Mehl, Martin  

This is a lame site. The comments are statistically insignificant. Most comments lack basic grammar and spelling skills.

There is no such thing as scom 201. Too bad, martin, trying to inflate your evaluations is in poor taste.

COMS 101 was my favorite class, and Mehl was my favorite teacher at Poly. I loved going to class everyday and I loved preparing my speeches. He seems hard, but all you have to do is read the chapters, study for the midterm, listen in class, and participate to the best of your ability. He is a very fair grader and is 100% willing to help out. He was a great teacher and I would suggest him to anyone and everyone.

COMS 101 is a general ed class for most people. However, Mehl gives a lot of work for such a class, especially compared to the other teachers available. Throughout the quarter he has you do 3-4 speeches, with a lot of research involved. These are NOT \"what you did over summer\" speeches, which the other professors do. These are, find a piece of PENDING legislation and give a persuasive speech on it citing a dozen LEGITIMATE sources. That said, I would definitely say they are good practice for the future. If you\'re just looking to check off this class on your flowchart, take a different professor. If you feel like improving your communication ability, and are willing to put the work into, go ahead and take Mehl. Be aware that it\'s still likely you\'ll receive a lower grade. Specifically about Mehl, he\'s really high energy and super enthusiastic. Yup, he\'s one of those professors that live and breathe teaching. He\'s also super strict on policy, so you\'ll waste a lot of time listening to him clarify about stuff like being politically correct. My biggest complaint: I had the class at 6 pm everyday. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, he will NOT let you cut class. So the people I was getting a ride with home ended up pissed at me because they had to wait around all day and drive back late at night. Be forewarned. Check your schedule.

He doesn't explain how to do anything and he makes no sense in his lectures. You'd think someone teaching communication would be good at communicating with his students. Oh and he expects you to be like a master communicator, is he aware this is a GE? coms 101, sounds like its supposed to be the basics of speech to me. So pretty much bad all around. I hate myself for taking this class. And its lame that he posts on his own profile cause I didnt think he'd be that bad based off this rating thing.

Mehl is a very difficult professor. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the lectures. He made us laugh during his speeches, he taught us very well. Every single assignment he has given has had a purpose. I am truly glad I have taken this course. That being said, I am seriously debating whether or not I want to have him again. He gives more work than all of my other classes combined. I have been more stressed than I have ever been in my life because of that class. But it is actually worth your time, if you have the time to give. If you don't think that your other courses will be challenging you too much, take Mehl, he's worth it. If you are just looking for a GE fulfillment find someone else. I was seriously terrified of him until I went to his office hours. Go to them, he will help you much more than you think he will, but he does have a tendency to rant, so make sure you have an hour or so before you drop by.

Prof Mehl is in love with himself. He is by far the most arrogant person I have ever met. For being a general ed class he makes it way too difficult. He wont listen to students and is unclear as to what he actually expects from us. If you care about your GPA at all don't take Mehl.

sucks. Stop writing your own ratings. Your not cute. This guy will make you even more terrified to speak in front of a crowd. He will call out your flaws in front of your peers so you can feel even worse. He finds flaws in everyone but hes not so perfect himself. No where near perfect.

Pros: Very thorough, wants to see his students succeed, approachable and friendly. Expect to learn a lot in this class. Cons: Tough grader, and in some cases he will make you pay for your grade (i.e. you will have to spend money outside of tuition on your projects if you want a good grade). I probably spent upwards of $15 total on projector slides alone. I got a B in the class working my butt off. I think that Mehl is intentionally a tough grader because it is a nice incentive to get students to work harder. He is overall an excellent teacher, but don't take him if you want an easy A.

beware of this conceited ass hole

dont take him dont take him!!!

He makes you learn every one elses names which is nice. Funny thing is that the class gets closer and more comfortable with each other due to the relationship of hate for martin. The class bonds outside of lecture by venting their horror stories. The class hates martin but that makes everyone have something in common.

Professor Mehl is an intelligent and well-spoken man, but his class is waaay more stressful than a GE needs to be. He takes everything very seriously and grades fairly tough. That said, he demands a lot, and you will get a lot out of this class if you keep up. He tries to joke during lecture, and sometimes its funny, and sometimes you want to punch him in the face. His lectures all resemble some kind of motivational speech, which gets tiring and repetitive. Don't take this class for an easy A, or even an easy C.

Professor Mehl, I have been looking at the comments about you on this site for four years....hilarious as shit to see that you still post your fucking fake ass "user comments"

Professor Mehl is an amazing professor that truly cares for his students! Is his class an easy A? NO! Are his tests difficult? Yes! Does his class require more work than the average COMS 101 class? Yes! However, last I checked, everyone admitted to Cal Poly has graduated from high school! Therefore, grow up! This is college level course that actually requires you to think and better yourself. Yes, his lectures and assignments can sometimes be confusing, but all you have to do is ask for clarification. He is readily available for office hours and ALWAYS answers email quickly. His goal is for YOU to do your best and he is there to help you! So if you want to be lazy and give a speech on "how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich" then I would recommend another class. If you want a stimulating and interesting class with a professor that actually cares about you and the class content, then Professor Mehl is the way to go!

He is a great guy, yes his class is hard, but office hours help alot. so if you end up with him i wish you good luck but if you know what he wants, you will do well in the class. be prepared for bias from mehl towards the better speakers in the class. if you do bad on a speech, or you have a disability regarding public speaking, he doesnt condemn you for it. He pieces together why you speak the way you do and teaches you how to correct it. the impromptu speech is the worst one of all of them, it will rip you apart. be mentally prepared

Really tough class. He's like my AP English teacher from high school. Lots of work. Assignment after assignment after assignment. There's no room for breathing in this class. If you take this class, be prepared to spend more time here than your other classes. The first week of class is very calm and relaxed, everyone is getting to know each other then. Then beginning the second week of class, you jump into work right away. It's really stressful, but rewarding. And satisfying at the end of the quarter. Satisfying that it's finally over. Mehl is a very talkative professor. Although he talks and talks and can never stop talking, it's hilarious!! He presents the material in such a way, he seems arrogant up front, but he really isn't. He is self confident, and he can be with all the experience and background he has, but he isn't trying to emphasize his greatness over us just for the sake of his ego. He does it for "credibility's" sake. He's brutally honest, blunt, and he's really REALLY kind. If I could grade his ability to recognize and clarify student difficulties, he gets a 1000/100. Go to his office hours. He can help clarify things for you. He is really good at discerning the effort-driven students from the lazy bums. And he picks favorites, but is fair to all. He just prefers some students over others. If Mehl rubs you in the wrong way just a little bit, drop out of his class right away. You won't like him at all. If he ever mentions something like "procrastinator," or some random word, like the word "hate" because it's a powerful word, that's because he had a conversation with someone in class about it, or he notices it about someone, and he wants to address it in class as a hidden message to that target student. Yep. This professor can be really scary. You only need the green and blue textbook. Green first, then blue after the first midterm. Don't procrastinate on your research. It's a tedious class. But it's not thaaaaaaat bad. It's pretty bad. Just take it. He's really nice on the inside. And when he sends you emails, he puts smiley faces on some of them! :)

When I first took this class a lot of these reviews intimidated me but I decided to take the class anyways. The first week of school I hated him because I thought the class was going to be impossible. However, once we started doing speeches I realized that the way he teaches the class is really helpful. He forces you to know everyone in the class which makes you much more comfortable when you're giving speeches. The assignments you do are really interesting and you learn a lot from them. If you go into this class hoping for an easy A you will definitely be disappointed because the class is challenging and you can work your ass off and still get a B but you do gain a lot from it and it has made me a better speaker. So if you're trying for an easy A don't take this class, but if you want to be challenged and really learn something then I'd suggest it because a lot of these reviews are overly bitter, he's not a terrible guy. Just arrogant and occasionally condescending but it's a good class.

Despite the challenge and difficulty of this course I would highly recommend having Professor Mehl for any course you can get your hands on. He provides challenging coursework that will provide new knowledge of life skills. For those of you truly looking to educate yourselves while at Cal Poly, Professor Mehl is the way to go!

Mehl is a great Professor. If you are looking for an easy GE, I wouldn't take this class. You have to work in order to get a good grade, but you will learn a lot. Mehl really cares about his students and is a great person, but it is a challenging class. I suggest taking Mehl, but only if you're up for the challenge.

Professor Mehl was awesome! But if you're looking for a no-work, easy A, don't take him. Personally, I really enjoyed his class. Even though I did debate in high school, I felt like his class truly taught me how to be a better and more effective communicator, which I think is important if you want to do well in life. He grades hard - if you slack he will know AND call you out on it in class. But if you put the time in and honestly follow his suggested timelines, you can get a B. Go into office hours to ask questions or look at assignment samples - you'll get to know him and he'll like you more.

Martin Mehl is an excellent professor. He cares about his students, is funny, and makes sure that everyone in the class knows each other. However, his class is extremely difficult. Expect to put in a lot of time outside of class and to be graded harshly. Going to office hours is helpful as he is always willing too give special tips for public speaking. Rewarding class, but as Professor Mehl told us on the first day, "If you don't want to get your ass kicked, then I suggest you drop this class."

I said it at the end of week 2, and I said it again after the final. I don't know how much I like Professor Mehl, but he's without a doubt one of the most interesting teachers I've ever had. Procrastination was a killer in that class, and my biggest regret, especially with the last speech. However, I definitely took a lot more away from that class than I thought I would going in. Also, don't be afraid to make a clever joke or comment once in a while. If you can make him laugh, not only will he like you more, but it will lighten the atmosphere of the whole room.

By no means is this class one you take for an easy A; however, you get a lot more out of it than you would from most other GE courses. He requires you to know all of your classmates, which is a huge plus, and he incorporates humor into all of his lectures. He is a firm believer of learn by doing, and it really does pay off. Though I see why so many people dislike him, I enjoyed having is class (just maybe not the class itself). Overall, don't take his class thinking you won't be doing anything. He makes you work your ass off.

Just from the first day of class, it was easy to see the Professor Mehl is a bright man and really knows and loves what he is teaching. But to me, he made his class way harder than it needed to be. I will be honest and say that I went in thinking that it would be an easy A, but it was no where near that. I probably spent more time doing work and research for this class, than for any of my other classes and I never felt like it paid off. And if you ever feel like you want to miss a day of class, even if you are not feeling well, forget it. You might as well just take the F right then. On the bright side, that did motivate to go to class everyday. I will say I did learn a lot coming out of the course, but not what I had hoped to learn. I recommend taking him if you don't mind a lot of work and sleepless nights. But if you like your sleep, like I do, or are a procrastinator, I suggest another professor.

Professor Mehl is very knowledgable, and knows his material incredibly well. Unfortunately he is an arrogant man who expects you to only focus on his class. He assigns exponentially more work in this class than I have ever had in any pother class before. He also expects students to be completely under his control, as he has made us speak in unison or else we lose points in class. He uses negative reinforcement to punish students rather than try to give students positive advice on how to do better. As one of myy classmate and I walked to class we actually debated wondering if we should jump in front of a car in the street to miss class, as a car going 20 mph wouldn't kill us but we wouldn't have to face the wraith of Prof. Mehl.

I am writing this out sheer frustration during one of the many nights when I had to spend far to much time on his stupid assignments. Mr. Mehl is a smart man and boasts about all of his prior experience to prove it. He thinks his coms class is the most important class all his students are taking that quarter so has no sympathies when he piles on overly complicated assignment after assignment. He does not belong in 101 level classes and uses the fact that we are cal poly students as an excuse to not give a crap about how hard and ridiculous his class is.

Such a great class but don't take it. The workload for this GE course was way too much. Be prepared to write tons of papers, research, research, research, and present a lot of speeches. It's a good preparatory class for other classes that require a lot of writing and appropriate citations. The midterms were relatively easy as long as you have read the required textbooks. You must buy the textbooks!! He requires you to bring in the textbook from time to time but it's best you bring the textbook to every class because he will tell you to take it out randomly. Mehl keeps you engaged 100% of the time that you are sitting in his classroom. There are quite a few group projects that require you to connect with other colleagues outside of class. Again, way too much work for a GE.

Professor Mehl is extremely intelligent, and has high expectations from his students. I gained more from taking this class than I have from most of my other classes at Cal Poly, and I am not even a COMS major. He doesn't just focus on making you a better public speaker, he prepares you for the professional world. The work load is difficult, but in my opinion worth it.

Professor Mehl is one of the most pretentious, condescending, inconsiderate, and borderline sadistic professors I've ever had. It is clear he knows a lot about Coms, but it's also clear that he firmly believes he is God's gift to teaching. He piles on assignment after assignment, and you WILL put more work into this GE then you will into all your other classes. Combined. He seems to derive great pleasure from publicly humiliating his students by insisting that he verbally asses your speech in front of all your classmates - and he does not hold back. Often, his critiques do not even revolve around the speech you just gave or anything to do with your public speaking ability. He made several students in my class cry, by hinting at people being overweight, unintelligent, and even going as far as calling out a girl in a sorority by suggesting her greek affiliation will "give people the impression she is an alcoholic party girl who sleeps around and doesn't care about anything". He puts on a good Mr. Know-it-all show, but really Professor Mehl is just a bully who is high on power. So, if you are up for putting in a ridiculous amount of effort for a GE and being treated like inferior scum at all times, then this is the man for you.

Okay, here's the thing. Mehl from the first day of class tells you that his class is going to push you and it is difficult. He isn't lying. He is a very harsh teacher with very high standards for his students. If you are the kind of person to get emotional in the middle of being criticized this also might not be the right class for you. Do not take this class if you are looking for an easy GE. However, if you are really looking to improve you speech organization and skills Mehl is very good at teaching you how to do that. He has amazing stories about his experiences and is so well researched that it still shocks me.

I went into this class and within 5 min thought "this guy is kind of a total dick". He does a lot of evaluations of students in the front of the class, which is the worst feeling ever. He has very high standards so his assignments are a lot of work, but they are very good assignments that make you think. The textbook was stupid and I don't think I really learned anything besides everyone in the classes name. This guy gets off by shitting on his students though and he is still a total dick.

If you plan to take a Public Speaking class with him, be sure to take a LIGHT course load! Workload did not start to feel overwhelming until around the 5th week of the quarter. The amount of work he assigned did cause some issues with some of my other classes. I remembered consuming so much time doing research for the speeches. Also, plan to have a set of formal attire ready to wear if you take this class. Come to class awake because he talks pretty fast! Additional Tip: When you are listening to his lecture, pay attention to the role-playing he does while giving a lecture. Imagine yourself giving a speech in place of Mehl as he is lecturing. That is a hint of what he expects out of his student. But of course, try not to completely imitate his style of lecturing.

Mehl is definitely intimidating at first, but he is actually really funny and helpful. He really cares about teaching the subject. He is very detail oriented when grading you on a projects (For example if you place the overhead slide upside down, or don't have the right font size and spacing on written reports) He only uses overheads for project visuals (no power point) so it can be expensive printing out slides at the Cal Poly print shop. He treats this course seriously, so it's not going to be a show up to class, get an A situation. I really recommend him as a teacher, you will learn a lot!

Professor Mehl is one of my all time favorite teachers I have ever had, he's funny, caring, and extremely intelligent. He's here for his students and enjoy his work a lot. He's intimidating at first for sure, but he's actually a very cool and helpful professor. His class is hard though. If you're looking for your average easy COMS class, this is not it. However I recommend his class highly as I learned A LOT and improved my speaking performance tenfold. Great guy, great professor, great class.

I hate public speaking and have a fear of it but with Mehl, I learned to enjoy it. At first he is intimidating because he is passionate about his work and pushes his students but he truly believes in his students and is there for them. He makes an effort to get to know his students personally and help them. There are 5 speeches with research involved so it is a lot of work but not if you start early. I would highly recommend Mehl because he is phenomenal. He is the first college professor I have had that didn't treat his students like we were still in high school.

Professor Mehl is one of the best professors that I have had at Cal Poly. He has a negative reputation because he is confident, but he is a very genuine guy if you take the time to get to know him. The course is a lot of work, but I have learned about myself as a speaker and have improved my ability to speak significantly. I highly recommend if you want to become a more competent speaker or just have a genuine professor that is funny and enthusiastic.

I felt really bad for all the Freshman in my class. He treats the class like it is literally the most important class you ever take in college. I have not learned anything about how to communicate better aside from how to organize a speech. I would take him for a 300+ level class; but for 101; what he expects from the students is wayyyy to high.

If you plan on taking more than 12 units this quarter, go back to PASS right now. Mehl is one of the most competent teachers I have ever had, but he is also the most arrogant. He definitely knows what he is doing and he is a very good at what he does. The issue with Mehl is that he is hell-bent on making 101 much more work than it needs to be, and his standards are extremely high for the quality of work that he expects. I came into this class wanting to learn more about how to be a better public speaker and I put more effort into this class than all of my other classes combined. He takes this class way too seriously for a GE. If you end up taking him, pay close attention to how you feel about him after the first day, because that is who you will be dealing with for the next 10 weeks, proceed with caution.

