Developing Strategic Management Guidelines for Public Speaking Skill Enhancement for the Student Leaders of the Student Council at Zhejiang Vocational College of Arts, China

Abstract

The objectives of this study were 1) to investigate problems and needs of public speaking skills of student leaders of the student council, 2) to analyze strengths and weaknesses of public speaking skill management for student leaders of the student council, and 3) to develop strategic management guidelines for public speaking skill enhancement for the student leaders of the student council. The samples were divided into 2 groups, namely, 1) 171 student leaders, and 2) 222 teachers and 80 administrators, derived from Yamane's formula and collected through the stratified random sampling technique. The research instruments were questionnaires and questions for the academic meeting. The findings indicated that 1) the problems and needs of public speaking skills of strategic management guidelines of student leaders, teachers, and administrators were at the highest level; most students need the procedure and public speaking skills at the first rank (x̅=4.74, S.D.=0.45, and x̅=4.74, S.D.=0.46, respectively), but most teachers and administrators need planning at the first rank ( x̅=4.76, S.D.=0.45); 2) the weaknesses in public speaking skills management were that they lacked special programs to meet the diverse needs of student leaders, and they didn't focus on psychological barriers; 3) the strategic management guidelines for enhancing public speaking skills were composed of six strategies, including 1) implementing a structured public speaking program 2) regular practice and feedback opportunities 3) innovative and engaging teaching contents 4) transparent and motivational reward systems 5) teacher training and development, and 6) monitoring and continuous improvement.