Mastering Public Speaking

1. An Introduction to Public Speaking.

Why Study Public Speaking?

            Personal Benefits

            Professional Benefits

              Try This: Assessing the Importance of Communication

            Public Benefits

Definitions of Communication.

Levels of Communication.

            Intrapersonal Communication

            Interpersonal Communication

            Group Communication

            Public Communication

            Mass Communication

Elements of Communication.

            Speaker

            Message

            Listener

            Feedback

            Channel

            Environment

            Noise

The Public Speaker as Critical Thinker.

             Theory into Practice: Thinking about Public Speaking

Summary

Exercises

2. The Ethics of Public Speaking.

Definition of Ethics.

Principles of Ethics.

              Try This: Developing a Code of Ethics

Ethical Speaking.

            Speak Up about Topics You Consider Important

            Choose Topics That Promote Positive Ethical Values

            Speak to Benefit Your Listeners

            Use Truthful Supporting Material and Valid Reasoning

            Consider the Consequences of Your Words and Actions

            Strive to Improve Your Public Speaking

Ethical Listening.

            Seek Exposure to Well-Informed Speakers

            Avoid Prejudging Speakers of Their Ideas

            Evaluate the Speaker’s Logic and Credibility

            Beware of the Consequences of Not Listening Carefully

Fair Use Guidelines.

Plagiarism.

             Theory into Practice: Effective and Ethical Paraphrasing
Summary

Exercises

3. Speaking Confidently.

Recognize That Speaker Nervousness Is Normal.

Control Speaker Nervousness.

Learn How to Build Speaker Confidence.

            Know How you React to Stress

              Ethical Decisions:

            Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

              Speaking with Confidence 

              Try This: Managing Nervous Energy

            Know Speech Principles

            Know that It Always Looks Worse from the Inside

            Know Your Speech Believe in Our Topic

            View Speech Making Positively Visualize Success

            Project Confidence

            Test Your Message

            Practice Your Delivery

             Theory into Practice: Gaining Perspective

Prepare Your First Speech.

            Understand the Assignment

            Develop Your Speech Content

            Organize Your Speech

            Word your Speech

            Practice Your Speech

            Deliver Your Speech

            Evaluate Your Speech

Summary

Exercises

4. Responding to Speeches.

The Importance of Listening.

Listening vs. Hearing.

            Listening Is Intermittent

            Listening Is a Learned Skill

            Listening Is Active

            Listening Implies Using the Message Receives

The Process of Listening.

              Speaking with Confidence 

            Receive

            Select

            Interpret

            Evaluate

            Resolve

Obstacles to Effective Listening.

            Physical Distractions

            Physiological Distractions

            Psychological Distractions

            Factual Distractions

            Semantic Distractions

Promoting Better Listening.

            Desire to Listen

            Focus I the Message

            Listen for Main Ideas

            Understand the Speaker’s Point of View

            Reinforce the Message

            Provide Feedback

            Listen with the Body

            Withhold Judgment

            Listen Critically

Critiquing Speeches.

            Begin with a Positive Statement

            Target a Few Areas for Improvement

            Organize Your Comments

            Be Specific

            Be Honest but Tactful

            Personalize Your Comments

            Reinforce the Positive

              Ethical Decisions: Title to Come

            Problem-Solve the Negative

            Provide the Speaker with a Plan of Action

            End with a Positive Statement

             Theory into Practice: Critiquing a Classmate

Acting on Criticism.

            Focus on What Your Critics Say, Not How They Say It

            Seek Clear and Specific Judgment

            Evaluate the Feedback Your Receive

            Develop a Plan of Action

              Try This: Critiquing Yourself

Summary

Exercises

5. Analyzing Your Audience.

Recognize the Value of Audience Diversity.

Analyze Your Audience Before the Speech.

            Analyze Audience Demographics

              Speaking with Confidence 

            Analyze Audience Psychographics

            Analyze Audience Needs

            Analyze Specific Speaking Situations

              Ethical Decisions: Title to Come

             Theory into Practice: Using and Audience Questionnaire

Analyze Your Audience during the Speech.

Analyze Your Audience after the Speech

              Try This: Incorporating Questionnaire Results

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating a Speaker’s Audience Analysis

Exercises

6. Selecting Your Speech Topic.

Generate Ideas.

            Self-Generated Topics

              Speaking with Confidence 

            Audience-Generated Topics

            Occasion-Generated Topics

            Research-Generated Topics

             Theory into Practice: Selecting Your Topic.

              Try This: Using a Group to Select Your Topic

Focus Your Topic.

              Ethical Decisions: Should Instructors Censor?

