Public Speaking Module 1: Introduction

Public Speaking Module 1: Introduction

• Module 1 introduces Public Speaking
• Learning Outcomes: outline fundamental elements, skills, and goals of Public Speaking
  • Explain goals and benefits of Public Speaking
  • Recognize communication apprehension and how to reduce it
  • Explain how public speaking can create change
  • Recognize the social and historical contexts of speech, oratory, and rhetoric

Speaking Effectively

• Benefits of Public Speaking:
  • Education: research effectively, make stronger arguments, organize ideas, increase confidence in class participation
  • Career: be a more effective leader, develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills, hone presentation skills
  • Personal: inspire people, grow your confidence, be a better listener, become a powerful advocate

What is Communication?

• Communication: conveying meanings from one entity to another using understood signs, symbols, and semiotic rules
• Miscommunication: intended meaning of a communication does not match the way the message is interpreted

Models of Communication

• Linear Model (Shannon 1948): communication moves linearly, source to destination, emphasizes signal transmission over meaning, disruption is called noise
• Transactional Model (Barnlund 1970): two-way process, meaning is co-created simultaneously by communicators
• Encoding/Decoding Model (Hall 1973): cultural, political, and economic contexts influence how messages are produced and received

Creation of Meaning

• Factors influencing meaning creation: communicators (encode, decode), message (verbal, nonverbal), channel (in-person, mediated), feedback (verbal, nonverbal), interference (internal noise, external noise), context (situation, relationship, setting)

Class Discussion

• Discuss benefits and drawbacks of communicating through various channels (in-person, phone, radio, email, TV/internet broadcast, video chat, text, social media)

Goals of a Speech

• To Inform: overcome confusion, clarify misunderstandings, learn new information
• To Persuade: change attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, or policy
• To Commemorate: form a connection with the audience through emotion to create a connection, acknowledge a person, occasion, or event
• To Entertain: form a connection with the audience through emotion for its own sake, build an emotional connection

Elements of a Speech

• Elements of a speech include: content, source citations, visual aids, speaker, audience, delivery, context

Speaking Confidently

• Learning Outcomes:
  • Recognize communication apprehension and explain how to reduce it
  • Define communication apprehension
  • Explain causes of communication apprehension
  • Understand ways to reduce personal apprehension

Causes of Communication Apprehension

• Fear of failure
• Feeling different or inferior to the audience
• High stakes
• Uncertainty
• Being the center of attention

Reducing Communication Apprehension

• Preparation: conduct audience analysis, visit performance space, ask questions, research, prepare physically and mentally
• Positivity: focus on the message, do vocal warm-ups, remember the goal, use positive self-talk, visualize successful delivery
• Practice: practice the speech, practice different scenarios, practice without notes, identify strengths and weaknesses

Speaking Powerfully

• Learning Outcomes:
  • Describe how public speaking can be used to advocate or create change
  • Outline public speaking as advocacy or civic engagement
  • Describe how public speaking can create change in a community

Tasks of Civic Agency

• Disinterested Deliberation: citizens gathered in an assembly, polite and respectful debate
• Prophetic Frame Shifting: intended to shift society's values, songs, books, signs, essays
• Fair Fighting/Activist: transparent interest, public actor for legal change, pursues causes passionately

Civic Engagement

• Civic Engagement: moving beyond social circles, speaking to oppositional and undecided audiences
• Advocacy: identifying goals, asking the audience to consider ideas, take action, find solutions, support a policy

Creating Community Change

• Action 1: Unify
• Action 2: Develop Specific Calls to Action
• Action 3: Identify who needs to hear your speech
• Action 4: Put yourself on the agenda