Public Speaking Module 1: Introduction

Public Speaking Module 1: Introduction

• Public speaking is a crucial skill for education, personal life, and career.
• Public speaking improves research, argumentation, and organization skills.
• It enhances leadership, problem-solving, and critical thinking abilities.
• Public speaking boosts confidence, communication, and advocacy skills.
• It makes one a better listener and fosters the ability to inspire others.

Module Learning Outcomes

• The module outlines fundamental elements, skills, and goals of public speaking.
• It explains public speaking's objectives and advantages.
• It identifies and explains the phenomenon of communication apprehension.
• It describes how public speaking is employed for advocacy and change.
• It introduces the societal and historical contexts surrounding speech, oratory, and rhetoric.

Speaking Effectively

• It explains the goals and benefits of public speaking.
• It discusses the process of communicating with others.
• It details the core components of a speech.
• It clarifies the distinction between writing a paper and delivering a speech.
• It defines the goals of a speech.

Benefits of Public Speaking

• Education: Enhances research effectiveness, argument formation, idea organization, confidence, and class participation.
• Career: Promotes leadership, effective problem-solving, critical thinking, and presentation skills.
• Personal: Inspires people, strengthens confidence, fosters listening skills, and promotes advocacy.

What is Communication?

• Communication is conveying meaning between entities.
• It utilizes mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic rules.
• Miscommunication occurs when the intended meaning and interpretation differ.

Models of Communication

• Linear Model (Shannon 1948): A one-way process from source to destination, prioritizing signal transmission over meaning.
• Noise: Disruption in the signal transmission.
• Transactional Model (Barnlund 1970): A two-way process where meaning is co-created between communicators.
• Encoding/Decoding Model (Hall 1973): Cultural, political, and economic factors influencing how messages are crafted and decoded.

Creation of Meaning

• Communication involves communicators, messages, channels, feedback, interference, and context.
• Communicators encode and decode messages transmitted through channels.
• Feedback occurs through verbal and nonverbal channels.
• Interference includes internal and external noise. Context encompasses the situation, relationship, and setting.

Class Discussion

• This section analyzes the benefits and drawbacks of various communication channels.

Goals of a Speech

• To Inform: Clears confusion, clarifies misunderstandings, imparts new information.
• To Persuade: Changes attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, or policies.
• To Entertain: Connects with the audience emotionally.
• To Commemorate: Celebrates a person, occasion, or event.

Elements of a Speech

• A speech comprises the speaker, audience, content, source citations, delivery, and visual aids.

LO: Speaking Confidently

• This section focuses on communication apprehension, its causes, and methods for reduction.

Learning Outcomes: Speaking Confidently

• The module defines communication apprehension.
• Explains the causes of communication apprehension.
• Provides methods for reducing apprehension.

Causes of Communication Apprehension

• Fear of failure or a perceived lack of ability when interacting with the audience.
• High stakes situations.
• Uncertainty and unease.
• Being the center of attention.

Reducing Communication Apprehension

• Preparation: Thoroughly analyzing the audience, researching the topic, and rehearsing the speech.
• Positivity: Focusing on the message, performing vocal and physical warm-ups, using positive self-talk, visualizing success.
• Practice: Repeatedly developing familiarity with the speech and practicing in different settings, using speaking notes or no speaking notes, recognizing personal strengths and weaknesses.

Speaking Powerfully

• The module describes how public speaking can be used to advocate for or create change.

Learning Outcomes: Speaking Powerfully

• Outline public speaking as a form of advocacy and civic engagement.
• Describe how public speaking can incite change in a community.

3 Tasks of Civic Agency

• Disinterested deliberation means citizens gathering to respectfully discuss and debate issues.
• Prophetic frame shifting involves changing societal values through various means (e.g., songs, books, speeches).
• Fair fighting/activism involves pursuing legal change with transparent interests.

Civic Engagement

• Civic engagement moves beyond social circles to include those opposed to or unsure of your views.
• Advocacy entails identifying objectives and persuading the audience to take action.

Civic Agency

• Disinterested discourse, Prophetic framing, Fair fighting/Activism are components of civic agency.

Creating Community Change

• Action 1: Unify
• Action 2: Develop specific calls to action.
• Action 3: Identify those who need to hear the speech.
• Action 4: Place yourself on the agenda and get heard.

Explore the fundamental elements of public speaking in this introductory module. Learn about the objectives, benefits, and skills required for effective communication. This module also addresses communication apprehension and the historical context of oratory.