2. learning about others and telling about ourselves will foster emotional intimacy among class members

1.3. A variety of topics on the slips

1.3.1. have them come from a "book of questions"

1.3.2. give students slips of paper and tell them to come up with questions that class members will then randomly pick and briefly speak upon

1.3.3. perhaps have prepared, creative mini-speeches for Mondays

1.3.3.1. Create and speak a haiku

1.3.3.2. A speech where most words start with the same letter

1.3.3.3. A current news topic of your choice

2. have students sit in different seats each class period

2.1. gives students a chance to meet everyone in class

2.2. many weak social ties will bind us more tightly to the class than a couple stronger ones

2.3. if someone does drop, it will be less likely to be "contagious" to those who sat next to them

2.4. when work places change desk locations, it can increase cross-department interaction and productivity

2.5. when stores change merchandise layouts, sales increase

2.6. students who normally hide in back will be "forced" to sit in front at least occasionally / vice versa

3. gradually increase the length of the mini-speeches

3.1. psychologically, it's a form of systematic desensitization for public speaking

3.2. many small speeches will decrease stage fright better than just a few large speeches

3.3. Week 1: One-sentence speeches Week 2: Two-sentence speeches Or some other formula/format.

3.4. because they're impromptu, they will help build up confidence for impromptu speaking which the hardest kind of all

3.5. great time filler for the long summer class periods

4. Have students "vote" on aspects of class

4.1. Example: "Would you rather have us all do a mini-speech on 'my favorite food is...' or select a random slip? Raise your hand."

4.2. Class becomes a choose-your-own-adventure

4.3. Giving students a sense of control and power with the voting could reduce feelings of helplessness regarding the public speaking itself

4.4. Solicit feedback about different ideas to try out