The Art of Public Speaking

Stephen E. Lucas is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin. His major books include Portents of Rebellion: Rhetoric and Revolution in Philadelphia, 1765–1776; Words of a Century: The Top 100 American Speeches, 1900–1999; and Rhetoric, Independence, and Nationhood, 1760–1800. A Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association, he has received the association’s Golden Anniversary Book Award and Golden Anniversary Monograph Award. He has also received a number of teaching awards, including the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Wisconsin and the National Communication Association’s Donald H. Ecroyd Award for Outstanding Teaching in Higher Education. His many pedagogical innovations have had a profound influence in the United States and beyond, and The Art of Public Speaking has been translated into multiple languages, including Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, Romanian, and Japanese. Professor Lucas and his wife, Patty, split their time between Madison, Wisconsin, and Naples, Florida. They have two sons and four granddaughters.

Chapter 1: Speaking in Public Chapter 2: Ethics and Public Speaking
Chapter 3: Listening
Chapter 4: Giving Your First Speech
Chapter 5: Selecting a Topic and a Purpose
Chapter 6: Analyzing the Audience
Chapter 7: Gathering Materials
Chapter 8: Supporting your Ideas
Chapter 9: Organizing the Body of the Speech
Chapter 10: Beginning and Ending the Speech
Chapter 11: Outlining the Speech
Chapter 12: Using Language
Chapter 13: Delivery
Chapter 14: Using Visual Aids
Chapter 15: Speaking to Inform
Chapter 16: Speaking to Persuade
Chapter 17: Methods of Persuasion
Chapter 18: Speaking on Special Occasions
Chapter 19: Presenting Your Speech Online
Chapter 20: Speaking in Small Groups


Appendix: Speeches for Analysis and Discussion