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On 11 May 1789, the night before Parliament’s first debate on ending the slave trade, a woman advocated for abolition before hundreds of Londoners at a debating society. Despite her compelling oratory and numerous speeches on the slave trade, her name remains unknown, and she is recorded only as the ‘Fair Orator’. This article begins to restore her place in history by examining the role of London debating societies as crucial yet neglected venues for abolitionist advocacy in late-eighteenth-century Britain. By drawing on newspaper advertisements and government spy reports, it highlights the Fair Orator’s impact, explores her potential identity—possibly Mary Robinson—and addresses the historical anonymity that has obscured women speakers’ contributions to the abolitionist movement. The article also sheds light on the hostile environment women orators faced during this period. In doing so, it argues for the recognition of women’s vital yet often overlooked roles in the abolitionist soundscape and the campaign against the slave trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online content moderation is often equated with platform-initiated take-downs and account suspensions. Counterspeech and other types of pro-social bystander behaviours present alternative approaches. They rely on the reactions of online bystanders to crowd-moderate hostile content. However, the current conceptual understanding of bystander reactions to hostility on social media is inadequate. What constitutes a reaction; what functions do specific reactions serve; and what audiences are reactions aimed at? Conceptual clarity is a prerequisite for studying the prevalence and consequences of pro-social bystander reactions. We therefore offer a novel unifying framework for conceptualising bystander reactions to online hostility: The Online Bystander Repertoire of Action (OBRA) Framework. This provides a foundation for future research on crowd-moderation, as it (1) combines insights across multiple research fields, (2) explicates the complex possible reactions beyond simplistic 'reaction/no reaction' distinctions and (3) draws attention to the degree of pro-sociality of bystander reactions – something that is often taken for granted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Fear of Public Speaking (FOPS), also known as glossophobia, is classified as a nongeneric social anxiety disorder associated with performance situations that involve perceived scrutiny by others. Distraction can be used passively or actively, and one of the active types of distraction is virtual reality (VR) distraction. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether VR distraction is effective in reducing anxiety caused by fear of public speaking. METHODS: Fifty-six individuals participated in the study (VR Distraction- VR-D:19, Non VR Distraction- Non VR-D:19, Control: 18), who were university students in a split-plot experimental design. The mean age of the participants was 20.9±1.8 and 55 % (n:31) was female. Participants completed the Personal Information Form, the Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAC), and the COVID -19 Fear Scale (CAS) and were randomly assigned to groups based on these scores. Pre- and post-test measurements were taken using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I). RESULTS: Pre and post-test comparisons revealed statistically significant reductions in STAI-I in all groups. Our main results were pre-test (F: 0.23, p: 0.792, η2: 0.00) and post-test (F: 10.50, p<0.001, η2: 0.28). VR-D reduced anxiety more than the other groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This activity draws on the African American rhetorical tradition to extend the project of communication activism pedagogy. Through instruction that decenters the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition, this assignment invites students to engage in protest rhetoric that facilitates an understanding of how to use communication and rhetorical resources to argue for social change. Students learn to build persuasive arguments in unconventional yet culturally sustaining ways. Courses: Public Speaking, Advanced Public Speaking, African American Rhetoric, Communication and Social Justice, Rhetoric and Civic Controversy. Objectives: Through an orientation to African American protest rhetoric, students will (1) develop an action-oriented understanding of rhetoric beyond the traditional Greco-Roman tradition and (2) learn to use their communication and rhetorical resources to argue for social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document offers ten tips for delivering successful scientific presentations. The tips cover a range of topics, including understanding the audience and the context of the meeting, being mindful of time constraints, considering the setup of the podium and slide projection system, selecting appropriate audio and microphone options, and creating visually appealing slides. The aim of these tips is to assist presenters in delivering well-structured, engaging, and informative presentations that meet the specific needs and expectations of the audience. The document also emphasizes the importance of storytelling and entertaining the audience, provides guidance on speaking to interpreters, and concludes by acknowledging the challenges of public speaking while offering encouragement to presenters. [Extracted from the article]

Highly controversial at the time that it was delivered, lay and scholarly critics have treated Martin Luther King, Jr.'s April 4, 1967 "Speech at Riverside Church," ("A Time to Break Silence") as rhetorically eloquent but pragmatically problematic. This essay argues that King's speech marked an important discursive turning point, as he crafted a signal message using a Social Gospel frame as he adapted previous antiwar discourse to his own purpose. In doing so, King blended a call to individual and collective conscience in a manner that seems to have resonated throughout the antiwar discourse and subsequent reactions to his speech during the last year of his life. While the speech was uniquely King's, an analysis of its Social Gospel framework suggests that this landmark speech provided a rhetorical vocabulary that helped call forth an important discursive community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the affordances of a mobile video observation and tagging tool used to evaluate presentation skills in English language