Determine Your General Purpose.

            Speeches to Inform

            Speeches to Persuade

            Speeches to Entertain

Formulate Your Specific Purpose.

Word Your Thesis Statement.

Develop Your Speech Title.

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating Titles

Exercises

7. Researching Your Topic.

Assess Your Personal Knowledge 

              Theory into Practice: Developing Personal Speech Resources

Develop Your Research Plan

Collect Your Information

            Magazines and Journals

              Try This: Comparing Online Searches

            Newspapers

            Government Documents 

            Books

            Reference Works

            Television and Radio

            Interviews

            Calling, Writing, and Emailing for Information

Record Your Information

            What to Record

            How to Record Information 

Conclude Your Search

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating Research

Exercises

8. Supporting Your Speech.

Purposes of Supporting Materials.

            Clarity

            Vividness

            Credibility

Types of Supporting Materials.

            Examples

            Definition

            Narration

            Comparison

            Contrast

            Statistics

            Testimony

Tests of Evidence.

            Is the Evidence Quoted in Context?

            Is the Source of the Evidence an Expert?

            Is the Source of the Evidence Unbiased?

            Is the Evidence Relevant to the Point Being made?

            Is the Evidence Specific?

            Is the Evidence Sufficient to Prove the Point?

              Ethical Decisions: Biased Sources: To Use or Not to Use

            Is the Evidence Timely?

Evaluating Electronic Information.

            Purpose

            Expertise

            Objectivity

            Accuracy

            Timeliness

              Try This: Evaluating Internet Sources

Citing Your Sources.

             Theory into Practice: Information for Oral Footnotes

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating Evidence

Exercises

9. Organizing the Body of Your Speech.

Formulate an Organizing Question.

Divide the Speech into Key Ideas.

            Topical Division

            Chronological Division

            Spatial Division

              Speaking with Confidence

            Causal Division

            Pro-Con Division

            Mnemonic or Gimmick Division

            Problem-Solution Division

            Need-Plan Division

Develop the Key Ideas.

            Signpost the Idea

            State the Idea

            Support the Idea

            Summarize the Idea

             Theory into Practice: Applying the 4 S’s

Connect the Key Ideas.

              Try This: Developing One Key Idea

              Ethical Decisions: Crunch Time

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating Organization

Exercises

10. Introducing and Concluding Your Speech.

Organize the Introduction of the Speech.

            Get the Attention of Your Audience

              Speaking with Confidence

            State Your Topic

              Ethical Decisions: Revealing vs. Concealing Your Purpose

            Establish the Importance of Your Topic

            Establish Your Credibility to Speak on Your Topic

            Preview Your Key Ideas

              Try This: Developing Introductions

Organize the Conclusion of the Speech.

            Summarize Your Key Ideas

            Activate Audience Response

            Provide Closure

             Theory into Practice: Outward Method of Speech Development

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating Introductions

Exercises

11. Outlining Your Speech.

Functions of Outlining.

            Tests Scope of Content

            Tests Logical Relation of Parts

            Tests Relevance of Supporting Ideas

            Checks Balance of Speech

            Serves as Delivery Notes

Principles of Outlining.

            Singularity

            Consistency

              Speaking with Confidence

            Adequacy

            Uniformity

            Parallelism

Stages of Outlining.

            The Working Outline

             Theory into Practice: Visual Brainstorming

              Try This: Developing a Working Outline

            The Formal Outline

              Sample Outline: Perfect (ly Simple) Design

            The Speaking Outline

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating a Speech Outline

Exercises

12. Wording Your Speech.

Functions of Language.

            Communicate Ideas

            Send Messages about User

            Strengthen Social Bonds

            Serve as Instrument of Play

            Check Language Use

              Speaking with Confidence

Principles of Effective Language Use.

            Use language Correctly

            Use language Clearly

            Use language Vividly

              Ethical Decisions: Doublespeak or Clearspeak

            Use Language Inclusively

              Try This: Becoming an Inclusive Speaker

            Use Oral Style

             Theory into Practice: Keys to Effective Oral Style

Summary

  Practice Critique: Analyzing Language Use in a Powerful Speech

Exercises

13. Delivering Your Speech.

Principles of Nonverbal Communication.

              Speaking with Confidence

Methods of Delivery.

            Speaking Impromptu

            Speaking from Memory

            Speaking from Manuscript

            Speaking Extemporaneously

Qualities of Effective Delivery.

Elements of Vocal Delivery.

            Rate and Pause

            Volume

            Pitch and Inflection

            Voice Quality

            Articulation and Pronunciation

Elements of Physical Delivery.

