Curso - Workshop Public Speaking for Professional English Settings.

Curso - Workshop Public Speaking for Professional English Settings.

Presentación:

This course prepares students for various professional settings where formal presentations are required. The class will focus on developing oral communication skills through a diverse selection of in-class and internet-based activities, including planned and impromptu speech acts, critical listening practice, self and peer evaluation, pronunciation practice, and functional vocabulary and grammar use. The students who will benefit the most from this course already have a level of English equivalent to B2 of the Common European Framework (CEF).

Dirigido a:

This course is designed for professionals and academics with an upper intermediate to advanced level of English who are looking to improve their public speaking skills in English. Students will present different types of speeches relevant to professional and academic contexts about topics of their choice.

Objetivo:

Objetivo General:

Communicative: Learn to give effective presentations for a variety of contexts and audiences.

Linguistic: Learn and use appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation techniques.

Metacognitive: Learn to monitor and improve future performances based on corrective feedback and self-reflection.

Objetivos Específicos:

1. Develop effective oral communication skills for various contexts.

2. Produce four in-class presentations on various topics.

3. Learn and practice multiple pronunciation techniques to improve accuracy.

4. Understand the benefits of using effective nonverbal communication.

5. Learn how to produce effective presentation materials.

6. Improve critical listening skills through analysis of various speeches.

7. Monitor and reflect upon one's own performance and the performance of others.

8. Discover anxiety-reduction techniques best suited for individual needs.

Metodología:

Public Speaking for Professional English Settings is a blended-learning course based on two weekly in-class sessions and one-internet based session. The teacher will provide instruction on various topics, which will then be immediately applied and practiced by the student. In class, students will learn and develop strategies for public speaking, such as planning and organization, how to produce effective presentation materials, and how to combat anxiety. Internet-based sessions will include a variety of activities that support students in their development of public speaking skills and linguistic accuracy.

Video analysis of public speeches and isolated pronunciation practice will be introduced both in class and via Blackboard sessions online. Students will progress through detailed oral and written teacher feedback, and through critical self and peer evaluations. Finally, students will be encouraged to pursue topics of interest in their own field so that maximum relevance can be achieved.

Contenido:

Blended-Learning:

Thorne (2003) defines blended-learning as "a way of meeting the challenges of tailoring learning and development to the needs of individuals by integrating the innovative and technological advances offered by online learning with the interaction and participation offered in the best of traditional learning."

Therefore, this class aims to provide multiple styles of learning for each student, such as traditional face-to-face instruction and student-to-student interaction in the classroom, but will also allow for individual work and progress to be completed online.

As such, web sessions will include the following activities:

Web session activities:

1. Audio Recordings: the student will perform short voice recordings that focus on linguistic accuracy and communication practice. Students will perform self-evaluations and will receive oral and/or written feedback from the teacher and/or peers.

2. Video Recordings: the student will produce video recordings of 1-2 minutes of various themes related to in-class activities. The student will perform self-evaluations as well as peer-evaluations in order to improve their next performance.

3. Exercises: the student will complete various online exercises related to pronunciation accuracy.

Types of Speaking Tasks:

1. Introductory Speech

2. Impromptu Speeches

3. Explaining a Graph/Chart/Figure

4. Sales Pitch

5. Informative Speech

6. Problem-Solution Speech

7. Interviewing

8. Debating

Profesor(es):

Kathleen Sheridan
is a lecturer in the Department of Languages and Sociocultural Studies at Universidad de Los Andes. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Georgia (Athens) and a MA in Applied Linguistics from Georgia State University (Atlanta). She has experience teaching in the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, and Colombia.

Nicole Bruskewitz
is a lecturer in the Department of Languages and Culture at Universidad de Los Andes. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Iowa and a MA in Education from la Universidad de los Andes. She has experience teaching English in the United States and Colombia. She specializes in orality and public speaking.

Eventualmente la Universidad puede verse obligada, por causas de fuerza mayor a cambiar los profesores presentados en este documento.

Lugar: Universidad de los Andes- Sede Centro

Horario: Martes y jueves 6:00 p.m. a 8:00 p.m.

Duración 16 sesiones - 40 horas