Why I am not going to teach public speaking online

Abstract

My reasons for refusing to teach public speaking online include the following: First, the way I currently teach public speaking seems to work very well. Actually, from my understanding of the history of rhetoric it has worked well for thousands of years. The second reason concerns my vocational calling. My perception of effective teaching involves being with students in real physical space. In other words, I am called to the classroom, not the computer screen. My third reason – not unrelated to the first two – concerns the notion of embodiment. I am persuaded that embodied teaching, especially with a subject that centers on the use of the body and voice, is superior to disembodied teaching. My reason for not wanting to teach public speaking online would be identical to why I do not think sculpting or tennis should be taught online.

Trends in the Introductory Communication Course from 1956 to 2016: A Systematic Review of the Results of 11 National Survey Studies

“…The surveys in 2006, 2010, and 2016 reported the introductory communication course was already being delivered online. At about the same time, concerns became more widespread about teaching communication courses online, particularly the public speaking course (Allen, 2006;Hunt, 2012). Issues about online public speaking instruction (2006,2010,2016) related to how a "real audience" can be achieved, the quality of the student and teacher interactions, and instructor and student competence in the use of online teaching and learning technologies.…”