Public Speaking Essentials

CourseMate and Study Tools

• CourseMate is an online platform that provides access to various study tools, including textbooks, notes, flashcards, videos, and practice quizzes.
• Speech Studio is a tool within CourseMate that allows users to upload video files of practice speeches or final performances, comment on peers' speeches, and review grades and instructor feedback.

The Challenge of Effective Speaking

• The book is written by Rudolph F. Verderber, Deanna D. Sellnow, and Kathleen S. Verderber.
• The 15th edition is copyrighted in 2010 and published by Cengage Learning.
• The book is available in various formats, including eBook and eChapter, and may have some third-party content suppressed due to electronic rights.

Effective Speaking

• Public speaking is a vital skill for effective communication, and the book provides guidance on developing this skill.
• The human communication process involves participants, messages, channels, interference/noise, feedback, and contexts.
• Public speaking is a liberal art that plays a crucial role in democracies, and effective public speaking can empower individuals and communities.
• Ethical principles for public speaking are essential, and understanding the rhetorical situation (speaker, audience, and occasion) is critical for effective communication.

Part One: Orientation

• Chapter 1: Foundations of Public Speaking

  • The chapter covers the human communication process, public speaking as a liberal art, ethical principles, and understanding the rhetorical situation.
  • Effective speakers are audience-centered, include audience-appropriate content, and deliver speeches expressively.

• Chapter 2: Developing Confidence through the Speech-Planning Process

  • The chapter discusses public speaking apprehension, its symptoms, causes, and management techniques.
  • General methods for managing public speaking apprehension include preparation, positive self-talk, and relaxation techniques.
  • Specific techniques include visualization, breathing exercises, and physical exercise.### Effective Speech Planning

• Effective speech planning involves six steps: selecting a speech goal, understanding the audience, gathering and evaluating information, organizing and developing ideas, choosing presentation aids, and practicing oral language and delivery style.

Steps of Effective Speech Planning

• Step 1: Select a speech goal that is appropriate to the rhetorical situation.
• Step 2: Understand the audience and adapt to it.
• Step 3: Gather and evaluate information to use in the speech.
• Step 4: Organize and develop ideas into a well-structured outline.
• Step 5: Choose, prepare, and use appropriate presentation aids.
• Step 6: Practice oral language and delivery style.

Preparing a Narrative/Personal Experience Speech

• Preparing a narrative or personal experience speech involves selecting a speech goal, understanding the audience, gathering and evaluating information, organizing and developing ideas, and choosing presentation aids.

Listening and Responding Effectively

• Effective listening involves attending, understanding, and remembering.
• Improving listening skills involves attending, understanding, and responding.
• Types of listening include: attentive, empathic, and critical listening.
• Preparing a constructive critique involves understanding the speaker's goals, identifying the speaker's main points, and evaluating the speaker's evidence.

Principles of Effective Speech Planning

• Step 1: Selecting an appropriate speech goal involves identifying potential topics, brainstorming, and concept mapping.
• Analyzing the audience involves understanding the audience's demographics, needs, and expectations.
• Analyzing the occasion involves understanding the context, purpose, and constraints of the speech.

Adapting to Audiences

• Adapting to audiences involves understanding the audience's needs, values, and expectations.
• Relevance involves demonstrating timeliness, proximity, and personal impact.
• Initial audience disposition involves understanding the audience's attitudes and beliefs.
• Common ground involves using personal pronouns, asking rhetorical questions, and drawing from common experiences.
• Speaker credibility involves demonstrating knowledge, expertise, and trustworthiness.
• Information comprehension and retention involve appealing to diverse learning styles, using transitions, and choosing specific and familiar language.

Gathering and Evaluating Information

• Gathering information involves locating and evaluating information sources, including personal knowledge, secondary research, and primary research.
• Evaluating information involves identifying relevant information, selecting factual statements, expert opinions, and elaborations.
• Drawing information from multiple cultural perspectives involves understanding different cultural viewpoints.

Organizing and Outlining the Speech Body

• Constructing a thesis statement involves identifying main points and writing a clear and concise statement.
• Outlining the body of the speech involves identifying main points, subpoints, and supporting material.
• Creating transitions involves using transitional phrases and sentences to connect ideas.

The Introduction and Conclusion

• Creating an introduction involves understanding the goals of the introduction, selecting the best introduction, and crafting a clear and concise introduction.
• Creating a conclusion involves understanding the goals of the conclusion, selecting the best conclusion, and summarizing the main points.
• Completing the outline involves listing sources, writing a title, and reviewing the outline.

Presentation Aids

• Types of presentation aids include visual, audio, audiovisual, and other sensory aids.
• Criteria for choosing presentation aids involve understanding the audience, the message, and the occasion.
• Preparing effective presentation aids involves understanding the purpose, design, and display of aids.

Language and Oral Style

• Oral style involves speaking appropriately, accurately, clearly, and vividly.
• Speaking appropriately involves using "we" language, bias-free language, and adapting to cultural diversity.
• Speaking accurately involves using denotation, connotation, and dialect.
• Speaking clearly involves using specific language, choosing familiar terms, and providing details and examples.

Practicing Delivery

• Effective delivery involves using a conversational style, being animated, and using vocal expressiveness.

• Characteristics of an effective delivery style include using a conversational tone, being animated, and speaking intelligibly.

• Practicing delivery involves using vocal expressiveness, varying pitch, rate, and volume, and using pauses effectively.### Effective Use of Body

• Eye contact is important in effective speaking

• Facial expressions, gestures, movement, posture, and poise are also crucial in conveying confidence and engaging the audience

• Appearance can also affect the audience's perception of the speaker

Delivery Methods

• Impromptu speeches are delivered without prior preparation
• Scripted speeches are written and rehearsed beforehand
• Extemporaneous speeches are prepared in advance but not memorized

Rehearsal

• Preparing speaking notes helps in organizing thoughts and ideas
• Handling presentation aids effectively can enhance the speech
• Rehearsing and refining delivery helps in building confidence and improving the overall performance

Adapting to the Audience

• The rhetorical situation involves understanding the audience, occasion, and purpose of the speech
• Adapting to the audience involves considering their needs, interests, and expectations

Informative Speaking

• Characteristics of effective informative speaking include being intellectually stimulating, relevant, creative, and memorable
• Methods of informing include description, definition, comparison and contrast, narration, and demonstration
• Common informative frameworks include process speeches and expository speeches

Persuasive Speaking

• The nature of persuasion involves understanding how people process persuasive messages
• The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) explains how people process persuasive messages
• The rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos, and pathos are used to persuade the audience

Logos

• Logos involves using reasoning and evidence to persuade the audience
• Two types of reasoning are used in logos: inductive and deductive
• Forming arguments, types and tests of arguments, and reasoning fallacies are important aspects of logos

Ethos

• Ethos involves conveying good character and credibility to persuade the audience
• Conveying competence and credibility is essential in establishing ethos

Pathos

• Pathos involves evoking emotions to persuade the audience
• Evoking negative and positive emotions, and guidelines for appealing to emotions are important aspects of pathos

Ceremonial Speaking

• Speeches of welcome, introduction, nomination, recognition, and acceptance are examples of ceremonial speaking
• Expectations and guidelines for each type of speech are important to consider

Group Presentations

• Responsibilities of group members include preparing, rehearsing, and delivering the presentation
• Conflict resolution and systematic group problem-solving methods are essential in group presentations
• Evaluating group effectiveness and individual contributions is important in improving the presentation