I really gave this guy a chance. I wanted to buy in to the whole, "work hard and learn a lot" theme he tries to push, but I couldn't get over just how arrogant and disrespectful he was in his teaching style. Mehl barrades students, cutting them down with criticism for mistakes on matters he never covered. Also, I don't understand how people think he is funny, every joke is just his kooky exaggerated reenactment of a situation that just happened. Its pretty formulaic and he laughs so hard at himself every time. He constantly boasts his experience and lets you know he's overqualified for his position, but I would have rather been taught by someone with less experience who actually respected their students and didn't have a overwhelming ego. He calls himself the best teacher at Cal Poly, and I hope he is reading this when I say I have never disliked a teacher more.

Professor Mehl is an outstanding teacher. I cannot express how much of a talented and interesting person he is. Not once was I bored during class and he somehow made public speaking doable for even the most anxious and nervous students.You have 4 speeches and two tests. Do the reading and the tests are extremely easy and fair. Mehl tells you exactly what he's looking for in each speech and is very easy to talk to for questions. He's the teacher you want to stay in contact after the quarter is done. Take him if you have the chance!!

Martin Mehl is truly a good COMS 101 teacher. He is very knowledgable and knows what he is doing. That does not mean that he will be the best teacher for you. It takes a very strong mindset to accomplish what Mehl expects of you. He really believes in his students and I found it really easy to just have a good conversation with him. He was easy-going and hilarious at some points, and at others very serious. I would 100% recommend him as a teacher if you have a 12 unit schedule, or lots of time to spare. This class is A LOT of work.

Mehl is the worst. I still have no idea how to talk in front of people or how to write a speech. He points out all the negatives in speeches without telling us what he wants or expects. He tears down his students, and does not help them learn or gain any knowledge. I literally learned nothing from this class. Don't take this class unless you want to work hard on a speech only to end up hearing everything you did wrong and end up crying in front of your whole class. Yes, he actually made people cry. Save yourself while you still can.

If you want to maintain your GPA take this class for credit/no credit. It's hard, but you will learn so much. He is a great teacher and a great public speaker.

I honestly don't think I have ever experienced more anxiety or stress in my life. He is a great professor and his 2 hour lectures actually breeze by because he talks so much, BUT the workload for this class is INSANE. He is also extremely intimidating and has an overwhelming presence, but is a nice guy underneath it all. Either way, I dreaded going to class and no matter how many times I read the assignments or syllabus, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was forgetting something or did something wrong. If you can take a different professor, do so, and if you're the least bit shy or struggle with public speaking I also hope you're prepared to sing in class on day 1.

DO NOT TAKE MEHL. Yes he is a nice guy. Yes he knows his shit. Yes his lectures are entertaining. But his class is insanely hard! This is coming from someone who got A's in all of my first quarter classes and got straight A's all through high school, including nine AP classes. As of now I currently have a C in his class. He uses his syllabus to explain when everything is due, but it's really easy to get lost since nobody in my class is really sure what he wants. If you care about your GPA, don't take his class, because I work my ass of and consider myself to be very smart, but I'm barely passing. If you don't care about GPA and are okay with a big workload, he is a good guy and his class is entertaining.

He is a really good professor who is knowledgable about what he is teaching. Mehl cares about his students and is always willing to help. The only issue I had is that his class is very difficult and time consuming, and is definitely not the easy GE I was hoping for. Overall though, if you want to learn how to speak professionally, and do not mind the heavy workload, this is the class for you.

Mehl is an intelligent professor who knows what he is talking about. However, all he really cares about conveying to the class is exactly how smart he is, and all the interesting facts he knows. I could tell he was great in his field, but that's all he really cared about teaching us. The whole learning how to public speak thing, yeah.. that was pretty much left up to us. I put in a lot of work for this class. I went to office hours. I basically busted my ass. But most of the time I spent was simply clarifying details that should have been covered in class, or even the syllabus. If he spent as much time trying to teach us how to be better public speakers as he did talking about himself, I would be an expert by now. I would recommend taking this class if you already have a strong base with public speaking, take criticism well, and are able to sit through long lectures at a time. Yes, I learned a lot through this class, but not because of the professor. It was because I put the effort in. Professor Mehl is a self-centered man who would rather talk about himself, his accomplishments, and how smart he is, than spend the two hours actually teaching.

At first, I loved Mehl. He is extremely passionate and is very dedicated to his subject and of course, his research. As the quarter went on, I started to see through his curtain of bullshit. He makes the assignments far more difficult then they should be for COMS 101. He also likes to verbally grade his students directly after they speak in front of the entire class. This was not a problem for me, however, Mehl decided that he didn't like one of my peers and verbally ripped her a new asshole every time she had a speech. I do feel like, since this class was harder, I got more out of it. For instance, I had the opportunity to interview the physical therapist for the Denver Broncos, which was pretty cool. So take his class if your ready for a challenge, but beware.

Take Mehl with cation, he will work you hard, but you get out of the class what you put in. The first 5 or 6 weeks will not be fun because you dont have a lot of freedom about the topics in your first speeches, however, if you choose topics you are passionate about for the last two speeches it can be a very exciting class. Mehl is very unbiased when he grades and simultaneously comes off as fun and intimidating. It definitely made the class interesting but can be very intense. The class is a lot of work so I wouldn't suggest taking a heavy workload with him but ultimately I would suggest him.

Okay first off, I was absolutely terrified to take this class because of all the horrifying ratings he received! However, Mehl is so awesome. I am not going to lie; he is a challenging, intense professor but this is the first college class I have taken that feels like a college class. You will never be bored in this class and he will always have you on your feet. He is a very intimidating guy but if you go into his office hours and have a conversation with him, he is a very genuine guy. Respect him, listen, and give him your 100% effort and I promise it will pay off. This class got me prepared for the real world and how to be a better speaker. I totally recommend taking him, he is a great professor.

I went into the course dreading COMS-101, as many engineering students do. I thought that the professor would waste my time, that I would be bored to tears, and that the only thing I would get out of the class is that Communications is total bs. How wrong I was. I put my best foot forward, and I tried. And it was rewarded. Professor Mehl is an excellent professor, and a Grade-A person. He has strong character, a sense of humor, and is altogether brilliant. Believe it or not, but the class was enjoyable. The assignments were relevant, and expanded my knowledge and perspective as a person. Keep in mind that if you want to learn a subject, you have to DO it. That's part of why Mehl's class was the best I could have gotten into; it forced my to try. Luck doesn't have anything to do with acing this class - effort, persistence, and knowledge do. If there's anyone on campus I think I could talk to if I'm in trouble or need help, it's Professor Mehl. He has my ultimate gratitude and finest respect. I now know not to so easily dismiss classes as bs, or judge people before I've met them. I'd recommend going to his office hours. And finally, I LOVE research!

HARD class. Worth it though, work hard, follow directions, actually put in time and you will learn how to speak and have an invaluable resource professor for the rest of your time at cal poly. Dr. Mehl is the bomb.

Read his rubric for each assignment and follow them. If you have 16 units your other classes may suffer

I had Mehl as a freshman (I am now a Junior). I loved him, he was super entertaining. I had 2 hour blocks of lecture, and never felt bored or tired. He gets you comfortable with you classmates the first day, which is super helpful in a public speaking class (and as a freshman trying to meet people). I was able to get an A (with a heavy workload in other classes), and never felt ridiculously stressed or like I was assigned something impossible. That being said, he is not who you want to go to if you're trying to practice public speaking. After one speech he critiqued our public speaking (volume, stance, fidgeting) and that was it. The rest of the class was devoted to how to research, and how to give good information. So as a speech writing class, or a "how to get your point across" class, it was great. As a public speaking class, it doesn't do its job. Other teachers that have you give simple speeches are having you practice public speaking. Mehl is having you practice something else entirely. If this interests you, I highly recommend him. As I said, he is entertaining in lecture, and will teach you a great deal. He cares about each student, and I'll bet he still knows the names of everyone in my class. Even at Poly, that's very usual, and highly valued to me.

Absolute trash. Drop this class immediately. His assignments and lectures will make you question your own intellectual mind power while also questioning how much you hate this fat german bitch. He boasts all day about his accomplishments but can't take 10 mins to explain assignments because "everythings in the syllabus". fuck your syllabus you can shove it up your german butthole. This class is ridiculous and I'm not lazy or stupid, you're a trash prof. He literally assigns a speech, tells you to not prepare for it or it will hurt your grade, and then proceeds to fail you for not knowing your shit. Like wtf kind of shit is that. Fuck Mehl, drop the class.

Professor Mehl has high expectations for his students. He ensures that his assignments are in fact transferrable into the work place and our futures. He undoubtedly has our best interest at hearts, however he can come across as arrogant and slightly obsessive over things that may come across as minute details. Mehl is very willing to help his students and talk to them about life in general. Although I've put an extreme amount of focus into this course, I find every effort worth it. It's helping me grow for the better and it's helped improve my passion for public speaking. I highly recommend this course, but be aware it is extremely demanding and rigorous; not an easy A.

If you want flexibility, the abilitiy to choose what you talk about and the format of your speech, and to become a better public speaker, do nott take Mehl. It's difficult to put into words how much i disliked this class and professor, but I'm fairly certain the gallons of tears shed and emotional breakdowns suffered by myself and my peers due to this class alone are not normal or acceptable. My expectation for a public speaking class was to beccome a better public speaker, and I do not think that was accomplished at all. Mehl is a VERY successful businessman, a loving father and husband, but not a good public speaking teacher. Every time he lectured I was just SO lost, and I could not tell you now what any of his lectures were actually about because I didn't even know while they were happening. The midterm and final were based on the textbook(s), and that information was hardly covered in class. The only good thing was that he gave out a "practice final" that was almost exactly the same as the actual final, but that is NOT a reason to take his class, because if you fail all of your assignments (only gave 3 speeches, and there were multiple very time consuming projects) your grade on the final isn't really going to help!! Mehl tries way too hard to prepare you for your future, and not in a good way.

The most conceited person I have ever met. Starts off his class by making you tell him all of his accomplishments listed on the syllabus(why the fuck would you tell everyone how great you are on a class syllabus??) and if you don't know anything special about him he tells you, you're a lazy sack of shit who doesn't do your work just because you aren't contributing to his ego boost. A kid in my class missed the first day of class and came the second day and apologized for not being there the first day and Mehl made him feel so shitty the poor kid dropped the class. Mehl's voice sounds like he hasn't even hit puberty yet and he acts like he has a three-foot rod permanently stuck up his ass. You do not want to take his class, the work is multiple hours a night and his class is terrifying. He is actually a pretty smart guy, but he's too much of a dick to run a good class. Can't wait to get out.

Professor Mehl is a very unique individual. He is very motivating and enthusiastic about how communications is the most important class you will ever take in your life, but when it comes down to it, he is very ambiguous with his assignments, and basically, you're completely SOL unless you spend all of your time in his office.

Professor Mehl is completely arrogant and full of himself. He thinks he knows everything and that it is a gift that he will share his vast knowledge with his students (even though most of the stuff he says is incorrect or backwards). All of his lectures are stressful and chaotic. Even if we didn't have anything due or a speech to give, I would still get stressed and scared walking to his class, then I would get more stressed and scared in his class and leave with a headache and a billion of questions. If someone asked you to summaries what he said in a 2 hour lecture right after the lecture, you would come up with random crap that has nothing to do with public speaking. And if you ask him a question afterwards, he answers with a whole bunch of rambling crap that doesn't even help. We only ever did 3 speeches all quarter, so my skills as a public speaker didn't change (which is the point of this class). The first speech is one where you can read right off the page, literally, the entire thing. The next speech is an impromptu speech with no note cards and has to be 3 minutes exactly. Talk about a huge jump in difficulty! P.S if you don't like research, don't take this class.... in fact, just don't take this class. I don't know how or why he is a teacher.

Professor Mehl is a complete narcissist, but with that being said he is very passionate about Public Speaking. If you are someone who enjoys public speaking and really wants to learn then take him, however for someone like myself who was just trying to get a G.E. out of the way it was too stressful. Mehl announces on the first day of class that this is the only class that matters so all your time should be devoted to him. I will give him credit that he grades fairly reasonably, however his speeches demand a lot of time. He does give very good and personalized feedback, but the way he gives it seems to almost be in a show off way. I guess the main point is that this class will not be easy, most of your time goes to it and if its just to meet your G.E. requirement then it is not worth the time.

Mehl is a chauvinistic, arrogant, awful professor. We did NOT learn how to give speeches, and only talks about himself and accomplishments. He does not answer questions, because he only loves to hear himself talk. He also grades ridiculously and belittles students. I do not feel like I have come out of this class as a better speaker.

Professor Mehl cares very much about his class and the subject matter. His passion for communication became evident on the first day through his vivaciousness and tenacity. Despite some of the negative reviews, I would say he is a good professor. The class becomes difficult because he expects his students to care as much as he does, which in most cases does not happen. This was definitely not an easy class for me, but I learned much about the topic and how useful it can be in the context of my career path. If you want to just chill through COMS 101, this would not be the professor to take. But if you put in the time and energy, you'll also get a lot from it.

Truly a genius of his craft. A remarkable, intellectual guide on the path of righteous knowledge. Take at your own risk however, if you're lazy you will most certainly be completely boned. Work hard, talk to the guy and you will succeed easy.

First, I want to say that I don't think Mehl is half as bad as people make him out to be. I thought he was a genuinely nice person. I do agree he has a bit of a pompous air to him, but I think that’s just a quality of his job as a public speaker: to be confident. That’s why I find it kind of ironic that he does little to improve the confidence of his students. The main thesis of his class is that “research is good” and if you put so much research and time into your topic, speaking and confidence should come naturally. He spends almost all of lecture time stating his high expectations for the class and how these should be met to the most minute detail, yet we never did any activity to improve our speaking skills. We did no activity to work on posture, no activity to work on hiccups in speech, no activity to feel comfortable around an audience. He expected us to learn these skills on our own through his 300 page personally curated textbook (which you are expected to read cover to cover for the midterm/final). Also, while his workload wasn’t the worst, there were huge spikes of large assignments due on short notice. In two weeks, we had to find a high ranking professional in our field (we are talking CEO level), have an interview with him/her, write a paper and speech outline for it, as well as find nine sources from a dated database (LexisNexis Academic) to make a proposal for our next assignment (which involves 20 - 30 sources).

DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS EVEN IF IT'S THE ONLY THING AVAILABLE. This man is the most egotistical person I've ever met in my life. The entire class was his proof to you that he was smarter than you and that you suck. We spent an entire day talking about his fucking credentials. In the 5 speeches that we gave in a class of 22 people, I heard him say ONE TIME "good job." He lowkey made fun of peoples speeches directly after they gave them and when other peers complimented each other, he'd say that they were wrong. The midterm/final were EXTREMELY difficult. Read the book thoroughly and the midterm questions were extremely specific to the reading. For the final, he gives you a study guide which is helpful, but doesn't give you the answers to the study guide, nor answers questions about it in office hours so it's not exactly helpful. The most important thing is that I didn't even leave the class feeling like I was a better public speaker. I just felt blessed to be getting out of that class. Seriously people, it is not worth it. He's mean. He sucks. Don't do it.

Mehl thinks very highly of himself and his teaching ability but he honestly comes across as more of a prick than anything else. The class itself isn't too hard, there are a few group projects and a combination of both speeches and a written exam for both midterms and the final, however it also isn't by any means easy. His lectures definitly have life and are never boring, I'll give him that, but the sheer number of large projects he assigns, his difficult grading, and his pretty unlikable personality overall make it so I wouldn't recommend the class.

I truly believe, Mehl is the most condescending person I have ever met. In class he always tells his students that he is confident, not arrogant. However, all he does in class is boast and exhibit his speaking skills. In lectures, I was hoping to have a teacher who would help develop my speaking skills and give me tips and tricks to become a better speaker. Instead, his lectures are very confusing and hard to follow. When you ask him a "yes or no" question, his answer will take 5 minutes to prove to you how smart he is. By the end of his answer, you will forget what you were even asking him in the first place. Incredibly confusing and cocky.

Professor Mehl is a very educated and well-spoken man. His lectures go very quickly but they are extremely organized. He's very engaging and maintains a good relationship with all his students. He treats every student equally and grades very fairly. His class is very tough, but he is always willing to help during office hours. If you put in a lot of effort and focus into his class, you will most definitely do well. He will provide you with a lot of good advice and resources that you can use in the future as well. He taught me things I wouldn't have learned in any other class or with any other professor. Love this guy

I was blocked into this class as a freshman and reading the polyratings reviews really scared me. After seeing so few people getting A's, I was determined to get an A. I ended up getting an A and I'm very proud of myself, but the rest of my classes/grades definitely suffered because of how much time I put into this class. This is not an easy class by any means but I still enjoyed the class. I am a very outgoing person to begin with so I enjoyed being challenged by Mehl's specific standards. They were extremely frustrating while it was happening but looking back I feel like I learned a lot in his class. Mehl is very confident in himself and holds himself and his students to a very high standard. It takes effort and a lot of time outside of class to meet those standards but it can be done. Office hours are EXTREMELY helpful. Learning all of my classmates' names turned out to be very helpful, especially during my first quarter at Cal Poly. I felt like I had at least a couple of friends who I still continue to see and say hi to around campus. Overall I am glad that I took this class.

