Public Speaking 101: In 90 Minutes Or Less

Recently, when employers of entry-level engineers were asked to prioritize the need for further instruction, over 60% of these employers identified communication skills as the primary curricular element needing increased emphasis. Two of the top 10 required skills ranked as important to engineering practice related to making oral presentations. Public speaking, however, is not always required at the university level for engineering students. In an attempt to rectify this situation in a senior-level electrical engineering course at a midwestern university, a team of instructors in the speech communication department was approached to develop a public speaking workshop. The challenge was to condense what would normally be an entire semester's worth of speech instruction into a 90-minute workshop for, the engineering students. This paper describes the workshop's development and implementation, including assessment of the situation, goals for the students, and the overcoming of public speaking anxiety. The paper notes that students were highly participative during the workshops and evaluations immediately following the workshops were positive. (NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY