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Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Lecture Notes
Chapter 1: Public Speaking and You: Building Confidence
Learning Objectives
1-1 Demonstrate how public speaking fulfills personal, professional, and societal goals
1-2 List and explain the essential elements of communication
1-3 Assess your confidence as a speaker
1-4 Identity sources of public speaking anxiety
1-5 Use systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring, centering, and skills training
to alleviate symptoms of speech apprehension and build confidence
Outline
I. Becoming a skilled public speaker has benefits for the individual, both personal and
professional, and for society as a whole.
A. Speaking in public is beneficial to your personal life.
1. Builds confidence.
2. Triggers self-discovery
3. Creates self-expression
B. Becoming a more confident speaker will also reflect in your academic life.
1. Speaking up more in class makes for a more confident student.
a. Increase participation in civic and social engagement activities
C. Becoming a skilled public speaker can benefit your career.
1. Success in public speaking helps you grow professionally.
a. Career advancement tied directly to communication skills
b. Effective communication helpful in job interviews
D. Becoming a skilled public speaker can also benefit society.
1. Developing public speaking skills gives you a voice in influencing the direction
of many different things.
a. Freedom of Speech
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
b. Debate freely
2. Our political system depends on citizens being critical thinkers.
a. Public speaking makes for a more informed citizen
b. Ability to listen to both sides of an issue and make the best decision
II. In order to become a skilled speaker, it is necessary to understand the context of public
speaking.
A. There are seven steps that are integral to the speechmaking process.
1. The source
2. The receiver
3. The message
4. The channel
5. Noise
6. Feedback
7. Situational and cultural contexts
B. Communication is a process in action.
1. Both the speaker, or source, and the listener, or receiver, participate in
communication.
2. They send and receive messages continuously throughout the process.
3. Messages
a. Verbal
b. Non-verbal
4. Channels
a. Auditory carries what we hear
b. Visual carries what we see
5. Noise
a. Unavoidable
b. Interference
c. Physical discomfort
d. Psychological state
e. Intellectual ability
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
f. Environment
6. Situational/cultural context
a. Setting or environment for communication
b. Place and time influence behavior and outcome of speech
7. Feedback
a. Information received in response to the message sent
b. Verbal and non-verbal
C. All parts of the communicative model continuously interact with and affect each other.
1. Variables affect one another
2. Communication is cumulative
a. Effects of communication can’t be erased
b. Field of experience is the sum of all experiences
i. Influences attitudes toward speech event and receivers
ii. Affects desire to communicate and how it’s done
3. Success as a source depends on several things.
a. Establish common ground with receivers
b. Encode or formulate a message effectively
c. Adapt to cultural and situational differences
d. Alleviate the effects of noise
e. Understand and respond to the reactions of those whom you are
interacting
i. Cannot be selfish
ii. Attend to the needs of the audience
4. It is important to consider the needs and expectations of the audience.
a. Receivers usually have higher expectations for public speakers than for
other communicators.
i. Use proper grammar
ii. Don’t use slang or jargon
iii. Stay on topic and within time limit
iiii. Respond to questions efficiently
b. When delivering speech, it is important to polish, formalize and build on
basic skills to reach the goal.
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
III. In order to become a skilled speaker, it is important to have confidence.
A. Understanding what causes speech anxiety helps to make you a better speaker.
1. Athletes, dancers and celebrities all suffer from speech anxiety.
2. They learn how to channel their fear so that it will not affect their ability to
perform.
a. Take self-assessment survey to assess level of speech anxiety
B. Public speaking anxiety or PSA affects 40-80% of all speakers.
1. Process anxiety is fear of preparing for a speech.
a. Doubt ability to select a topic, research and organize ideas
2. Performance anxiety is fear of presenting a speech.
a. Stress on delivering speech
b. Fearful of visible signs of anxiety
c. Fear of failure
i. We all fear failure
d. Fear of the unknown
i. Afraid of what you don’t know
e. Fear of evaluation
i. From instructor and audience
f. Fear of being the center of attention
i. Being conspicuous or singled out
g. Fear of difference
i. Ethnocentricity
aa. Belief that one’s own group or culture is better than
others
bb. Hard to find common ground
h. Fear of imposed culture
i. Culture can influence attitudes towards speaking in public.
C. Speech anxiety can have physical effects to the body.
1. Adrenalin releases into system
a. Respiration and heart rates increase
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
b. “Fight or flight syndrome”
2. Systematic desensitization reduces physical responses to apprehension.
a. Tense/relax
i. Tense neck and shoulders
ii. Count to 10
iii. Repeat for the rest of the body
b. Strike powerful pose
i. Practice “power pose” in private to lower stress
levels
ii. Stand tall
iii. Stand tall and lean slightly forward
1. Conveys a sense of control
iiii. Stand tall and open your limbs expansively
1. Expresses power
iiiii. Leaning slightly forward, stake out a broad surface with
your hands.
iiiiii. Power poses convey authority and boost confidence.
D. Speech anxiety can have mental effects on the body.
1. Self-talk or internal communication, often increases our fears instead of
extinguishing them.
a. What you speak, you become
2. Use thought stopping to make self-talk work in your favor.
a. Form of cognitive restructuring
1. Focuses attention on our thoughts instead of our bodily
reactions
b. Say to yourself, “Stop” and “Calm down”
3. Centering helps to direct thoughts internally
a. Centering breath is designed to help focus on the task mentally.
i. Take a deep breath
ii. Follow with strong exhalation and muscle relaxation
E. Speech anxiety can be combatted by the use of skills training.
i. Speak on a topic about which we truly care
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
ii. Prepare thoroughly for speechmaking event
iii. Keep in mind that our listeners are unlikely to perceive our signs of
anxiety
aa. The more you practice, the better you will become
bb. Convert nervous energy to positive energy
F. Speech anxiety can also be transformative.
i. There is no magic cure to rid you of speech anxiety.
ii. Prepare thoroughly and rehearse
aa. Preparation instills confidence
bb. More competent
iii. Visualize a positive experience
aa. See yourself successful from start to finish
iiii. Remind yourself that receivers usually cannot see or hear your fear
aa. The audience can’t see what you’re feeling inside
iiiii. Choose a topic you are knowledgeable about and are comfortable
with
aa. Is it important to you?
bb. Is it something you know about?
cc. Do you want to find out more about it?
iiiiii. Focus on your audience, not on yourself
aa. Become an audience-centered speaker
