Resources

As the National Communication Association observes, “The Wall Street Journal reported a survey of 480 companies that found that employers ranked communication abilities first among the desirable personal qualities of future employees (1998). In a report on fastest growing careers, the U.S. Department of Labor states that communication skills will be in demand across occupations well into [this] century. In a national survey of 1000 human resource managers, oral communication skills are identified as valuable for both obtaining employment and successful job performance. Executives with Fortune 500 companies indicate that college students need better communication skills, as well as the ability to work in teams and with people from diverse backgrounds. Case studies of high-wage companies also state that essential skills for future workers include problem solving, working in groups, and the ability to communicate effectively. When 1000 faculty members from a cross section of disciplines were asked to identify basic competencies for every college graduate, skills in communicating topped the list.”

We offer the following links to assist you in enhancing your academic or career goals with studies in Speech and Communication.

COMPLETING YOUR SPEECH & COMMUNICATION STUDIES IN OREGON

• Linfield College
• Marylhurst University
• Northwest Christian University
• Oregon Institute of Technology
• Oregon State University
• Portland State University
• Southern Oregon University
• University of Oregon
• University of Portland
• Western Oregon University
• Willamette University

COMPLETING YOUR SPEECH & COMMUNICATION STUDIES OUTSIDE OF OREGON

Check the National Communication Association department links for Communication Studies in Higher Education.

More about Speech and Communication Studies

Classical works in Speech and Communication generally fall under the heading of rhetoric,the art of persuasion. The most influential work of antiquity was Aristotle's (4th century BC) Ars Rhetorica or The Art of Rhetoric. Many terms commonly and not so commonly used today an be traced to ancient rhetorical classifications of, for instance, figures of speech. Since the ancients, centuries of philosophers and educators have recognized the value and carried forward the study of oral communication, as seen in Dr. Gideon Burden's Sylva Rhetoricae. Today we can access more than two hundred audio and video links to the greatest moments in the history of oratory thanks to the Online Speech Bank published by Michael Eidenmuller at the University of Texas at Tyler. Eidenmuller's American Rhetoric website is another fascinating link for the enthusiastic fan of historical speeches (presented both as they actually occurred and as Hollywood interpretations) and for the avid student of speech communication.

Hundreds of colleges and universities support instruction in the field of Speech and Communication and, as Professor Michael Osborn has written, educators remain committed to the importance of Speech and Communication to the education of the whole person and to the health of our democratic and culturally diverse society.

• The Communication Discipline
• ComResources
• Sylva Rhetoricae
• American Rhetoric
• Importance of Communication Studies
• NCA Communication Departments