Preparation Meeting Opportunity: How Do College Students Prepare for Public Speeches?

Abstract

Nearly half a million students prepare classroom speeches each year, but little is known about overall preparation time and the relative proportions of time used for each speech preparation activity. Further, we do not know the specific speech preparation activities that result in higher speech grades. Public speaking students completed journal entries over the course of a semester detailing their speech preparation process. Multiple regression revealed the relationship of time spent in five writing activities and overall speech grade averages. Overall preparation time correlated significantly with higher speech grades; in addition, students who spent more time in delivery and practice earned higher speech grades.

Keywords:

• Public Speaking
• Speech Grades
• Speech Preparation

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Michelle Shumate and Dr. Paul E. Nelson for their advice and feedback on a previous version of this manuscript. Additionally, the authors would like to acknowledge Kristen A. Nanaziashvili and Min Liu (both from North Dakota State University) for assistance with data coding and feedback on a previous version of the manuscript.

Notes

*p < .05.

R² = .106, adjusted R² = .066, R = .325.

This paper was presented at the Eastern Communication Association Conference in 2005.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Judy C. Pearson

Judy C. Pearson (PhD, Indiana University, 1975) is a professor and associate dean in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105-5075, USA.

Jeffrey T. Child

Jeffrey T. Child (BS, Wayne State College, 2002) and David H. Kahl, Jr. (BA, Concordia College, 2002) are PhD students and teaching associates in the Department of Communication at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105-5075, USA.

David H. Kahl

Jeffrey T. Child (BS, Wayne State College, 2002) and David H. Kahl, Jr. (BA, Concordia College, 2002) are PhD students and teaching associates in the Department of Communication at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105-5075, USA.