Very supportive! As a public speaking class, I was worried about having a sarcastic instructor, but he helps to build you up, tells you what you did right in the first few weeks. Later he starts to help you improve where you need it but remains supportive. Very good! Very responsive to commentary.

my name is thai nguyen, i urge you to take thisclass with this professor! you'll be glad you did.

He's good but its one of those classes where you never really know your Grade til grades come out.

I think he is a great instructor. Very supportive. I learned a lot.

This was a very interesting class. I took a summer course so it was short and we had a lot of work to do towards the end. Mr. Ahern was very supportive and helpful while writing the speeches and delivering them. He's sticks to his guns in terms of grading. I thought he was very nice.

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Fairly easy and he is very nice. However, you must show-up during the lessons, otherwise, you will be strictly dropped.

Best speech teacher I've had (3 classes total). Very supportive comments and very clear.

goes over your speech results one on one and gives you great constructive criticism. chose your own topics that interest YOU and work to develop 4 different styles of speech. There's 2 simple 25MC exams straight from the book. Very simple even though I was nervous to present.. I enjoyed every minute of class. You won't regret taking this teacher.

by far one of the most caring and helpful professors at deanza. highly recommend take his class. u won't regret it.

Mr. Ahern is a great teacher! He is a good listener, and offers helpful feedback to help us improve our speaking skills. I thoroughly enjoyed his class and would definately take another class with him. He gives grades and work back quickly. I highly recommend him, and I believe he truly wants to help students to become become better speakers!

Jim was a wonderful instructor he really created a welcoming and inviting environment that promoted creativity and discussion among the students. I really felt that I had a supportive group of individuals that were interested in what I had to say and in helping me express my ideas more effectively, all led by Mr. Ahern.

Mr. Ahern is a very cool dude. He's not quite our generation, but is very easy to talk to. A nice alternative to the common teacher, plus he offers great constructive criticism and encourages his students to strive for the best.

This is a teacher who geniunely wants his students to succeed, and shows it at every turn of the quarter. If you're going to take speech, I highly recommend that you take it with Jim. Great teacher and great guy.

Loved him. Got the class involved and motivated; clear spoken & organized; provided ample time to complete assignments; genuinely a good guy.

One of the best teachers I've had, ever! The only class I looked forward to come to that have saved me from hating college. He is very understanding and patient, he will work with you. He made class fun and everyone in class said that they had an incredible experience and learned so much from Jim. Highly recommend him. Jim Rocks! xo Margaux

Possibly the best teacher i've ever had. I wish he taught other subjects as well. Watch out for the tests. 25 multi.choice on the speech book. He never goes over it in class so be sure to keep up. A's on the speeches are easy. Visuals + staying within time range + eye contact = A. Confidence is everything! Don't take this class with anyone else.

Very helpful teacher. I HIGHLY recommend Mr. Ahern for your Speech classes. He is well organized and always willing to help you feel more confident. He will video tape your presentation but don't worry..you are the only one who reviews those tapes and you will learn a lot from them. Love this teacher!!

Moderately easy class, but you will have to do work and show up everyday. Very easy going and nice professor so he's approachable. Three speeches, and two exams. The class is easy if you're willing to be work and not be lazy.

Speech1

Awesome teacher...real nice, real cool...generally an easy grade, just get there and do your speeches. In fact, this guy gives you the benefit of the doubt if you are absent, however, i wouldn't suggest you take advantage of that cuz he's a really nice guy. TAKE HIM

James is the best college professor I've had to date. He's such a cool guy. He's very patient & understanding. He creates a very comfortable atmosphere within the classroom, which is very helpful for making speeches. I've learned so much from him. I always look forward to coming to this class. If you're going to take speech, take it with him!

He is a very good teacher. Very nice guy. i would definately take his class again. /M/(>.<)/m/

I loved him.. He totaly got down to our level and made the class personal. I have always had public speaking fears and with his help, i have gained confindence. Awesome teacher. My favorite class EVER. TAKE HIS CLASS!!!

take this class.trust me...

