Students usually appreciate the power of a good argument by the time they get to college, but it's important that you teach them to research and present a strong position. One way to introduce your class to arguing in public is to arrange a debate. Students can debate other people in the class and take a pro or con stance on a topic of their choosing.
Depending on your preferences, you can have groups debate each other or request students work independently. However, since your goal is teaching public speaking, you want to emphasis the importance of research and presentation. You should request students present an outline with their references.
Charities frequently use motivational speeches to elicit donations. One idea to help college students learn to give speeches is to have them write a speech about their favorite charity or non-profit organization. Then, they can present it in front of the class or outside of class.
Having students perform their motivational speech outside of class makes the situation more realistic. If you choose to have them present it to their friends and family outside of class, you should have them write up a response sheet for their audience to complete. This proves a student completed the project and gives you an idea how the audience reacted.
Another way to make the scenario genuine would be to ask your students not to tell the audience that the speech is a public speaking assignment. If the students act like they're making a real request for donations, it might make their speech more conversational and appealing.
Every year, thousands of people send in tapes of themselves telling producers why they're the next big name in reality television. While not everyone likes reality TV, you can use their method of choosing participants in your public speaking class.
Students can video tape themselves interviewing for a fictional reality TV show and share the tape with the class. They can also present it in front of the class while pretending they're videotaping themselves for a producer.
Employers will frequently base their hiring decisions on face-to-face interviews because they learn a lot about potential employees by how they carry themselves and communicate. You can create a real-life scenario for students to use their public speaking skills by conducting a mock job interview.
Have the class prepare resumes and give them some examples of the type of questions you'll be asking. Most interviews put pressure on the candidate to think quickly, speak clearly and give a thorough academic and work history without much preparation. To recreate this scenario, you might consider giving this assignment as the final exam or another important project.