classrooms. The data consists of 35 video-recorded presentations in a higher education setting. Using a digital evaluation grid, the students received feedback based on visual analytics generated by the mobile app. The students then were asked to reflect on their performances, and were also asked to comment on the affordances and limitations of the method and the tool. Qualitative data that came from (1) students' written self-evaluations and reflections and (2) their reported perceptions of the affordances of the tool were analyzed using the Constant Comparison Method. Analyses of reflective writings indicated the dominance of negative self-evaluations of language use, while affective factors were also a strong theme. The video-tagging tool was found to be very beneficial by the learners, mainly in enabling them to notice their strengths and weaknesses in presenting in English and facilitating effective feedback. The results show that this data-led reflective presentation model can be beneficial for learners as they can identify points of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because strong oral communication skills have well-known academic, social, and professional benefits, they are increasingly targeted and reinforced throughout general education programs in higher education. In these efforts, public speaking assignments most often ask students to discuss information they have previously written about (e.g., theses defenses, position statements, research papers). This article presents a reverse approach—using short oral presentations to prepare students for subsequent written assignments. Previous studies have found that students will more closely read and evaluate source materials when they must articulate the information orally for an audience. Integrating oral presentations in the writing process gives students practice with language and vocabulary, but maybe more importantly, it also has the potential to increase students' self-efficacy—their confidence in their ability to understand and successfully complete additional research-related activities—which can, in turn, positively affect engagement and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This activity aims to assist students with persuasive tactics for argumentative speeches. The activity involves students creating an argumentative speech to defend a hot-take assertion chosen from a list provided by the instructor. In small groups, students will craft an argument supporting their hot-take assertion and present it to the class. During debrief, students will assess the strength of arguments and how to persuade audiences better for their assignment. Foundational Communications, Public Speaking, Argumentation and Debate, Face-to-Face, Online, Basic Course Appropriate. After completing this activity students will (1) identify the aspects of the Toulmin method in an argument, (2) be able to craft sound arguments meant for persuasion, and (3) be able to evaluate arguments posted by peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) interventions targeting adolescents exist; however, not all gain improvement. This exploratory study investigated whether PSA interventions resulted in a decrease in perfectionism and whether pre-treatment level and changes in perfectionism moderated the effects on PSA and social anxiety. The sample consisted of 100 adolescents from junior high schools randomized to four groups: 1) VR only (n = 20), 2) VR + online exposure program (n = 20), 3) online psychoeducation and online exposure program (n = 40), 4) waitlist and online psychoeducation program (n = 20). Self-reported symptoms of PSA, social anxiety, and perfectionism were measured at pre, week 3, post, and 3-months follow-up. Level and change in outcome variables were analyzed using latent growth curve modeling. Results revealed that the interventions did not lead to a reduction in perfectionism. Reduction in perfectionism was associated with a larger reduction in all outcome measures from post to follow-up. No interaction was found between pre-treatment perfectionism and PSA symptoms. High pre-treatment levels of perfectionism were associated with poorer outcomes on social anxiety symptoms from post to follow-up for online exposure groups. The results indicate that one should assess and address high pre-treatment levels of perfectionism during PSA interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reality (VR) offers immense freedom in the design of virtual instructional environments, but little guidance exists on how to capitalise on this freedom. This article reports on a study exploring how audience familiarity influences public speaking anxiety (PSA) and performance in a presentation speaking task in virtuo and in situ. Questionnaire instruments were used to gauge the PSA, motivation, focus, and self-confidence of 10 undergraduate students who each presented in four different audience conditions across VR and real life. Presentations were transcribed to identify features of performance, including utterance fluency, and speaking breadth and depth. Outcomes indicated that an audience of computer-generated agents resulted in less PSA than an audience of photorealistic people familiar to the speakers. Additionally, presenting to an audience of strangers in real life induced the most anxiety, but the performance features of articulation rate, disfluencies, and frequency of silent pauses were significantly improved in this condition. The main contribution of this study is to show that presentations directed at virtual audiences exhibit less fluent speech in non-native speakers than speeches to a real audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public speaking engages and entertains audiences. Through neuroimaging, we can examine responses to speeches in real time. Replicating an earlier study, this study carries out two kinds of analyses – forward and reverse correlations. First, we examine how the soundwave carrying the speech relates to brain responses, finding that bilateral auditory cortex responses track with the speech signal's energy. Second, we use the speech-evoked brain responses to reverse-identify salient moments in the speech. Specifically, we focus on the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ), a region associated with social cognition. We find that TPJ-peaks reverse-identify socially engaging content (defined by the ability to evoke laughter). These results demonstrate new ways to study the relationship between