Mr. Ahern is a wonderful person. He is very clear on what he wants in a speech. He makes this class easy and fun! If you fear Speech class then take it with him hes # 1 :)

Excellent teacher! I never really liked PS, but Mr. Ahern made it really comfortable and worthwhile. He's extremely understanding. Also very easy and fun to talk to! Very nice guy! You will not regret taking this teacher, I promise! Class is not at all difficult (do every speech, test, turn in all work-you'll be fine). I got an A.

he makes you comfortable starting day one. he gives you great feedback on ur speeches. He expects A LOT of eye contact. 2 little quizzes. FUN CLASSSS! if you gotta take speech, take it with him!

Ahern is an AWESOME teacher. He is very very very nice and make you feel ridiculously comfortable with the class. I HATE speech but I LOVED this class. He is very supportive and is not biased. Just prepare your speeches and study for the two small quizzes and you should be fine. I highly recommend taking him for a speech teacher!

Mr. Ahern is a WONDERFUL teacher!! He really wants you to succeed, and what really helps is that you get a real comfort level with the other students in class. I took him last quarter and still to this day, I keep in contact with the other students! Mr. Ahern builds a tight-nit community, so you'll never feel uncomfortable in his class :D

That was the hardest class I've ever had in De Anza but that is only because I hate speaking infront of other people. The teacher is great. He is more than helpful and he make you feel comfortable in his class for public speaking class I think that is important.

Very kind teacher, willing to listen and help. Just finish your speeches, do your outlines and you'll pass.

Great teacher. You'll have to put forth the effort to get a good grade in the class, so if you're planning on not showing up or not giving all your speeches, you might want to take someone else. He's a really nice guy and makes you feel at ease when you're standing at the podium. You get to know everyone pretty well at the end of the quarter, so it

There is a special place in my heart for Ahern. Not only was he extremely helpful, he is also a very compassionate and concerned teacher. I ran into him several semesters after I took his class and he not only remembered me but asked me how I was doing and gave me advice. He's the very definition of a great teacher. I highly recommend him.

Ahern creates a comfortable and extremely supportive environment for speakers. He grades very easily, and an A should be no problem so long as you put effort and enthusiasm into each of your speeches. Complaints: the book was fairly worthless and I felt that he could've been more critical of our speeches. It was a fun ride, but I didn't learn much.

This was both my hardest and most fun this quarter.There was a speech due every week and a half, which was kind of hard. He gives constructive criticism and is upbuilding. He does great team building exercises to make speaking in front of each other easier.Students really bond with each other.Grading wasn't that hard, but get speeches done on time!

I guess I am the odd ball out, because even though he made the environment stress-free and fun, his grading was weirdly off. I would put everything into my speeches but he would take points off here and there until everything came out to B's.

He's a life-changing teacher. Honestly, he brings you out of your comfort zone, and allows you to become a family with the entire class. He's both clear, helpful, and understanding of his students. He takes full interest in the lives of his students. He's, by far, the best teacher I have EVER had in any school. Take him. He's the best.

Mr. ahern is one of the best teachers at De Anza. He created an environment where none of us felt intimidated and it was very easy to stand in front of the whole class and give speeches since he kept the tone of the class very open and supportive. I highly recommend him

clear and pretty easy overall. fair grader and constructive critique. midterms were difficult because they were based on book. he lets you take your time in turning in speeches at some minor point loss. overall good teacher

Public speaking is very comfortable around this teacher. He actually teaches you and helps you learn on how to become a better public speaker. Book is optional if you just want to pass.

I don't know about how great he is other people said, but he does not do anything related to the book, and the midterm (which is lots of points) are based on the book, and those multiple choice questions are just really picky, hard to get to right one. If you care about your grade and 4.0 GPA, don't take him.

Yeah, the two test questions are hard, but if you prepare well for all the speech assignments you should get a solid good grade. He also provides a welcoming and encouraging environment, so you can learn to speak better.