Intelligent, hard as hell, kind. Great man.

This man was an asshole. He took pride in making it one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. He equated the amount of work we had to do to his skill level as a teacher. He had two tests, which were pretty easy, but a lot of the grade was off of 5 projects. I practiced my speeches in front of my roommate, who said they would have easily been A's with his teacher, but Mehl would not give above a C. Just above half of his projects actually involved public speaking, and his directions were always "ambiguous" (his words). Martin Mehl is cocky, takes pride in making you work ridiculously hard just to get an average grade, and does not talk about how he loves research. Do not take this class, I was able to get a good grade but this is by far the worst class I have ever taken

Freshman, straight up just do not take this class. I don't even know what else to say. Upperclassmen tried to warn me, I tried to switch but couldn't, and now I have extremely terrible anxiety every day I have this class. I talk to the other people in different COMS 101 classes, and they are horrified at some of the things I have to do.

WHAT EVER YOU DO, DO NOT TAKE MEHL. He literally will consume all of your time, energy and will to live. For each assignment he expects the world out of you and the only direction he gives is a few words here and there. Mehl is one of the most self absorbed douchebags I have ever met, you show up to class and the first and only thing he talks about how much he loves himself. The only thing that I got out of his class was a few friendships because the whole class comes together and bonds over how much we hate our lives because of this man. I probably learned more about is wife, two sons, and his background than I did about public speaking. Martin Mehl is not only a horrible professor but a shitty person. He has zero understanding into a college students life. If you end up having to take him for any class... be prepared to forget about any other courses your in. Also, @Mehl if you end up reading this... please leave Poly and go to Germany, no one wants you here.

Martin thinks he’s the greatest man in the world. Sadly, he’s not. His assignments aren’t that related to public speaking, and have more to do with his personal interests and agenda. This class probably won’t help you very much as a public speaker, unless it’s your very first time speaking in public, in which case you still shouldn’t take the man’s course. This is one you want to switch out of. He gave me a B without much effort so it’s not the hardest class, but it’s not worth it to sit through his self-glorifying lectures. My class had a group chat for talking trash on the guy, so if that’s what you’re looking for, he’s the guy for you.

TL;DR: Useless and boring class taught by an insufferable man. I read the PolyRatings reviews before taking the class and thought that people were just exaggerating when talking about the horrors of Mehl’s class. Now, I find it difficult to comprehend how anyone can say anything positive about this man. I enjoyed public speaking before this class. I had done speech in high school and was excited to see what a college-level public speaking class could offer me. I sensed a problem on the first day when Mehl handed us a ten-page syllabus with one page entirely dedicated to irrelevant information about himself. The second problem was when he required us to purchase a book that he had written himself at the same price of the standard COMS 101 book while claiming that he was making it cheaper for us. It is abundantly clear that Mehl indulges greatly in talking about himself and stroking his own overinflated ego. He seems to have only decided to teach public speaking so he may have a captive audience to spew nonsense about himself to. Mehl has this super self-righteous sense of the importance of his class and wants you to believe that this will be the most important class you will take in your life. However, the class is horribly unorganized. Mehl never gives clear instructions and spends most of his time going on extended rambling analogies and anecdotes with no substance or relation to the class at all. Every lecture I went to was essentially pointless. Every single day, he stands at the front of the classroom and talks aimlessly for two hours straight. Not once did I exit his two-hour lecture and find that I learned anything about communication or public speaking. These lectures do absolutely nothing in helping you prepare for any of the four assignments that take place in his class or either of the two multiple choice tests. He’s also completely unhelpful in terms of seeking assistance outside of class. The first email I sent to him asking for clarification on an assignment went unanswered and he only responded to one of my emails all quarter. In terms of the structure of the class, the class is dictated by your performance on the aforementioned four assignments and two tests. The first two assignments are essentially BS and require no actual work. The third and fourth assignments are pretty intensive. They aren’t necessarily difficult though. The only problem I encounter with them is Mehl’s seemingly arbitrary grading. The grading of our first major speech seemed absolutely random. Essentially everybody got around a B, but the quality of the speeches varied widely. Despite giving me virtually no criticism, I received around the same grade as people who he absolutely tore apart. It’s clear that Mehl wants his class to be difficult for the sake of being difficult. I’m thoroughly convinced that it’s borderline impossible to get an A in this class. Mehl has impossibly unrealistic standards and anything short of blowing him will not get you an A. In terms of the multiple choice exams in a public speaking class, his midterm asks the most nitpicky questions possible. He gives a study guide for the final that was almost identical to the actual final, so that was nice I guess. Nothing on the exams is covered during class and everything is derived from the most random sections of his pedantically and poorly written book. He tries so desperately hard to seem funny and relatable, but only comes off as ingenuine and cocky. How anyone can compliment him on his personality is beyond me. I think the only way you will find yourself relating to Mehl is if you’re an arrogant donut just like him. As others have mentioned, I’ve met some pretty cool people through this class and having a class where literally everyone despises the professor is pretty fun. It makes what would normally be an insufferable class with an insufferable man slightly bearable. If nothing I have stated above concerns you and you’re absolutely fine getting a B with average effort, take this class. But if you want to enjoy public speaking ever in your life, please find a way to take this with someone else or at a community college or something. I have not disliked a teacher more in my whole life. Everything negative in the other reviews is true. Also, find a way to purchase the book secondhand. Do not give another cent to this guy.

Just do the work and you'll be fine.

Martin Mehl is honestly the most arrogant man I have ever met. All he does in class is talk about himself. He is a extremely hard grader and takes everything super seriously, probably because he knows no one cares about this class, it's just a GE. He thinks he's the shit and he wants you too praise him. Want an A? Keep reminding him how great he is, oh wait, he makes you do that at the beginning of the class. Look, honestly avoid mehl. he seemed great at the beginning, made you laugh and all, but he doesnt care about his students and he doesnt let you ask questions in class. DO NOT TAKE HIM PS. All the good reviews, he wrote. That's how shitty he is

Much better than the rest of the PolyRatings said. His grading breakdown is pretty simple, the class is out of 100 pts. There were three speeches: an introduction of a peer, explaining an interview with a professional in your career, and persuasive policy speech. The homework load could be intense at times in the middle of the quarter (way more than all my roommates in COMS), but most of it is helpful. The midterm was all based on his book and was pretty hard, but the final was easy if you used his study guide. His lectures were long and hard to understand sometimes. For a COMS professor you would think that he knows that simple is better, but everything is drowned in academic language. Overall, he really really cares about his students and wants you to do well, but is definitely a hard grader. Go to office hours and get to know him, he wants the best for all of his students. In summary, this class is hard work, DONT TAKE IT IF YOU WANT AN EASY A, but if you want a knowledgable professor and full "coms" experience this class is for you.

When I first read the reviews for Mehl I was MORTIFIED because I really hate public speaking and everyone made it seem like he gave an unreasonable amount of work. He seems a lot more intimidating than he actually is. He's one of the most genuine and open-minded instructors I've ever encountered. He's really good at analyzing each students strengths and weaknesses and he knows how to talk to you about improving on your speech without coming across as either patronizing or condescending. One of, if not, the BEST teacher I've had for a language class. It is a lot of work but I feel like he does make an effort to make it as manageable as possible. He will provide you will all the help you need to succeed in his class. You just have to show up and actually care about the course.

Martin Mehl cares about his students. He is just too strict for the type of class he is teaching. He claims the first week or two that he understands that for most students this class is a GE and that it is an easy A from most professors. However, he seems to think that this is a problem, and makes his class take more time outside of the classroom than any of your classes that actually support your major. Mehl also seems to be a big believer in the idea that COMS 101 is the most important class you will ever take in your life, and this justifies the heavy workload and harsh grading. It's very discouraging, however, to work very hard in a GE class and spend considerable amounts of time writing your speeches and going to his office hours to not be rewarded with a boost in your GPA. The worst part of Mehl's class is his personal textbook. His textbook is a custom edition of a textbook available in the bookstore, which you can buy from other students for very cheap or get for free online. However, in attempts to "save his students money", according to himself, he created this custom edition which cost over $100 new and was very hard to find from other students. This book becomes useless after the class has concluded, but it is essential for the class as his exams are ripped word for word from the book, forcing you to have read the entire thing outside of class on top of all of his assignments. Overall, although Mehl is a nice guy and genuinely cares about the students, he takes his entry-level GE class way too seriously and makes a class that should be focused on improving speech skills into a class that requires countless hours outside of lecture to earn a passing grade.

I am a current graduating senior and I can say, without any hesitation that Mehl was the most knowledgable and best professor I had throughout my entire undergrad, save only my current director at my department and that's only because she actually teaches what I'm majoring in. Do not listen to any of the posts that say Mehl is arrogant and horrible, he expects a lot, and I hated it when I was in it, I spent days literally in tears at his office hours, but I can honestly say I would not be half as prepared for the real world as I am now. Since taking Mehl's class I have always been the best prepared for research papers and speeches that I've been assigned in subsequent quarters. Martin Mehl is knowledgable, and always willing to help if you put in the effort to meet him halfway. I failed the first speech and ended the class with a B. He makes the first speech purposely 5% of your overall grade so that you're able to recover. I recall despising him after I received that grade, in the end I felt more accomplished than I have in the entire rest of my undergrad. Take Mehl, he's not an easy professor, but he will prepare you for real world problems, if you want someone to tell you 'you're doin great kid' when you're not, this isn't him. He will only tell you you're doing great, when you are actually doing great.

truly the worst professor i have ever had, could not have expected a worse instructor. every lecture was just 2 hours of yelling / ranting about how people complain about how much work he gives for a GE. I would suggest you drop the class ASAP because i really wasted too much time on the ridiculous assignments and did not learn a thing.

Mehl just doesn't explain things clearly, so it is a class about deciphering complicated instructions. I understand making students work hard, which I am very much willing to do, but when you are left in tears about vague assignments, it becomes an issue. I have neglected so many of my major and support class assignments in order to try and succeed in this class. Ultimately, he needs a course on communication himself. He tries to relate to his students, but his lectures are haphazard and he simply misses the mark. I would highly recommend Cal Poly review his lectures and ensure his students are being taught was is necessary. It is five weeks into the nine week quarter and I have yet to give a speech. I wish I could drop this class right now, but it is too late.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! heads up that ALL of the good reviews he wrote for himself because hes a conceited asshole who thinks hes the shit. I have always been fine at public speaking... until now, because he directly insults people while they are standing in front of the class after giving a speech, which has made me a less confident speaker (so great job mehl for doing the opposite of your job!). I have never heard a teacher be so vulgar and rude to a student, and he prides himself upon it because he thinks it gives him credibility or something that people find him "intimidating." in reality, he thinks hes intimidating because he IMAGINES that students think hes smart, but its really only because hes a bully. assignments are confusing and he expects wayyyy to much for a 101 class. his lectures are always irrelevant to what were doing. MEHL IS THE WORST. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.

While Mehl is kind of an arrogant guy, I truly enjoyed his class. COMS is not fun, don't get me wrong. But Mehl cared about his students a lot. I had a hard time with public speaking and totally bombed one of my speeches in the class. Mehl pulled me aside and worked with me and gave me extra tips and advice so I would succeed on my final speech in the class. He honestly helped me so much. Yes, this class is a lot of work and yes, Mehl is full of himself, but he is also a really nice guy. He cares about you and makes an effort to get to know all of his students. I recommend taking Mehl.

Professor Mehl gets a bad rep from a lot of students because he can get very intense about his class. Yes, it's a GE and it seems pretty pointless at first but I actually learned a lot from him. He's very VERY passionate about COMS and he makes it a point to let his students know that. He brags a lot about how smart and accomplished he is which can get annoying at times but it's good to know that you're learning from someone who knows his stuff. He loves the sound of his own voice but he is more than willing to listen to his students and will help them to the best of his abilities. He genuinely cares about you being successful in his class and will grade fairly if you put in the effort. He loves his research and he pays MAJOR attention to detail so just take this class seriously and you will be fine. He gives you all the resources and materials you will need and he is incredibly organized. Puts up a tough front but is actually a major softie so don't be intimidated by this guy.

suck my left nut martin

This guy wishes his polyratings were as high as his ego

If you are a procrastinator like me then he is going to be hard. That being said he's a great teacher and very smart person. He expects a lot from you, so do the work and you will do fine. I went in thinking hey it's a communication class this will be easy, but no you actually have to work. STUDY FOR THE MIDTERM. you actually have to read to get a decent grade. He pushes people out of their comfort zone to work harder, and that is why so many people gave him bad reviews. Also, he is not a bad person just because the class is difficult, so people need to stop complaining.

I am going to say don't take this class. He is mean and gave me so much anxiety because he expected perfection and anything short of was not tolerated. His expectations are always either impossible or not clearly explained. He treats his class as though it's the only one you take that quarter. He yells and has this creepy fake smile that makes the whole situation so uncomfortable. Just don't take the class with him.

DO NOT TAKE MEHL. In the beginning, you'll think he's a fine teacher. The first week of class is fun, the first speech is insanely easy and you get to know your classmates which is fun. Then he gets awful. I didn't believe the polyratings I read and thought he wasn't going to be that bad of a teacher. I was wrong. He is the worst. I swear he spawned from Satan's butthole. He piles on so much unnecessary work that takes forever to complete. At one point in the quarter, you have to finish the end of one assignment and start the next assignment ALL IN THE SAME NIGHT. I stayed up until 3AM finishing everything and I know my classmates stayed up even later. This class added so much more stress to my life that I didn't need. Mehl says he knows that you have other classes but he does not act like it. He thinks his class is the only class that we have during the quarter. COMS isn't supposed to be this hard or this much work. He's also so conceited. He loves to hear himself talk about himself or hear himself talk while ripping your speech apart even if it's really good. All in all, do not take Mehl. You will regret it.

Martin Mehl is an interesting professor who expects a lot from his students. The workload is very intense at certain points in the quarter and light in the others. He grades harshly on little assignments so there are few free points in his class and every point in his class is equal to one percent of your grade. This makes every assignment important as you watch your grade deteriorate as you get 1.6/2 on a two point assignment. If you want an A, you can never slack off in the class. The first midterm is significantly harder than the final as it sneaks up on you in week four. The final is also is easier because he gives you guidance with a study guide that is very helpful.

A couple of friends warned me about Mehl's class, so I was terrified at the beginning of the quarter. I'm halfway through the q and honestly Mehl is one of the best teachers I've ever had. He is difficult, but it's so worth it because if you put in the effort, you actually LEARN valuable information!!! Definitely not an easy A... & I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I enjoyed working on his assignments because they were applicable & educational. He's a very VERY smart man who knows a lot about everything. He didn't come off as arrogant or cocky at all. I truly appreciate Mehl & all that I'm learning in his class

I was hesitant to take this class with Mehl because of the ratings he had online and I should have listened. He makes this GE way too much work and is one of the most conceited persons I have ever met. His class syllabus is over 10 pages long, with an entire page dedicated to his accomplishments. He often brings up these accomplishments in class and goes off on tangents about his success, later claiming that he needed to talk about it in order to help the class understand why he was qualified. I did enjoy some aspects of the class. If you worked hard on an assignment he graded fairly and the speeches were rewarding after the amount of work that you put into them. The thing that I disliked the most was after some speeches he critiqued you in front of the class. Although I never was offended or hurt by his comments, I noticed that he always chose a select few students from class to just rag on. At one point I felt so embarrassed for a classmate that I almost left the room. Mehl needs to know when enough is enough. Even after students speeches were over, as well as the critiques, he would continue to point out flaws in their presentation as he compared it to other students presentations.

Everyone gives Mehl shit because he runs his classroom in a hard way. Yes, the first day of class I was a little overwhelmed. But, if you put in work he grades you fairly. I was terrified of taking this class and public speaking and I got really good scores on my speeches. I have several friends who have switched out after reading his poly ratings. Not worth it, just take the class.

I was really scared to take this class because of his reviews and the fact that pub speaking is intimidating to me. Mehl personally showed me he cares about his students and wants to actually improve our pub speaking skills. That being said, he goes about his class in an ultra professional kinda crazy way. For a ge this class will consume so much of your time. Your friends with easy professors will tell you the cool creative and random topics they are doing their speech on that they just read off notecards meanwhile you will be expected to interview a professional conduct research using databases and perform a speech from memory. It is way more work than any other coms 101 class. That being said you do get taught about some useful skills for life. Mehl def comes off as scary and has said dome borderline messed up things to students but idk you just have to take it. I messed up a speech real bad once and he talked to me when he saw me upset after class and helped me create a plan to improve. Instead of failing me for a disaster speech that I failed to recite out of nerves he gave me a B and told me he knows I care/try and appreciates it and wants me to succeed. He is scary. This class is so hard and time consuming. He will definitely tach you something you did not know.