story content and the audience responses it evokes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPresentations to audiences are often seen as challenging by university students, causing physiological reactivity on cortisol levels and heart rate, for example. Many students perceive that they have difficulties expressing themselves or do not consider themselves to be good communicators. With the thought that efficient communication is able to bring well-being and more confidence, it is understood that a communication skills training could mitigate adverse effects on the body during public speaking. This study aimed to verify whether a communicational improvement training can improve physiological parameters and perception when speaking in public among university students. This was a prospective, blinded, controlled, and randomized trial. Students from colleges and universities were recruited for this study. Invitations were either in person or via social networks and/or e-mail. There were 39 university students who completed the tasks, ages between 18 and 30. There were two groups: the intervention group (IG) and control group (CG). The intervention group participated in a communicational improvement program for six weeks to work on breathing, articulation, speech rhythm, pneumophonoarticulatory coordination, expressiveness and non-verbal communication. Data of heart rate measures, salivary cortisol analysis, self-perception of public speaking, and presentation ratings were collected. The intervention group presented with lower heart rates and cortisol levels, better presentation ratings, and higher self-perception of public speaking than the control group after participating in the communication improvement training. In this study it was possible to verify the efficiency of a communicational improvement training, being able to improve cortisol levels, heart rate, and perception when speaking in public in university students. Based on the results presented, new studies are suggested: (a) measuring the individual effect of the workshops demonstrated here and (b) comparing this type of intervention with other types of treatment used in the health area (medication, psychotherapeutic, holistic, etc.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on physiological indices of social anxiety has offered unclear results. In this study, participants with low and high social anxiety performed five social interaction tasks while being recorded with a thermal camera. Each task was associated with a dimension assessed by the Social Anxiety Questionnaire for Adults (1 = Interactions with strangers. 2 = Speaking in public/Talking with people in authority, 3 = Criticism and embarrassment, 4 = Assertive expression of annoyance, disgust or displeasure, 5 = Interactions with the opposite sex). Mixed-effects models revealed that the temperature of the tip of the nose decreased significantly in participants with low (vs. high) social anxiety (p < 0.001), while no significant differences were found in other facial regions of interest: forehead (p = 0.999) and cheeks (p = 0.999). Furthermore, task 1 was the most effective at discriminating between the thermal change of the nose tip and social anxiety, with a trend for a higher nose temperature in participants with high social anxiety and a lower nose temperature for the low social anxiety group. We emphasize the importance of corroborating thermography with specific tasks as an ecological method, and tip of the nose thermal change as a psychophysiological index associated with social anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutions are increasingly supplementing their traditional class formats with hybrid approaches that mix in-person, remote synchronous, and remote asynchronous delivery methods. Even when the student population expects and appreciates more flexibility in scheduling, students still struggle with technology-enhanced instruction when course design does not effectively integrate such enhancements into "regular" in-person activities. Using hybrid workshops in the public-speaking course allows students to access recorded instruction, carefully managed online collaboration, guided practice, and reflective writing activities that improve the quality of their speeches while giving them practice in the workplace skills of teamwork and mediated communication. The structure of the hybrid workshops also means that course workload is consistent with its stated contact hours, even when the course does not meet completely in person. This semester-long assignment series was used successfully for a hybrid introductory public-speaking class and is being adapted for use in a hybrid version of the basic communication course. Students will apply and practice public-speaking skills in both in-person and mediated contexts. Students will collaborate with peers both synchronously and asynchronously to develop specific skills related to public speaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public speaking creates discomfort for many students. Instead of seeking to avoid this inevitable discomfort, six speech-variation activities explained in this paper are intentionally designed for, a little bit at a time, embracing momentary discomfort in public speaking. By embracing the inevitable discomfort of public speaking head-on in a fun and supportive environment, these speech-variation activities should help students gain confidence, attenuate anxiety, and paradoxically increase comfort during public speaking. Why these activities should be conducted, how they can be conducted with success, and whether students find the activities helpful or not are also discussed. Designed specifically for use in public-speaking courses, these speech-variation activities can also be used in any class that incorporates student presentations. The ultimate goal of these activities is to have students, especially those who find public speaking a debilitating experience, increase confidence and reduce anxiety toward public speaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on the article "Tracking the Transmission of Culture: A Cultural Discourse Analysis of Narratives of Circulation in the U.S. Undergraduate Public Speaking Course," by David Boromisza-Habashi which examines D. Hymes' presumption of culture. Boromisza-Habashi uses the notion of genre to examine public speaking as a kind of speech with rules and norms of its own. He seeks to interrogate how new members are socialized into this genre.

