Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason

Assistant Professor

Lake Campus 29B

(504) 286-5013 Main

GOALS

Courses in communication serve to provide Southern University at New Orleans students with an understanding of the role, impact, and importance of effective oral communication in both our personal and professional lives.

The Fundamentals of Public Speaking course (COMM 210) provides a foundation of oral communication by building extemporaneous presentation skills. The Advanced Public Speaking course (COMM 220) builds on these skills while explicitly focusing on persuasion, marketing, and audience analysis especially useful for Business, Social Work, Criminal Justice, and Education majors. The Debate and Argumentation course (COMM 305) uses oral communication and critical thinking skills in tandem with the fundamental concepts to improve students’ abilities in effective oral communication.

Core objectives include the ability to:

• Prepare and effectively deliver presentations using the core concepts of outlining, organizing, audience analysis, and supporting information
• Actively listen to and critically evaluate messages
• Analyze an audience and develop presentations accordingly
• Develop ideas with credible supporting materials
• Utilize subordinating and coordinating ideas to effectively outline and organize oral presentations
• Identify and demonstrate nonverbal communication practice suitable to oral presentations
• Prepare and incorporate appropriate presentational aids and technology to support and enhance presentations

The communication courses are offered to serve the General Education requirements.