Why is public speaking important? When students connect the what to the why, real learning is the result. In other words, students need to understand not just WHAT they’ll be learning, but WHY they need this information and these skills. This connection is critical in a public speaking class. I like to begin my public speaking classes with the questions, “Why is public speaking important?” and “Why does communication matter?”

What’s classroom management? Here’s a hint: It doesn’t begin in the classroom.

Classroom management means more than positioning the pencil sharpener in a convenient location. So, what’s classroom management? An effectively-managed classroom means the following:

• Students feel safe;

• Students are engaged (because they feel safe);

• Students anticipate and follow routines;

• Teachers issue fewer prompts for behavior corrections;

• Teachers are proactive instead of reactive;

• Teachers are viewed as fair;

• TEACHERS ENJOY THEIR WORK.

It’s true that individuals learn when they’re uncomfortable. In fact, according to the title of an article written by Peter Bregman for Harvard Business Review, “Learning is Supposed to Feel Uncomfortable.” Bergman advises, “… look for learning situations where the stakes are low — maybe a class where you’re not expected to be an expert or you don’t know anyone else.”

With the exception of students who have recently enrolled in a new school, students in a public speaking class are going to know many of their classmates. How can communication instructors support fledgling public speaking students? Begin with low stakes speeches.

In her poem, “The Summer Day,” Mary Oliver asks a compelling question: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” While the question seems simple, the answer is not. I’ve pondered my own response to this question for years. Predictably, as my life evolves, so does my answer; the process for responding, however, remains the same.

To be clear, much must be said about life’s fluid journey and the importance of adaptation. Equally important is the ability to plan, act, reflect, and plan anew. As a professional educator, this is my process, and it’s the same process that guides my personal life.

How do educators guide their students through the planning-acting-reflecting-planning cycle? Thoughtfully designed lessons and units are the beginning, but if we’re motivated to empower students to connect their experiences in our classrooms to their responses to Oliver’s question, we must do more. Educators must provide opportunities for students set goals, implement those goals, reflect on their challenges and successes, and then modify their goals. This is the process. While goal-setting is an important beginning, it is only one part of the process; implementation and reflection are equally critical components.

Glossophobia: public speaking fear. It’s the most common human fear.

Secondary students enter a classroom on the first day of a public speaking course filled with anxiety and fear. Speech and communication teachers know that their work is much more extensive than the basics of speech preparation and delivery; they have to create safe spaces for students to practice the art of public speaking. This requires an exploration of the thoughts that lurk behind public speaking fears and anxiety, a candid conversation about the realities of those fears, and the establishment of audience norms.