CHAPTER 1
FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
CHAPTER SUMMARY
This chapter presents the importance of public speaking in everyday life, emphasizing
that public speaking empowers and challenges us to be audience-centered and ethical.
The chapter introduces important elements of effective public speaking and discusses
proficient speaking as a learned activity in today’s digital age. Reasons for citing
sources are discussed.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Introduction (p. 3): This course focuses on developing public speaking skills that can be
used in a variety of professional and personal communication settings and contexts.
I. Public speaking in a digital age (p. 3).
A. Technology influences how and what we communicate.
II. Public speaking as a liberal art (p. 4).
A. Public speaking is empowering.
1.
Public speaking has been revered as a civic right in democratic
civilizations since ancient times.
a.
Civic rights are the essential conditions for individuals to live
happy and successful lives.
B. Ethical communication involves both speaking and listening.
1.
Ethics are a set of moral principles that are held by a society, group, or
individual that differentiate right from wrong and good behavior from
bad behavior.
2.
Five generally agreed upon ethical standards are honesty, integrity,
fairness, respect, and responsibility.
a.
Ethical communicators are honest. Honest speakers credit the
ideas of others they use in their speech. Plagiarism is stealing and
passing off ideas and words of another as one’s own or using a
III. Public speaking as communication (p. 7).
A. The model of communication (Exhibit 1.1) depicts the essential elements
of communication.
B. Elements of the model include:
1.
Participants: the individuals who assume the roles of senders and
receivers during an interaction.
2.
Messages: verbal utterances, visual images, and nonverbal behaviors
used to communicate.
3.
Feedback: the reaction and responses to messages that indicate to
the sender whether and how a message was interpreted.
4.
Channels: both the route traveled by a message and the means of
transportation.
5.
Interference/noise: any stimulus that interferes with the process of
achieving shared meaning. Noise can be physical or psychological.
6.
Context: the environment in which communication occurs.
a.
Intrapersonal communication: self-talk, communicating with
yourself.
IV. Audience-centered speaking and the rhetorical situation (p. 10).
A. The terms rhetoric and oratory describe the processes of preparing,
presenting, and critiquing public speeches. The effectiveness of any
B. The rhetorical situation is the intersection of the occasion, speaker, and
audience that influences the speech that is given. See Exhibit 1.2. The
rhetorical situation is the result of exigence: a real or perceived specific
need that a speech might help address.
1.
The speaker is the source or originator of the speech.
2.
The audience is the specific group of people to whom your speech is
directed.
a.
Through audience analysis, the diverse characteristics of
V. Effective speech components (p. 13).
A. To create meaning, effective speakers use rhetorical appeals.
B. An effective speech includes audience-appropriate content so that it
includes listener-relevance links to make the exigence of your ideas
transparent.
C. An effective speech uses an organized framework, or structure.
1.
Macrostructure is the overall framework you use to organize your
speech content. It has four elements:
2.
Microstructure is the specific language and style choices you use as
you frame your ideas and verbalize them to your audience.
LECTURE IDEAS
1.
There is increasing concern about plagiarized material from the Internet. Search for
articles related to anti-plagiarism technology available to faculty. A paper or outline
2.
Show the videotape “Gender and Communication: Styles and Stereotypes” by
3.
If you wish to present a lecture on utilitarian, deontological, and teleological ethics,
4.
Show a video recording of a speech that you think is particularly effective. Use this
to discuss the factors associated with effective speaking (i.e., audience-centered,
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
What would you do if you found that another student in the class had plagiarized a
2.
What is meant by the term “ethics?” Can you discuss an example of unethical
speech? Why are ethics in public speaking so important?
3.
What role does technology play in our communication? What are the advantages of
technology in communication? What are the disadvantages? What ways might you
use to minimize disadvantages?
CLASS ACTIVITIES
Activity 1.1:
Introducing The Challenge of Effective Speaking Online Resources
Objective: To acquaint students with resources at The Challenge of Effective Speaking
Online Resources, and to get students registered so they can use the resources
provided.
Students should become acquainted with the many resources available to them at The
Challenge of Effective Speaking Online Resources. To do this requires that you take
some time to help students walk through the various sections of the site. This important
activity could take an entire class period, or could be done as a homework assignment.
1.
Have each student visit the “Welcome” section of the Online Resources, and
2.
Have each student open the “Speech Interactive” section, view the “Funeral”
3.
Have each student open the “Challenge of Effective Speaking” section of the
4.
Have each student open the “Speech Builder Express.” Give students
instructions as to how to register and log on to the Speech Builder Express
5.
Have each student open the “InfoTrac” section of the Online Resources. Give
students instructions for registering and logging on to the InfoTrac website. When
6.
As an extension to the “InfoTrac” introduction, ask students to find a 2004 news
article from the New York Times on the subject of global warming by using the
A16.
Activity 1.2: Self Evaluation
Objective: To get students to begin thinking about their goals and needs in public
speaking.
Format: Individual student.
Have students develop a list of their strengths and weaknesses in public speaking. If
possible, you can meet with each student to discuss their personal assessment during
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Self-Confidence
Stage Fright
Organizational Skills
Brainstorming
Interests or Hobbies (can be used as topics)
Soft Speaking Voice
Prior Speaking Experiences
Activity 1.3: Understanding Public Speaking Effectivenes
Objective: To enhance student understanding of and application of public speaking
effectiveness.
Format: Small groups (two or three students per group).
Ask each group to identify and describe three specific public speaking scenarios (e.g.,
ACTIVITY 1.3 WORKSHEET
Understanding Public Speaking Effectiveness
Scenario Summary (1–2 sentences):
Speaker:
Audience:
Context:
• Physical setting:
Activity 1.4: Determining Plagiarism
Objectives: To acquaint students with the concept of plagiarism; make students aware
of situations they may encounter that may be interpreted as plagiarism.
Format: Homework, class work, or small group work followed by whole class discussion.
Before beginning this activity, students need a definition of “plagiarism.” You may find
one in a college or university document describing policies on your campus. You may
WORKSHEET: DETERMINING PLAGIARISM
Instructions for Students: Read the situations given here and decide whether the
student has committed plagiarism. Be able to defend your decisions orally.
1.
Susan takes an entire speech from a book, memorizes it, and then delivers it in
class as if it were her own work.
Susan (has) (has not) plagiarized.
Reasons:
3.
Theresa reads an article from the Reader’s Digest on the relationship of smoking
and heart disease. Since the article first covers the adverse effects of smoking on
4.
Maria uses statistics extensively in her speech on toxic waste but does not tell where
5.
Jeff and Jack are in two different public speaking sections. They work together on a
speech on the topic of How the Pyramids Were Built. Each gives essentially the
6.
For her speech on the importance of fastening seat belts, Leigh reads a pamphlet on
the five most popular excuses for not fastening seat belts. Because the excuses are
7.
Patrice finds an unusual approach to the problem of drinking and driving in a
magazine article. The author recommends that there be no age limits on buying or