Speaking to inform: Discussing complex ideas with clear explanations and dynamic slides

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Speaking to inform: Discussing complex ideas with clear explanations and dynamic slides

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About this course: In the professional realm, most speeches and presentations we give are informative in scope. A scientist needs to explain her recent research findings. A financial officer needs to report on quarterly earnings to his company’s board. A technology professional needs to educate a consumer about a new product. Any time you need to convey ideas or demonstrate a process, you’re dealing with informative speaking. Informative speaking is a fun puzzle. You need to think from the perspective of your audience to identify what they need to hear in order to understand the key ideas. How much does the audience already know? What are the most important elements to convey? How shoul…

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When you enroll for courses through Coursera you get to choose for a paid plan or for a free plan

  • Free plan: No certicification and/or audit only. You will have access to all course materials except graded items.
  • Paid plan: Commit to earning a Certificate—it's a trusted, shareable way to showcase your new skills.

About this course: In the professional realm, most speeches and presentations we give are informative in scope. A scientist needs to explain her recent research findings. A financial officer needs to report on quarterly earnings to his company’s board. A technology professional needs to educate a consumer about a new product. Any time you need to convey ideas or demonstrate a process, you’re dealing with informative speaking. Informative speaking is a fun puzzle. You need to think from the perspective of your audience to identify what they need to hear in order to understand the key ideas. How much does the audience already know? What are the most important elements to convey? How should one convey these ideas with appropriate breadth and depth given the time constraints of the speech? This demands a strategic approach to speech design that we’ll undertake in this class. By the end of the course, you should be able to 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. Learners will record speeches, providing and receiving peer feedback.

Created by:  University of Washington
  • Taught by:  Dr. Matt McGarrity, Principal Lecturer

    UW Department of Communication
Basic Info Course 2 of 4 in the Dynamic Public Speaking Specialization Level Beginner Commitment 5 weeks of study; 2 hours per week Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.8 stars Average User Rating 4.8See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

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University of Washington Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions of higher education on the West Coast and is one of the preeminent research universities in the world.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Week 1: Targeting your presentation



This week, we’ll focus on essential strategies for designing informative speeches. The key issue is: what does the audience need? This process of identifying constraints and opportunities will allow you to zero in on a set of achievable goals, not trying to do too much nor too little. By the end of the week, you will have some tactics for thinking strategically about your goals in any speech. If you want some feedback, you’ll be able to upload an introductory speech for peer review.


16 videos, 1 practice quiz expand


  1. Video: 2.1.1: Welcome to speaking to inform
  2. Video: 2.1.2: Summary of previous course
  3. Video: 2.1.3: Course overview
  4. Video: 2.1.4: Assignment overview and rubric
  5. Video: 2.1.5: Overview of week 1
  6. Video: 2.1.6: A speech preparation process
  7. Video: 2.1.7: Drafting a sample speech
  8. Video: 2.1.8: Planning an audience-oriented speech
  9. Video: 2.1.9: What do I know about my audience?
  10. Video: 2.1.10: What does my audience know about the topic?
  11. Practice Quiz: Valuable talks
  12. Video: 2.1.11: Identifying your speech goals
  13. Video: 2.1.12: Writing your speech goals
  14. Video: 2.1.13: Revising your speech goals
  15. Discussion Prompt: Writing speech goals
  16. Video: 2.1.14: Review of week 1
  17. Peer Review: Introductory speech (Optional)
  18. Video: 2.1.15: Sample introductory speech
  19. Video: 1.1.13 (Review): Recording good speech videos

Graded: Week 1 quiz

WEEK 2


Week 2: Designing informative speeches



In this module, we'll move an informative speech from idea through to completed outline. Arrangement is always important. It's doubly important in informative speaking. We have to be clear and that starts with good speech design. By the end of the week, you should have a storehouse of arrangement strategies to organize almost any informative speech. If you want some feedback, you’ll be able to upload an informative speech outline for peer review and engage in some speech analysis.