Ethnography of communication studies conducted by communication scholars, including those informed by cultural discourse theory, typically approach the cultural transmission of discursive resources using a narrow conception of language socialization. In this conception, expert speakers instruct or otherwise compel novice speakers to speak in locally recognized, normative ways and thereby achieve or affirm membership in the collective. I perform the cultural discourse analysis of narratives of circulation to extend this approach. In particular, I study narratives representing the movements of the Anglo-American speech genre known as public speaking in a US undergraduate course and a series of focus groups. Speakers narrated movement along four paths: from beyond the classroom into the classroom; inside the classroom (with the class acting as primary agent of dissemination); inside the classroom (with student speakers acting as secondary agents of dissemination); and from the classroom beyond the classroom. The analysis suggests three extensions of the existing approach to cultural transmission and, thereby, of cultural discourse theory: accounting for cultural ideologies (or metacultures) of transmission; producing more comprehensive accounts of transmission's participation structure; and accounting for the local meanings of mobile resources both in context and in motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students need to know how to communicate succinctly. Often, students struggle to determine how much content is necessary to communicate a message. Designed for courses on public speaking, interpersonal communication, and organizational communication, this activity invites students to tell their class a story using a single sentence. After receiving examples, students create their own one-sentence story and explore how brevity can promote effective communication. Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication. The aims of this activity are: to increase students' understanding of succinct communication; to explore the use of brevity in interpersonal, organizational, or public-speaking situations; and to engage students in a creative activity that emphasizes the power of language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various pedagogical strategies promote the development of communication skills that enable graduates to leave their mark and make positive changes in society. This article focuses on instructional lessons learned from undergraduate student perspectives of the pedagogy of the lightning talk, a three-minute oral presentation delivered without the use of supporting materials and without audience engagement in a noncompetitive environment. Drawing from the data of a mixed-methods study conducted at a metropolitan university, this article highlights key pedagogical lessons. Students' responses indicate that instructors can implement instructional strategies that enhance students' preparatory work and accessibility. Students also shared that they developed valuable public speaking-related skills. Overall, the findings can inform how instructors can enhance learners' communication skills with inclusive teaching strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the turn of the twentieth century, Lizzy Lind-af-Hageby (1878–1963), of Jönköping, left Stockholm to pursue a career as a writer, public speaker, and organiser together with her partner and colleague Leisa Schartau. In the UK, and the USA, Lizzy Lind-af-Hageby became renowned as an outspoken opponent of vivisection, supporter of pacifism, vegetarianism, and humanitarian social politics, and for having written the first biography of August Strindberg in English. In February 1914 after a highly publicised legal case in the UK – in which Lind-af-Hageby acted in her own defence – she spoke at the Queen's Hall in London on four occasions on the overarching theme of problems of the women's movement. The speech series placed Lizzy Lind-af-Hageby at the centre of the women's rights and suffrage debate, highlighting the impact of her public-speaking persona, and showing her to be a modern critic of the prevailing gender-biased society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to provide guidance for instructors who wish to develop a course associated with student participation in the College Fed Challenge (CFC), an academic competition designed to test students' knowledge of current economic events and monetary policy. We eschew a lecture-only methodology and use small-group and team-based learning to effectively prepare students for this endeavor. Under this framework, students play an active role in the classroom experience, develop critical research and public speaking skills, and benefit from cohesive peer interaction. Samples of in-class activities and the accompanying grading rubrics are provided for seamless instructor implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how Chinese politician tactically builds a dream narrative in political speech, namely, the Chinese Dream. By combining the discourse-historical approach, corpus-assisted methods and framing analysis, the study forms a complementary framework to examine the discursive construction of the Chinese Dream in President Xi Jinping's representative speeches between 2012 and 2022. It identifies four key thematic representations, i.e. NATIONAL REJUVENATION, CPC'S LEGITIMACY, CHINESE PEOPLE'S INTERESTS and WORLD'S INTERESTS and also finds that the strategies of nomination, predication, argumentation and perspectivization are skillfully used and reveals the