Public Speaking and Civic Engagement

Table of Contents:

 

PART ONE

Public Speaking in a Democratic Society

 

Chapter 1 Public Speaking and Democratic Citizenship

           Public Speaking and Civic Engagement

           The Rhetorical Tradition

           Communication Challenges of the Twenty-first Century

           The Responsible Citizen-Speaker

 

Chapter 2 The Ethical Public Speaker

            The Engaged Citizen

            Getting Involved in Politics

            The Ethics of Public Speaking

            Deliberation and Demagoguery in the Media Age

 

Chapter 3 Preparing to Speak with Commitment and Confidence

            Public Speaking as Civic Engagement

            Preparing Yourself to Speak

            Speaking with Confidence

 

Chapter 4 The Listener as Engaged Citizen

            The Importance of Effective Listening

            Understanding Barriers to Good Listening

            Guidelines for Improving Listening

 

Chapter 5 Diverse Audiences in a Democratic Society

            Understanding Diverse Audiences

            Identifying Individual Listener Needs and Values

            Identifying Communal Needs and Values

            Gathering Information for Audience Adaptation

            Ongoing Strategies for Audience Adaptation

 

PART TWO

Developing Your Speech 

 

Chapter 6 Developing Significant Topics

            Finding a Suitable Topic

            Narrowing the Topic

            Ethical Obligations in Selecting a Topic

            General Purposes

            Crafting a Specific Purpose

            Testing Specific Purposes

            Constructing a Thesis Statement

 

Chapter 7 Responsible and Productive Research

            A Productive Start

            The Creative Enterprise of Building a Speech

            Investigating Like a Professional: Utilizing Library Resources

            Searching the World Wide Web

            Gathering Information through Interviews

            Gathering Information through E-mail

            Citing Sources of Quoted and Paraphrased Material

 

Chapter 8 Supporting Your Ideas with Evidence

            Supporting Ideas with Evidence

            Testing Evidence

 

Chapter 9 Organizing Your Speech

            The Importance of Good Organization

            Determining When an Idea Is a Good One

            How Patterns of Organization Connect Ideas

            Guidelines for Organizing Your Speech

            Using Transitions as Connectives

            Introducing Your Speech

            Concluding Your Speech

 

Chapter 10 Outlining Your Speech

            Types of Outlines

            Basic Principles of Outlining

 

PART THREE
Presenting Your Speech

 

Chapter 11 Using Language Effectively

            Language and Meaning

            Using Language That Is Clear and Accurate

            Using Language That Is Interesting

            Using Language that Is Appropriate to the Situation

            Responding Critically to a Speaker’s Style

 

Chapter 12 Delivering Your Speech Effectively

            Sounding Good versus Being Sound

            Principles of Good Delivery

            Speaking Extemporaneously

            Alternative Styles of Delivery

            Responding to Audience Questions

 

Chapter 13 Supporting Your Ideas Visually

             Functions of Presentational Aids

            Encouraging Emotional Involvement

Options for Presentational Aids

            Guidelines for Preparing Presentational Aids

            Guidelines for Using Presentational Aids

 

PART FOUR

Types of Public Speaking

 

Chapter 14 Speaking to Inform

             Functions of Informative Speeches

            Types of Informative Speeches

            Organizing the Informative Speech

            How Audiences Learn from Informative Speeches

 

Chapter 15 Persuasive Speaking in a Democratic Society

            The Anatomy of Public Controversy

            Questions of Fact, Value, and Policy

            Ethical Proof in Persuasive Speaking

            Appealing to Audience Emotions

 

Chapter 16 Arguing Persuasively

            Persuasion and Demagoguery in a Free Society

            Constructing a Reasonable Argument

            The Forms of Reasoning

            Fallacies of Reasoning and Evidence

 

Chapter 17 Speaking on Special Occasions

Ceremonial Speaking in a Free Society

            Social Values in Ceremonial Speaking

            The Forms of Ceremonial Speech

            Style and Delivery in Ceremonial Speaking

 

Chapter 18 Speaking and Deliberating in Groups

            Understanding Public Deliberation

            Group Structures That Encourage Dialogue and Deliberation

            Factors That Influence Effective Group Deliberation

            Group Presentations

            Guidelines for Deliberating in Groups