SpeakFest
SpeakFest is a one day event held each semester that engages students to share their research and experiences. The event’s primary goals are to improve students in peer learning, civic engagement, and public speaking. The event offers a culminating experience across participating sections for the COMMunication Studies Department, GE, and Performance courses. SpeakFest usually takes place the last Friday in April and November.
Participants, primarily from COMM 20 and 40 courses, share the work they have produced in small group panel presentations with students from different sections. Students also get an opportunity to work with upper-division COMM majors that serve as trained peer coaches who give meaningful feedback back to the presenter. Students have an opportunity to fill both roles, COMM 20 and 40 students get real life presentation skills, and upper division students gain an opportunity to learn and apply how to provide feedback.
How To Join
The course you register for as a part of SpeakFest is dependent on the role you'd like to take on during the event
As a Speaker
COMM 191A - Debate - Most closely associated with COMM 40
If you want to participate in two-on-two debates at SpeakFest, COMM 191A is the option
for you. Sign up with a friend or a partner will be assigned to you. In this section
you will get an opportunity to practice your reasoning skills, research abilities,
refutation, and speaking skills.
COMM 191B - Platform - Most closely associated with COMM 20
If you want to participate in the speech at SpeakFest, COMM 191B is the option for
you. Here you will be able to choose to give an informative or persuasive speech to
an audience and get feedback from a peer coach.
COMM 191C - Oral Interpretation
If you have a performance (prose, drama, program) that you want to perform for an
audience, then COMM 191C is the option for you. You will get an opportunity to see students organize and perform
their pieces and get peer feedback about how it was received.
As an Evaluator
COMM 91J - 1 Unit Fully Online Credit/No Credit - Prerequisite to COMM 191J
Learn how to provide meaningful feedback. This is a course that teaches you about
different speaking events, how to evaluate them, and how to improve your listening
skills.
COMM 191J - 1 Unit - Application of COMM 91 J
Become a Peer Evaluator for SpeakFest. In this course you will take the skills that
you’ve learned in COMM 91J and apply them to diverse speeches that will be seen at
SpeakFest. You may sign up for COMM 91J and COMM 191J at the same time.