Chinese-centric narrative frame. Beyond that, it further discusses Chineseness in the dream narrative. The paper argues that the Chinese Dream is an artificially discursive construct in a grand narrative used to build an ultimate national consensus and to serve the ideological legitimacy of the ruling class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although formative assessment has been recognized as an effective way for improving learning, scant attention has been paid to the specific design on the sequence of applying formative assessment practice in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Even less emphasis has been devoted to the cognitive and affective outcomes of different orders of formative assessment strategies on building students' public speaking competence. This mixed-method research employed multi-source data to explore and explain the effects of two different ways of sequencing video-based formative assessment on English language learners' public speaking anxiety and their performance. Two intact classes in a 16-week English public speaking course were randomly assigned to two groups, 25 in the self-assessment-initiated (SAI) group and 26 in the peer-assessment-initiated (PAI) group. Following two different sequences of formative practice, both groups were required to complete three formal English public speeches. Both quantitative and qualitative findings indicated that learners in the SAI group showed significantly lower public speaking anxiety than those in the PAI group, whereas learners in the PAI group showed significantly better public speaking performance. Moreover, the findings showed that SAI formative practice helped the learners to pay more attention to their delivery and anxiety levels in public speaking, while PAI formative practice may have led the learners to improve their proper use of English language. This research indicated that the sequence of implementing different modalities of assessment matters. Supported by video technology and CALL tools, different sequences in obtaining varying sources of feedback can affect students' public speaking anxiety and competence. This study provides refined understandings about the sequences of using video technology in formative practice for alleviating the learners' public speaking anxiety and improving their performance. The findings suggest that self-assessment should be arranged first for learners with a higher-level of anxiety while peer-assessment should be conducted first for learners with a lower-level of English language proficiency. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1946562. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Candidates for high office in the United States play an important role in determining the political agenda and shaping public and mass media understanding of which issues should receive attention. Critics contend politicians rarely address mental health, despite the importance of the federal government in ensuring Americans access to quality care. Two studies sought to understand how candidates for the presidency communicated about mental health using formal (mental, depress, anxiety) and informal (crazy, insane) terminology in social media posts and debates. Two coders examined 1,807 tweets from 41 politicians who competed in the 2016 and 2020 races, plus transcripts from 47 debates during the primaries and General Elections. Politicians often stigmatized mental illness, using mental health-related slang to insult opponents. They afforded less attention to policy and calls for action. The authors offer recommendations for mental health professionals and advocates to encourage politicians to address mental health policy while avoiding stigmatizing language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his first major post-presidential public address, President Barack Obama spoke at the 2018 Nelson Mandela Lecture Series in Johannesburg, South Africa. In this address, Obama lent the weight of the rhetorical post-presidency to further mythologize the late South African leader, helping to transform him into the mythic "Madiba," the embodiment of resistance, progress, and perseverance for all of humankind. Set against the backdrop of a resurgent, globalized, and racist right-wing populist movement, this essay explores how Obama helped magnify this mythic version of Mandela to inspire resistance through the three basic elements that structure mythic rhetoric: the universe, the protagonist, and the narrative lesson. This essay also reinvigorates the study of post-presidential public address through an emphasis on the institutional and rhetorical power of the modern post-presidency and its evolving global reach. Finally, this essay contemplates the role mythic rhetoric can play in advancing and solidifying anti-racist practices, beliefs, and structures, and ultimately positions modern mythic discourse as a helpful catalyst for the continuation of resistance through rhetoric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, informative speeches are relegated to be passive. The classic scope of informative speeches does not consider "live" or "lived" rhetoric. After teaching public speaking for most of my career, there are times when one needs to reinvigorate assignments. This assignment challenges how we utilize memory and place to encourage students to view spatial informative speeches as more than "giving directions." This assignment design acknowledges the growing concern of accounting for the human impact one has on both place and space. Public Speaking, Persuasion, Introduction to