            Appearance

             Theory into Practice: Dressing for Address

            Posture

            Facial Expression

            Eye Contact

            Movement

            Gestures

              Try This: Practicing Your Delivery

Summary

  Practice Critique: Pairing Gestures and Movements with Words

Exercises

14. Using Presentational Aids.

The Importance of Using Presentational Aids.

            Increases Message Clarity

            Reinforces Message Impact

            Increases Speaker Dynamism

            Enhances Speaker Confidence

Types of Presentational Aids.

            Objects

            Graphics

             Theory into Practice: Designing Transparencies and Slides

            Film and Video

            Handouts

            Audio and Other Aids

Strategies for Using Presentational Aids.

            Before the Speech

              Try This: Planning Presentational Aids for the Classroom

            During the Speech

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating Presentational Aids

Exercises

15. Speaking to Inform.

Characteristics of a Speech to Inform.

Informative Speech Topics.

            Speeches about People

            Speeches about Objects

            Speeches about Places

            Speeches about Activities and Events

            Speeches about Processes

            Speeches about Concepts

            Speeches about Conditions

            Speeches about Issues

              Try This: Targeting an Informative Topic

             Theory into Practice: Organizing Informative Speeches

Guidelines for Speaking to Inform.

            Stress Your Informative Purpose

            Be Specific

            Be Clear

            Be Accurate

            Limit Your Ideas and Supporting Materials

            Be Relevant

            Be Objective

            Use Appropriate Organization

            Use Appropriate Forms of Support

            Use Effective Delivery

Annotated Sample Speech: The Amish: Seeking to Lose the Self.

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating and Comparing Two Informative Student Speeches

Exercises

16. The Strategy of Persuasion.

The Importance of Persuasion.

A Definition of Persuasion.

Types of Influence.

            Change

            Instill

            Intensify

              Theory into Practice: The Pyramid of Persuasion.

Types of Persuasive Speeches.

            Speeches to Convince

            Speeches to Actuate

            Speeches to Inspire

Persuasive Speaking Strategies.

            Establish Your Credibility

              Try This: Assessing and Building Your Credibility

            Focus Your Goals

            Connect with Your Listeners

            Organize Your Arguments

            Support Your Ideas

            Enhance Your Emotional Appeals

Summary

  Practice Critique: Analyzing Persuasive Appeals in a Powerful Speech

Exercises

17. The Structure of Persuasion.

Making and Refuting Arguments

            Steps of an Argument

            Refuting an Argument

Types of Argument

            Argument by Example

            Argument by Analogy

            Argument by Cause

            Argument by Deduction

            Argument by Authority

              Theory into Practice: Testing Your Arguments

Fallacies of Argument.

            Hasty Generalization

            False Analogy

            Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

            Slippery Slope

            Red Herring

            Appeal to Tradition

            False Dilemma

            False Authority

            Bandwagon

            Ad Hominem

Selecting Propositions for Persuasive Speeches.

            Characteristics of Propositions

            Types of Propositions

              Try This: Formulating Your Persuasive Proposition

Monroe's Motivated Sequence.

Annotated Sample Speech: Diploma Mills.

Summary

  Practice Critique: Identifying a Claim and Evaluating Evidence

Exercises

18. Speaking on Special Occasions.

The Speech of Introduction.

The Speech of Presentation.

The Acceptance Speech.

The Speech of Tribute.

The Speech to Entertain.

The Impromptu Speech.

The Question-Answer Period.

              Try This: Anticipating and Answering Listener’s Questions

The Videotaped Speech.

             Theory into Practice: Appearing on Video

Summary

  Practice Critique: Evaluating a Speech of Tribute

Exercises

19. Speaking in and as a Group.

Small Group Communication and Public Speaking.

Small Groups Defined.

Types of Groups.

              Try This: Analyzing Your Group

Group Discussion and Decision Making.

            Principles of Group Decision Making

            The Process of Group Decision Making

            The Responsibilities of Group Members

            The Responsibilities of Group Leaders

The Group Presentation.

            Formats for the Presentation

            Preparing a Groups Presentation

              Theory into Practice: Developing a Presentational Style

Summary

  Practice Critique: Analyzing a Group’s Interactions

Exercises

Appendix: Sample Speeches.

Renaissance Fairs, Melissa Janoske

Critique of Renaissance Fairs, Donika K. Patel

Steganography, Tiffanie K. Petrin

A Sign of the Times, Jared J. Johnston

How Old Is He Anyway? Aging the Whitetail Buck, Darla Goodrich

Persuasive Speech, Gene Fox

Speech of Tribute, Edwin C. Anderson, Jr.

I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King Jr.