Are you thinking, “should I take a speech class in college?” Our short answer is yes, you should. Let us be honest; we’re all terrified of public speaking, at least at some point in our lives. Whether you were once forced to speak in front of a large audience and flaked out, or you have always been afraid of people’s judgment, public speaking is not an easy feat.
The thing is, many college students are too embarrassed to publicly speak in front of their peers, as college feels like a time where you want to socialize and fit in. Hence, most of us are afraid of not being well-equipped on a specific topic, which can honestly be detrimental to our personal growth.
That’s why numerous students opt for a public speaking class in college. General speaking classes help you overcome any fears you have. They aid with the development of your communication and speaking skills. Moreover, it presents you as confident and a good communicator, which is a skill every college student should have.
What is Speech Class in College?
What is Speech Class in College?Okay, so you want to learn how to be a better communicator, and you have heard all about this “Speech Class” offered, but what is speech class in college? Speech courses teach you oral skills and communication situations that you would encounter both in everyday life and in your professional career.
Generally, speech courses follow a general education requirement, providing adequate support for students to help them tackle their career and technical issues. More and more universities and colleges have been equipping their students.
Speech classes have been more frequently incorporated into college curriculums because recruiters have complaints about the lack of communication college and university students experience upon graduation.
An Australian survey discovered that most colleges do not know how to balance the whole “too much or too little” when it comes to communicating with their students. It is a huge mistake to not properly communicate and teach those skills to students, as communication is the key to building relationships and truly understanding how the world around you works.
Is a Speech Class Required in College?
The short answer is no; not all universities and colleges require you to take a speech class, and there are ways to not take it if your college offers it. However, most universities do require some sort of speech class or course for you to graduate and earn your degree.
These requirements are not universal, as not all countries and systems adapt speech classes in their curriculums. Moreover, some specific majors require some sort of communication course, while others do not need it.
For instance, you need a speech course if you’re majoring in management, public relations, or communication studies. It only makes sense, doesn’t it? The reason is when you grow up, you are bound to be forced to socialize and communicate with people, even if you don’t feel like doing so.
On the other hand, consider that most majors do not require speech class. To find out if your university or college offers a speech course as a mandatory one for your major, you would have to check the curriculum on your college’s website.
Even if you strive to be a scientist, how are you supposed to communicate your ideas properly if you cannot hold a proper discussion with someone?
What College Majors Require a Speech Class?
If you’re trying to avoid taking a speech class, we have some good news for you. There are majors out there that do not have a college speech class as a requirement to graduate. That aside, if you’re avoiding speech classes because of a fear you have, we strongly recommend you to get over that fear and tackle this head-on by taking a class.
So, which college majors do require you to take a speech class? The most obvious and common ones in almost all colleges are Communication Studies, Journalism, Public Relations, and Rhetoric. Let’s discuss those and explain why they do require a speech class.
Communication Studies.
This is a vast academic subject as it includes organizational, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and numerous other communication subfields. Most colleges require their communication students to pass a speech class to graduate.
Journalism.
Come on, how would someone plan on graduating from journalism without communicating correctly with people? The whole point of journalism is to discuss, display, and ask questions to people.
Public Relations.
As a public relations student, you are subjected to many situations that force you to speak your opinion and be present in front of an audience. In a gist, you will grow up and have to be able to face an organization, political party, or simply learn how to speak in front of a television camera.
Rhetoric.
Rhetoric is the study of communication and persuasion. It dates back to the ancient Greece era. Many liberal arts students must study rhetoric, which means you need to be equipped with persuasion skills that will give you the power over others.
What Do They Teach in Speech Class?
So, what are college speech class topics? What do they teach you? How will you learn anything? Isn’t communication straightforward? Well, a speech class will simply make you use speech and communication as weapons that strengthen you.
A good speech class offers several different topics to address, and these generally are:
- Speech classes teach you what NOT to do when communicating with others. There are things you need to avoid and things you have to address when you’re publicly speaking. Learning what you should not do usually comes from observing your fellow classmates and noting which wrong skills they portray.
- A speech class provides you with a safe environment with no judgment. The whole point is to understand which mistakes you are making while speaking professionally and adequately talk with your instructor.
- It helps you learn the different methods of communication. With the rapid development of technology, more communication platforms have become available, which often blurs the lines regarding professionalism. Hence, you learn the proper, most suitable ways of communicating depending on the person you’re talking to.
- Teaches you the best forms of communication and how to capture someone’s attention. To stay attentive and make sure your audience is engaging, you have to figure out the best tactic, including visuals, tone, nonverbal and verbal communication skills.
- Allows you to develop your own skills in critical thinking and analysis. You learn how to write and speak to engage in different activities. Generally, you know how to talk to other people depending on the type of person you are and your relationship with them.
5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Take Speech Class
If you’re not afraid of public speaking, then you might be wondering, “is speech class hard in college?” The short answer is no, it is not. You simply have to be present and attentive, communicate and participate to earn good grades.
Public speaking or speech classes in colleges are the most accessible courses you can take. Hence, if you still are having doubts, here is a list of reasons we recommend everyone take a speech class in college:
Become more knowledgeable
Sure, you can always read up on a topic, but do you know that you will retain more if you discuss it with others? That’s why taking a speech class increases your general knowledge, as you are bound to learn more from others.
Learn how to actively listen
We all zone out of conversations sometimes and become pretty passive without being aware of it. Taking a speech class in college will help you learn to actively listen and retain more information from a conversation.
Learn how to communicate ideas
We all need to learn how to voice our opinions more often, and there is no better way to do that than taking a speech class. In a communication class, you will have to talk to others and voice your own opinion to get your message through. The course encourages you to do that.
Conquer your fear
Even if you have successfully done public speaking before, there usually is some remnant feeling of fear left inside of you. That usually surfaces right before you speak in front of people. Hence, taking a speech class will help you eliminate any left issues you have about speaking in front of others.
Attract opportunities
People seeing you capable of public speaking and communicating with charisma and confidence is appealing. In interviews and organization spaces, you will have the power to attract opportunities and impress people with how you speak.
Wrapping Things Up: Should I Take a Speech Class in College?
If you’re wondering how to avoid speech class in college because of your anxiety, then we encourage you to talk to your advisor and seek therapy. It really can be incredibly intimidating, and trust us, we do understand.
However, taking speech classes will help you move up in your personal and professional life. We urge you to consider taking one and tackling any fears you might have.
Should you take a speech class in high shool? Check out this article.
