A Panel for the End of the World: An Original Teaching Activity for a Public Speaking Course

Jack Phillips
Masters Candidate
Missouri State University

Suggested Citation:
Phillips, J. (2024). A panel for the end of the world: An original teaching activity for a public speaking course. Utah Journal of Communication, 2(1), 37-40. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11165675

Abstract
This original teaching activity was designed for students in the basic public speaking course. Students must serve on a four-person panel acting as leading scientists telling unique audiences that the world will be ending in two weeks from an asteroid strike. Students are challenged to use audience adaption and analysis skills, extemporaneous speaking methods, and the three major rhetorical proofs to guide their delivery. Students must provide an introductory statement, participate in a question-and-answer segment, and provide a concluding statement. The audience changes for each panel presentation, and students must adapt their speeches to best suit the needs of their audience. This activity provides students with an opportunity to apply course content through an absurd, yet realistic scenario which highlights the importance of audience adaptation and analysis.
Keywords: Public speaking, Audience analysis, Rhetorical proofs, Active learning, Social learning

Courses: Introduction to Communication, Public Speaking, Professional Presentations, Educational Communication

Objectives: This exercise emphasizes audience adaptation and analysis, requiring students to tailor their presentations to varied audiences under the intense scenario of global catastrophe. It incorporates extemporaneous speaking to improve spontaneity and adaptability, essential for effective communication in unpredictable contexts. Collaborative skills are also developed as students work in panels, mirroring professional public speaking environments. Furthermore, the activity serves as a practical application of the rhetorical proofs—ethos, logos, and pathos—enabling students to practice establishing credibility, logical reasoning, and emotional engagement.

Rationale

Reflecting on my experience as a student taking my basic public speaking course, I felt anxious about my capabilities to exercise adaptability within a public speaking context. Now, in my role as an instructor for the course, I recognize this as a common fear among my students and one I aimed to address through this activity. A Panel for the End of the World was designed to aid students with analyzing and adapting to diverse audiences, exercising flexibility, and collaborating with peers to present information. Students are placed in a situation where they have no formal experience to rely on and must make quick decisions about their delivery style to connect with unique audiences. This activity emphasizes social learning, in which students learn new behaviors through direct experience and observing the behaviors of others (Bandura, 1971). The collaborative nature of this exercise allows them to discuss rhetorical strategies with their peers and form connections between their social environment and the work they produce.

This activity also incorporates elements of active learning theory. Machemer and Crawford (2007) define active learning as a process that “provides opportunities for students to reflect, analyze, synthesize, and communicate on or about the information presented” (pg. 10). This activity requires students to incorporate the three major artistic proofs and impromptu delivery strategies and provides the opportunity to actively apply it. Through application, students can create a connection between course content and the application of that content within an informal, yet realistic setting. Building connections between in-class content and real-world applications allows them to understand the greater value of the learning objectives and recognize the practical impacts these skills can provide in their professional and personal lives.

Activity Description

The students will lead a mock panel presentation in which they are leading scientists presenting to an audience newly discovered information that reveals the world will be ending in two weeks from an asteroid strike. The students will be divided into groups of four and will lead a panel-style discussion with the class in which they must present this news to unique audiences. For a class size of 24 students, there will be six groups presenting for this activity. The students will determine their group members and roles. Each group will be given a unique audience and approximately five minutes to discuss and prepare for their panel. As the first group enters the stage, the instructor will ask four volunteers from the class to ask predetermined questions specific to their audience during the panel. The questions are listed below and will be provided on notecards for the students. After the initial presentation from each panelist, there will be a question-and-answer portion in which the volunteers will ask the panelists their questions. Following the question-and-answer portion of the panel, each panelist will deliver a closing statement and return to their seat.

Each of the four students on the panel will have unique roles that guide their expectations for delivering the news. There will be one leader, who breaks the news to the audience and provides a brief overview of the situation, the implications, and sets expectations for what the audience should do with the information provided to them. This student will focus on creating a cohesive narrative that is relevant to the time and place of the speech. One student will employ the principles of logos, in which they will present to the audience data, statistics, and scientific reasoning for how their team is confident this event will occur. Students in this role are challenged to use oral citation skills and on-the-fly thinking to create false sources that confirm this scientific event. One student will employ the principles of ethos, in which they add to the credibility of the team and build trust with the audience surrounding the event, building upon the argument presented by the logos student. The last student will employ the principles of pathos, in which they connect to and guide the emotions of the audience. This student is challenged to meet the emotional needs of their specific audience, calm their nerves, and guide their actions after receiving this information.

The panel will begin with each student giving a brief statement addressing the audience using their specific rhetorical goal. After this initial statement, there will be four predetermined questions asked by the audience that are unique to the needs of the audience at that time. The students must use their rhetorical positions, public speaking knowledge, and impromptu skills to appropriately address their audience’s concerns while remaining professional and credible as scientists. The students must remain present and engaged during the question-and-answer portion of the panel and use nonverbal indicators and areas of expertise to determine which panel member addresses each question, as well as when a question has been appropriately answered.

