Effective: 2022-05-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

CST 100 provides guidelines, practice opportunities, and feedback in selecting, organizing, adapting, and presenting ideas in a variety of public speaking situations.

Course Objectives

• Critical Thinking
• Analyze principles of communication.
• Articulate the benefits and challenges of communication in present day society or in their own lives.
• Conceptualize, select, apply, analyze, synthesize, and/or evaluate information to develop messages for audience-centered speeches/presentations.
• Civic Engagement
• Analyze the relationship between communication and diversity.
• Describe the role of public speaking as a means to communicate about community issues.
• Professional Readiness
• Orally communicate ideas to a listener with verbal and nonverbal fluency.
• Apply specific communication concepts or theories to personal and professional lives.
• Written Communication
• Analyze the various components of a public presentation and develop a written outline for a presentation
• Elements of Communication Process
• Identify and describe the elements of the communication process, explain how speakers utilize this knowledge, and apply this knowledge when constructing/delivering speeches.
• General and Specific Speech Purposes
• Identify the general purpose for a variety of speech occasions.
• Generate and refine specific speech purposes.
• Modes of Delivery
• Compose and perform a variety of speeches that demonstrate an understanding of the different modes of delivery, including online and in-person delivery.
• Speech Preparation
• Choose a topic, create a thesis, conduct research, develop effective messages, and organize the information into a coherent speech outline that includes citations and a bibliography/works cited page.
• Critical Listening
• Assess and critique/evaluate speech performances.
• Audience Analysis
• Analyze audience reaction data and adapt speech topics to reflect feedback provided.
• Thesis Identification and Development
• Create thesis statements for informative and persuasive speeches.
• Logos, Argumentation and the Use of Evidence
• Define and describe logos, identify and apply techniques to formulate an argument-supported by logical evidence-in persuasive speech performances.
• Develop arguments for persuasive performances, to include individual/group speeches and/or debates.
• Ethos and the Development of Speaker Credibility
• Define and describe ethos and identify and apply techniques to improve speaker credibility in speech performances.
• Uphold the core values/ethics of society in speech performances.
• Pathos and the Development of Emotional Appeals
• Define and describe pathos and identify and apply effective techniques to craft and incorporate emotional appeals in persuasive speech performances.
• Speech Anxiety
• Evaluate their own level of speech anxiety and integrate solutions to decrease anxiety during speech performances.
• Audio-Visual Aids
• Develop and utilize appropriate audio-visual aids in various speech assignments.
• Feedback Skills
• Evaluate peers' speeches and provide constructive feedback.

Major Topics to be Included

• Elements of Communication Process
• General and Specific Speech Purposes
• Modes of Delivery
• Speech Preparation
• Critical Listening
• Audience Analysis
• Thesis Identification and Development
• Logos, Argumentation and the Use of Evidence
• Ethos and the Development of Speaker Credibility
• Pathos and the Development of Emotional Appeals
• Speech Anxiety
• Audio-Visual Aids
• Feedback Skills