Don't believe all of his ratings!!! Some people act like he is the worst prof ever because he expects a lot and others say he is great and just hard on students. He does make the class a little harder than most other GEs but it isnt unrealistic. He can be very pompous and conceited at times which gets obnoxious but he isnt a terrible prof. I got a B in the class by just doing my assignments and i never spent hours on one speech. If you are a decent writer and a mediocre speaker you can get a B in the class. Im not great at public speaking and this class didnt make me any better but i didnt hate the class. The final and midterm weren't too bad. I got a C on the midterm without studying and a B on the final by just reading the study guide. HE'S NOT THAT BAD SO DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME TRYING TO GET OUT OF HIS CLASS!!!

this professor sucks ass

This is easily the worst class I've ever taken. There is no reason for these assignments to be difficult. I have other classes that are difficult , but for good reason. They're my MAJOR classes. The fact that this class takes just as much time as Bio and Chem is whack. I thought I might at least come away with valuable lessons learned, but that is absolutely not the case. Mehl's smart, don't get me wrong, but he's absolutely the most arrogant person I've ever met. I thought maybe he had to be that way since he is a public speaking professor, but even if this was the case, I don't care. The class has essentially become a platform for him to elevate his status while making us feel like we lack common sense, and that communications can only is the most intricate craft on Earth and is more difficult than brain surgery. I read the polyratings before the first day of class and thought, "Hey, I'll accept the challenge. Maybe it'll teach me something beyond just getting a good grade." This is my biggest regret of the year. DON'T "accept the challenge." There are times to do that, this is not one of them. Remember, all of these ratings were written by students who got into Poly (but the positive ones were probably written by Mehl himself), they're not just some lazy, idiots you'd find at your high school. Take heed in their warning. This class is pointlessly hard and time-consuming. Please, don't take this class. You will learn nothing and only feel miserable about the time you could have used studying for important classes. Mehl, if you're reading this, please do us all a favor and retire, or at least be a decent human being.

Literally the most confusing class I have ever taken in my entire life. The whole class had discussions after about how confused they were as they left everyday. He speaks about how transparent he likes to be but really you leave the class so incredibly confused. His assignments start off of fairly easy but COMS is so subjective and you can really see that show when he grades based off of your ability to deliver a message well. He LOVES research and requires you to do way more research than necessary, don't buy the book either all the readings can be found on Quizlet. Waste of time and money to have the book. The midterm is really really hard which is why I struggled so hard to bring my grade from a C to a B, but the final is ridiculously easy and is all on Quizlet. Personally, I would not recommend this class unless you know you are a natural born public speaker. Mehl was pretty funny too at times and very hyper and positive, but overall I would not recommend this class.

If you have the option between taking Mehl's class in the most ideal time slot, or anyone else's coms class at 7am Monday and 10pm Friday; choose the latter. It is indescribable how different a wavelength this guys on. He is nuttier than squirrel shit. "Lecture about material on tests? Nah, fuck that. Im gonna ramble incoherently about convoluted nonsense and let you figure out the rest." He's really smart, I'll give him that, but what good is that for a coms professor if he cant communicate for shit? He might as well be an idiot if he's gonna talk in riddles. Not very likable either. He likes to talk about how he "chose" to leave Harvard for Cal Poly but honestly he seems like the kind of guy to switch schools because he got bullied at the old one. I don't think he realizes that he's not teaching Harvard students anymore BUT A LANGUAGE BASED GE AT AN ENGINEERING SCHOOL. It's also kinda bull shit too because you could get any coms professor and be fine, but if you get Mehl, you're fucked. In summation, like son like father.

Mehl was an inefficient teacher, though cared a lot of about his students. He can lecture an entire 2 hours and leave everyone entertained, but not clear on what their assignments were. Though his multi-page syllabus was incredibly detailed, it seemed to lack the key information that was being searched for. If asked a simple yes or no clarifying question, he would give a ten minute response that left you just as (if not more) confused. The online textbook is a required purchase (do not buy the hardcopy, he only wants you to use the online one that he specifies). Despite his emphasis on everything digital, there is almost 0 technological use in class. The assignments themselves are not incredibly difficult, but they can be tedious. Almost nothing on the midterm/final are covered in class and reading the book is your only hope. The midterm and final are multiple choice, so scan the book super carefully. I took pretty extetnsive notes for the midterm and final and still did poorly. The grading breakdown is as follows: Attendance & Participation: 5% Assignment #1 - Intro Speech: 5% Assignment #2 - Critical Thinking Paper: 5% Assignment #3 - Impromptu Pitch Paper: 10% Assignment #4 - Informative Speech: 15% Assignment #5 - Persuasive Speech: 20% Midterm: 20% Final: 20% If you can avoid taking COMS 101 with Mehl, do it.

Okay, so I really try to see the best in professors, but this one was not good. Although I ended up doing well in the class, this was because I put HOURS of work into everything that was turned in. I would spend days in the library for the class, which seems ridiculous for a GE. One nice thing is that you bond with the rest of your class over how much you're struggling to get through it. I would definitely recommend taking another professor for this class.

Other COMS teachers have puzzles for their midterms and make you write and present maybe two speeches per quarter. Mehl will make you write 5 speeches, 3 of them being within one week. He is incredibly particular and one time gave me points of my presentation because you could see my tattoo. I respect him as a person but he makes this GE way too hard than it needs to be. I definitely suggest taking someone else.

This professor is an arrogant prick and thinks he knows everything. He doesn't realize that students are only taking this class to fulfill a requirement and expects everyone to care about the subject as much as he does. Also, his lectures don't help at all.

I really enjoyed taking mehl's class this past quarter. I understand that some people my think that he is super challenging and intimidating- however he really opens up over the course of the quarter and becomes kind of ~cool~. Be prepared to work hard and not slack off. The skills that you learn in this class may sometimes seem like too much- but at least your teacher is actually making you a better student instead of making you lazy.

Professor Mehl has incredibly high expectations for all of his students, which he prides himself on. His course is going to look vastly different from any other professor's, however, you will become better at public speaking, research, formatting, and having clear verifiable sources than others in a short amount of time. This class pushes you greatly, I spent 40 hours researching and formatting a single speech (which I did not receive an A on), however public speaking no longer scares me after this class, and I feel confident speaking on a vast majority of topics to a large diversity of people. If your future career has any sort of public speaking or presenting, take his class. After speaking about legislation for 7 minutes to 24 students who earn points for finding fallacies in your speech, the idea of interviews and speaking to large groups seems far less daunting. You will grow your skills greatly in this class, you must to pass. Don't slack off even for a second because you will fall behind. Read the textbook, there is some great information that will help you (especially with A 4 and A 5). And don't get discouraged if you get a poor grade on an assignment, everything in this class challenges you. He is more than happy to help if you go to office hours, and if you show him respect and hard work, he will fight tooth and nail to help you.

The class is tolerable. He will stress you out unnecessarily. If you go into office hours before an assignment is presented/due, and you reasonably study for the exams, you'll get at least a B. I did only the latter, and barely got a B. His lecturing style is esoteric, analogy-ridden, and sometimes unclear, but they are entertaining. Count how many times he says words like "framework" and "technically". There'll be at least one lecture in which he says "framework" about 40 times. However, he is much more clear and insightful during office hours, so go to those. You'll be forced to go anyway because any comments he writes down on the rubrics are 95% unreadable. They're like notes for himself for when you show him what he wrote. Anyway, the most important thing you'll learn in this class is that it's helpful to finish a rough draft of anything (a good bit of work) at least a couple days in advance, so you can go over it again and rearrange things and polish things up. You might be able to glean some semi-obvious tips and tricks from Chapters 11-15 of the textbook. Anything else you learn is basically useless. Have fun!

He is not as "evil" as everyone says he is. He is super intelligent and passionate about public speaking and teaching the skill of communications to his students. Most people take it to get it out of the way, so they do not try to get much out of the class. The speeches are a lot of work, and he never really gives out A's, but I have learned a lot, and have been inspired by his passion for the subject. (Sometimes he is not very clear on assignments, but just ask him and he will clarify). Really not as scary and horrible as everyone says..

Mehl is a teacher that expects a lot from his students. The class starts quickly with the one and only midterm in Week 3. There are five assignments throughout and then a final. Two writing assignments early on and then three speeches. 1. A recruiter speech that he requires you to contact your dream company and interview someone there to learn about a job you are interested in and then present that job to the class like a recruiter. 2. Informative speech. 3. Persuasive speech. For these you have to put in a ton of Research (what he loves most) to do well on. The class is a lot of work and stressful, but it is possible to get an A if you work very hard in the class.

Awesome teacher...i know it's not saying a lot, but i think he is the best teacher i have had so far. He was very helpful in preparing students on their speeches, he would help think of ideas for speeches if someone was stuck and help you make it better. You have to read the book, but it's not really that bad. if he knows peple didn't read, he'll give a test, but otherwise he gives you a couple days notice.

Martin is a great guy. Kinda intimidating at first because he likes to yell at random times. But when he got into his lectures even if the topic of SCOM bores you, you just were compelled to listen. He's a great speaker, a bit of a tough grader, and he is absolutely insane about being on time. Overall a fun class, and I believe that my speaking skills have improved.

Mehl, hhhmmmm...well Martin, as he would like to be called in class is an wierd guy. Makes class interesting because hes smart and is always yelling. Dont get intimidated on the first day of class though because it gets better. The worst thing about the class is that his grading scheme is gay. The class has a total of 100 points so you can sadly see yur grade dip with yur speeches. Hard grader, expects a lot (perfection) and does a good job of making you feel nervous while giving speeches. lol. Glad that the class is over but overall, its speech and i could really care less.

This is the kind of teacher that you hate to have during the quarter, but you look back on it and realize just how amazing of a teacher he actually was. Overall the class was an impossible A, but an easy B. Just do what he askes you to do, be on time, and don't be intimidated.

He is able to recognize a student having difficulty, however, in the process of "helping" that student, he will make "said" student feel small and insignificant, often with the result of making "said" student more confused and less confident in his/her ability to speak. Yeah, that's one sentence. Imagine what I would say if I had an essay. Yeah. Also, he believes the book is the "Bible" of Communication. It isn't.

grr... teach me something useful... Don't waste my time ranting without a point.

This guy is one of the best teachers Ive ever had. I loved going to this class! He is really fair in his grading and clear about what he expects. You do about 5 speaches and the topics were a lot better than a lot of my friends' in different classes. Hes just awesome, I recomend him to all, take this teacher if you can!!!

The Doogie Houser of Gernamy. Martin is a great professor and understands the students have lives on top of the classes that they take. I don't believe we had one test in the class, but i learned more than i ever thought i would and i was no longer afraid to speak in the end. I just wanted another go at it for a better grade. Awesome teacher...

He's hot :-)

Mehl is INSANE. If you enjoy being yelled at for two hours twice a week, take this class (duing lectures he gets wayyyy too excited about speech). He also expects a lot out of students, you get one week to prepare these speeches that he expects to be amazing. The two biggest speeches are at the end of the quarter, which for me usually means a lot of work in all my classes but he didn't allow enough time to prepare for these speeches that he expects to be AMAZING, or take into consideration (ever) that people have other classes and that speech is a GE. Other than that he is a pretty cool guy, he doesn't lecture on stuff that is on the final or quizes (except in 2 classes) so you do have to read, and the book has chapters that are long and boring. He has CRAZY expectations like your speech being EXACTLY 5 minutes but he doesn't always inforce this. Take Mehl, he's a good guy, but expect a B unless you're amazing at public speaking or plan on putting all your time into a speech class.

For having a phd in speech communications this guy is a pretty lousy speaker. He talks way too much, goes in circles, takes forever to make a point, and overall is extremely boring. He is also very anal about stupid stuff. For instance I lost a qurter of a point from a 5 point assignment because I was one line short of exactly a full page. Personally I feel that anyone who has time to get out a ruler and figure out how far you are from a full page is a pretty sorry individual. For a GE course he really expects you to invest a lot of time in his class.

At first, you'll think he's really hot (if youre a girl) like i did and you think you will like him, then as he lectures, he gets kind of annoying and you want him to stop yelling at you. Then by the end of the quarter, you realize that it really was an easy class and you like him again. As long as you do the work and try your best at speaking, he'll give you a good grade. I would recommend him for this class. One intro speech, one recording, 2 improv, persuasive and informative.

Martin is a great teacher and one of my favorite professors yet. His lectures were always fun and entertaining, although it seemed as though he went on and on about nothing at times. The class itself was pretty easy. What I liked most was the fact that there were only two real speeches to give. So if you hate public speaking like I do, and you don't want to give many speeches, then take Martin. Only thing is that you probably won't get an A in this class unless you are really really good at public speaking. On the other hand, Martin doesn't seem to give many C's either. Overall, great professor.

Martin is AWESOME. By far one of the most brightest and experienced guy. I thought he was very approachable and a caring guy. He isnt easy though. Practically the whole class either gets a B or C, no matter how hard you work. However, he makes you a stronger person in the end. Take advantage of his smarts, go to his office hours and he'll have so many recommendations for you to improve as a speaker. I definitely recommend him.

Very German.

One thing that I loved about this profefssor is that his lectures were always very interesting. He had a way of involving the students so that it wasn't dry and boring. Sitting in this class for two hours didn't seem nearly as long, he was also very enthusiastic. He is a pretty hard grader, but he seems pretty understanding towards his students and he has a good sense of humor. I would definitely choose to take Martin again if I had the chance.

Martin is an AWESOME GUY. He comes off as being a hard ass the first few classes, but he is a great teacher and a really cool dude. His class isn't the easiest but he is very fair and personable. Take his class, you won't be dissapointed.

I was pretty much scared shitless for this class. Mehl is a very intimidating person, but at the end you realize that he's just a very assertive instructor. He knows what he wants and he sometimes uses scare tactics to drill it into your head. I didn't think I was a good public speaker at all, but i guess I pulled off an A. You should go talk to him on a personal basis to ease that fear and tension. Also, Mehl remembers EVERYTHING. he'll probably remember your life story. And he is a very educated person, wants to make sure you know that he attended all the best universities. so basically, you're not going to be able to bullshit this class. it wasn't an easy A, but if you work at it, it pays off because he's a good professor.

I found this teacher to be arrogant and much too critical of his students. He often bragged about himself and used scare tactics in class--including yelling. He does not allow students to come into class even one minute late. He actually locks the door on you. The entire quarter was filled with busy work and he didn't even help us improve our speech style. DO NOT take his class. Really a terrible teaching style and very rough on students.

United States of America Flag Great Seal Motto: E Pluribus Unum ("Out Of Many, One") (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. 38

Martin thinks he knows everything about everything and his teaching style seems based on strictly scare tactics i can honestly say i feel like a worse public speaker after taking his class. It is extremely difficult and I wouldnt suggest him if you have another choice. He tries to act like he is nice and your friend, but he isnt really at all. I dont understand why his rating is so high. It totally fooled me into taking him.

Martin is a great teacher. I am going to take any class that he teaches in the future. I learned so much in this quarter. He is a great speaker and really leads by example. He is the best instructor I have ever had! I am sad the class is over.

I have nothing bad to say about my experience in this class. You really get to know your classmates and loose your fear of speaking. Good class.

Mehl's stance is "tough but fair." He sticks to this and doesn't curve anything and takes the class way too seriously. He is overly energetic and goes off on rants that don't add anything to the class. He teaches the class like its the most life altering skill ever and there is really not much substance to the class. The final is brutal and is nothing like he says it will be. IF YOUR LOOKING FOR AN EASY CLASS DO NOT TAKE HIM. Also I'm pretty sure only like 4-5 people got an A.

Excellent class. Crash this course if you can!!! He is the most intelligent teacher I have ever had.

Martin is more talk than action. He talks about how you will learn this and that in his class and how you will improve by leaps and bounds, but he fails to deliver. I believe that most of the previous reviews are kids, who think they've learned a lot because he told them that they did. Martin is an average professor and his class requires more effort that the other Coms classes. Also, he is very confusing, both in terms of understanding what he wants from you and in terms of the feedback you receive on your assignments.

I was dissapointed with this class. I think that he writes some of his own polyratings. Presents high expectations but does not fulfill them.

Don't take this teacher. He does not teach you anything about public speaking. He gives the impression that he is kind, but you will learn that he assumes the students have no good intentions and makes not so subtle threats. Instead, I think a student should trust their students first. He also likes to throw his "knowledge" around as if he knew everything. You don't learn to speak in that class, you just learn to waste time.

Good class. Nothing bad to say about Martin.

Here is all you need to know about this class. 1)You can pass 2)It's more work than the other Comms classes 3)Martin doesn't teach you how to become a better speaker 4)His lectures are mildly entertaining, but he goes off on tangents and once again, does not teach 5)His polyratings are much higher than he deserves 6)ironically, although he is a communications teacher and prides himself on being good at what he does, he is probably the worst communicator of any professor i've had thus far. Meaning his commentary on speeches and "help" in office hours does not make much sense. 7)Not a bad guy but i would have chosen a different teacher if i had known what this class was about (And a word to Martin, If you read your own polyratings, which from things you've said in class i believe you do, stop it. It doesn't help you become a better professor. You should stop trying to make people believe you are a good teacher and just work on being a good teacher.)