Communication. This assignment aims to (1) increase the student's understanding of memory and how it relates to other canons; (2) encourage the student to engage in personal memory, spatial memory, and cultural memory; (3) challenge the classical function of memory as mere storage; and (4) expand mediated options and possibilities when considering visual aids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative research contributes to knowledge by providing a better understanding of how a phenomenon manifests in different socio-cultural contexts. In this present study, we examined the concession speeches of Hillary Clinton (United States, Democratic Party) and John Mahama (Ghana, National Democratic Congress, NDC) in the aftermath of their 2016 electoral defeats. Findings indicated that three similar frames emerged between the two candidates. Hillary Clinton's frames included: acknowledging pain and acceptance, democracy, values and nationalism, and gratitude. John Mahama's frames had: acceptance and concern, appreciation, unity, democracy, and nationhood. Both candidates accepted the electoral outcome, showed gratitude, and reaffirmed their belief in democracy and unity. However, there were slight differences. Hillary Clinton's frame on acknowledging pain and acceptance had a more open, forthright recognition of being hurt in a way that enabled her to process the loss and pain. Findings from this study provide insights into recent concession speeches across two socio-cultural and continental divides, which builds on literature in framing and political communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a reproduction of the keynote lecture as delivered at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Brontë Society on 10th September 2022. The talk will appear in expanded form in a book to be published in 2023 from the Friends of the National Libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exists comprehensive literature on women's empowerment; however, studies on the measurement of empowerment in the agricultural context are scarce, particularly in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Pakistan. In this paper, we used the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), which includes five domains, i.e. resources, production, income, leadership, and time, to measure women's empowerment in the agriculture sector. A survey of 600 rural women and 18 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted by using multi-stage sampling. The results show that about 72% of the women are disempowered, and attribute to low socio-economic conditions, i.e. they have limited access to resources and little leadership skills as rural women in AJK are not free to speak in public. The results further reveal that women are also disempowered in some other indicators, such as autonomy in production, income, and leisure time. So, based on the current findings, it is proposed that government should strengthen these areas through effective policies to improve the status of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perception is one of the most fundamental aspects of human communication. This activity utilizes art to help students experience and understand the psychological and communicative aspects of perception. Students are required to observe and discuss their observations about selected pieces of artwork. After completing the activity, students enhance their abilities to form connections between their experiences and course concepts about perception. Courses: Interpersonal Communication, Small Group Communication, Public Speaking, Introduction to Communication, Nonverbal Communication, Listening, and Visual Communication. Objectives: The activity aims to provide students with first-hand experience and appreciation for how perception influences the way humans receive and interpret all types of messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research provides insight into Spanish English for Specific Purposes (ESP) engineering students' perceptions of the effectiveness of video production for developing their digital oracy skills versus the effectiveness of in-class presentations for developing their public speaking skills. In addition, the authors discuss students' preferences regarding the two communication modes. Ninety-seven students from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) took part in the study. A 12-item quantitative questionnaire using a four-point Likert scale and an open-ended qualitative questionnaire were used. The results showed that students considered self-created videos to be effective tools for developing their oracy skills. However, results were not conclusive for students' preferences regarding mode of communication. Contrary to our expectations, a considerable number of students did not feel confident in their use of video presentations and felt intimidated by the cameras. This suggests that a greater emphasis should be put on the development of digital communication skills to prepare our students for the new communication reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the life, career, and accomplishments of Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Topics explored include the international recognition earned by Montessori as a public intellectual, the role of transnational organisations and networks in the global spread of the Montessori method of education, and brief details about her confidence as a public speaker, the training model she developed for teachers, and the English translation of her book "The Montessori Method."

