Jim Helmer, Oral Communication Lab coordinator, gave a presentation at the National Association of Communication Centers conference April 18-19 at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. In his talk, titled "The Canons Reloaded: the Seven Cardinal Virtues of Oral Presentation," Helmer described his work on creating a set of posters aimed at teaching fundamental oral presentation concepts and skills to support Hamilton's goal of communication excellence across the curriculum.
He calls the work "an effort to re-conceptualize and update the classical canons of rhetoric for a contemporary college audience representing diverse disciplines, lacking background in rhetorical theory, and having little guided practice in public speaking." Inspired by the Writing Center's "Seven Deadly Sins" posters and based on pet peeves and best practices contributed by Hamilton faculty, as well as Helmer's own teaching and research, "The Seven Cardinal Virtues" is a set of seven posters, each of which describes a key attribute or quality of an effective oral presentation along with practical advice for students on how to achieve that quality in their own work.
He calls the work "an effort to re-conceptualize and update the classical canons of rhetoric for a contemporary college audience representing diverse disciplines, lacking background in rhetorical theory, and having little guided practice in public speaking." Inspired by the Writing Center's "Seven Deadly Sins" posters and based on pet peeves and best practices contributed by Hamilton faculty, as well as Helmer's own teaching and research, "The Seven Cardinal Virtues" is a set of seven posters, each of which describes a key attribute or quality of an effective oral presentation along with practical advice for students on how to achieve that quality in their own work.
