Discussion Questions

  1. What is your history with speech communication? Have you had a class prior to taking this one? How was it similar/different?
  2. What do you see as the goal of today’s public speakers? What are they working toward? Who are these individuals?
  3. How have you seen public speaker’s use Aristotle’s persuasive appeals (pathos, logos, or ethos)? How in/effectively were they used?
  4. What are the benefits and/or drawbacks to memorizing a public presentation?
  5. Talk about a time when you had to adjust your communication for a particular audience. What factors influenced you to adapt?
  6. Imagine you are a Communication scholar. Which paradigm would you most likely use to study Communication? In other words, would you do research in rhetoric, elocution, social science, social constructionism, or critical/cultural studies? Justify your position by explaining why you think the paradigm you choose is the best to study Communication and the limitations of adhering to the other paradigms. Also, what are the limitations to the paradigm you chose?
  7. Your friend has decided to take this particular Communication course next semester.  S/he asks you to explain something you have recently learned in the course. Since you just finished reading Chapter 2, you decide to explain to her/him the different paradigms within the field of Communication. How would you explain these paradigms to your friend? What would you say? What examples would you use so that your friend could understand what each paradigm deems significant in regards to studying Communication?