Professor Patrick Barton's speech class covered three main forms of rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos involves establishing credibility, pathos appeals to emotion, and logos uses logical reasoning. The professor also discussed basic tools for effective public speaking: research skills, organization skills, and presentation skills like style, repetition, descriptive language, visual aids, delivery, and practice. Mastering speech skills allows one to create positive change and take advantage of the important freedom of speech in America.