Rephotography: Reviving spatial speeches and memory

Abstract

Traditionally, informative speeches are relegated to be passive. The classic scope of informative speeches does not consider “live” or “lived” rhetoric. After teaching public speaking for most of my career, there are times when one needs to reinvigorate assignments. This assignment challenges how we utilize memory and place to encourage students to view spatial informative speeches as more than “giving directions.” This assignment design acknowledges the growing concern of accounting for the human impact one has on both place and space. Courses Public Speaking, Persuasion, Introduction to Communication. Objectives This assignment aims to (1) increase the student’s understanding of memory and how it relates to other canons; (2) encourage the student to engage in personal memory, spatial memory, and cultural memory; (3) challenge the classical function of memory as mere storage; and (4) expand mediated options and possibilities when considering visual aids.