He picks favorites and makes the class feel incredibly tense and serious. This class isn't fun, and it is really hard to deal with his cockiness. Don't take him, he sucks.

An importnt thing I need to ad to my coments before is that his class is also

Martin uses scare tactics to get a message across and makes you feel extremely uncomfortable. He doesn't teach very well, and any messages he does happen to get across are forgotten quickly because of how inapplicable they are to real life. He doesn't make you feel like you got any better at speaking in front of an audience. A sad thing is he reads these polyratings and writes his own to balance his score. He is rated much higher than he should be. He assigned 5 text book chapters of reading and for the final and tested on completely different material. What a waste of time. Speaking of wasting time, he makes a 10 minute lecture into nearly 2 hours. The students could be doing much better things but he decides to ramble about pointless topics that are irrelevant to anything important. I'm glad its over.

Much more work than other 101 classes. Beware, you will spend a lot of time in class listening to useless rambling and be assigned pointless work. His "Matrix" had no meaning at all. Have fun attempting to maintain your GPA... its going down..

Your done, get out fast. Crash anything else, even kawamuras. You will not get recognized enough for the amount of work you will put into that class.

waste of time. Your GPA is at stake, most people didn't do very well. 2 quizzes the entire quarter, class average was low 60's. No curve. Class is based off 100 points, and grading isn't easy. Have fun...

I tried extremely hard to get an A in this class, but his setup makes it impossible. He says his final will be on the assigned reading, but spending countless hours reading, rereading, and taking notes, it was obvious that the assigned reading had little to do with the final. Everyone I talked to after the final agreed. Im not saying dont do the reading, just expect him to lead you in the wrong direction.

He will try to compare himself to Martin Luther, St. Martin, and Martin Luther King Jr. This dude's an asshole and really needs a reality check. Oh, and he DEFINITELY writes some of these polyratings.

Does not present material or assignments clearly. Multiple times students weren't sure what to do for assignments. I don't think anyone got an A.

Okay, I posted earlier, but now I have actually finished the course. In short, DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. PERIOD. He talks. Too much. He prides himself on his speaking ability and his skill in presenting material clearly. However, in trying to clarify a point, he muddles it beyond recognition. This is a COMS class, however, the way he teaches it is like an English class. You have to write out your speeches, even though the book, which is his "Bible", says not to, as it makes you sound robotic. You have 2-4 quizzes, and a final. The final is practically an English exam, where you find if something is a simile or a hyperbole or some other bullshit. Again, DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR.PERIOD.

Holy crap this teacher is horrible. Just because hes gone through more schooling doesn't mean he should treat everyone like they have the IQ of a bag of rocks. Martin assumes so much more intelligence and it shows. He expects you to be PERFECT to get even a high B in the class. He grades Waaaaaaaaay too hard and doesn't help prepare students for speeches. In fact, he doesn't help students prepare for anything.

OK, for anyone who has heard that Mehl writes his own reviews, here are a few things to consider when reading these reviews. And Dr. Mehl, here are some things that you should consider and probably try to correct when you write reviews for yourself in the future. For a supposedly intelligent guy, you certainly leave a lot of clues: 1. He has 109 reviews. The ONLY people who have anywhere close to 100 reviews are those professors who have reviews going back to 1999 or 2000. His begin in 2004. NO ONE gets 109 legitimate reviews in less than 4 years. Go ahead, look at other profs...I couldn't find a single exception. 2. Notice how so many of the reviews talk in broad, general terms that seem to repeat the exact same things. For example Feb 28, 2008: Challenging class, but also very rewarding. 3. Look how this writing characteristic shows up repeatedly in the reviews - there is a comma, then the sentence ends with a single word or two such as "again." That's a characteristic of a single person, not various writers: April 3, 2008: I would take the class, again. Feb. 12, 2008: Would take it, again. Sept. 13, 2007: I have no complaints, at all. Sept. 13, 2007: So surprise when they heard the same feedback, again. Jan. 4, 2006: ...which is what I was looking for, more. 4. Some phrases raise big questions about the age of the person writing the reviews. Do you know anyone who says these kinds of things: Mar 13. 2008: you'll enjoy it and pat yourself on the back Dec. 11, 2006: He is smart as a wip Jan. 22, 2007: Don't get me wrong I don't pine after teachers 5. Just look at the very positive reviews - they are all vague, but summarize the entire class. It is probably hard to discuss specifics when you teach a bunch of these classes, so vagueness is a necessity. But the negative reviews all discuss specifics. Think about your classes - do you remember the overall class - or specific incidents and characteristics of the professor? 6. Email: So many of the positive reviews mention email. How many times have you mentioned email in a Polyrating? ...yes, it was boredom that led me to do this. There is a bunch more I'd love to mention, but this is a start. Hopefully, it will help you decide not to take Mehl.

For Coms 101, Mehl is a great teacher. It's not the easiest class, but its a fair class and I have learned soo much! I really like him.

Dr. Mehl is a very caring person. He made me feel very comfortable in his class and I learned alot. I held my persuasive speech on a topic I was very passionate about and received an A-. Everything GOOD about his class is true.

he sucks. read all the bad comments. That sums it up. The good ones are biased . Possibly him like others are saying?

Do not take this teacher. He will do nothing to enhance your knowledge and I have NO IDEA why his rating is as high as it is, it should me like a 1.5. TERRIBLE

He is an arrogant asshole who thinks he knows everything about everything. He is better than everybody and after one of my speeches, he bassically called me a dumb redneck. I am not fuckin white trash because im an ag magor. I hate him. worst teacher ever. fuck him.

Prof Mehl is interesting. He has a very roundabout way of explaining things that makes it complicated to take notes and follow along when he's explaining. However, his tests are pretty easy and the actual speaking portions are simple if you're experienced in Drama/Debate/Mock Trial.

The only good thing about Mehl is that he's intelligent, or at least tries to come off that way. He's definitely one of the more well-educated professors I've had, but extensive education does not necessarily make one a good professor. He's cocky, pompous, and generally unpleasant to listen to. He can't help but chatter on about inane topics. The class wasn't hard (it's COMS, it's a complete joke of a major) but it required on ungodly amount of wasted time. All in all, crash another class. Get out while you can.

Martin is the coolest teacher I have ever had. He is smart and attractive. I learned so much in his class.

This was a COMS 101 class that i thought was one of the best classes i have taken at Cal Poly. Professor Mehl is a really good teacher. He is hard if you are lazy and do not want to do work, but if you put the effort into your work you will see your own public speaking improvements! The class consists of mainly lectures, readings in two books, and speeches. The two books that are assigned are your finals. THe first book for the mid term and the second for the final. The tests are pretty hard, but just know the books. There are 4 speeches that we did. Introduction, Impromptu, Informative and Persuasive. You get to pick your topics. Overall I really enjoyed this class. Its a hard class and he is a little bit forward and harsh, but he lets you know what you need to do to do well.

one word to describe mehl is Douchebag!! He thinks hes the shit because he got his master at like age 18 or some bullshit like that. DO NOT TAKE HIM! seriously you can get a easier teacher for a GE class. He always has a stick up his ass and when he lectures at the end of the class none of this shit he said doesnt make sense. If your 30 seconds late to class he will be a ass about it and call u out! HIs midterm and final are ridiculously hard and are about two books that no one ever reads. He thinks his class is the only class your taking so he always assigns homework. FUCKK MEHHLL

In lecture he can come off cocky and intimidating, but he is much easier to speak with one on one. You have to give four speeches (two interviews, one informative, one persuasive). If you ask him for help with interview or research ideas he will be helpful and provide you with many good sources. Midterm and final were fine, I got B's on both with limited studying.

Okay so, I am currently taking Mehl this quarter and honestly, this guy is a cool person. He may seem intimidating at first with his over the top first impression (he's very energetic) and countless occasions where he talks like he knows every detail about everything, but he does want all his students to succeed. You're probably not going to get an A in his class unless public speaking comes naturally to you or you dedicated loads of time preparing for you speeches. The first few weeks of class you'll probably spend time playing games so you feel comfortable with everyone in the class. He talks really fast sometimes and he throws a lot at you, which makes his lectures confusing and mind boggling sometimes, but there are some days where he's pretty concise about his lectures. The tests are not that hard. It's pretty much psychology and common sense stuff. But iono my friend read and did pretty horrible on it, so I guess it depends on the person. He loves professionalism, which means he like you to dress up for your speeches.

First of all, to everyone complaining about how DIFFICULT Martin's class is and how much work goes behind the speeches, welcome to the real world. This isn't highschool, suck it up. If you've gotten through other classes Bsing that's great but it's not helping you improve as a person. On the other hand, Martin was a great professor. He always comes into class full of energy and ready to teach. He is cleary passionate about communication and is willing to help out students if they simply ask. You get to really know your classmates in the process of this class and even make new friends, just keep an open mind. I genuinely enjoyed coming to class every day and listening to what others had to say. For the first speech he evaluates on your performance and it is extremely helpful. Martin is always there to clear things up and just chat, and unline other teachers he doesn't actually go off in tangents. And you don't fall asleep listening to a boring lecture. Is it a lot to learn and take in? Yeah, if you're lazy.

Professor Mehl was overall a good teacher. He's lectures were interesting but he is a tough grader. Going to his office hours was very helpful.

To be successful in his classes you MUST make notecards for key terms highlighted through out the book, as his lectures do not supplement any material covered on the midterm or final-just the book reading. In regards to giving your presentations, he is highly critical and in grading will not accept any margin of error on explicitly stated grading criteria.

Ok so I think this professor sounds pretty interesting. And I really hope that he did write half of these comments, because if he did he is hilarious. Especially the comments about his physical appearance. I'm just an incoming freshman researching professors, don't worry Dr. Mehl I just assumed you were good so I gave you all A's, and I gave myself one too. There's a challenge. Hm, I wonder if you can guess who I am. Oh and I have some AP credits and whatnot so I do have sophomore standing, so no typo, and you get a hint. I figure there should not be a problem with this comment because this comment board does not seem to be taken very seriously anyway. Any way see you fall quarter hope i get to write a real, good evaluation.

COMS 101 - This is one of the most qualified and prepared instructors I\'ve seen. Overall, he was one of my best teachers and I learned more from the class than I ever would have expected. He makes everything exactly clear in his assignments and feedback, and challenges you to improve yourself after each speech. Learn by doing could not be more exemplified in this class. That said, don\'t expect it to be easy. It is a difficult class and he makes you push yourself to do your best, giving tough, but productive feedback on your speeches. If you put the effort forward, you will get a good grade, and he is always there to give you more help than you could have asked for. Take this class if you actually want to get something out of public speaking. Every public speaking class will have a lot of work involved, but this one really made me feel as if I accomplished something as a result.

He is very very energetic. If you don\'t have energy when you get there he has plenty to spare. If you are happy in the beginning of class and talk to him he will be happy and class goes smoothly. Especially with speeches. I loved his class and learned a lot! He really helps you get more comfortable speaking in front of people. He really will help a lot in office hours. I missed a week of school due to extreme illness and he helped me every step of the way and got me back on track. Really a great teacher and I would recommend him. His midterms are tough but straight from the text book so make sure you read and do the practice quizzes!

professor mehl is a horrible communicator. he would make it seem like you should understand what he wanted from you in a way that you felt like you understood and then, even if you took notes, you would get home and have no idea what to do. i have no idea how i got a b in this class. as for his personality he is definetly jackel and hide. in class he would act intimidating and make you feel like and idot, but go to his office hours and he would be understanding and suprisingly try to help you bump up your grade. i learned nothing and i am more afraid of making speeches than before. if you are stuck taking his class go to his office hours.

as a person, professor Mehl is really cool. He can be laid back and energetic at the same time. He\'s also an interesting guy who you can talk to about A LOT of things. As an instructor, his personality works for him and against him. the guy sometimes goes off on way too many tangents for about 20 minutes to make a point. at some point he\'ll tell you what he wanted to say, but you\'ll miss it if you zone out. he\'s repetitive as far as his instructions for speeches go. if anything\'s unclear, talk to him before/after class and office hours. the speeches themselves aren\'t that bad to be honest. just make sure you back up/reason everything you say. and have appropriate attire; he\'s huge on that. he can be witty and funny if you\'re open-minded, so going to class isn\'t too bad. i honestly didn\'t learn much since ive liked giving speeches and most of the things he said seemed common sense to me. but after seeing how terrible some people are at giving speeches, his lectures seemed necessary (attendance is mandatory anyway). 2 multiple choice tests (midterm/final); study all the terms in the book. MAKE SURE TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH HIM AFTER THE QUARTER. he\'s REALLY supportive of everything you do if you approach him for any kind of help. i\'ve given him an low-average grade as far as teaching COMS 101 go, but as a person he\'s definitely an interesting guy.

My favorite teacher that I have ever had, hands down. That could be because I\'m a lot like him. He\'s incredibly energetic and passionate about COMS, and it shows. His assignments are incredibly insightful, and there aren\'t many of them. As a really strong public speaker (my grade went down because of the midterm and final), I learned a lot from his feedback. He knows everything about everything. I have 3 friends who have taken his class due to how much I loved it, and none regret it. It was the ONLY class last quarter in which I knew EVERYONE\'S name, major, and a bit about them. We were a community. I definitely cried on the last day. He\'s hilarious (and easy on the eyes). Take this class.

Mehl is a crazy guy. its obvious that hes insanely smart and just an all around boss at communications. However i found this course to be pretty demanding. i found my self doing alot more work than ppl in other COMS classes. he also stacks a lot of assignments on top of each other to \"discourage procrastination\". he doesnt talk too much about what he expects of you on your speeches and midterms/final and sometimes can be pretty anal. when he teaches he tends to go off on tangents that he believes to be relevant and gives the tangents the same voice emphasis as the designated topic so i ended up confused and distracted alot. basicly he is like Col. Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds, if he were a COMS teacher.

With Mehl its either you love him or hate him. Some students were totally enthralled with whatever he was lecturing about in class while others zoned out. Hes a really intelligent man, and he knows it. He pretends to act humble but then will slyly brag about things hes accomplished. His lectures are somewhat intimidating because he gets so passionate and yells and will go off on tangents and use weird analogies to try and \"help\" us understand what he wants from us. As a teacher i didnt really like him, but as a person he is a very genuine man and will truly do anything to help you out. I felt like there was a lot of work compared to other people in public speaking but there are only 4 speeches and a midterm and final so its really not that bad. Just make sure you follow his directions on the speeches and alwayssss cite your sources and youll do fine

Avoid taking him at all cost. By far the worst class I have taken at Cal Poly. Prof. Mehl spends about half of his class bragging about his accomplishments and the other half yelling about how communication is important. He will teach you nothing. He also requires way more work than an average COMS class and thinks that his class is the most important class you will ever take at Cal Poly. He also throws out random facts throughout each lecture to \"prove\" how smart he is. NEVER take him.

I am currently in his class for comms 101. It\'s true that there is quite a bit of work in the class. However, I still look forward to the class everyday because my class gets along great and we have fun a lot of the time. I must admit, I decided to switch into his class after reading a review on polyratings where someone said that when they were in his class, the class became like a family. The work load is quite rigorous, so it helps if you work on the speeches with your groups so you can practice with them. I find that as a person, Mehl is very likeable. However, as a teacher, he could be a bit clearer and more direct in what he wants. Going into office hours helps clarity things though. The midterm was extremely difficult too, even though I studied for it. However, if I were to take comms 101 again, I would not want to change a thing.

At the begging of the quarter I used to look forward to attending his class because I thought I was going to learn something. I was WRONG. He speaks way to fast. Sometimes, NO all the time, he goes off on some random topic. He goes on and on about something that you might know about, but then goes into all the details about it. It gets to the point where you don\'t even know he is still trying to get a message across. Unnecessary information. It was a waist of my time. Don\'t take him. Seriously, my gpa is 3.4

First off, I don\'t believe Mehl is the kinda guy who would write his own PolyRatings... he stresses academic integrity too much too often for that. That being said, here\'s my opinion: Not a bad professor. He talks too fast, but is easy to approach with clarifying questions. He makes you do four speeches, most of which are ok, but one requires you to do an interview and for another you need >10 sources. That was kindof annoying. Honestly, there really is no need to take notes in class (except when he says \'take note\') cause the midterm and the final are an the required-reading textbooks he assigns. Both tests are a pain in the rear end. Most everyone got lower than a C on the midterm and I got a D on the final, even though I studies fairly intensely for it. The material is ambiguous, and both tests are multiple choice, so you often encounter a situation where multiple answers seems right. Most importantly, he won\'t give anyone a D or an F in the class if they have good attendance. Taking Mehl guarantees you at least a C, if you show up. You need to work really hard to get a B and getting an A is practically impossible. Nevertheless, it\'s not a disaster if you have to take him. Also, on a side note, he has a certain number of words he always used multiple times a lecture, like \'that echoes in\', \'to catapult you\', \'that transitions into\', some of these Mehlisms were heard over 17 times each in a single lecture :)

Personally, I liked Mehl. When I first read the reviews here, they seemed pretty mixed so I was not sure what to expect. I found Mehl\'s lectures to be pretty interesting. He is very energetic and interesting, but usually does not make much sense. It\'s ok though, since the lectures aren\'t very important and the tests (midterm and final) are straight out of the book. However, do not expect them to be easy. There are a lot of trick questions and even if you study a ton you probably won\'t get an A. He also warns you that he grades with a C being average. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to earn an A in the class. But as long as you do the work, you are pretty much guaranteed to pass. There are four speeches, but the first one is just one page and you get to read right off the paper. The second is impromptu and you can\'t really prepare much for it. The next two require research, but you get to use notecards. I wrote and researched my speeches in about four days, even though he gives you about two weeks. It really stressed me out, but also taught me what hard work is really like. There are also two papers, but they aren\'t very hard. Mehl really encourages working with your classmates and getting to know them and always being there for each other, so that really brought my class pretty close together which was nice. Mehl is definitely not the easiest comms teacher, but the class was honestly nowhere near as bad as I expected. In my opinion, he is not the best teacher, but he is a pretty likeable guy which made me look forward to going to class.