Preparation

Before class, the instructor will transfer the following information to a notecard which is handed out to students. First, they receive a notecard that explains their audience, and afterward, they will be handed notecards that hold the predetermined questions.

Audience Types:

Kindergarten Class – The students present to a group of young children, simplifying their language to ensure the kids understand the gravity of the situation without causing unnecessary fear.
United Nations Assembly: The students address a global audience of diplomats and world leaders, emphasizing international cooperation to address the crisis
Conspiracy Theorists Convention: The students present to a group of conspiracy theorists who may not initially believe the scientists. Students must use logic and evidence to convince this skeptical audience.
Social Media Influencers: The students present to an audience of young adults with influence on major social media platforms. They must advise their audience on how to effectively use their platforms to spread awareness without causing mass panic.
Superhero Convention: The students present for a global convention of individuals with superpowers. They must focus on encouraging teamwork and collaboration to prevent the impending disaster.
Retirement Center: The students present to a retirement center primarily composed of elderly individuals. They must address their concerns and help them find meaning within the disaster and strategies to cope with the tragedy.

Audience Predetermined Questions

The following questions are examples that can be used in this activity, as they were designed to simulate realistic questions that each audience might ask in this context.

Kindergarten Classroom:
- My Dad is the strongest man on Earth. Can he stop the asteroid?
- What will happen to our toys and pets when the asteroid comes?
- Can we build a really big rocket ship and go to space whenever the asteroid comes?
- I’m scared. How can I be not scared?
United Nations Assembly:
- What international coordination measures are already in place to address this imminent threat?
- Are there any existing treaties or agreements that govern the uses of space resources or technologies that might be relevant to this situation?
- How can we ensure equal access to information and resources for all nations, regardless of their level of technology or scientific capability?
- What measures can we take to prevent social disruption while communicating about the asteroid threat?
Conspiracy Theorists Convention:
- Lord Zorp’s Divine Manifesto states that the great asteroid won’t come for five more years. How are you sure that it’s only two weeks away? Do you dare accuse Lord Zorp of lying?
- Are there any hidden technologies or classified projects that could actually prevent the asteroid impact, and are they being kept from the public?
- Is there a way to independently verify the size and trajectory of the asteroid, or is all the information made available potentially compromised?
- Are there any secret bunkers for the elite that have been prepared in advance for the asteroid impact?
Social Media Influencers:
- Me and my besties are going to Bella Hadid’s birthday party next month… can we like… stop the asteroid?
- How long will I have to take a selfie with the asteroid before the Earth is like… destroyed?
- Ugh my followers are totally gonna freak out about this, how can we post about the asteroid without it being #depressing?
- How can I still be a self-care queen while the asteroid is approaching?
Superhero Convention:
- Do we have any ability to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations to seek their aid in preventing this disaster?
- I’m a supervillain and I think this is awesome. How can I make the asteroid come quicker?
- I have the power to create portals to alternate universes that are nearly the exact same as our own. Should we send the asteroid through the portal and destroy an alternate Earth with all the same people and social realities, or should we accept our fate and allow our planet to be destroyed?
- How can we ensure our superhero efforts are coordinated with international scientific and military efforts?
Retirement Center:
- Are there any senior discounts on asteroid insurance? Is it even worth it at this point?
- How should we best prioritize our time over the next few weeks?
- How can we help younger generations cope with the knowledge of impending doom?
- How can we ensure that our stories and experiences can be preserved after the Earth is destroyed?

Debrief

Following the activity, the instructor should ask these questions to their classroom to build connections and understanding of the learning objectives:

How did your assigned role influence your approach to presenting the information?
How did you assess and respond to the unique needs of your audience during the presentation?
Were there any unexpected challenges or surprises during the question-and-answer portion? How did you address them?
How did this activity challenge your abilities as a public speaker, and what did you learn from the experience?

Appraisal

This activity was led in six different classrooms by three instructors and was met with positive results each time. The absurdity of the situation and encouragement to create false information seemed to resonate with the students and allowed them to step outside of their comfort zones. Providing students with roles to guide their presentation seemed to provide them with explorable boundaries to guide their delivery, reducing uncertainty but still providing space for creativity and individual personality. Students who typically experience speech apprehension seemed more comfortable within the context of a group presentation and were able to rely on their fellow panelists when faced with tough questions. The students felt empowered to create new questions for the panelists and enjoyed asking complicated questions to put their classmates on the spot. The biggest negative reaction was towards the United Nations audience, which students considered more challenging and less enjoyable than the others. In one class, the instructor switched the United Nations audience to a more casual one upon student request and was able to swiftly create new audience predetermined questions. Overall, this activity succeeded in providing students with experience adapting to audiences, speaking impromptu, and applying rhetorical proofs to their delivery, and the students had fun in the process.

References

Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1977). Social learning theory (Vol. 1). Prentice Hall.

Machemer, P., & Crawford, P. (2007). Student perceptions of active learning in a large cross-disciplinary classroom. Active Learning in Higher Education, 8(1), 9–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787407074008 

Ruiz-Mesa, K., & Broeckelman-Post, M. (2022). Inclusive Public Speaking: Communicating in a Diverse World, Comprehensive Edition (Vol. 1). Top Hat.

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