I’ve twice used the following activity to open the semester and both times it was quite successful. I discovered the general idea by surfing around and I wish I could remember the site so I could acknowledge the creator whose idea I extended.
I have students search the web for public speaking classes, seminars, and workshops. Their task is to find the cheapest possible public speaking lessons but the caveat is that the courses cannot be from a college or university type program (such as continuing ed, University of Phoenix, whatever). Once they find a class, they need to identify the cost, hours to complete, assignments, topics covered, credentials of the instructor, and whether or not there’s an opportunity for practice and evaluation.
During class, we then review the courses they’ve discovered. There are a handful under a thousand dollars but usually the cost at least that much per person. The instructors often have sketchy credentials or they are certified by some sort of agency that I’ve never heard of. I asked on student if he checked out the agency and he laughed and jokingly said no but they have a logo! As you can imagine, the content is generally slim, the opportunity for practice and critique is limited, and the amount of time spent is usually a full day or so.
Of course, the obvious step is next. We talk about our class, how much it costs, how much time the class meets, and we go over the syllabus to determine the content. The students recognize how extensive and substantive the syllabus topics are compared to those covered in the seminars.
At this point, the students have been introduced to what the course will cover in a catchy way rather than in a monotonous review of the syllabus topics and they have an awareness of how valuable the class is (and also they wonder why I’m not doing corporate training for the big bucks!).
This time I opened with a chalk talk about what they wanted to learn in class. Predictably they focused on decreasing communication anxiety. I emphasized the importance of good content, preparation, and practice for increasing confidence and managing apprehension.
In all, I think it was a great way to open the class two semesters in a row now.