He\'s the best!! He\'s so helpful. If you are struggling he\'s more than happy to give suggestions and help you out. But he can tell if you\'re actually trying or if you\'re half-assing everything and he will call you out on it. Class is amazing but if you\'re taking this class, be ready to work hardddd!!!

Fuck Mehl.

The post before this is not true. Mehl is a good guy.. just a tough teacher, but its college so what do you expect?

Ok, his class is not the easiest comms class, but honestly, he is a nice guy. If you can follow simple directions, you\'ll probably do fine. He really is quite understanding and if you go to class and put some effort into your work, you\'re pretty much guaranteed at least a C (probably a B if you have a brain). I don\'t know if he gives out A\'s much, but I managed to get a B+ and I usually didn\'t start writing my speeches until a few days before I had to give them. And finding a current topic or legislation for a speech is not that difficult. Just go to a newspaper website. He\'s really not bad at all. The only thing that may kill you is the midterm, cause he puts all these tricky questions on the test.

The first thing to know is that this is not an easy class. With that being said, you will gain a lot of valuable knowledge about speaking in front of people. You only have 3-4 speeches during the quarter, but they aren\'t \"pick something you know about\" speeches. Mehl asks you to do research on relevant topics in the news, interviews with professionals, and provide hard evidence to your classmates. The class can be annoying at times. There have been many a time where my classmates and I have sat outside and said \"Fuck this class, I\'m over it.\" Mehl expects a lot from his students, and it shows in our work. On the other end of the spectrum, if you\'re willing to work hard, a good grade is entirely possible. Mehl is a nice, very intelligent guy who cares about his students. There are times when it\'s difficult to understand his point in lecture, but he\'s sure to clarify any questions you have. The other thing I enjoyed about this class is that he practically forces you to get to know everyone. Right off the bat I had to learn everyone\'s name, which in the end gave me a group of friends that I truly enjoy getting to see every day in class. This isn\'t a bad class to take if you really want to learn something, but if you\'re just looking to breeze through another GE then choose another professor.

The class was very straightforward. There were a couple speeches that, in order to do well, you would have to prepare quite extensively for. Spending several hours a day or two on research/preparation before giving the speech is enough. Aim high; you can\'t afford to lose points on any one assignment because they all contribute significantly to your overall grade in the class. My only complaint would be that his directions were often confusing and unclear because he worded things in a way that was not very succinct. However, despite this, there is no doubt about his expertise in communications.

So, here are a few things I took out of Mehl's class. He's hard to understand verbally sometimes just bc he makes EVERYTHING he says so wordy. However, in his assignment descriptions he tells you EVERY detail you need to have when writing your speech. He welcomes anyone to his office hours & its actually pretty helpful so take advantage of it! A tip to help you survive his class (bc I'll admit it may become overwhelming): DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! You are screwed if you do bc his assignments build off e/o & there is a new one before the previous one is even due. He grades quite fairly so try your best & seek help when you need it and you should be fine.

Professor Mehl is an intelligent, connected individual. All of his lectures are prepared speeches on his part so he knows exactly what he's going to say and rarely omits important details and won't waste your time. There will be quizzes, a midterm, and a final. The first midterm is the first book, the final is the second. Even though the questions are multiple-choice, you won't be able to bullshit your way through them cause they're challenging. I would absolutely take Mehl again.

Here's the thing about Mehl, although people have been ripping on him about how he doesn't "present the material clearly" he actually tells you what you need to do for every assignment (except for the impromptu speech), you just need to pay attention and not doze off in class. It's true that everything that comes out of his mouth is coated in bull, but it's not hard to get the gist of what he's saying. The key to getting a good grade in his class is to visit him during office hours. Ask about what you did well/bad on the last speech and ask what he's looking for FROM YOU in the next. He'll help you if you take the time to go to his office hours, and will be a lot clearer when he talks to you one-on-one. Despite what others may say, this class isn't too demanding. I wrote both my Informative and Persuasive speeches the day I was presenting. The quizzes are a bit wordy, much like the way he speaks, but the Midterm (which is basically all the quizzes together and can replace you total quiz grade) is much easier. There is just one thing that was very peculiar when it came to grades: people going into the final with A's, B's, and even some C's all ended up with a B+ in the class. So it's safe to say that even if you fuck up a speech (I did miserably on my impromptu), and get a decent grade on everything else, you're pretty much guaranteed a B. If you want/need an A try another prof, but if you hate speeches and are worried about grades you should take Mehl.

WORST PROFESSOR AT CAL POLY. GET OUT BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!! SAVE YOURSELFFFF

I was biased by polyratings before taking this class and went in to it thinking Mehl was going to be a terrible teacher. I tried to keep an open mind... but Mehl proved his rating RIGHT. He is a very nice guy, but he thinks a lot of himself and belittles you quite frequently. His lectures are absolutely pointless, only 10 out of the 50 minutes are actually worth listening to because they explain the assignment (barely). His standards are ridiculously high and when you do something well it is not recognized in the least. I did very well on one of my speeches and while I got a better grade than most others, it was barely expressed. I got a B, and someone who did much worse than I did got a B-. Almost everyone gets D's on the midterms. They are basically common sense but put in to different words, completely pointless. Overall, avoid taking Mehl if you can. He doesn't explain what he wants from you, he can be very harsh, and he doesn't grade fairly. You end up doing much more work than you would in any other introductory coms class. The only upside to this class is that he forces you to get to know your classmates and you all become pretty close due to the fact that you all hate him and don't understand what he wants from you.

I cant believe the university FORCED me to take this class with this professor and I had to PAY WWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. Its a GE, but he doesn't realize that, he grades like its your major.

I'm gonna put it in perspective here... I took this class my freshman year. What, if anything, have I gotten out of it? Nothing. That's how good of a teacher he is and how much waste of a time that class was. Zero sum game. It'll hurt you more than help you, so save yourself some time and take a professor who teaches well and is actually fun. You'll learn more and get more out of it without the unnecessary work.

I'm gonna put it in perspective here... I took this class my freshman year. What, if anything, have I gotten out of it? Nothing. That's how good of a teacher he is and how much waste of a time that class was. Zero sum game. It'll hurt you more than help you, so save yourself some time and take a professor who teaches well and is actually fun. You'll learn more and get more out of it without the unnecessary work.

Not an easy A. You will have to WORK for a B, and a C is pretty much guaranteed if you do most of the reading and half-ass the speech assignments- its a pretty intimidating class but go to his office hours and he'll help alot. You NEED basically all the books in order to survive the midterm and speeches.

Professor Mehl has a difficult class. He is very straightforward, which helps you with your speeches, however he is a tough grader. He has high expectations and doesn't allow anyone to slack off. Mehl strongly believes in his core curriculum course as he calls. If you want an easy A this isn't the class to take, but I can guarantee you will learn from it.

He sucks. You dont need ANY of the books to pass because his quiz/final is out of his ass. But if you dont have a book in front of you, he has the nerve to single you out in front of the class and rip you a new one. Trust me, you wont read the assigned reading for a grade, but because the fear he sets on you. Hes out to get you and trys to make you look like a fool in front of the entire class. In the end there is a group presentation that you work hard with other classmates. Youll grow to like them and in the end, he REQUIRES each member to rate which person did the least amount of work. Instant friendship breaker. Good luck, dont have fun.

Professor Mehl is a fantastic professor. He talks at a million words a minute, but it is always about something interesting. His knowledge about the world in general is awe-inspiring, and I have no idea how he knows everything that he does. If you get the chance to talk to him outside of class, do it, you will just learn about life in general. Going into his class, I was positive that I was going to get an A, because I thought I knew how to give a speech. By the end of the quarter I was three points away from an A, but I learned an immense amount. Mehl designs his class so that you can give a speech on something that you actually care about, and his class is arranged so that you collaborate with people in your class and get to know them fairly well. I'm still friends with people in my COMS class today! His written tests are challenging, and I would definitely say to read the book. Overall, I'd definitely recommend Mehl if you are looking to better yourself for the real world with actual human interaction. If you want to just get this GE out of the way, then this is not the class for you.

Dr. Mehl is tough, but having taught at Harvard before, he definitely knows his stuff. I'm not sure if anyone got an A in this class, but if you're not a natural speaker, it's taken into account and you can still get an average to high grade in the class. If you take this class and use Dr. Mehl's advice, you will at least learn the basic tenets of doing a good speech. So I'd say this is a good class to learn from, but not necessarily good for your GPA.

If you want to slide by this GE without much effort DO NOT take Mehl. And he has no problem ripping his students a new A-hole. If you're the first speaker (specially on the 3rd assignment) beware and be ready to take a TON of harsh critisizm. If I wasn't so good at taking harsh critisizm I probably would have cried. Also, whatever you do, don't be the big tough guy and try cussing him out. I promise you, it won't end well. If you're already enrolled in Mehls class, even though his reviews sound bad, his class isn't completely awful. Just keep in mind that you will have to work hard for your grade. And remember, Mehl is ALWAYS right. Not even that he thinks he's right.. he actually is right. He's approxamately 100 times smarter than you.

If your not a girl and you don't like kissing ass, I would not take this class. The workload is very heavy, and the tests are pretty hard. The most difficult part for me was sitting through lectures because I couldn't get over how fast has talked. If you want to play a fun game pick two or three friends, each person gets either the word/phrase "radar", "catapult", or "you get the just" and then keep a tally of how many times he says each one. Personally I liked going with radar most of the time. Good luck.

He is the worst communicator I have ever met and he is a COMS teacher. He is out of touch with reality.

Geez you freshmen this year must be super unprepared for college level work. I had Mehl for the first time the third quarter of my freshman year. I was scared to take comms, but I knew it was something I had to do eventually, and Mehl's class fit best with my schedule. Some of his reviews made him sound really harsh and mean, but he's actually a nice guy. Yes, he expects a lot from you, probably more than half the other comms teachers, but I didn't think it was that bad. Plus, he makes you learn everyone's name in the class, and my class ended up getting pretty close, which was nice because it made speaking in front of everyone less intimidating. The two tests are probably the hardest part of the class. The questions are taken straight from the book, but that doesn't make them easy. I think I got like a "C" on the midterm and I forget what I got on the final, but I managed to get a "B+" in the class overall. On the speeches, don't procrastinate. Meet up with your cohorts before hand to practice. If you have half a brain you'll realize that a speech is essentially a spoken essay. So do an outline for it like you would for an English research essay or whatever, elaborate on the main points, cite your sources, have an intro and conclusion and you're good. I went to office hours maybe two or three times and he helped me out. Seriously though, his class is not that bad so I don't know what everyone is complaining about. I think the large majority of people in my class ended up with some form of a "B."

So I have had Martin Mehl and i can honestly say he is a nice guy and his lecture weren't as bad as you would think if you stayed focus, but the problem for him is he expects way to much out of freshman. HE IS NOT AN EASY GRADER. He wasn't never as specific as you would want for some of the speeches and he tended to be a bit vague and when he gives you feedback good luck, it is like he talks in a different language. Honestly i would avoid this teacher at all costs, he is a nice guy but he treats this as a crucial class and makes it harder than any of your core classes. If your looking for an easy teacher i don't recommend him at all. Good luck to any pour soul who ends up getting him i wish you luck! His class was the worst experience I have had as a freshmen. Also his tests are Super hard and unless you can recall facts really well, be prepared to struggle on his exam.

Within the first few weeks of class, I had figured out that this class was no "easy A". Mehl was a challenging professor, and although I wish the course load could have been lighter, I do admit that this class was exciting to attend and listen to Prof. Mehl's lectures. This class is also a great way to develop a good work ethic if you don't already have one. Mehl may seem like a hard-ass during lecture, but he is extremely approachable during office hours, and will gladly clarify anything you did not understand, with the exception that you don't ask questions the night before a speech is due, which is common sense, really. Overall, a very tough class, but definitely an experience I have enjoyed.

I love Mehl. His class was A LOT of work, but I am so glad I took it. He seriously got me well acclimated to the amount of work required by most college level courses. Mehl LOVES research, so be prepared to look a lot of things up. However, your view on the world will be broadened significantly. Sometimes his in class explanations go way over the heads of his students, but if you listen to his advice and read, you'll be fine. I only went to office hours once and he was a genuinely nice guy when we talked. He definitely cares for his students and all of his assignments serve a purpose in preparing students for the real world. Take Mehl, put in the effort, do well, and use the skills he teaches for the rest of your life.

What can I say...A great teacher and all-around person.

As it is time to register for classes, again, I thought i should drop a quick note about my speech class experience. I took it a year ago from Martin, and I still remember and use what he has taught me. I enjoyed this class very much and would highly recommend anything he teaches, as he is a very organized, approachable and simply put a great person. By the way it does help if you plan to dress up for speeches. I don't think he grades you unfairly if you don't, but i have to admit it made me feel more prepared and organized ;-) Enjoy!

MARTIN MEHL LOVES TO YELL! He is a very knowledgable professor. He knows speech. He has pretty much made speech his life. Most teachers go home and spend time with their spouse, Martin goes home and studies speech. While he knows what he is talking about, it seems like he knows too much and therefore I found his lectures, which were more like speeches very hard to follow. He repeats himself a lot and takes up a lot of time rather than directly saying what he wants. And he presents his lecturures in YELLING format which i found to be extremely annoying. I enjoyed the class, but I HATED LISTENING TO MARTIN's LECTURES. Also this is a very difficult class. I do not believe there were any A's in our class, but then there were also no D's or F's. If you work you will get a B if you work, but slack a little you will get a C. Basically expect to work. He will be a little intimidating at first but don't pay too much attention to it. Just do the work he tells you to do and you will be set. Also i hope you don't mind being put on the spot. Martin will ASK you a stupid quetion and make you look like an idiot, but in the end you will be more comfortable in the class.

Martin is a very dynamic teacher - he grades hard in general, and I doubt there were many A's given out in the section I attended back in the fall. Yes, he does yell in class, but it most certainly does not detract from the high quality of the job he does.

Apparently we cant all be talking about the same martin mehl, because i would never reccomend his class to anyone that doesn't like to sit and take bullshit. I'm posting this to give everyone a fair warning-- his class is VERY hard. Not in the traditional sense, however. Its hard to sit and listen to some rather arrogant and intimidating german man ramble NON STOP on wild tangents in a bragging manner. He uses scare tactics as a method of teaching, which is absolutly no way to teach a class about communication. The man is an extremely poor communicator, which definatly hinders his ability to teach that very subject. DONT BE FOOLED BY THESE OTHER COMMENTS. This man is a terrible teacher, and had the ability to make even i, a generally comfortable public speaker, feel terrified to speak.

The first day of class was kind of scary and the first couple of weeks the guy scared me to death, but after a while he isn't so bad. His lectures aren't boring, but I often got confused in class so if you just read his podcasts in text form and the assignments on line; you should be able to understand the assingment. I sent e-mails on numerous occasions and he replies quickly, they might be a little confusing but just reply back and he will set you straight. If you have any questions I would go to his office hours because he will help you if you need.

Avoid Mehl at all costs, if you don't do things exactly the way he wants, he'll screw you over. While I was in his class it was hell, but afterwards I noticed that the things he was being a hard ass about were really necessary to get his point across. He is one of those teachers that you hate while you're taking the class but you really learn a lot from (looking back on it after the fact).

Just saw Martin's eval had only freshman on it, so i'd figure i'd give him a little word myself. you will learn speech communication from him. you will work hard. you will be on time. you will do the work. if you don't, don't kill yourself, he's completely balanced and understands students lives. the first class may psyche you out, but it's just a little character he's got going on.

Dr. Mehl is an awesome professor. He is very energetic and makes the class actually enjoyable to go to. After you give a speech he gives great feedback which helps so much for future speeches. He gives very few quizzes on some of the chapters in the book and they are exremely easy. Even the final (multiple choice) was easy. Other than assigning some reading from the book, Dr. Mehl doesn't assign nonsense homework. He lets you focus on your speeches. He is also a fair grader and is very understanding if something comes up and you can't make it to class. Dr. Mehl also checks his e-mail frequently and responds as soon as possible. Overall Dr. Mehl has got to be the best speech professor you can have here at Cal Poly. I highly recommend taking him. You will learn about public speaking and have fun at the same time.

