Course: Public Speaking — Fundamentals of Oral Communication (COMM 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Marchetti
Module: Week 1 of 16 · Fall 2026 · in-person, two 75-minute sessions + one weekly Speech Workshop
Objective covered: Objective 1 — Apply the communication process model and the principles of ethical speaking, and use evidence-based strategies to manage communication apprehension.

This file holds two pieces: (A) the Module 1 Overview page ("Start Here") and (B) the Welcome Announcement that drips out when the module opens. Dates below assume a Tuesday/Thursday pattern with Week 1 meeting Tue Sep 1 and Thu Sep 3, a Speech Workshop that same week, and end-of-week work due Sunday Sep 6, 11:59 p.m. Adjust the day-of-week and times to match your section.

(A) Module 1 Overview — Start Here

Welcome to Week 1: Introduction to Public Speaking & the Communication Process

This is your home base for the week. Read it first, then work the checklist below from top to bottom. Everything you need is linked inside the module.

This week is the foundation for the whole course. Before we build a single speech, we answer two questions: how does communication actually work, and why is almost everyone nervous to speak in public — and what can we do about it? You already communicate all day long, but a speech is communication made deliberate: a real source sending a real message through a channel to real receivers who send feedback back, all of it fighting noise in a particular context. Naming those parts is how we'll diagnose and fix any speech for the rest of the term. And we'll meet head-on the thing standing between most people and a good speech: communication apprehension — the nervousness — which is normal, manageable, and even useful.

The week's big question

"How does communication actually work — and how do I turn the nervousness of speaking into energy instead of an obstacle?"

By Friday you'll be able to name the parts of the communication process, explain what makes speaking ethical, use real strategies to manage speech anxiety, and give a short self-introduction speech.

By the end of this week, you can…

Use this as a checklist. If you can do all four out loud, you're ready for the quiz.

• [ ] Diagram the communication process — source, message, channel, receiver, feedback, noise, and context — and use it to explain why a message succeeds or fails.
• [ ] Explain what makes speaking ethical — honesty, preparation, avoiding plagiarism and fabrication, and respect for the audience.
• [ ] Use evidence-based strategies to manage communication apprehension — preparation, practice, reframing, breathing, and focusing on the message.
• [ ] Deliver a short self-introduction (icebreaker) speech with a clear point.

What's due this week, and when

Work these in order — each one gets you ready for the next.

Heads-up on the AI tools: you'll use a chatbot to rehearse and react, and then you judge its feedback against what we cover in class. Chatbots love to gush — "Great job, so engaging!" — without telling you anything useful. Catching that empty praise is part of the work this week, in the tutorial, the assignment, and the Workshop.

Late policy reminder: 10% off per day late. If life happens, reach out before the deadline — I'd much rather hear from you early.

How to succeed this week

• Lead with the idea, not the jargon. Every term this week is a plain-English idea first (a channel is just how the message travels; noise is anything that gets in the way). The vocabulary comes after the idea clicks.
• Memorize one tiny map. "Source → Message → Channel → Receiver → Feedback — and watch out for Noise, all of it inside a Context." Draw it once and you own it.
• Start the anxiety work now. Nervous about speaking? Good — that means you care. Nervousness is normal, it's adrenaline, and the single best treatment is preparation and practice. This week's Workshop is a gentle first rep on camera, just for you.
• Treat the chatbot as a hype-prone intern, not a coach. It will tell you everything is amazing. Your job is to make it be specific — and to notice when it can't.
• Be a generous audience. A speech class runs on its audience. The respect you give a nervous classmate this week is the respect you'll want on your speaking day.

You don't need any background for this week — just a willingness to be a little brave on camera and curious about how communication works. Come to class ready to talk about a speech that moved you. See you Tuesday.

(B) Welcome Announcement — Module 1

Release setting: post on the module's start day (offset = 0 days), i.e., Tue Sep 1, 2026 — not before. If your platform won't preserve the scheduled date on import, post this as a draft labeled "Release: Tue Sep 1."

Subject: Welcome to Public Speaking — yes, the nerves are normal 🎤

Hi everyone, and welcome to Public Speaking!

Let's name the thing right away: most people are nervous about this class. Surveys keep finding that public speaking ranks among people's top fears — and yet here you are, signed up. That takes guts, and it's also the single best decision you can make for your future self, because the ability to stand up and say something clearly is one of the most valuable skills you will ever build. Here's the good news this whole course is built on: public speaking is a skill, not a personality trait. You don't need to be a "natural." You need a clear message, honest evidence, and reps — and reps are exactly what we're going to give you.

This week — Introduction to Public Speaking & the Communication Process — we tackle the big question: How does communication actually work, and how do I turn nervousness into energy? By Friday you'll diagram the communication process (source, message, channel, receiver, feedback, noise, context), explain what makes speaking ethical, learn real strategies to manage speech anxiety, and give your first short speech — a low-stakes self-introduction.

Three things not to miss:
1. Lecture Tutorial 1 — work through the week's ideas with one approved chatbot (Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT) and submit the share link. Due Sun Sep 6.
2. Speech Workshop 1 ("Record Your First 60 Seconds"), Quiz 1, Discussion 1, and Assignment 1 (your Icebreaker Speech) also close Sun Sep 6 — the Workshop and the speech ask you to record yourself, so give yourself time to do a couple of takes.
3. Open the Start Here page first — it lays out everything in order with due dates.

One promise: nobody is going to throw you in front of the room cold. We build up — this week's speaking is gentle and mostly for you — and we treat the nerves directly, with strategies that actually work. By the end of the term, the version of you that was nervous to introduce yourself will be giving a full persuasive speech.

Bring your curiosity (and maybe a speech that once gave you chills) to class on Tuesday.

See you soon,
Prof. Marchetti