Persuasive Speeches

Nice effort on our persuasive speeches. I enjoyed the creativity and audience adaptation of your topics and supporting evidence. Please post by next Tuesday, April 5 your self critique of this speech. Remember that I am most concerned with the development of the argument. What did you do when preparing your argument? How will did you meet the objectives of a persuasive speech? What could you have done to created a stronger argument?

Critiques for Speech #1 Informative Speech

Please post a self critique of your first speech in this blog. Share with us three strengths and three improvements from this first speech experience. Use the comments that you received in class and your own thoughts to critique yourself. Please include a plan of action on how you intend to strengthen the weakest areas of your speech.

Further reflection on speechmaking

We did not get to the discussion of your most admired speakerss post in class yesterday (Tuesday, Feb. 1) so, I would like everyone to go read the comments posted by your fellow classmates on the previous blog (Most admired speaker). Choose three speakers comments and make additional comments on each of their chosen speakers. You can either comment on what the post remarked on the speaker or after watching their clip, add your own comment. This post is due by start of next class.

Who do you admire?

Assignment #1: Find a clip of a speaker in action that you admire. Blog in a post to the traits or reasons that you admire a certain speaker. You should copy the link to a short clip that illustrates the examples that you are posting about in this blog. This blog is due by the start of class on Tuesday, February 1.

You can use hulu, TED talks, youtube or another site to locate your video example. This short clip will be used in class as you discuss your admiration of their communication skills. Clips should be cued in class. Let's keep them 1 minute or less when presenting in class.

How much do you want success?

What does success mean to you?
"">Secret to Success"

Comment on the following in your blog post due by the start of class on Thursday, Sept.9th. This blog post is worth 15 course points.
1) What kept your attention about this presentation? Was it the delivery? The content? Be specfic and use details to discuss this point.
2) What things did this speaker incorporate in his speech to adapt to his audience?
3) Was it motivating to you? In what way? What are your thoughts to defining personal success?

Spring 2011 Welcome to Com 240

Welcome to Communication 240: Business and Government. I am looking forward to a creative and productive semester. I look forward to getting to know each of you and watching you evolve as effective communicators. I really enjoy teaching at TCNJ. I enjoy teaching this class because I teach from a practical perspective, although we will examine some ethical and theoretical dimensions too. It is so satisfying to help so many of you get prepared for your professional careers. We will be examining communication from a number of different directions all in the context of real life in both business and government settings. A few of the many paths that we will explore include investigating how messages are created from the perspective of the sender to how they are received from the perspective of the receiver. The channels used, the effective of culture in the formation of a message and the networks used. We will understand how to effectively communicate in business and examine how messages travel in a business environment whether you the management or subordinate. Additionally, we will focus on the presentational skills needed to give a talk, train an employee or ace a job interview, just to name a few. We will address the message shared in government and politics by using the issues in today's government. Examining the message and learning that making important decisions is more than the charisma but, analyzing the message. We will observe and apply technology and explore how it creates and changes in the message in new and fascinating ways. And, lastly, we will focus on networking and interviewing that occurs in professional settings. Blogging on our class blog will be an important method of capturing our thoughts. We will be using this blog to communicate in many ways in the class, so it is an important class requirement that you visit this blog a few times during the week to keep abreast of assignments and other important class information.We will be using blogs as a means of recording our learning and studies. Every student is required to blog. You can begin by posting your blogs on our class blog post or as the semester evolves, create your own blog. Whatever the case, it is important that you remember that this is an extension of our academic classroom. You must use appropriate grammar, spelling and ideas in all your posts. Also, trying to rush through an assignment or making a weak effort in posting will be evident for all persons to see. Also, be sure to adhere to copyright issues in all posting. Only your originals work(s) whether words or pictures may be used. Please check out the Com 240 links throughout the semester for helpful places needed while in this course. You should feel free to email me at the address on the syllabus at any time for help, questions, concerns, or possible class absences. We will be using this blog to create discussion and complete written assignments this semester. Please be sure that you create a gmail account so you can post on our blog this semester. Please email me if you have any problems asap.

Use this blog post to introduce yourself to the class. We will use it as a practice post. I am looking forward to a pleasurable and productive semester! Share with us similiar information from class and be sure to include how you hope this course will help you further your career or personal goals.

End of the Semester

Well, I hate to see this course come to an end. I have experienced a lot of joy and satisfaction in teaching each and everyone of you. You have been so enthusiastic about learning. The effort in content and creativity put forward in all assignments has been impressive. I found that each class instruction would fly by! It was so satisfying to be part of a class discussion that was active, fun, intelligent and interesting in every single class. Thanks for making it a great class to teach each week. Please stay in touch. I want to hear about your future successes as I expect lots of them from this class. Enjoy your Holidays! Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!