Martin is a very understanding and interesting professor. I strongly recommend taking his class.

Martin is an awesome professor. You have something like 5 speeches during the quarter. Be prepared to do research for a couple of them, this isnt that easy of a speech class. He is very understanding of student's lives and it seems like he grades hard but if you go to his office hours he will help a lot.

Martin is a great teacher. He possesses a unique ability as far as professors go: he doesn't place himself above the student. You will probably be on a first name basis with him and find it very easy to ask questions and request assistance. The course itself was pretty good, although the impromptu speeches will make many nervous. The only warning I have is this: if you say something, be sure you have facts to back it up. He has an uncanny ability to ask you questions about material you didn't quite read over.

Martin is a cool professor, but this class is pretty intense. He expects A LOT out of his students. He looks for honesty, integrity, and credibility in every speech. He freaked me out at first and I really hated the class, but I began to get used to his style and it really wasn't that bad. He has really high expectations and sometimes they may seem ridiculous, but he's just trying to get everyone to try a little harder than they normally would in a GE speech class. The one thing that really bothered me about this class was that it was graded on a 100 point scale, so you could basically only miss 10 points (with 3 major speeches, a couple of minor speeches, a few quizzes, and a final) and still get an A. I was only 0.9 away from an A and I got a B+, so Martin isn't the one to take for an easy A because there's no rounding or curving involved. Also, don't be late to class!! He always starts at exactly 10 after, but that goes right along with his passion for precision.

First of all this guy IS hot. One of the hottest instructors I have ever had...nice eye candy. But he is much more than just a pretty face, he is intelligent, witty and has quite and outstanding resume. If you have the opportunity to take his class do it you will not regret it. Especially if you like intelligent good looking men that push you to your highest potential.

Although Martin Mehl seems to be intimidating the first couple of lectures, he really is a nice guy. He is extremely diligent about replying to his emails, and he is more than happy to help you out. His class is never boring, and he always keeps you engaged and active. He is very big on active listening, and participation. Although I personally liked the class, do not take his class if you do not want to work. There are a lot of speeches, 2 of which are individual, and one which is a panel presentation. He grades fairly, however, and if you take his comments seriously, you will improve. Don't expect an easy A, but if you work it is definitely possible.

Martin can be fun, however all of the points in the class add to 100...which means if you get at 10/15 on an assignment, the highest grade you can get in the class is a 95%. Also, the final is impossible! I read the 9 chapters it was on about 7 times each...and I still got an 8/15! Major bummer!

I was confused every single day because he rambled on about nothing for two hours straight. I definitely had a headache every day coming out of the class. Not to mention the final was a joke. He told us to study 9 ch and there would be 30 multiple choice questions. I finished the final in 15 min max and got a b on it without studying much....Basically it i am a less intelligent person for enduring that class

This guy is crazy. He definitely knows his stuff and is not afraid to show you that he's the smarter one. Although he is very intelligent, he is really intimidating at times, but don't let that get to you because he really just likes to hear his voice (hence, a lot of shouting...for no real reason). His lectures are confusing and don't really talk about anything--they don't cover the text or information of how to give speeches. He really does JUST talk. and talk. and talk. not always cohesively, mind you. The class, itself, was decent. The speeches weren't hard; they jusy required a bunch of research. His comments on speeches were always all on content of your speech (even in impromptu), not on presentation, which is what I was looking for, more. He's a nice guy if you get to know him out of class, but in class...I wouldn't take him again.

Martin is a very charismatic guy and is funny. He seems to know everything about everything, and makes you feel as though he would kick your ass in any sort of debate. He expects a lot out of you for a G.E. (too much in my opinion), grades pretty difficult, and you cannot miss class. But outside of being a tough teacher, class flies by and he is a great guy.

Ah Marty... how does it feel to be wrong? You know, I have had some speech experience in my lifetime, and I've even been decorated for some spirited dissertations on communism, jingoism, capitalism, and imperialism. I know you're saying to yourself, thats a lot of -isms. My money is on the fact that you're planning to google the second one because you're a moron. When you present yourself as a professor, there should be confidence. Not arrogance. When you present yourself as a professor, make an effort to lead by example. When you screw up the time of your own final, and hijack a classroom in the spirit of "I was here first, and I have football players to impress that make me nostalgic for my high school days." You go and find the people who you offended, the ones studying reaction mechanisms so that they can create the next wave of life-saving drugs, and you beg their forgiveness... especially their professor, who was in the right. Lots of luck to you, heres hoping we isolate the jackwad gene soon.

Winter 07: Try take anything Martin teaches, he rocks. He will challenge you, but it is worth it. Trust me, had him 2 years ago and he is fun to talk to. Don't get me wrong, nobody is perfect, and neither is he. I enjoyed the people that were in the class with me, and if you like to work hard and get something worth your money this teacher will be the 1 for u.

Prof. Mehl is great! He has been very accommodating to students in answering questions and providing additional help and feedback outside the classroom. I have never known another professor to be so willing to help students. He really wants us to learn and succeed. His teaching methods are unconventional but they really do work. The people in my class who don't like the style are the ones looking for an "easy A." I am a better speaker for having taken his class, and I am more confident in my abilities in my field of study too. I would recommend his class to anyone who truly wants to become a better speaker. If you are looking for a class to fall asleep in or get an easy A, find someone else.

Martin is the best teacher probably ever. He truly has the students' interests at heart. He is a hard grader however. If you want an easy A, he is not the right teacher for you. But if you want to learn, and learn well, then take Martin.

This is a class that makes you proud to be an SCOM major. It was awesome to see all the other students looking at speech as a "real" major. Martin knows his stuff and it is really refreshing to see him represent this major to alot of other students. You do have to work hard in his class, but as I said it is totally worth it. He is funny and relates the topic really well to his students. I especially enjoyed that he used television examples when he wanted to make a point. Anyway, long story short: Great major, great class, great teacher!

I really enjoyed this class and I am not afraid to admit it. I really learned how to give and take constructive criticism. Martin is very fair and answers his e-mail, almost before they are send. I have to admit, I thought this class was going to be a complete waist of time. As an EE I don't really enjoy taking coursework that does not focus on my major, BUT I have to give CALPOLY credit, I learned a lot in this course. You have to interact in class, and think on your feet. Workload: An intro speech, voice recording, 2 research papers, several impromptu, an informative a persuasive and a panel presentation. If you organize your time, this class is quite enjoyable. I guess I am a better communicator and a more confident presenter, take this class.

I wouldn't recommend taking this class. Martin can be really annoying and has an obsession with the number 3 that becomes old really fast. He's a hard grader and it's really hard to get an A in the class. We had to give impromptu speeches which were awful if you don't like speaking when you aren't prepared, and our final group project was extremely time consuming. I really respect him because he has done many interesting things in his life, but I didn't like him. I would recommend trying to take this class with a different teacher if at all possible.

I have no idea why the person reviewing Martin is all pissed of. Probably because Martin REALLY does seem to know almost EVERYTHING. I know that some of the other students were hoping for an easy A. I was among those that thought this is class is not going to teach me anything. It is speech. Well I now know the difference between verbal and non-verbal communication (in case you are reading this Martin) and it is NOT just a speech class. It is a class that teaches you how to communicate. Now that I look back, I learnerd alot and I am a much more confident communicator. This class made me work on being punctual, organized and not to procrastinate on projects. I have been a slacker whenever I can get away with it, and it is actually refreshing to see when a Professor cares about his students and getting them ready for the "real world." He is really a great teacher, sometimes you don't even know that you learned something in his class, because you just comprehend the material and apply it, and it becomes a "natural" part of what you do. I really liked the way this class is structured. You will ABSOLUTELY IMPROVE. Grading is tough, but fair. I also actually liked the impromptu speeches. They are scary at first, but in the end you keep seeing yourself improve and that is something you totally learn in this class. I will recommend this class to all of my friends!

In case you have not talked to Martin lately. He is going to be a dad. Who knows if he is going to come back to Poly, so I would recommend talking to him and stopping at his office while you can. He is a great teacher and he will be an awesome dad!!! Congrats Martin. Show off those great communication skills.

Good class. Lots of effort. Not an easy "A," but learned alot. Would take it, again.

I had mehl my freshman year and in my opinion he was one of the best actual teachers ive ever had. You're going to have to put in a lot of time outside of class to do the work, but this is one of the few classes ive taken where you cant skate by on just talent or bs. he knows his shit and by the end of it, you will know more than you did when you started. some of the work you do from the book will be boring, and a lot of it isnt the most exciting work you will ever do, but i respect mehl more than any teacher i had before and more than any teacher ive had since. and to whoever is saying he writes his own ratings: who cares, i doubt he is, because ive seen his work schedule and im pretty sure he doesnt have time to sit and write polyrating comments all day, and the fact that he has 100+ ratings only shows that hes either a teacher that you love or you hate. Id love to take mehl again given the chance, just be prepared to work if you take him

Dr. Mehl definitely comes off as a crazy strict professor in the beginning, but he really is rooting for all of his students to succeed. He has very strict guidelines for his speeches, but I found that it actually made it much easier to get a good grade on them because of that. Mehl is actually pretty funny, too, if you give him a chance. But like someone else said before me, with Mehl you either hate him or you love him - I've never met anyone that didn't feel strongly one way or another about him.

Mehl expects his students to work hard, and if you want a good grade, you will. His tests/final are basically a joke if you study the book (vocabulary and fallacy definitions). Your grade is mostly based off of the midterm speech and two final debates. He is understanding if you have reasonable problems; for example, he was incredibly appreciative when students were sick but still showed up to give their speech. One of the best things about his class (in my opinion) is that he understands that you can be a good student without showing up at office hours. I am not an office hours person, but he still recognized the fact that I put a lot of effort into his class. Only 1 or 2 students recieve an A each section. His class is all about COMPETITION, and that is what he wants.

Professor Mehl is extremely intimidating and degrading. He presents each assignment in the most complicated way possible and uses big words to make himself seem really smart. He loves research so every assignment/debate is EXTREMELY time consuming. This class should be an upper division COMS course, not a GE. It's the most stressful class I've ever been in. If you're looking to fulfill your A3 GE, I would suggest taking English 145 instead.

First day of class: you will be overwhelmed. But it' gets better, and I would really recommend this class. This man is exceptionally intelligent, engaging, and clearly cares immensely for his students. He will remember your name, political standing, and answer every email in about 10 minutes. That being said, Mehl will make you perform, research, and pull your weight. There are a lot of group projects, but he makes sure that no one gets saddled with all the work. It is a general ed class, and you probably could find a way to get an easier A to get your A3 credit--but this class was certainly rewarding. Plus, Mehl's pretty cute.

Mehl is a great teacher! He really loves what he does and he makes that obvious the very first day of class. If you're looking for an easy A, you're not going to get that out of this class. Mehl's a very fair grader. There is a good amount of workload for this class. Sometimes his instructions seemed unclear, but if you go by what he says, it all seemed to work out. His quizzes and his final were very fair if you did the reading. Overall, a good class if you're willing to put in a good amount of time and effort.

Prof. Mehl...I didn't particularly like him as a person but the class was interesting. I guess his way of teaching is pissing you off so much to where you want to do well and prove him wrong because your speeches are your only time to show him what or who you are. He's very condescending and shoves his background in your face a lot. The class was pretty stressful and don't be surprised if you never get an A on a single assignment. Calc 2 was easier than this class. I barely pulled a B but over-all, I'm happy I took it.

FIRST OF ALL, let�s get one thing straight. Mehl is NOT a good teacher. He may be intelligent, but in no way good at TEACHING. Professor Mehl is one of the most arrogant individuals you will ever meet. He cares NOTHING for his students and is incredibly condescending when talking to you. Sure, he knows a lot of stuff, but rather than being humble and modest, he is very pompous and arrogant about it. Almost our entire class had something negative to say about him every time we left the classroom. Whether it was about his pointless lectures, or annoying mannerisms, there was always something. So all in all, NEVER take this class. I know I fell into the trap by thinking, �Hm, I like to argue, maybe this class will be a good introduction into the subject!� NOPE. This should be an upper division COMS class, not a GE. There is way more work than is necessary and everything is presented in such a complicated way. I cannot even describe my disgust for both Mehl and the class itself. He is such a hypocrite and contradicted himself multiple times throughout the year.

does a terrible job of being a teacher. very confusing, looks down upon his students, has to make you feel bad and point out what you don't know in a rude and degrading way to show that he is in fact smarter then you. do not take this this class you will regret it. way way way too much work for a GE class.

Ugly turd. Poor teaching. Actually. NO teaching. Dont bother reading the book, its not on the final. Criticizes you in front of your peers to make you feel terrible about life. Thinks his class is the most important but you wont learn anything applicable.

just thought about him and needed to write another polyrating.. he's such a shit

Take these other whiney polyratings with a few grains of salt. Yes, he does talk fast. Yes, he does expect people to be at every class. And yes, the class requires you to... Oh my gosh... Do... Work????? But the work is reasonable and as long as you have hardworking teammates then you can have a decent time. I am certainly not the beat student ever, and I'm expecting an A. So take that how you will.

2 EVALUATIONS DOWN FROM THIS ONE, FUCK YOU YOU'RE WRONG HE SUCKS

Mehl is one of the best professors I have EVER had at Cal Poly. I went into the class, knowing that he would be a bit more difficult than other COMS professors though so I sort of braced myself for a hard quarter. If you are not willing to put in a decent amount of work, then don't take this class. If you're willing to become a better researcher, writer, and speaker, then take any of his classes. He is incredibly intelligent and I've been able to take many of the tips he gave me in his class to help me write papers in upper division classes. He demands a lot out of his students, but it's because he knows that he's giving his students the tools that they need to communicate well with any future work that they have to do. If you feel like he is an arrogant asshole, then look at his resume. He is an incredibly accomplished man in the field of communication studies and he has every right to act like he knows what he's doing.. BECAUSE HE DOES. And if you go to his office hours, he is incredibly thorough with helping you with any problems that you may be having with research or presentation skills. He's not all that intimidating, and he still says hi to me when I see him, even a year after I took his class. So long story short, take his class if you are willing to work. He is an amazing professor and I wish I could take more of his classes.

First off, I would highly recommend Mehl to anyone looking to take an argumentation course and learn a great deal from it. He is extremely methodical and logical in his organization and presentation of the class and concepts. While he does require a more substantial amount of work than other courses, every assignment is designed to test and increase your ability to logically identify and present information to provide a sound argument. Now, I'm the kind of person who falls asleep in nearly every class and has hardcore ADD but his lectures were by far my favorite portion of this class. They might not be everyone's cup of tea but I can honestly say that listening to him speak made me feel much smarter then I am. His presentation of concepts were very succinct and the information I learned from them has been applied to almost every other area of my education. Overall, highly recommend if you wish to work hard and learn a lot. Side note: he teaches an argumentation class, therefore arguing with him (like I did over some information in one of my papers) is almost futile, as I left his office hours feeling like a 2nd grader arguing with Einstein. But showing someone how to learn from their mistakes is one of his strengths and it taught me a lot in the end.

Prof Mehl is an amazing teacher. If you don't want to actually put in work, and be graded for how much effort you put in, don't take his class. I took his class for 101 and 126, and actually feel that my public speaking has improved directly from taking he genuinely cares about all of his students, and wants to see them put in the time and effort for them to succeed.

At first, I was REALLY intimidated to take this course (as i had not taken COMS 101 yet) but I ended up learning SO MUCH from Mehl! It can get very stressful at times- at most you get maybe a week or so to prepare 5 page essays and a 7 min speech- but I can definitely say I am a better speaker and a better researcher because of this class. Don't be scared of Mehl. This class is worth the work!

I took Mehl for COMS 126. The very first day of class Mehl says: "If you don't want to get your a$$ kicked, drop this class". That immediately got me hooked. Mehl's class is difficult, it is a challenge, and you will probably not put as much work into another GE at your time at Poly. But man was it worth it. He definitely has gotten the best out of me, made me much better researcher (which he loves), and has made me a more adequate speaker. At first, you will hate the amount of research and time required to do well in this class. But I promise you, wait until the last speech and you will be craving more. It became very fun, and you learn more about a topic then you could have ever imagined. It was a fantastic class, you become very comfortable with your classmates and get to know them, and Mehl when you get to talk with him more is a funny guy (he comes across sarcastic and a know it all, however with his credentials, he does know it all). Probably the greatest resource I have as of right now. I would recommend his class to anyone.

Mehl is one of those professors who works WAY too hard, and so this is not an easy elective. But it also means that you'll actually learn something and be a better arguer/speaker. There are major deadlines almost every week, and you probably won't get an A. Still, worth taking because Mehl is a very smart guy - check his professional experience

Mehl is BY FAR the best professor I have had at Poly. He is insanely intelligent, has a photographic memory (I'm convinced) and knows how to motivate/scare the living hell out of you. Every single debate we had I thought I was going to fail because he expected so much, but I was pleasantly surprised with my work towards the end of this class. He pushes you to be better and you will learn to LOVE research by the end of this class. The debates we do are very interesting and although this class takes a ton of work, it has been the best class here at Poly and it made me into an even better speaker. His lectures are clearly rehearsed and he wastes absolutely no time. He jokes and so his lectures are both fun and informational. I looked forward to going to his class and did not miss a single lecture. If you're thinking about his class, just take it. You won't regret it. His quizzes are difficult if you don't do the reading. Mehl deserves a 4/4.

