Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Why we need speech classes

From the time that we are born, to the time that we die, we will use some sort of communication everyday so that people can know, that we want or need something. When we are babies we will cry or fuss when we are hungry or we are not feeling good. Then, as we grow older, we learn how to talk and eventually type. Which, is becoming a more common way to communicate to others.
A lot of the improvement that we make in the way that we communicate comes from being in school and learning to write papers and give speeches. For this reason, it is important that students take a speech class in college and other educational environments. So that, we are always improving in the way in which we communicate to others. In these classes you not only learn how to talk in front of people but you also learn how to listen more intently when others are talking. This will be a benefit not only in school when professors but also in the working environment, when others are giving presentations to you. Speech classes help you to add emphasis on certain words and put more excitement in your presentation so that you can keep people interested in what you are talking about. It is also important because there are very few if any jobs that you don’t communicate in some sort or another on a daily basis. This communication could be an email, presentation, talking in person, or on the phone. These are just a few examples of the many ways in which we communicate.
But when it comes to the type of speech class that we take it should be somewhat based on the major that we are going to go into. For example, if you are in education your speeches should be more like lessons on a certain subject or idea rather than a speech because I believe giving a speech is a lot different than teaching. Another example might be, if you are in a business major your speeches should be more presentations about different things that you might run into in the workforce.

2 comments:

  1. Colin, I completely agree with your idea of catering speech classes to specific majors! Some majors such as marketing may require diverse public speaking skills than teaching. I also like this idea because I think we can find a way to include students with disabilities too. Perhaps we can offer special short courses for people who have a hearing impairment, learning disability or other impairments through the campus disability program. These people also have to communicate in their majors! It would be interesting to have specialized speech courses for these populations also.

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  2. "In these classes you not only learn how to talk in front of people but you also learn how to listen more intently when others are talking."

    Oh, I love to see it... :)

    Yes, there is much more to developing good communication skills than simply learning how to give good speeches. How to be a good listener is a vastly important skill that too many people overlook. For example, when you were in a boring class/lecture/speech, who did you blame for the event? The boring speaker? Or your own listening skills? Think about it...even the most boring of speakers has something to contribute, it's just up to you to be able to pull it out!

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