Finishing strong: Balancing challenge and care in the second round of personal narratives

Aug 05, 2025

This is the final installment in our C-I in Action series where we follow Dr. Naomi Bennett through her process of teaching a communication-intensive course. This week, we look at the final outcome of the course and reflections from Naomi.

As the semester moved into its final stretch, the energy in Naomi’s Performance Composition course began to shift. Students were revising and performing their personal narratives—more grounded, realistic pieces compared to the metaphor-driven poetic works earlier in the term. This shift brought new demands on memory, physical presence, and emotional investment. And for Naomi, it meant re-committing to flexibility, feedback, and human-centered teaching.

Revising the Schedule to Support Communication

Earlier in the semester, Naomi adjusted the course calendar after realizing it was too densely packed for students to meaningfully process, apply feedback, and revise their work. One of the key additions was a series of staging workshops focused on vocal and physical techniques for the poetic performances, and physical character-building workshops for the personal narrative performances—a necessary pivot as the class transitioned into personal narrative performances.

"Making the decision to cut the final performance was one of the hardest things I did that semester. But now that I have, I see how much more valuable the extra instruction time was for the students."

C-I connection: This addition reflects a responsive approach to pacing, a key part of C-I teaching. By slowing down, Naomi made room for deep learning, multimodal expression, and performance planning—core C-I strategies that prioritize process over rushed product.

Though students had done movement work earlier in the semester, their application of physical performance varied. Some integrated staging and character work into their second drafts; others were still too focused on memorization to connect fully with their bodies. Naomi observed this as a pattern she might expect going forward.

Presence, Communication, and Accountability

Attendance and communication remained strong, even as the typical fatigue of the semester began to show. Absences were more frequent, but students were largely transparent and responsible—communicating clearly when they’d miss class or need flexibility.

C-I connection: Encouraging consistent student-instructor communication—and modeling it in return—builds a feedback-rich, trust-based classroom culture, a key tenet of Communication-Intensive instruction.

For a performance-based course, being present on the day of a workshop or showing is non-negotiable. But this semester, Naomi wasn’t chasing down students or fielding missed-performance excuses. That in itself felt like a win.

"Attendance is integral to performance classes. Beyond just the practice and skill building, it builds community and reinforces the expectations students will encounter in a rehearsal room, or even future jobs."

african american actor holding scenario and standing on stage during rehearse in theatre — Credit: Adobe Stock

Performing Revision: A Different Kind of Challenge

This week, students presented the second version of their personal narratives: revised scripts that incorporated both instructor and peer feedback. The assignment required students to “stand up” their work—to memorize the piece and present it for the first time as a full-body performance. Memorization was required, but they were allowed to call for line if needed.

C-I connection: Asking students to apply written feedback, revise, memorize, and then perform supports iterative practice, another core principle of C-I pedagogy. It’s about more than just getting the words right—it’s about understanding how those words land with others.

Naomi offered practical strategies to help students build confidence, like how to finish strong even if they forgot a line. These tools made a real difference.

"I went over various memorization techniques that I had learned over the years—and several students shared their own, ones they had used before, or discovered as part of memorizing their personal narratives for this class."

Shared Fatigue, Mutual Grace

By now, grading was starting to pile up. Naomi had aimed to return feedback by the next class session all semester—a goal she had mostly met until this point. This week, it took longer. But she communicated with students about the delay and what to expect.

And while feedback turnaround slowed, community care didn’t. The class warm-up—physical, vocal, and breath-based—continued each day and had become a kind of shared ritual of self-regulation. It grounded the students—and grounded Naomi too.

Do you have questions about the process of teaching this course as Communication-Intensive? Drop a comment below for Naomi and the CxC Team!

Teaching as Joy (Even When You’re Tired)

Despite the exhaustion, Naomi found herself energized by this group. In previous semesters, she admitted, this point in the course had felt like a grind. But this time was different. There was connection. Accountability. Shared momentum.

Students took feedback seriously. They supported each other. They experimented. They missed class less. They communicated more. And they showed up with stories that mattered.

C-I Teaching Highlights from Weeks 13–14

Adaptable course structure: Adjusting the calendar to allow time for embodied learning and revision.
Multimodal performance: Supporting written, verbal, and physical expression in narrative storytelling.
Process-oriented performance: Emphasizing draft-work, feedback loops, and rehearsal rather than one-time presentations.
Transparent grading and communication: Modeling clear instructor communication around expectations and delays.