This original teaching idea uses an adaption of the STEM activity the Paper Tower Challenge to have students examine task and maintenance roles as well as non-functioning behaviors in small groups. While problem solving as a small group, students navigate conflict and frustration, assume various small-group roles, and then reflect on their own and their group members' performance. The activity includes the challenge, a set of reflection questions, a discussion procedure, and adaptations for virtual students and for diverse classrooms. Introduction to Public Speaking, Small Group Communication, and Oral and Interpersonal Communication. Affective: Students will persevere through frustration and conflict in small-group team-building challenges. Behavioral: Students will perform various task roles, maintenance roles, and non-functional behaviors (see Appendix for descriptions) that affect the outcome of group work. Students will collaborate to solve a problem. Cognitive: Students will increase their knowledge by identifying and applying group roles and behaviors. Students will assess their own performance with a series of reflection questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This activity is designed to help students recognize ableist assumptions in rhetoric and how we evaluate what constitutes a "good" speaker and their ethos. It will highlight how ableism is embedded in social norms, using classroom public-speaking rubrics to do so. Students learn how to identify these ableist assumptions better and develop a more nuanced understanding of how speakers develop ethos. Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Small-Group Communication, Interviewing, Nonverbal Communication, Rhetorical Criticism. By the end of this activity, students will be able to: (1) define key terms, including ableism, social model of disability, and ethos; (2) explain how ableist assumptions inform how we evaluate rhetoric and public speaking; and (3) demonstrate how ethos is based on social norms that are embedded in ableist assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within a wider research line on policy-driven institutional discourses on migration by international/national institutions, NGO and political leaders, this contribution is aimed at illustrating the bipolarized social representations of immigrants inspiring 24 speeches by Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump. Statistical analyses using IRAMUTEQ included "specificity analysis" of discursive forms (words) and "cluster analysis." Results show that the Pope's discourse on migration (articulated into four clusters) is richer than the oversimplified Trump's discourse (originating just one cluster): the words "bridges" and "walls" emerge as representational nuclei of their bipolarized views of transnational migration, as metaphorical dichotomies of inclusive/exclusive policies. Emphasizing the need to build walls to protect the Americans, inspired by the sovereign ideology (AMERICA FIRST!), President Trump does not at all suspect that in the globalized interconnected world the AMERICA FIRST may become just AMERICA ALONE! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although digital pedagogy in higher education has been pervasive the last two decades, the Covid-19 pandemic catapulted all educators into this arena. And although many educators had previous experience building digital course content, a large number of educators on our campus struggled daily to keep their "digitally native" Generation Z students virtually engaged in both asynchronous and synchronous modalities. Experimenting with the Voice Thread© platform, we discovered that this digital tool helped us to create learning environments that significantly heightened student engagement, not only with course material, but within the learning environment as well. Our theoretical premise for this outcome is the idea that VT is a tool that has the ability to create the aura of an authentic, real-time, social presence. As supported by the literature and incorporated into our proposed model, social presence is key for spurning involvement and subsequently increasing engagement. Our literature review also supported the notion that the multi-media capacity of VT gave students the ability to interact with course material, their peers and the instructor in meaningful ways. It also gave students the freedom to practice self-expression, creative content development and public speaking/writing skills. From our professional vantage point, Voice Thread can be used for creating an authentic social presence in both synchronous and asynchronous learning environments. A significant managerial implication of VT use is increased student satisfaction. Extrapolating this beyond a single course, we see higher-arching ramifications including increased student persistence and ultimately retention, important metrics in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most importantly, Lovell reminds us that speech does not happen in a neutral, disembodied way; rather, we should always attend to the circumstances of speaking, the speech cultures governing our words and the media that enable and circulate them. 2] Spoken words rushing discordantly, deafeningly through the dam; spoken words inaudible from ten steps away: Stephen Lovell's new book helps us understand both of these powerful images of words as more sound than meaning. How Russia Learned to Talk: A History of Public Speaking in the Stenographic Age, 1860-1930: Stephen Lovell. [Extracted from the article]

The development of oral presentation skills requires multiple opportunities to present and receive focused feedback. In typical discipline-based and general-education courses, class time is precious, and even when oral presentations are part of a course, students may receive only one or two opportunities to present with feedback. Here we describe an approach to develop presentation skills with ultra-short, one-minute presentations followed immediately by brief, supportive, focused, public in-class instructor feedback. Feedback is offered as one positive comment (one thing I liked) and one targeted goal for improvement (one thing to work on). The short time frame maximizes the number of iterative cycles of practice, feedback, and implementation of feedback. This approach was used with students in several semester-long courses offering three to eight opportunities to present. Students took anonymous surveys immediately after the course experience and again up to two and a half years post-experience. Over 95% reported that they learned a great deal about how to improve their own presentations by watching other presentations and hearing the instructor's immediate feedback. Respondents reported lasting gains in skills, increased confidence in their public speaking abilities, and all would recommend the experience to others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Audience analysis is essential for creating successful messages across communication fields. The audience persona is an effective tool for understanding the