Honors Students Experience the Art of Public Speaking on Fayetteville Square

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David Adams demonstrates how to mix silver and copper in front of instructor Lynn Meade's Honors Public Speaking students.

Over family weekend, students in the Honors Public Speaking course and some of their parents took to the Fayetteville city square during the Farmer's Market to experience public speaking up close and personal. This was all part of an assignment designed by Department of Communication instructor Lynn Meade to help students draw connections between classroom concepts and the public speaking that happens every day in the local community.

Meade explained, "I want my students to see for themselves the different ways that professionals use speaking to inform, to advocate, to persuade and to demonstrate." 

As part of the field trip, David Adams of David Adams Jewelers demonstrated how to mix silver and copper. Freshman Delaney Bower reflected, "We have talked in class about what makes a speech 'stick' — what makes it memorable. For me, my experience at the jewelry shop had that effect. Listening to the jeweler talk about his work and his passion made his demonstration 'sticky.' It was an experience that drew the listener in because you could basically see the love that man has for his craft. ... Choosing subjects you're passionate about — combined with realizing that the effects of public speaking are ubiquitous — have shifted my perspective on this class."

Students also saw professional informative speaking as they listened to Operations Manager Julia Cherry from Experience Fayetteville. Cherry informed students about how the city has adapted during the pandemic, how their tax dollars are used in programing and what types of programs the City of Fayetteville promotes. In addition, students witnessed persuasive speaking as they engaged with political advocates. They listened to a presentation about the decision to use COVID-19 relief money to expand the local jail and heard a presentation on legal reform.

Freshman Sally Jacobs said, "This field trip opened my eyes to the fact that public speaking is all around whether you realize it or not. We engage in public speaking almost every day and the more you pay attention to it, the more you understand what it takes to be a good speaker."

Freshman Matthew Griggs summarized the experience: "The farmer's market helped in showing me that public speaking is not always formal; it's constant and in a good way. I was able to learn that the more passionate you are about a topic, the easier it is to talk about it. You could tell the craftspeople at the farmer's market could talk for hours and hours on end about their respective crafts, something I would've thought to be impossible before my first class here. The key to public speaking, from what I've learned so far, is to be informed and passionate about what you are talking about, as it will make the speech more enjoyable for everyone, and people are much more likely to engage and retain the information you give them."

Meade expressed her thanks to the Fayetteville community for making this unique learning opportunity a success: "I am grateful for the professionals in our community who are willing to give of their time to help students see the relevance of public speaking. Passion is the key to public speaking, and I aim to help students find their voice and speak their passions."