Highly recommended teacher! He is fun and gets to know the class personally. Grading isn't too hard but he is picky about time on speeches and some quiz questions are odd facts from the useless textbook so make sure to read the extra details sections.

He is an awesome teacher. He never really used the text book besides the midterms which I failed both and still received a B. His class was my favorite of all classes. You become a family. Its so friendly and you lose you're speech problems like that! I wish his class was a year long cause it was so fun!

he is a nice guy who really wants to help students. He is not easy grader, but not hard grader.

Despite the fact that the class may have tests that are at times, a bit tedious, Mr. Ahern does quite an amazing job at creating an environment in which one can speak freely and genuinely improve their speaking skill while also being one of the most interesting classes I've ever attended, the class, as noted itself becomes something of a family.

very great teacher, always incredibly helpful. seems like a hard-ass at first, which he kind of is, but he is extremely nice and easy going

Great teacher, makes things really clear! If your new to speech then take it with him! My friend took speech with another teacher and said he hated it! thumbs up

One of the best teachers I've had at De Anza. He structures his material very well and truly wishes you the best. Strongly recommended!!

He is SUCH AN AMAZING person and even better speaker. His class has actually change my life and the way I communicate with people to make myself clear. I enjoyed his class and learned a lor about myself. If you practice your speech before presenting, you'll do great. His grading is fair, and not so much homework except for typing your speeches.

Great teacher! loves his job and is very skilled at it. I did learn a lot but he grades really hard. Theres also three test which are very hard. Other then that very fun class.

Ahern is a very good professor. Would have been an easy A but a lot of people didn't have their outline done on time. Make sure you present on the day you're suppose to present otherwise he deducts points. Also just borrow the book from the library, you only really need it for the quizzes and read it a bit. Follow this and you'll get a A.

Don't take this class if you expect an A for "effort". I thought it would be like that, but I am glad I took it with him because he seriously pushes you to be a better speaker. Only downside is during the speech on a famous speech which gets annoying bc all he wants to do is show off how much HE knows about history.. Great teacher though!

Come to class consistently, have your work turned in on time, show improvement in your speeches and you'll get an A. Challenging class however it won't reflect on the grade he gives you. Listen to his critiques and make effort to improve yourself. Knowledgable professor.

Extremely helpful, very knowledgeable teacher. He can seem like a bit of a hard ass but he really cares about his students. He creates a great classroom environment. The class is not easy, you have to put in work to get a good grade. The work is not extremely hard, just time consuming. You write and give a speech every few weeks.

Excellent and fun instructor. He is an excellent speech teacher and you should take his class. Really a nice person, and good teacher.

This dude is a great teacher. Well-spoken. Tries to get everyone to participate and makes class fun. Our class is close because of the ice breakers we did at the beginning of the quarter. It's my favorite class and I look forward to it everyday.

Ahern is alright. Its not an easy A and he can definitely be a hardass. But he makes class interesting. Sometimes it might seem like he expects too much but he's just trying to push his students to be better.

Great Teacher. If you are prepared with your speeches, you will do well in the class. He makes the environment comfortable, even though public speaking is hard for me to participate in. It was the class that I looked forward to out of all that I took this quarter. 2x tests based out of the book, majority of the grade is from speeches.

He really knows how to make a fun learning environment. The first activities in class were ice breakers and it really helped make the class really open to one another. His assignments aren't very hard, but they are time consuming. Not a lot of written assignments, but he does give good feedback on your speeches if you can decipher his handwriting.

Mr:James is a very experienced public speaking instructor. I was nervous when it comes to public speaking. After practices from this class, I feel more confident to do it. However, this class requires some readings and researches for the contents. Be prepared to do the hard works. Overall, it's a rewarding class to take it. Good luck.

I get so nervous during public speaking. Mr Ahern class really helped me improve my confidence. he has some fun ice breakers to make you feel more comfortable in front of your peers. by the end of the class most students agreed it was their favorite class take that quarter.

