Kevin Jones

Mentoring at-risk middle school students to reduce communication apprehension

Abstract Research has demonstrated the efficacy of mentoring at-risk students in a number of fields from physical education to math and science. While separate research has found that many at-risk students lack effective communication skills, little research has explored the potential of communication mentoring in improving at-risk students’ communication efficacy. In our study, we examined the effectiveness of communication majors in a senior capstone course mentoring at-risk middle school students. Mentors were assigned a protégé and were required to design a curriculum targeting specific communication apprehension concerns identified in each student and implement the curriculum over a 10-week period. Analysis of self-reported communication apprehension scores showed at-risk students prior to mentoring reported higher than average levels of communication apprehension. After mentoring, they reported statistically significantly lower levels of communication apprehension. The implications for mentoring, at-risk students, and improved middle school communication education are considered.

Teaching Audience Analysis with Presidential “Victory” Speeches

Courses: Public Speaking, Advanced Public Speaking. Objective: To demonstrate for students how effective audience analysis contributes to writing a great speech by comparing two presidential speeches on a similar topic. One speech illustrates excellent audience analysis, and the second speech illustrates less effective audience analysis. Time Required: Single class: 40–50 minutes (or longer depending on instructors lecture time and unit goals).