characteristics and needs of a target audience. Through this unit activity, students experience the process of persona development, build skills in data collection and analysis, and gain in-depth understanding of a specific audience in preparation for subsequent messaging assignments. Strategic Communication, Public Relations, Content Marketing, Advertising, Public Speaking, Mass Communication, Social Media Communication, Mass Communication Research Methods. Through this unit activity, students will be able to (1) apply the principles of audience persona development, (2) build skills in data collection and analysis, and (3) gain in-depth understanding of a core audience group as the basis for crafting effective messages [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English Language Arts (9–12), Media Studies, Public Speaking. The unit's goals are for students to build a foundation for analytical thinking, acquire tools for critical reading and analysis of graphic and digital texts, and use visual analysis to engage readers and develop an authentic appreciation for the process of inquiry and discovery. The activities focus on (1) defining an icon; (2) analyzing shape, perspective, and left–right visual structure in order to develop a working definition for what makes an image iconic; and (3) delivering a three- to five-minute oral presentation that unpacks the origins, message, and power of an icon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public Speaking, Survey of Communication Studies, Interpersonal Communication, Intercultural Communication. This activity focuses on helping students (1) become aware of their implicit biases, (2) understand the relationship between implicit biases and the quality of arguments (i.e. unfounded ad hominem arguments), and (3) learn how to engage in meaningful classroom discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of popular fiction writers (gesakusha) to the development of early Meiji literature has become more broadly acknowledged and examined. However, the distinctive contribution of oral performative storytelling traditions such as kōdan to the evolution of public speaking and serialized novels (tsuzukimono) has been largely overlooked. This article builds on existing scholarship to further explore the interaction between kōdan and two pivotal movements of the early Meiji period, the 'Civilization and Enlightenment Movement' and the 'People's Rights Movement'. In the case of the former, the relation of kōdan to the practice of public speaking (enzetsu) is examined. In the case of the second movement, the influence of kōdan on political speech making (seidan) is also explored, along with its relevance to the 'political novel' and the ensuing evolution of serialized novels in illustrated newspapers in the late 1880s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposed a new model to examine how personality and social factors interacted to control the intention of speaking softly in public among Chinese outbound tourists. A total of 305 valid questionnaires were obtained from three tourist sites in Hong Kong, and the results indicated that behavioural intention was directly affected by both personality and social factors. Specifically, benefit affected intention, both directly and indirectly, indicating that its effect was partially mediated by attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control. Cost indirectly affected intention; its effect was fully mediated by attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of the findings were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral presentations and public speaking are an important aspect of the student experience in the United Kingdom higher education. Many modules (self-contained units normally within a programme of study) use presentations as a form of assessment and require students to verbally engage in small and large group settings to enhance learning. Previous research evidence has indicated that many students experience fear in public speaking. The aims of this qualitative survey were two-fold. First, it sought to gather further insight into the fears experienced and strategies used by students who fear public speaking, including oral presentations. The second objective was to determine whether their fear affected their experience of higher education. A qualitative survey comprising four open-ended questions was completed by 46 undergraduate and postgraduate students with a fear of public speaking from the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol. All participants were attending one of the Stand Up and Be Heard (SUBH) UWE library-based workshops for fear of public speaking. Thematic analysis was used to identify the following six themes, namely: fear of being judged, physical symptoms, uncertainty about the topic, negative effect on university experience, practice and preparation, and more practical support needed. The results of this survey identify the specific fears students have in public speaking and provide evidence of the overall negative effect on their higher education experience. This survey provides further evidence that higher education institutions should acknowledge public speaking fear among some students and provide more support in oral presentation assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the experience of student and teacher participants in a mental health public speaking challenge, including their self-reported knowledge of mental health, mental health literacy and stigma. A qualitative inquiry was undertaken. Questionnaires were distributed to student participants and audience members. Sixty-four completed questionnaires were analysed using content analysis. Five semi-structured interviews were undertaken with teachers. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically. Students described the effects of the challenge on stigma and benefits for them personally and the wider school, including their confidence in supporting peers. Teacher interviews highlighted the commitment required, the preparation needed, the benefits for the individuals and schools, and the process and practicalities of the challenge. The MHPSC provides a forum for embedding mental health literacy into education for high school students. While the MHPSC requires support to ensure its delivery, for students it fosters knowledge, awareness and peer-support related to mental health. The findings can inform preventative and early intervention activities across health and education domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public Speaking, Rhetorical Criticism, Intercultural Communication. By utilizing a culturally competent Asiacentric approach to public speaking, students will be able to: (1) identify public-speaking techniques that more readily align with culturally relevant paradigms; (2) adopt a mindful approach to public speaking that takes into account multicultural audiences; and (3) deploy speech preparation and development skills that resonate with Chinese audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]