13 videos, 4 readings, 1 practice quiz expand


  1. Video: 2.2.1: Overview of week 2
  2. Video: 2.2.2: Levels of meaning
  3. Video: 2.2.3: Simplicity
  4. Video: 2.2.4: Order
  5. Video: 2.2.5: Balance
  6. Discussion Prompt: Outline evaluation
  7. Reading: A note on these models
  8. Video: 2.2.6: Briefings and updates
  9. Video: 2.2.7: Product and design presentations
  10. Video: 2.2.8: Explaining research to a general audience
  11. Video: 2.2.9: Teaching talks
  12. Video: 2.2.10: Conference talks
  13. Video: 2.2.11: Informative introductions
  14. Video: 2.2.12: Informative conclusions
  15. Reading: Rosling and Shepard talks (Optional)
  16. Practice Quiz: Introductions and conclusions
  17. Video: 2.2.13: Review of week 2
  18. Peer Review: Informative speech outline (Optional)
  19. Reading: Speech analysis #1 overview
  20. Reading: Matt's feedback
  21. Discussion Prompt: Speech analysis #1 discussion

Graded: Week 2 quiz
Graded: Speech analysis #1

WEEK 3


Week 3: Clarity through support and slides



This week is all about helping the audience see what we’re talking about. We’ll begin by talking about how to explain details in a vibrant way, working in tandem with how an audience will hear this information. This ability to explain details and evidence well is essential to scientific speaking, business presentations, and any situation when you need to walk an audience through a new set of ideas. Then we turn to slides! They can make or break a speech. We’ll talk about how to design slides so that they support you as a speaker (not replace you). By the end of the week, you should have skills and experience explaining ideas richly and designing and using clear presentation slides. If you want some feedback, you’ll be able to upload a draft slide deck for peer review.


17 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Video: 2.3.1: Overview of week 3
  2. Video: 2.3.2: Support overview
  3. Video: 2.3.3: Examples and illustrations
  4. Discussion Prompt: Metaphors
  5. Video: 2.3.4: Summarizing complex information
  6. Reading: Warren clip
  7. Video: 2.3.5: Audience-centered explanations
  8. Video: 2.3.6: Increasing your speech vocabulary
  9. Discussion Prompt: Copiousness
  10. Video: 2.3.7: Picking purpose for slides
  11. Video: 2.3.8: Presentation slides for presentation
  12. Video: 2.3.9: Slide simplicity
  13. Video: 2.3.10: Slides as support
  14. Video: 2.3.11: Using text in slides
  15. Video: 2.3.12: Using images in slides
  16. Video: 2.3.13: Using video in slides
  17. Video: 2.3.14: Presenting with slides
  18. Discussion Prompt: What slides do you like best?
  19. Video: 2.3.15: Review of week 3
  20. Video: 2.3.16. Sara Battersby, Part 1
  21. Video: 2.3.17: Sara Battersby, Part 2
  22. Discussion Prompt: Discuss your slides

Graded: Week 3 quiz
Graded: Informative speech slides

WEEK 4


Week 4: Delivering informative speeches



Now for some delivery work. We start with the concept of ethos. It is that performance of credibility that all great informative speakers have. We'll dive deep into how you can refine your ethos as a speaker. We’ll finish this course by focusing on the unique delivery demands of informative speaking: using notes, mics, and podiums effectively. Interacting with the audience well. By the end of the week, you’ll have some strategies for speaking more smoothly and with greater credibility. If you want some feedback, you’ll be able to upload a practice informative speech for peer review.


13 videos, 3 readings, 1 practice quiz expand


  1. Video: 2.4.1: Overview of week 4
  2. Video: 2.4.2: Defining your ethos
  3. Video: 2.4.3: Arete
  4. Video: 2.4.4: Phronesis
  5. Reading: Neil deGrasse Tyson clip (Optional)
  6. Discussion Prompt: Phroneisis
  7. Video: 2.4.5: Eunoia
  8. Video: 2.4.6: Presidential ethos analysis
  9. Video: 2.4.7: Using podiums
  10. Video: 2.4.8: Using microphones
  11. Video: 2.4.9: Using notes
  12. Practice Quiz: Interacting with your materials
  13. Video: 2.4.10: Interacting with the audience
  14. Video: 2.4.11: Delivery change-ups
  15. Video: 2.4.12: Review of week 4
  16. Reading: Speech analysis #2
  17. Video: 2.4.13: Speech for analysis
  18. Reading: Matt's feedback
  19. Discussion Prompt: Speech analysis #2 discussion

Graded: Week 4 quiz
Graded: Speech analysis #2

WEEK 5


Week 5: Review and assessment



Thank you for time in this course! I hope that the material has proven helpful to you. We concluded our discussion of the speech last week. This week, I would like to spend a bit of time reflecting on the course and talking about other exercises and activities that you can use to continue improving your public speaking abilities. We will end this week with your final informative speech.


3 videos expand


  1. Video: 2.5.1: Course review
  2. Video: 2.5.2: Other recommended courses
  3. Video: 2.5.3: Sample informative speech

Graded: Informative speech
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