What do we provide for you?
Think of us any time you have assigned any type of oral assignment. See all of your options below (or at a glance to the left).

Guides for faculty

Information about designing and grading oral assignments:

Design and Grade Oral Assignments (Faculty Development Presentation)
Incorporating Oral Assignments Into Your Classes
Grading Oral Presentations
Using Debate Assignments
Using Oral Assignments in a Large Class

Rubrics and critique sheets:

Oral Communication Rubric (in PDF)
Oral Communication Rubric (in Word, so you can edit)
Adapted Rubric (to allow for comment space; PDF)
Adapted Rubric (Word)
Discussion Rubric (in PDF; can be used for more informal speaking assignments)
Discussion Rubric (in Word)
Speech Critique (PDF)
Speech Critique (Word, so you can edit)
Group Presentation Critique (PDF)
Group Presentation Critique (Word, so you can edit)

Information sheet for students about the Speaking Center (make your own copies or request some from the Speaking Center).

PRCA-24. An assessment tool to use for communication apprehension.

Schedule a class visit or center tour.  We can come in for 10-15 minutes and just talk about the Speaking Center or we can come for an entire class and give a more general talk about effective presentation skills.  You can also schedule tours of the Speaking Center. To schedule a class visit or tour, please fill out this form. You can also contact the Speaking Center Director, Dr. Wendy Atkins-Sayre, at ext. 6-4370 or wendy.atkinssayre@usm.edu or the Gulf Park Speaking Center Director, Dr. Casey Maugh, at ext. 4-3309 or casey.maugh@usm.edu. Our schedule is limited, so please send requests as early as possible and understand that we cannot accomodate all requests.

Encourage (or require) your students to come to the Center as part of the assignment.  We would love to work with your students one-on-one.  If you would like to require a visit, we ask that you share your assignment write-up with us and give us any additional information that you think would be useful so that we can give your students the most useful advice.

Send students to Speaking Center workshops. We hold at least two workshops per semester on topics such as the basics of speaking, dealing with speech anxiety, speaking with PowerPoint, and speaking with style. Do you have a suggestion for a workshop? Let us know.

Use our PowerPoint presentation. We've created this basic presentation so that you can share this information with your classes. Feel free to use the whole presentation or selected slides. Download the presentation.

Consider encouraging students to pick up a copy of A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, by O’Hair, Rubenstein, and Stewart.  This text has great tips for all kinds of presentations.  It also has a section at the end that discusses particular types of presentations (Science and Math presentations, Arts and Humanities courses, group presentations, etc.).  There are reference copies available in the Speaking Center.

Use the Center for your own purposes.  Feel free to set up your own appointment to work on on-campus presentations, conference presentations, or lectures.  We have a camera in the Center that can capture your presentation and the Coordinator or Director can meet with you to give advice.

Consider taking the QEP Faculty Seminar. Find out more about the seminar at the QEP web site.

Have any other ideas?  Please send them to Wendy Atkins-Sayre at wendy.atkinssayre@usm.edu.