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Speaking to Inform: Discussing Complex Ideas with Clear Explanations and Dynamic Slides

School: University of Washington

Platform: Coursera

Registration Link: REGISTER HERE

Start Date: January 24, 2017 (5 Weeks Long)

Workload: 2 Hours Per Week 

Instructor: Dr. Matt McGarrity

Credentials: Dr. McGarrity is the Director of the Speaking Center at the University of Washington, where he also teaches “undergraduate and graduate course in public in public speaking, argumentation, classical rhetoric, rhetorical criticism, and communication pedagogy.” As a teacher, he has won the Outstanding Professor Award from the National Speakers’ Association.

Graded: To earn a passing mark, students must complete all graded assignments.

Description: Have you ever sat through a bad speech? What was wrong with it? Disorganized? Confusing? Long? Irrelevant? Did the speaker talk more about himself than what was important to you? Was it too surface level —or did it tumble too deep into a tangential rabbit hole? There are many ways that a speech can fail? The biggest one is that it doesn’t take the audience into account, neither respecting their time nor delivering a payoff for their patience.

In this course, students will start the speech from square one. What does the audience need? What key points do you need to convey? What rhetorical devices (or props) would help make your points memorable, let alone actionable. After answering these questions, speakers will draft and record speeches, receiving feedback and providing coaching on peer speeches in the process. According to Dr. McGarrity, students will also be able to do the following by the end of the course:  “explain complex ideas vividly and accessibly, design clear and compelling presentation slides, convey your passion for a topic while maintaining your professional credibility, and speak dynamically from notes and/or a manuscript.”

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Additional Note:  This is the second in a four course specialization from the University of Washington called “Dynamic Public Speaking.” To learn more and register for it, click here.