Martin is a great teacher. Granted, he does expect a lot of effort on your part, but if you make an honest attempt to work on the assignments, you'll be fine. He's really big on ethics and "complete units of proof" and will pound those into your head often. We had several papers and 2 debates to do, but you only have to speak at one of them, and they're not that tough except for the working in groups aspect. As a professor, Martin can be long winded during lectures, but he's definitely an easy guy to approach. Don't be late to class, he hates that, but overall he understands that scom 126 is just a GE class and that his students have lives and classes outside of it. We just had one quiz, the midterm was a speech and a paper, and the final was an essay based on stuff we'd studied during the quarter and we didn't have to really study for it since we could bring all our material to the exam. I'd definitely recommend him if you have to do scom 126, or any class that he happens to teach for that matter.

Dr. Mehl loves the #3 for a reason. 1.) He is organized 2.) He is intelligent 3.) He is always available. If you are a slacker take someone else! He goes above and beyond to help and motivate!

Martin is tough. He is however very fair. I have to admit, he made me work, because he made the class very interesting. I have never learned that much applicable material in such a short amount of time. CalPoly's motto of "learning by doing" is directly applicable to Martin. He keeps you on your toes, which means that you can't get away with being a slacker. He is very energetic and I admire his skill of being a motivator without being preachy. I am very glad that I took his course and look forward to take anything else he teaches.

Good class, good teacher, good experience. Alot of work, but worthwhile - I'd take him again without a problem.

He is good. Whatever some idiots say.

for a g.e. class, this class was extensive and WAY too much work. but as a professor, i think he'll be the one that people will always remember. he's crazy. but he gets his points across and you learn to somewhat respect him. now, coming out of the class, i did learn a lot, but i put in a lot of effort to get an effing B-. you get to know the people in the class really well. it get's fun and you learn how to talk back to him. but IF YOU WANT AN EASIER A3 GE CLASS, he is PROBABLYY NOT the one to take. it was A LOT of work. and it doesnt really matter about your speech skills, you just need to present everyting with PROOF! (that's the answer to all his questions.) but he's a memorable teacher. i'll probalby ask him to write me recomendation letters.

for a g.e. class, this class was extensive and WAY too much work. but as a professor, i think he'll be the one that people will always remember. he's crazy. but he gets his points across and you learn to somewhat respect him. now, coming out of the class, i did learn a lot, but i put in a lot of effort to get an effing B-. you get to know the people in the class really well. it get's fun and you learn how to talk back to him. but IF YOU WANT AN EASIER A3 GE CLASS, he is PROBABLYY NOT the one to take. it was A LOT of work. and it doesnt really matter about your speech skills, you just need to present everyting with PROOF! (that's the answer to all his questions.) but he's a memorable teacher. i'll probalby ask him to write me recomendation letters.

Mehl's not too bad, he grades really toughly, and seems to take pleasure in making students feel stupid. He's not really clear about anything in this class so you'll have to email him a lot for clarification, however he knows the subject very well, and will give you good ideas for speeches.

If you are interested in taking an easy speech class and getting and A, do not take this class. However, I am a much better speaker thanks to Dr. Mehl and I learned A LOT. This class is a ton of work but totally worth it if you want to become a better speaker. You really get to know your classmates because it is all group speeches except for one and the debates get really competitive so it is kinda fun.

My friends took Dr. Mehl's debate course and I attended the debate as a visitor. I was very impressed that we offer such an elaborate course at Poly. Dr. Mehl made some podcasts available to his students that they were able to share with friends. I was very impressed and plan to attend this course as soon as I can.

Martin was one of the most challenging professors I've ever had -- and all this for a GE! I can honestly say that I am changed in my view of the world and the way that I analyze it now that I have taken him for an Argument class. The way he teaches is definitely learn by doing, and I've had a lot of fun with the intense debates that we have in the class. Warning: it's a lot of work. But if you see it all as a learning experience and try not to just pass through the class without trying, you'll enjoy it and pat yourself on the back for making it through.

I took Martin's class as a freshman and had him again my junior year. He is a very dedicated and diligent instructor. I have nothing but positive things to say about him. I do however find it very suspicious that some students try to spread vicious rumors to overcome their own lack of maturity and inability to deal with college being a challenge. By the way - I was very surprised that a professor would hand out his personal cell phone number and answer his e-mail on weekends. He is a great person to talk to for advice and feedback that is not even class related. So for those students that take these rating seriously I would recommend you talk to Martin and learn for yourself how great of a person and teacher he is. I certainly am looking forward to going to law school and that is in part due to having taken Martin's argument and advocacy class.

This last quarter was the second time I had Martin for a class, and hes awesome! This is a class where you have to work, but assignments involve current events that a majority of the class was interested in. You do two debates where the class picks the topics, so its something you're into. Martin is an excellent intructor and I would recomend him to all.

I was in the same class as the person below, and while this class was pretty easy ( i ended up getting a b+) i didnt learn anything in this class. His lectures are unclear and NOT cohesive, you end up taking like 3 lines of notes then your so distracted by him SHOUTING REALLY LOUD like he has terrets or something. however, if you are willing to research a lot, and put the time in (remember 2 hours per unit!!!) you'll probably do pretty well in this class. hes a pretty easy grader, OOO! and there are several days when you only come to class for like 5 minutes for one on one meetings about your speech.

I took this class because my friends recommended him and i must say i am not dissapointed. He is very clear on what he wants. His lectures are awesome - sometimesit felt like 15 min. and we were actually there for 2 hours. He is very understanding and know his stuff. Don't anticipate an easy A - not going to happen (heck a C from him is still something to be proud of.) Anyway, thought I would share my experience as we have some idiots making this source useless. You should ABSOLUTELY take him. And by the way - if you need career advice, or have your salary negotiated, h is the man. A friend of mine just scored an internship because of Martin. What more do you want perople - he absolutly rrrrocks and so will you - when you take him! Did i mention he is hot!!!

this class is incredibly difficult. Easily my most difficult class thus far, even compared to major classes. More time and effort went into this class than any other and for minimal rewards. Mehl is hard to approach or even talk to.

Martin is awesome and EXTREMLY intelligent. Take this class you will not regret it!

I had Martin twice in my first two years at Poly, and now a year after I've had a class from him he still remains one of my favorate teachers ever. He is totally willing to go above and beyond to help you, including giving the class his cell phone number if you need to reach him. His lectures are amazing, sometimes he speakes loud, but its not "yelling." He does expect a lot from his students, but the work involved things the class voted to do, so its always interesting. He can come off intimidating at first, but he is totally a great guy that wants to help you. I strongly recomend taking a class from Martin, I wish I could take him again.

Martin is fair, the definition of ethical and EXTREMELY prepared/smart. How can you not enjoy being in his class. Just be on time, do what he tells you and meet with him during office hours. I really enjoyed his class and he is a class act as a person and as a teacher.

Martin is very smart. The reason I say that up front is that this is a very big component of your experience in this class. He makes you think. Now he looks very young and that actually may cause some students, including myself, to be envious. His age and looks actually make him appear as though he is just as old as his students. He is not. He has a ton of experience and just talk to him outside of class that becomes very clear. I was very impressed with his ability to integrate current events. However, while that was great - I also hated having to stay up-to-date. I am not a media person, so I felt that he made us read and watch mainstream media. O.k. he may have not forced me, but I felt stupid if i wasn't at least glancing at CNN online before attending class.He is a great speaker, but can get a bit too technical. I would recommend him without any hesitation. Have fun and enjoy his class.

Great class, great teacher, great experience. Take Martin - expect to work hard and be sure to see him during office hours. Very valuable class and I would take him again!

Martin's class was very demanding, however very rewarding. He is one of those teachers that you hope to have when you start college. He makes you work hard, but he is fair when it comes to grading. He went above and beyond to help me for job interviews and I really applied material that I learned in his class. I took his course 2 years ago and I feel that this course made me better in all of my business classes.

Wow. Martin makes you work. He is smart as a wip and can get you to work twice as hard as you may have thought possible. I look forward to taking anything else that he will teach. If you are thinking about taking him, just make sure that you don't have too many demanding classes at the same time. I recommend his class and him to anyone.

Quick review. Attractive instuctor *****/***** Challenging course *****/***** Fair grades *****/***** Class environment *****/***** One of, if not the BEST teacher on campus!

Mehl was an amusing professor. He was always at his office hours and he was very understanding. If you absolutely couldn't make it to class you could e-mail him, or call him, ahead of time and tell him why. If you had a VERY good excuse and you told him before and were "proactive" you were good to go. He is tough. You could write what you thought would be an amazing speech and still get a B. I don't know if anyone got an "A" in the class. It is well worth it though. You learn a lot and you will have fun. Plus, for my first quarter at Poly, it was nice to get to personally know just about everyone in the class. There is a lot of group work.

O.k. - this instructor is one hot piece of... Don't get me wrong I don't pine after teachers, but this guy is indeed great eye candy. He knows what he is talking about and it is enjoyable to be in his course. He is by far the best dressed and most organized teacher I have ever had. If you want to make sure that you don't fall behind simply form a study group. That's what 4 of us did and we did well working and studying together. He tells you exactly what you need to know and that's all there is to it. This class is challenging, but not impossible. Take M A R T I N - he is absolutely awesome!!!

Awesome class. Learned so much. Highly recommend anything Martin will teach - take it. "Learning by doing" is absolutely true. His class is the best!

First of all Mehl is an cocky guy who assigns way to much work for this class. His lectures are long, tedius, and completely pointless. Instead of teaching you the fundamentals of a good speech, he rambles on about ethics and pointless crap that doesn't help you at all when it comes to the assignments. Papers and speeches are graded harshly and insane deadlines are expected by him. This class SUCKED, and was way to difficult for a GE!

Dr. Mehl is a great teacher. However I would not recommend this class if all you want to do is simply get a "GE" class out of the way. If you want to learn something and probably learn it for life I would highly recommend his class. BUT, be sure to not have a loaded schedule. This class is amazing, but also quite overwhelming. We had to deal with current events and I learned alot about stem-cell research. I think of this as the mother of all GE classes, after I was done. You will learn how to research, how to speak, how to make decisions, how to negotiate, how to communicate, how to use technology, and last but not least how to be a better person. I really mean that last statement. He stresses ethics, but he also practices what he "preaches." He is a class act, but as a student you might not want to go through all of this work. I am glad I did now, but it almost kicked my Be-hind! He answers e-mail with massive diligence and one of the best things I did was to see him during office hours. He REALLY helps you out. Ask good questions and you will get good answers. I guess overall I would take him again.

Awesome teacher. He really cares about his students and is awesome about giving advice. If you can take Martin's class take it, he is supercool and really smart! By the way I don't like that nobody ever post their name. I liked Martin's class -- Ashley

Martin is more of a mentor than a teacher. He really cares about his students and it shows. I learned so much from him in this class and I will take that with me for the rest of my life. Martin is the kind of teacher that I wished for entering College. He is tough, but fair and when he does giev you a complement it means something.

Very intense course. Learned more in this 10 week class than in my first 2 years of college. The way the class is designed really does not allow you to slack. It comes together nicely in the end and you feel really good about the skills you have acquired in the process. I have no complaints, at all. Martin always answered his e-mails promptly and the answers were very helpful. During office hours he really shows how much he cares about his students and I personally had no problems reading his annotations on my papers. He does write a lot on them and most of it was helpful. Some of my friends did not bother looking over the notes and did not apply what he told them to do. So surprise when they heard the same feedback, again. So, if you are looking for a great, competent, attractive and inspiring teacher - he is it!

Cutest Professor I have ever had. He is intelligent and good looking. Take his class you will enjoy yourself.

"Tough but fair." That's the motto, that is the class in a nutshell. I learned alot from Martin in my SCOM 126 class. They recently changed it to COMS 126. He is very clear on what he wants you to accomplish and gets you there. Essentially read, show up for class, do the prep assignments, research and try the best you can -- you will pass this class and actually remember what you were taught. Challenging class, but also very rewarding.

This class is VERY demanding. I put more effort into this course than into my major classes and I am not a freshman. However I also really enjoyed the class. You want to do well in this course. If you do not want to work hard in a GE take another class. If you are shy and do not like to be called on you may also not want to take this class. You want to take this class if you like a challenge. You want to take this class if you want to meet a very knowledgable, enthusiastic and prepared instructor. I would take the class, again. But I can also see why someone would not want to.Be sure to come to this class knowing that you will be spending a lot of time on research, presentation and critical thinking.

What a cool class.

Prof. Mehl is a very assertive teacher. I never had him for 101, but the 126 class is a great class. I knew everyones name and felt really comfortable in this class. He really builds the class up. We had 3 individual speeches and 2 group based debates. The debates are interesting, sometimes you can get stuck with a crappy group. However, the draft days were helpful to make adjustment. I worked hard in this class and I am proud of the grade I got. I recommend taking his course.

Main things that you need to know if you have made the mistake of registering for this class. 1. If you are assigned a speech or an assignment, go to his office hours and explain you tentative plan and ask for his opinion. He will not stop talking but get what you think is the most important. He definately have his favorite students, but he tries to grade as evenly as possible-but a little bias will be reflected in your grades. 2. You need to attend every single lecture, because he gives instructions for all assignments in the lecture. His written instructions are the most un clear and confusing. Ask him if you are confused. 3. Get ready for some hecktic sleepless nights of research. THis really works. The more you research the better grade you will get, because your knowledge will reflect in your speeches. 4. When you are in class, feel free to not pay attention to many things, especially when it comes to lecture, the book is way better at explaining things. He may know his stuff really well, but his quality of communicating to students is very poor. He uses intimidating phrases and expressions to make sure that the students are absorbing whatever he is explaining. In a way very patronising and paternal attitude. 5. The grading is somewhat fair. AS I said ealier there is definately a bias towards certain students. I noticed it, he favors some over the others. But for the most part, you will get a true grade in this class. No curves or anything, the amount of work you put in is going to be the composition of your grade. But for a 100 level communication class, it requires way too much work and effort. Good luck! if you have enrolled and cannot drop the class. Otherwise, save yourself some time and sanity, and drop the class while you can.

I dont put it past martin at all to put up half of these posts. He was an excellent teacher, however he pushes us way too hard. maybe if i had no other class that quarter, maybe i wouldve enjoyed this class. do not take his class if you want a life!!

he say things in the most complicated way to make himself sound smart. douche bag. dont take him

ok...im a pretty smart student...i try hard in most of my classes, and i try to get A's. This class is VERY time consuming...dont mean to use "loaded language" in this commentary mehl, but your class was VERY time consuming...it is true that you learn a substantial amount, but the stress was not worth it...im letting those of you who want to take a class that fufills the requirement and is not too hard that this is not the class...HOWEVER, if you have some time and want to put your best foot forward, then you should take this...hes a smart guy, very good memory, who kinda does think his shit doesnt stink even if he tells you he doesnt...

Everything BAD everyone else says is true about this professor. I got stuck with him because of a bad rotation this quarter and had no choice. I thought it would be okay and took the positive ratings into more consideration than the negative ones. I went into this class with my head up, sort of excited, but he was really bad. It wasn't a good idea to take him.

Mehl is litterally one of the best teachers that I have ever had. We just finished the final and that is one of the few classes that I am genuinely sad is over. Mehl is so smart, maybe one of the smartest people I have ever met in my life and, if you ask him he will gladly help you with any of the assignments and offer you resources that you were unaware of. He pushes you really hard to, there is a lot of work but honestly the whole time you just know that you are going to get so much out of this class it is worth it. His midterm and final aren't that hard as long as you study the study guides and book. If you want to have a teacher that makes you laugh and pushes you, take Mehl. I <3 research

This class is a lot of work, and you don't necessarily get a lot back for the amount of time and effort that you put in in terms of grades. Everyone seems to get around the same score, even when there were obvious differences in ability level- unclear what exactly he is looking for and what he grades on, even though there is a rubric attached to assignments. At times frustrating and overwhelming, especially if you are an over-achiever...like I said, the way he grades things is interesting. Do well on the quizzes at the beginning because they count for more than you think and they are easy points.

ok, Martin Mehl to this day is one of my favorite teachers here at cal poly. yes, he was tough in the way that he pushed you to your greatest potential but he was always willing to help get you there. i never wrote an evaluation about him earlier but feel as though i need to now to show my appriciation for him as a teacher! he def encouraged me to not be afraid of public speaking and i feel as though i came away from his class with better self confidence and more skills taht will help me in my future than any other class i have taken here at cal poly in the past two years. he is a great motivator and mentour and i think anyone is lucky to have him as a teacher!

Fuck this guy. Id like to stick my tounge up his ass.