How do you sound to your students? Linda Glassburn, Assistant Professor Cuyahoga Community College Cleveland, OH

What is a great communicator? Are you? – Prepared – Committed – Interesting Do you? – Make students comfortable

Prepared Assess the knowledge, interests and needs of your listeners. Review the lecture Prepare an outline Use your own material Be prepared

Committed Be yourself Be your best Be persuasive Show your commitment Be committed

Interesting Imagination Don’t be boring Style versus substance Think creatively Be interesting, you must be committed

Make students comfortable Appear comfortable Be positive Stay clear of bad news Accept students for who they are Be comfortable

Do you use fillers when speaking? Do you use the word “OK” after every sentence? Do you use “ah’s and um’s” in your lecture? Do you use proper grammar during your lecture?

Example of fillers The Course Technology 2009 Conference – ah- is in Las Vegas – ah- and this is – ah- my first time in Vegas. I always – ah- look forward to attending the conference – ah- during my spring break. – um- I wish all of you – um- a wonderful time. – ok-

Impromptu speaking Will improve your speaking skills Make you aware of when its time for a break Make you ready to respond to any comment Get your student’s attention

A Great Communicator Practice the way you present information to the students. Try different introductions. Exaggerate the message. Force students to use a specific vocabulary word during each class.

The word of the day Philomath \FIL-uh-math\, noun: A lover of learning; a scholar. It is precisely for the Philomath's that universities ought to cater. --Aldous Huxley, Proper Studies "It's nothing to laugh about," he says. "Strange things happen in this country--things that philosophers and other Philomath's had never dreamed of." --Tomek Tryzna, Miss Nobody Philomath is from the Greek philomathes, "loving knowledge," from philos, "loving, fond" + mathein, "to learn, to understand."

Prepare yourself Opening Body Use the “word” Philomath Closing

Speaking Roles Grammarian –Count the “uh’s”, “um’s” and “ok’s” –Note that the word of the day is used Timer –Times each speaker for 2 minutes – raising hand when there is 30 seconds left for the speaker to close Speaker –Speaks impromptu for 2 minutes on a selected topic Evaluator –Evaluates the speaker (up to 2 minutes) with a short summary, noting the positives and a statement for improvement

Topics of the day Funniest class moment Favorite vacation Best class taught Why you selected to become a professor? Something that you wish to share with us

Conclusion Be aware of how you sound to your students. –Ask a peer to evaluate your lecture Practice impromptu speaking to improve your professional lectures. –Attend Toastmasters or Dale Carnegie training Be the professional speaker.

Internet Resources Dale Carnegie Training – –Select, Search locations, select a state or zip code Toastmasters International – –Select, find a location near you, enter United States, state or zip code American Communication Association – National Speakers Association –

Book Resources Genderspeak: Men, Women, and the Gentle Art of Verbal Self­Defense. Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158­ ISBN: How to Read a Person Like A Book, Gerald Nierenberg. Original Pocket Books; Reissue edition (December 1982) ISBN: Speaking Your Mind in 101 Difficult Situations. Don Gabor, Simon & Schuster, New York ISBN: That's Not What I Meant! How conversational style makes or breaks relationships. Deborah Tannen. Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (January 1991) ISBN:

Book Resources How to Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie, Simon & Schuster, New York ISBN: When I say no, I feel guilty (bestseller on Assertiveness Training). Manuel J. Smith. Bantam/Non-Fiction; Reissue edition (February 1, 1975) ISBN: Will the Real Me Please Stand Up?: 25 Guidelines for Good Communication. John Powell, Thomas More Publishing; Reprint edition (June 1995) ISBN: X You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation. Deborah Tannen. Original Quill; (July 24, 2001) ISBN: