Public Speaking Basics

Book excerpt: This textbook provides concise information, classroom exercises, homework assignments, and speeches to enable college students to master public speaking. There is an emphasis on creating effective thesis sentences, motivational appeals, introductions and conclusions, outlines, and supporting information. The text includes sample speeches for each speaking assignment along with pertinent speech evaluation forms. Chapter topics include speech anxiety, delivery, subject selection and audience analysis, thesis sentences, motivational appeals, organizing and outlining, introduction and conclusion methods, supporting information, presentational aids, effective listening, Standard American English sounds, and creating various informative, persuasive, and special occasion speeches. A sample course syllabus is provided, as well as a test study guide. In this revised edition, some of the chapter exercises have been revamped, some sample speech outlines updated, some of the explanations clarified, and a new special occasion speech has been included.