Although he gives good advice, he grades by a clear outline rather than by improvement. He did not give anyone slack for having only a day to make their speech which many people thought was bull. His hand writing is illegible but ask him after class and he is willing to give advice. I honestly improved from taking his class but it's not an easy A.

A very respectable guy and gives good feedback after every speech. You are graded on attendance and he never inputs your grades till after finals week so its your responsibility to keep track. Its an easy class if you show up to class and put time and effort into each speech.

i love professor ahern, he's hilarious and calls you out on your bs if you're obviously not trying. He cares about improvement but if you're a solid speaker, you'll be comfortable in class. he honestly made class so fun and i loved it, i would definitely take his class again.

4 big speeches that need an outline. Has powerpoints on what he expects from your speeches. 1 impromptu speech worth 10 points. He gives good comments about your speech skills and emphasizes not reading your lines. Attend his classes w/ camera on or be dropped after 3 consecutive unexcused absences.

Professor Ahern is very kind and clear in his lectures. Sometimes his slow speech can one to sleep, but overall, his class was pleasant. There was a fair amount of assignments, and he also graded fairly; I feel he really takes into consideration that a lot of students don't have experience with speeches. Working for the A didn't kill me.

Prof Ahern is an extremely understanding and nice professor. He grades very fairly and the class is informative and interesting. A lot of speeches, but it is a public speaking class. Overall, I would take another class with him.

That professor is pretty decent tho, he is pretty tough grader but overall, his Public Speaking class is generally how the class should look like, just gotta folllow his rules and listen what's he saying and that's it. honeslty, by the end of class I felt that I have improved my speaking skills. Just do everything due time and participate.

I was so surprised to see the negative reviews for this Professor. He is very kind and personable and his class is one if the easiest I took this quarter. His class is very organized and he makes it clear what he expects from the speeches and the outlines. I would definitely take him again. There are a few major speeches and self critiques.

-Attendance: very understanding, make sure to communicate beforehand if you have something going on -Format (summer quarter): 3/4 Major speeches, couple videos everyweek w/ discussions -Grading: as long as you make minor improvements you're fine Overall: Caring instructor and made class fun. Just be willing to participate and put in effort

James Ahern is one of the best teachers at De Anza. He is super kind, helpful, and cares about his students. Just read his feedback and don't procrastinate. I definitely became a better speaker from his class. If you put in the work, you will get a good grade.

Truly one of the best teachers I have ever had. Massive respect and learned so much from his class about speeches and presentations. Sad to see the quarter end as I really looked forward to coming class everyday. He also gives life lessons and questions to think about. 10/10 teacher. High five that guy.

Mr. Ahern is a super good professor and one of the best I've met at De Anza. He's a great guy that has a ton of stories and motivates you in and out of class to be a good student and person. His class is super fun and as long as you show up, try, and do your best you'll get an A. The work is easy and fun and honestly a good way to improve speaking.

Professor Ahern is a great teacher who cares about student improvement. While his class isn't an easy A, it's worthwhile if you engage with the material. The speeches are challenging but valuable. unstuck study was a lifesaver for study prep.

Goated professor. I'd say about 2-3 hours of effort is required per week. Practice your speeches, and it's an easy A. Only issue is that to get an A you need around a 94%. Very duable though. I'd go as far as to say it is an easy class with Professor Ahern. Amazing professor. Easy A.

This is my first time taking a college class for the summer and it was great. His assignments for the summer are a lot but the majority of the homework is summarizing the video and answering questions (easy). The only hard part about this class was making the outline and doing the speech. Everything else is fair game. Skip lectures, still pass ✔️

Professor Ahern's class was a joy to take. His communications class is both online and in person, and although I did online, each session was wonderful and fun. Definitely take this class if you love to talk; he gives awesome feedback and is super fun. Also has 3 weekly assignments that are easy to complete, and 5 main speeches with reflections!