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An analysis of opportunities for middle and high school principals to develop public speaking skills for effective educational leadership

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Date Issued:
1999
Summary:
Recognized leadership skills generally include communication skills and public speaking ability. Some children develop leadership and public speaking skills early in life. Some high schools and colleges emphasize public speaking. Adults frequently enroll in seminars such as Dale Carnegie programs or join organizations such as Toastmasters International. The researcher's own years of teaching and speaking experience have led her to believe in the potential value of public speaking for children, adults, and leaders in education organizations. Principals must speak competently and professionally. The purpose of this study was to determine how and when secondary school principals learned public speaking skills. The research also assessed their public speaking involvement and the importance they placed on public speaking for themselves, their staff, and their students. The researcher developed a questionnaire which was distributed to 101 middle and high school principals in Broward and Palm Beach county school districts in Florida. Completed responses were received from 52 principals. The most frequently cited-preparations for public speaking were college and high school courses. Public speaking skills were learned during high school and college years for 32 respondents. Only two had taken a Carnegie or Toastmasters course. Six principals said Carnegie or Toastmasters Youth Leadership type programs were offered in their schools, but 33 said they would be interested or wanted additional information. The principals most often cultivated public speaking skills by encouraging teachers to invite students to speak in class, inviting teachers and students to speak at assemblies, or by having drama clubs or debate teams. The last question was, "How important is public speaking in what you do today?" Very important was checked by 48 principals; somewhat important was checked by the remaining four respondents. The researcher believes that public speaking should be cultivated at all levels of education. Future research may consider whether resiliency of at-risk students could be enhanced by offering formal training in public speaking. The findings support the researcher's hypothesis that if school administrators recognize the importance of public speaking in their own experience, they are more likely to support its development among staff and students.
Title: An analysis of opportunities for middle and high school principals to develop public speaking skills for effective educational leadership.
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Name(s): Agnon, Doris Stahl.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Gray, Mary B., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1999
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 125 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Recognized leadership skills generally include communication skills and public speaking ability. Some children develop leadership and public speaking skills early in life. Some high schools and colleges emphasize public speaking. Adults frequently enroll in seminars such as Dale Carnegie programs or join organizations such as Toastmasters International. The researcher's own years of teaching and speaking experience have led her to believe in the potential value of public speaking for children, adults, and leaders in education organizations. Principals must speak competently and professionally. The purpose of this study was to determine how and when secondary school principals learned public speaking skills. The research also assessed their public speaking involvement and the importance they placed on public speaking for themselves, their staff, and their students. The researcher developed a questionnaire which was distributed to 101 middle and high school principals in Broward and Palm Beach county school districts in Florida. Completed responses were received from 52 principals. The most frequently cited-preparations for public speaking were college and high school courses. Public speaking skills were learned during high school and college years for 32 respondents. Only two had taken a Carnegie or Toastmasters course. Six principals said Carnegie or Toastmasters Youth Leadership type programs were offered in their schools, but 33 said they would be interested or wanted additional information. The principals most often cultivated public speaking skills by encouraging teachers to invite students to speak in class, inviting teachers and students to speak at assemblies, or by having drama clubs or debate teams. The last question was, "How important is public speaking in what you do today?" Very important was checked by 48 principals; somewhat important was checked by the remaining four respondents. The researcher believes that public speaking should be cultivated at all levels of education. Future research may consider whether resiliency of at-risk students could be enhanced by offering formal training in public speaking. The findings support the researcher's hypothesis that if school administrators recognize the importance of public speaking in their own experience, they are more likely to support its development among staff and students.
Identifier: 9780599567221 (isbn), 12612 (digitool), FADT12612 (IID), fau:9496 (fedora)
Note(s): College of Education
Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1999.
Subject(s): School principals
Educational leadership
Public speaking
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12612
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.