CHAPTER 1
Becoming a Public Speaker
CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Gain a vital life skill.
A. Advance your professional goals.
B. Enhance your career as a student.
2. As a student, learn practical and transferrable knowledge including reasoning, critical
thinking, supporting claims, and structuring ideas.
C. Find new opportunities for civic engagement.
II. The classical roots of public speaking
A. The practice of oratory, called rhetoric, began in Greece.
B. People in Ancient Greece met in a public square called the agora and citizens in Ancient
C. There are five parts to the process of preparing a speech, the canons of rhetoric. In order,
they are:
1. invention, discovering the evidence you’ll use
3. style, using specific language to express ideas
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5. delivery, the vocal and nonverbal behavior during your presentation
D. In contemporary terms, public forum refers to a variety of venues where public interests
III. Learning to speak in public
A. Draw on conversational skills.
B. Draw on skills in composition.
IV. Public speaking as a form of communication
A. Communication scholars typically identify four forms of communication:
dyadic, small group, mass, and public speaking.
2. Small group communication involves a small number of people who can see and
speak to one another.
3. Mass communication is a form of speech in which the receivers of the message are not
4. Public speaking occurs when a speaker delivers a message with a specific purpose to
an audience of people who are present at the delivery of the speech.
V. Public speaking as an interactive communication process
A. Several elements are common to all forms of communication.
2. The receiver is the recipient of the source’s message.
4. The audience’s response is called feedback.
6. The channel is the medium through which the speaker sends a message.
8. Shared meaning is the mutual understanding of a message between speaker and
audience and the primary purpose of communicating.
9. Context includes anything that influences the speaker, the audience, or the occasion,
11. When a speaker keeps the needs, values, attitudes, and wants of his or her listeners in
focus, he or she has an audience-centered perspective.
12. A clearly defined speech purpose or goal is necessary for an effective speech.
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KEY TERMS
rhetoric a term with multiple meanings, all of which relate to aspects of human communication
and encompass the art of public speaking
oratory in classical terms, the art of public speaking
canons of rhetoric classical approach to speechmaking in which the speaker divides a speech into
five parts: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery
public forum any space (physical or virtual) in which people gather to voice their ideas about
public issues
dyadic communication communication between two people, as in a conversation
small group communication communication involving a small number of people who can see
mass communication communication that occurs between a speaker and a large audience of
unknown people. The receivers of the message are not present with the speaker or are part of
public speaking type of communication in which a speaker delivers a message with a specific
purpose to an audience of people who are present during the delivery of the speech. Public
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source person who creates a message, also called the sender. The speaker transforms ideas and
thoughts into messages and sends them to a receiver or an audience.
encoding process of organizing a message, choosing words and sentence structure, and
verbalizing the message
receiver recipient of the source’s message; may be an individual or a group of people
decoding process of interpreting a message
feedback audience response to a message, which can be conveyed both verbally and nonverbally
message content of the communication process—thoughts and ideas put into meaningful
expressions. A message can be expressed verbally (through the sentences and points of a
speech) and nonverbally (through eye contact and gestures).
channel medium through which the speaker sends a message, such as sound waves, airwaves, and
so forth
shared meaning mutual understanding of a message between speaker and audience
context anything that influences the speaker, the audience, or the occasion and affects the message
of the speech
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CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE
I. Summary Questions
What are some of the benefits of public speaking in terms of personal and professional
development?
Public speaking training offers many benefits. These include engaging more deeply with civic
What are the canons of rhetoric, and how do they function?
The canons of rhetoric detail a five-part process to preparing a speech. The five-part process
includes: invention, adapting your speech to the audience; arrangement, organizing your speech
What are the similarities and differences between public speaking and other forms of
communication?
Public speaking shares many similarities with dyadic, small group, and mass communication;
it also has some notable differences. As in dyadic communication, or conversation, public
speaking requires that you attempt to make yourself understood and take responsibility for what
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What are the elements of the public speaking process?
The source is the sender, or the person who creates a message. The source engages in
encoding, which involves converting one’s thoughts into words. The receiver is the recipient of
the source’s message, or the audience. Receivers engage in decoding when they assign meaning to
Why is being audience centered so important to success as a public speaker?
Audience members want to feel included and recognized in the speaker’s remarks. To foster
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II. Discussion Questions
1. In what specific ways can effective public speaking benefit both your professional and your
personal lives?
Students should be able to touch on several of the following: Professional benefits include
being a sought-after employee; getting information to employees, team members, supervisors;
2. Think of three speakers whom you think are effective. What makes them effective as public
speakers? In what ways do they influence the people around them?
Students should feel free to cite both historical speakers of note and contemporary figures.
Encourage students to identify individuals who speak within the community, the state, or on
3. The thought of speaking in public arouses fear in many people. What do you suppose are the
sources of these fears? In other words, where do these feelings of anxiety or fear originate?
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Getting people to talk about the causes of speech anxiety may help anxious students find
ways to minimize their nervousness. Have students brainstorm common (and not so common)
sources of public-speaking anxiety (e.g., fear of being unattractive, fear of inadequacy or
CONTENT PRESENTATION IDEAS
I. Student Activities
1. Talk to someone who works in a field in which you are interested. Ask the following questions:
What specific communication skills are required of people entering your line of work? How
important are public speaking skills to your job? How important to success in your career is
effective public speaking?
Suggest that students try to anticipate the answers to these questions before they speak to
their chosen professional. The first question may touch on such skills as organization, oral
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2. Think back to a conversation in which you tried to achieve a particular result (e.g., giving
advice, persuading a listener). What are the similarities between that situation and public
speaking?
Students should be able to recognize that face-to-face conversation (dyadic
communication) and public speaking share such aspects as choosing an appropriate channel,
3. List some examples of feedback conveyed by an audience, and identify each one as positive or
negative. When do you think positive feedback is more appropriate than negative feedback?
What are some ways in which speakers can deal with negative feedback they receive while
making a speech?
Examples of positive feedback may include smiling, leaning forward, or nodding the head.
Negative feedback may include yawning, rolling the eyes, or talking among audience
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4. List three of your own strengths as a speaker. What are three weaknesses you want to improve
during this course?
Students should list only three strengths and three weaknesses. Try to discourage them
from listing additional weaknesses, as this may hinder self-esteem and expectations for the
II. Group Activities
1. Work in a group of three or four classmates. Individually, divide a sheet of paper into two
columns: Characteristics of an Effective Public Speaker and Characteristics of an Ineffective
Public Speaker. Fill in these columns, and then compare them with those of other members of
your group. Which characteristics of an effective speaker did your group agree on?
2. In a group, formulate a list of objectives or goals you think this public speaking class should
accomplish. Compare them with the goals and objectives of other groups and, as a class, try to
come to a consensus on goals or objectives for the course.
You can use this activity in conjunction with the sections on the importance of public
3. In a group, draw a pictorial model or diagram that represents the communication process. Be
sure to include all the components of the process (e.g., source, encoding, receiver, channel,
decoding). How are the relationships among the components illustrated? What are the
strengths and weaknesses of your model? Compare it to other groups’ models.
This activity lends itself to a group paper assignment or a write-up to be handed in at the
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